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Data Type Usage in Metric Family XML Files

This section provides guidance on data type usage in metric family and vendor certification XML files.

ObjectID

To access the polled OID rather than the return value of the poll, use the type ObjectID.

Integer/Long/Double

Numeric values are typically stored in the types Integer or Long in vendor certifications. Metric Families typically use the type Double.

BigInteger/Double

Data Aggregator supports the polling of 64-bit counters, which in turn supports the collection of data for high-speed interfaces. As the speed of network media increases, the minimum time in which a 32-bit counter wraps decreases. Using 64-bit counters lengthens the time that it takes for a counter to wrap and enables polling at a normal rate. The ifxTable in MIB2 provides 64-bit counters, which for vendor certifications are typically stored in the BigInteger type. Metric families typically use the type Double.

String/OctetString

String values are stored in the type String in vendor certifications. Metric families use the type OctetString.

QName

A special type used in metric families for the FacetTypes attribute.

Note: The schema files that are provided with CA Performance Management have detailed information about types. Schema-aware XML editors such as XML Notepad use this information and can assist you during creation of XML files.

Example of a part of the ProcessInfoVCForEmpireMIB.xml file with data types that define the MIB object attributes in this vendor certification

      <Attribute name="INDEX" type="ObjectID">
        <!--This variable serves as the index for the other variables in the same MIB table.-->
        <IsKey>true</IsKey>
        <IsIndex>true</IsIndex>
        <Source>1.3.6.1.4.1.546.1.1.4.1.1</Source>
      </Attribute>
      <Attribute name="processID" type="Long">
        <!--The unique process ID (e.g. 0).-->
        <IsKey>true</IsKey>
        <NeedsDelta>false</NeedsDelta>
        <Source>1.3.6.1.4.1.546.1.1.4.1.1</Source>
      </Attribute>
      <Attribute name="processName" type="String">
        <!--The name of the running process (e.g. syslogd).-->
        <IsKey>true</IsKey>
        <NeedsDelta>false</NeedsDelta>
        <Source>1.3.6.1.4.1.546.1.1.4.1.2</Source>
      </Attribute>
      <Attribute name="processRSS" type="Long">
        <!--Real memory (resident set) size of the process in kilobytes. This value indicates how many bytes are held by a process.-->
        <IsKey>false</IsKey>
        <NeedsDelta>false</NeedsDelta>
        <Source>1.3.6.1.4.1.546.1.1.4.1.11</Source>
      </Attribute> 

Example of a part of the ProcessInfoMFWithComponent.xml file with data types that define the metric attributes in this metric family

    <Attribute>
      <Name>{http://im.ca.com/normalizer}ProcessInfo.Indexes</Name>
      <AttributeDisplayName>Indexes</AttributeDisplayName>
      <Description></Description>
      <Type>ObjectID</Type>
      <WriteOnPoll>false</WriteOnPoll>
      <Polled>false</Polled>
      <IsList>true</IsList>
      <IsDbColumn>false</IsDbColumn>
    </Attribute>
    <Attribute>
      <Name>{http://im.ca.com/normalizer}ProcessInfo.PID</Name>
      <AttributeDisplayName>PID</AttributeDisplayName>
      <Description>The process ID for the process in the OS.</Description>
      <Type>Integer</Type>
      <WriteOnPoll>false</WriteOnPoll>
      <Polled>false</Polled>
      <IsList>true</IsList>
      <IsDbColumn>false</IsDbColumn>
    </Attribute>
    <Attribute>
      <Name>{http://im.ca.com/normalizer}ProcessInfo.Names</Name>
      <AttributeDisplayName>Names</AttributeDisplayName>
      <Description></Description>
      <Type>String</Type>
      <WriteOnPoll>false</WriteOnPoll>
      <Polled>false</Polled>
      <IsList>true</IsList>
      <IsDbColumn>false</IsDbColumn>
    </Attribute>
    <Attribute>
      <Name>{http://im.ca.com/normalizer}ProcessInfo.Memory</Name>
      <AttributeDisplayName>Memory</AttributeDisplayName>
      <Description>The total amount of real system memory allocated to this process, in kilobytes.</Description>
      <Type>Double</Type>
      <WriteOnPoll>false</WriteOnPoll>
      <Polled>true</Polled>
      <IsList>true</IsList>
      <IsDbColumn>true</IsDbColumn>
      <Baseline>true</Baseline>
      <Maximum>true</Maximum>
      <Minimum>true</Minimum>
      <Variance>true</Variance>
      <StandardDeviation>true</StandardDeviation>
      <Percentile>95</Percentile>
      <RollupStrategy>Avg</RollupStrategy>
    </Attribute>

More information:

Create a Custom Metric Family XML File