Server alarm in HPSIM for no apparent reason

[Hank43]

We have a server running in a VM: ESX 3.5.0, Windows 2000 SP4. which has been regularly alarming in HPSIM with "System is unreachable", yet there is nothing in the OS event viewer which points to a cause for the alarm. A few minutes after the alarm we get another message advising "System is reachable". This happens 1-2 times per day.

Any ideas as to what can cause this?

[DBrune]

When that happens to me, it's usually a ping timeout during hardware status polling.

[shocko · Accepted solution]

Check the ping timeout global settings in SIM and also the system settings for that system. It doesn't mean that anything is wring with the server but just that the SIM heartbeat timed out.

[Hank43]

The server is using the global default ping setting (5 seconds - 2 retries).

[shocko]

This doesn't mean there is anything wrong with the server, just that a ping timed out (could eb more many reasones). Run a ping for a day from the CMS:

• ping -t servername > %tmp%\ping.log

Then review it and see if there were any drops

[Hank43]

We adjusted the ping settings to 15 seconds with 4 retries, hopefully that will help as this server has kept our pager very lively!

[Hank43]

Changing the ping timeout settings did the trick -- thanks so much!