Testing and troubleshooting escalation policies

As escalation policies usually handle important notifications, test your escalation paths to ensure they function appropriately.

VMware Smart Assurance software allows you to quickly test and verify escalation paths through the use of sm_ems, the Audit log, and the automated tools you intend to invoke.

After configuring and enabling escalation policy and paths, use sm_ems with the notify command option to issue a sample of the specific notification that you hope to escalate. The VMware Smart Assurance Service Assurance Manager Adapter Platform User Guide describes the sm_ems utility.

Once your sample notification appears in Notification Log Console, double-click the notification and select the Audit Log tab. Check the log for escalation-related entries in Escalation-related entries in the Audit Log . Escalation-related Audit Log entries always have the userid of SYSTEM.

Finally, ensure your automated tools are invoked and function as intended.

Table 1. Escalation-related entries in the Audit Log

Type	Audit Log description	Description
Action Completed	<tool name>	The named automated tool was invoked and completed.
Action Failed	<tool name>	The named automated tool was invoked, but failed.
Action Invoked	<tool name>	The named automated tool was invoked.
ESCALATION	MATCHED:<policy name/path name>	Notification has characteristics that match the filter criteria for the specified escalation policy and path.
ESCALATION	REACHED:<policy name>/<path name>, <level number>	Notification has reached the indicated escalation level in the specified path.
ESCALATION	SCHEDULED:<policy name>/<path name> for <level number> at <date> <time>	Notification is scheduled to reach the next escalation level at the specified date and time.
ESCALATION	TERMINATED ESCALATION: Unmatched <policy name>/<path name>	A change in the notification means it no longer matches the filter criteria for the escalation policy and path and is removed from the policy.
ESCALATION	TERMINATED ESCALATION: Disabled <policy name>/<path name>	The escalation policy or path was disabled and notifications are no longer escalated within the policy or path.
ESCALATION	TERMINATED ESCALATION: Notification Archived, <policy name>/<path name>	The notification was archived after it entered the escalation policy and was removed from the policy.
ESCALATION	RESCHEDULED: <policy name>/<path name> from <level> due at <datestamp> <timestamp>	An action within a level was rescheduled to a new date or time.
ESCALATION	END OF PATH:<policy name>/<path name>, <level number>	Notification has gone through all escalation levels and reached the end of the named escalation path.