Defining an Email template in network monitoring systems

Here is an easier way to integrate Email Alerts from any Network Montioring solution, be it HP OpenView, Solarwinds or ManageEngine OpManager  (& Applications Manager) into ServiceDesk Plus.

Before we begin, let me put forth few questions.

1. Do you have trouble logging a ticket into ServiceDesk Plus?
2. Do you feel that only a few parameters (like Technician, Priority & Category) can be set through Log a Ticket Profile?
3. Do you feel the ServiceDesk Plus settings are cumbersome in ManageEngine OpManager & Applications Manager?
4. Is your technician always ‘on the ground’, hardly having time to login to the Web client of ServiceDesk Plus?
5. Do you want to create a workflow for alerts from other Network Monitoring Solutions?
6. Do you need an API based integration for Email Alerts from HP OpenView, Solarwinds, OpManager, Applications Manager or any other network monitoring solution?

My answer to all these questions is ‘Use the Email Command Feature’ in ServiceDesk Plus. This feature helps you set Category, SubCategory, Item, Technician, Mode, Level, Priority, Urgency, Request Type, Group, Technician, Site, Asset, Resolution and any other Request Additional Field to the incoming requests from HP OpenView, Solarwinds, Applications Manager, OpManager  or any other Network Monitoring Solution.

Doesn’t it look more versatile than the Log a Ticket Profile? Yes, it really does, atleast to say so, in my opinion.

All you have to do is identify a delimiter and your email should be formatted in the following way :

@@OPERATION=AddRequest@@
@@CATEGORY=Network@@
@@SUBCATEGORY=Router@@
@@ITEM=DSL Link@@
@@MODE=Alert from OpManager@@
@@LEVEL=Tier 2@@
@@PRIORITY=High@@
@@URGENCY=Urgent@@
@@REQUESTTYPE=Alarm@@
@@REQUESTER=OpManager Alert@@
@@REQUESTEREMAIL=opmanager-noreply@yourdomain.com@@
@@GROUP=Network@@
@@TITLE=RTT Violation between 192.168.1.10 and 172.64.56.22 is more than 30 seconds@@
@@ASSET=Router1@@
@@SITE=New York@@

@@ is the delimiter in the above Email Template and you can use any delimiter like ##, $$, %% etc.

The advantage here is that any request parameter can be a part of the Email Template. ServiceDesk Plus parses this email and sets the request parameter values, based on the received template. There is no need for a business rule to redefine the request parameters.

The above example is to open a request. You can also edit, close or pick-up a ticket, provided you know the ticket id.

Let us consider the scenario that the above email alert from a Network monitoring software is generated as a Request (or Incident) and assigned to the group “Network”. The next step in the Request Workflow is ‘Acknowledgement by a Technician’. The Technician will receive ‘Request Creation’ and/or ‘Request Assigned to Group’ notification. The Request ID will be available in the Notification Email. Let us assume that the Request ID is 283872. The Technician can save the below email template and replace the request id, whenever necessary, so as to pickup a request.

@@OPERATION=PickupRequest@@
@@REQUESTID=283872@@

Let us now, look at another example for closing the request. The template is as follows :

@@OPERATION=CloseRequest@@
@@REQUESTID=283872@@

Now, the only option left out is Edit Request. Let us say, that the above alert has to be assigned to Technician John Doe. The Template is

@@OPERATION=EditRequest@@
@@REQUESTID=283872@@
@@TECHNICIAN=John Doe@@

Doesn’t this sound interesting and easy?

I leave it to you to play more with this feature.

Kevin