nValidation Generic

This validation provides a simple generic object to perform simple validations on attribute values with a single validation plug. It’s ready to be triggered by timeInterval/cron or chSubscribe and the execArgs is composed of a checks array where warnings will be created, updated or closed based on an expression (expr) evaluation (e.g. a true evaluation will create/update a warning, a false will close any previously created warnings) for an attribute or attributes following an attribute pattern (attrPattern). Check the examples and the execArgs description.

Example of use of the execArgs

validation:
   name         : My generic validation
   chSubscribe  : nattrmon::cvals
   waitForFinish: true
   execFrom     : nValidation_Generic
   execArgs     :
      checks:
         - attrPattern      : test$
           expr             : {{value}} < 200 && {{value}} >= 100
           warnLevel        : HIGH
           warnTitleTemplate: A test warning
           warnDescTemplate : This is just a test warning. 
           healing          :
              execArgs         :
                 key: "{{value}}"
              execOJob         : /some/path/config/ojobs/healProblem.yaml
              #exec             : "sh('/some/path/config/shs/healProblem.sh ' + args.key)"
              warnLevel        : HIGH
              warnTitleTemplate: "Heal failed"
              warnDescTemplate : "Heal for {{value}} failed with exception {{exception}}"
   
         - attribute        : test3
           expr             : {{value.c}} == 3
           warnLevel        : INFO
           warnTitleTemplate: A test info warning
           warnDescTemplate : This is just a info given {{name}} because the values was {{value.c}} for '{{value}}'. 

Description of execArgs

execArgs	Type	Mandatory	Description
checks	Array	Yes	An array of warnings to create or close base on the evaluation of an attribute or pattern of attribute names
checks.attribute	String	Yes (if not defined checks.attrPattern)	The complete attribute name
checks.attrPattern	RegExp	Yes (if not defined checks.attribute)	A regular expression to match attribute names
checks.expr	String	Yes	A javascript conditional expression (using handlebars) to be evaluated to create/update a warning if true or close a warning if false. If attrPattern is used it will be evaluated for each attribute that matches. If the attribute value is an array this expression will be executed for each line and the “” entry will correspond to each row. See available handlebars entries below that can be used.
checks.not	Boolean	No	If set to true the checks.expr evaluation will be reversed and will only create a warning if it’s false (defaults to false).
checks.warnLevel	String	No	Upon warning creation/update the level to use between INFO, LOW, MEDIUM and HIGH (defaults to INFO).
checks.warnTitleTemplate	String	No	Upon warning creation/update the title template (handlebars) to use. See available handlebars entries below that can be used.
checks.warnDescTemplate	String	No	Upon warning creation/update the description template (handlebars) to use. See available handlebars entries below that can be used.
checks.debug	Boolean	No	Will output, if true, to the stdout the expression evaluation and alarm creation/update or close.
checks.healing	Map	No	Provides entries for automated healing ojob or code execution.
checks.healing.execArgs	Map	Yes	Provides a map of arguments to be provided to checks.healing.exec or checks.healing.execOJob. It processes handlebars entries described below.
checks.healing.exec	String	No	A function body, that receives args (execArgs) as an argument, that should launch a self-healing process.
checks.healing.execOJob	String	No	A oJob file, receiving execArgs, that should implement a self-healing process.
checks.healing.warnLevel	String	Yes	A warning level template to generate in case exec or execOJob fail. See available handlebars entries below that can be used (including exception).
checks.healing.warnTitleTemplate	String	Yes	A warning title template to generate in case exec or execOJob fail. See available handlebars entries below that can be used (including exception).
checks.healing.warnDescTemplate	String	Yes	A warning description template to generate in case exec or execOJob fail. See available handlebars entries below that can be used (including exception).

