Linux software discovery does not find installed Websphere software.

[petertj_]

Websphere software discovery for usage in SAM Pro.

We are facing the following issue. We run discovery on Websphere Linux just fine using the OOTB probes, as well as collect the software as installed on the Linux servers using the Linux Installed Software probe.

As IBM does not provide an rpm package for Websphere since version 7, and the Installed Software probe merely asks the system for all installed rpm packages, the cmdb_sam_sw_install_list does not populate with Websphere software records, and no dicovery and software models are created. 

I am able to identify packages once file based discovery has been enabled, however no successful match is made with an Websphere model so no publisher and product are populated in the cmdb_file_information table. As a result nu software record is created in cmdb_sam_sw_install as well. 

What is the best approach for discovering Websphere on Linux, so cmdb_sam_sw_install records are created and we can use the information in SAM Pro. As Websphere is such a common product I cannot imagine nobody has ran into this before 🙂

[Scott Halverso1]

See the below document for reference.

1. Make sure disco is using the latest patterns

2. Make sure the probe as the elevated privilidges needed for Unix commands per the below doc.

https://docs.servicenow.com/bundle/rome-it-operations-management/page/product/discovery/concept/c_DataCollDiscoWebSphereServers.html

[petertj_]

Hi Scott,

Thnx for your reply! Probes run elevated and "regular" websphere discovery runs fine, servers;cells;clusters all are identified and according CI's are created. It is just the software records in sam_sw which are not.

I feel this has nothing to do with the Websphere probes but with the software inventory ones.  PS: I also tried the Websphere on Linux pattern by the way, although probes are still the way to go according to documentation without succes.  

[krishnaswamy]

Were you able to find any solution for this?

[Jimbo2]

If rpm is not used for the installation of the software, and it is not registered in rpm then discovery won't find it using the "Linux - Installed Software" probe.

I have suggested to one of the unix admins to insert a dummy type record into rpm, they'll need to build an rpm package and install it to make the entries visible.  They're currently considering it.

Why does IBM not use rpm in the first place for some of their software? Incredibly frustrating!!!