To open the Options dialog box to set Object Generator optionsThe options you set for Object Generator determine the following:
To open the Options dialog box to set Object Generator options
On the Action menu, click Options.
– Or –
Click the Options button on the Object Generator toolbar.
The Options dialog box has three tabs: General, File name, and Unique Key.
You can place the files that Object Generator creates in the object path (the directory specified in the settings for each object type you generate). Or, you can place them in a Temp directory that you specify and transfer them to the object path later.
If you choose to place Object Generator files in a Temp directory (rather than having them written directly to the object path), after the files are generated and placed in this directory, you can run Object Generator again to transfer the files to the object path. The files in the Temp directory can be deleted after they are transferred, or they can be left in the Temp directory for reuse later.
To set file locations or file transfer behavior
If the files are written to a Temp directory, a subdirectory of the specified Temp directory is created with the name of the object type (for example, \Packages). One subdirectory is created under this directory for each 5,000 objects generated. For example, if you use Object Generator to create 8,000 synthetic packages in the C:\Temp directory, you would have 5,000 files in C:\Temp\Packages\Dir1 and 3,000 files in C:\Temp\Packages\Dir2.
To delete directories in Temp path that contain these files after you transfer them, select the Delete Temp when done check box.
You can configure the SMS Object Generator to set triggers to stop the currently scheduled session if the free disk space falls below a specific value, or if the number of objects in the Inbox path exceeds a number you set, or both.
If you set either of these triggers, the behavior of scheduled object generation can be affected. Be aware of these settings, and whether the trigger thresholds have been met, when you interpret the results of object generation.
For example, suppose you are running SMS Object Generator to create 200 DDRs per day for 10 consecutive days, and you have specified that object generation must stop if free disk space falls below 1 MB. On the third day of the schedule, after 100 DDRs have been generated, this limit is reached. No more DDRs are generated by that session of SMS Object Generator on that day. The next day, SMS Object Generator will again attempt to generate 200 DDRs.
To set limits on the number of objects generated
You can configure SMS Object Generator to log its actions.
To create a log of Object Generator actions
By default, the files generated by Object Generator have names that begin with SMS and end with a number that is incremented for each object. For example, the first file in a series of DDRs generated by Object Generator would be named SMS_000001.ddr, and the 500th would be named SMS_000500.ddr.
You might want to use different naming conventions for the different sets of objects you create with Object Generator. For example, if you are anticipating a large expansion of the workforce, you might want to generate one group of objects for pre-expansion and another for post-expansion load analysis. In Object Generator, you can specify whether to use a prefix (and if so, what prefix to use) and whether to use a suffix (and if so, what starting number to use) for these file names. You can also set Object Generator to generate file names at random.
You set file name options in the File name tab of the Options dialog box in SMS Object Generator.
In a production site, SMS assigns a unique identifier (the GUID) to each resource in the site. When the client generates an object (for example, a status message or a software inventory file) it includes the GUID to identify itself as the source of that object.
In a pilot project, you must ensure that the GUIDs reported by objects that are normally generated by clients match the GUIDs recorded for clients in the pilot site database. For more information, see “SMS Object Generator Overview” earlier in this chapter.
In addition, you set different GUID naming conventions for different sessions of SMS Object Generator. This can help you track the effects of different load scenarios you are testing.
By default, the IDs generated by Object Generator each begin with SMS and end with a number that is incremented for each object. For example, the first in a series of IDs generated by Object Generator would be SMS_000001, and the 500th would be SMS_000500.
You might want to use different naming conventions for the different sets of IDs you create with Object Generator. In Object Generator, you can specify whether to use a prefix (and if so, what prefix to use) and whether to use a suffix (and if so, what starting number to use) for these IDs.
A production site typically has a fairly stable set of clients, each of which is assigned an ID. A client’s ID is included in objects, such as inventory files, that are generated by that client. To simulate a production site, you should populate the site by first generating DDRs and then generating complete inventories with one set of ID numbers. You then reuse those numbers (or a subset of those numbers) to generate delta inventories and subsequent DDRs.
To simulate newly purchased equipment, after you have been working with one set of IDs, you can generate additional DDRs by using ID numbers that extend the range you used originally. Then, generate complete inventories for these new synthetic clients. When you schedule subsequent delta inventory and DDR generation, specify the full (extended) range of IDs to simulate activity in the expanded site.
You can also set Object Generator to generate IDs at random. If you select this option when creating DDRs, you cannot use the same IDs when you later generate inventory files.
You specify ID naming convention settings in the Unique Key tab of the Options dialog box in SMS Object Generator.