Available template entries

Template entry	Description
{{value}}	The current attribute value (you can use to access a specific map entry). If the attribute is an array it will have each array entry in several evaluations.
{{name}}	The name of the attribute
{{dateAgo.seconds}}	If current attribute is a date how many seconds ago it was.
{{dateAgo.minutes}}	If current attribute is a date how many minutes ago it was.
{{dateAgo.hours}}	If current attribute is a date how many hours ago it was.
{{dateAgo.days}}	If current attribute is a date how many days ago it was.
{{modifiedAgo.seconds}}	How many seconds ago the attribute value changed.
{{modifiedAgo.minutes}}	How many minutes ago the attribute value changed.
{{modifiedAgo.hours}}	How many hours ago the attribute value changed.
{{modifiedAgo.days}}	How many days ago the attribute value changed.
{{dateModified}}	The date when the attribute was modified.
{{originalValue}}	The current original attribute value. Even if the attribute value is an array it will return the original array.

You can also use nAttrMon generic template helpers to access other attribute values, previous attribute values, etc…

More examples

Using output from AFPing

validation:
   name         : Ping validation
   chSubscribe  : nattrmon::cvals
   waitForFinish: true
   execFrom     : nValidation_Generic
   execArgs     :
      checks:
         - attribute        : Server status/Ping
           expr             : "{{value.Alive}} == false"
           warnLevel        : HIGH
           warnTitleTemplate: "Server {{value.Name}} down"
           warnDescTemplate : "A ping to the {{value.Name}} server failed. The server could be down or not responsive. Check the server status and restart if needed."
   
         - attribute        : Server status/Ping
           expr             : "{{value.Alive}} == true"
           warnLevel        : INFO
           warnTitleTemplate: "RAID {{value.Name}} up"
           warnDescTemplate : "The {{value.Name}} server is responding as expected appearing to be up."

Using a compare timestamps input where the attribute value map has spaces:

validation:
   name         : Compare times validation
   chSubscribe  : nattrmon::cvals
   waitForFinish: true
   onlyOnEvent  : true
   execFrom     : nValidation_Generic
   execArgs     : 
      checks: 
         - attribute        : Server status/Compare timestamps
           expr             : "{{value.[db.abc diff (min)]}} >= 5 || {{value.[db.xyz diff (min)]}} >= 5"
           warnLevel        : MEDIUM
           warnTitleTemplate: "Database/App time difference"
           warnDescTemplate : "The current difference of time between the application instance {{value.key}} and the database is of {{value.[db.abc diff (min)]}} min (abc) and {{value.[db.xyz diff (min)]}} min (xyz)"

Using other dates on attributes with map values (this map has a column with warningDate and warningText) and alarming if warningDate longer than 1 minute but less than one day:

validation:
   name         : ABC validation
   chSubscribe  : nattrmon::cvals
   waitForFinish: true
   onlyOnEvent  : true
   execFrom     : nValidation_Generic
   execArgs     : 
      checks: 
         - attribute        : Database/ABC
           expr             : "{{owFormat_dateDiff_inMinutes (owFormat_toDate value.warningDate 'yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss.S')}} > 1 && {{owFormat_dateDiff_inDays (owFormat_toDate value.warningDate 'yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss.S')}} < 1"
           warnLevel        : HIGH
           warnTitleTemplate: "Alarm {{value.warningText}} error"
           warnDescTemplate : "The alarm {{value.warningText}} has reached and surpassed the defined warning date: {{owFormat_toDate value.warningDate 'yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss.S'}}."

Comparing current value with previous values with default values if doesn’t exist (e.g. generate a warning if the attribute value is not older than 1 day and the current value of the “ABC count” (defaults to 0 if no value is found) - the previous value is bigger than 0 (defaults to the current value and 0 if a previous value doesn’t exist):

validation:
   name         : Errors validation
   chSubscribe  : nattrmon::cvals
   waitForFinish: true
   onlyForEvent : true
   execFrom     : nValidation_Generic
   execArgs     :
      checks:
         - attribute        : Database/ABC count
           expr             : >
               {{modifiedAgo.days}} < 1 && 
               ({{cval 'Database/ABC count' 'val' '0'}} - {{lval 'Database/ABC count' 'val' (cval 'Database/ABC count' 'val' '0')}}) > 0
           warnLevel        : HIGH
           warnTitleTemplate: Entries on the error table
           warnDescTemplate : There are errors tracked yesterday in ABC table