Chapter 4, Action Programs
Introduction to Action Programs
An Action Program is an automatically activated corrective response to a problem identified by an alert. When an alert is triggered, an action program will investigate the triggering conditions, access the management databases, and explore possible solutions. The results of these investigations are summarized in the alert notice as a recommended corrective procedure. For example, the Disk Usage Action Program is initiated when the Disk Usage Alert is triggered. It attempts to free disk space by removing old log, core and backup files. So rather than just outlining a corrective measure, action programs play an intelligent role in remedying system problems.
For most situations, the system administrator need not be involved in the problem solving process. Alerts can be configured to automatically invoke an appropriate action program without seeking approval. However, no matter how well-intentioned the automated intelligence mechanism, some administrative measures are potentially destructive, and supervision is occasionally required. In these situations, the alert notice will request approval before initiating the recommended action program.
SCO Doctor includes a standard set of action programs which can be used as supplied, or configured to suit your particular needs via a modify action program dialogue box. The supplied action programs use standard TCL, a simple yet powerful programming language that is ideal for embedded applications. These standard programs are highly configurable, via the SCO Doctor graphical user interface, allowing you to adjust thresholds and action program parameters. However, you can also run any user or system program as an action program.