Menu Management

To protect the NNM system from the ravages caused by users and yet ensure that users are able to do their jobs, it is important to customize the NNM menus. Begin by doing a thorough requirements analysis of the user needs. Use large sheets of paper and represent the menu layout to which you want each user type to have access. These sheets represent the gathered requirements. Validate them with the users. If your company has a steering committee or other such organization that represents the user community, this formal body can validate the requirements. Each menu has to be identified with a corresponding requirement. For example, if a given user type has to be able to perform ad hoc SNMP data collections, then the menu items to create data collectors and to display the collected data must be provided.

The heavy lifting that follows is the process of finding the standard NNM application registration files (ARF) located in the $OV_REGISTRATION directory for each menu item, creating additional directory structures for each user type (pointed to by $OVwRegDir), and editing the ARFs accordingly. Note that homegrown menu items must also be considered, as must any additional applications that you provide, such as HP NetMetrix and CiscoView, since these too add menus to NNM. This short summary by itself is dangerous, so please refer to Chapter 9, “Using ARF Files to Control Menu Choices,” in the Managing Your Network with HP OpenView Network Node Manager manual.

Note that the application of NNM patches or the installation of NNM updates can change the default menu structure. Always be prepared to have the menu structure tested for functionality after any software changes occur.

Define user groups based on the role or task to be performed. Uses with the same role should be in the same group and should be presented with a common menu format. This makes training easier.