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Assign Monitoring

Monitor > Assign Monitoring

The Assign Monitoring page creates monitor set alerts for managed machines. An alert is a response to an alarm condition. An alarm condition exists when a machine's performance succeeds or fails to meet a pre-defined criteria.

Monitor Sets

A monitor set is a set of counter objects, counters, counter instances, services and processes used to monitor the performances of machines. Typically, a threshold is assigned to each object/instance/counter, service, or process in a monitor set. Alarms can be set to trigger if any of the thresholds in the monitor set are exceeded. A monitor set should be used as a logical set of things to monitor. A logical grouping, for example, could be to monitor all counters and services integral to running an Exchange Server. You can assign a monitor set to any machine that has an operating system of Windows 2000 or newer.

The general procedure for working with monitor sets is as follows:

  1. Optionally update monitor set counter objects, instances and counters by source machine ID using Monitor > Update Lists by Scan.
  2. Optionally update monitor set counter objects, instances and counters manually and review them using Monitor Lists.
  3. Optionally update predefined sample monitor sets using System > Configure.
  4. Create and maintain monitor sets using Monitor > Monitor Sets.
  5. Assign monitor sets to machine IDs using Monitor > Assign Monitoring.
  6. Optionally customize standard monitor sets as individualized monitor sets.
  7. Optionally customize standard monitor sets using Auto Learn.
  8. Review monitor set results using:

Note: Changes made to a monitor set affect all machine IDs the monitor set is already assigned to, within a couple minutes of the change.

Individualized Monitor Sets

You can individualize monitor set settings for a single machine.

  1. Using Monitor > Assign Monitoring, select a standard monitor set using the <Select Monitor Set> drop-down list.
  2. Assign this standard monitor set to a machine ID. The monitor set name displays in the Monitor Set column.
  3. Click the individualized monitor set icon in the Monitor Set column to display the same options you see when defining a standard monitor set. An individualized monitor set adds an (IND) prefix to the name of the monitor set.
  4. Make changes to your new individualized monitor set. These changes apply only to the single machine it is assigned to.

    Note: Changes to a standard monitor set have no affect on individualized monitor sets copied from it.

Auto Learn Alarm Thresholds for Monitor Sets

You can enable Auto Learn alarm thresholds for any standard monitor set you assign to selected machine IDs. This automatically fine-tunes alarm thresholds based on actual performance data on a per machine basis.

Each assigned machine collects performance data for a specified time period. During that time period no alarms are triggered. At the end of the auto learn session, the alarm threshold for each assigned machine is adjusted automatically based on the actual performance of the machine. You can manually adjust the alarm threshold values calculated by Auto Learn or run another session of Auto Learn again. Auto Learn cannot be used with individualized monitor sets.

To apply Auto Learn settings to selected machine IDs:

  1. Using Monitor > Assign Monitoring, select a standard monitor set using the <Select Monitor Set> drop-down list.
  2. Click Auto Learn to display the Auto Learn popup window. Use a wizard to define parameters used to calculate alarm threshold values.
  3. Assign this standard monitor set, modified by your Auto Learn parameters, to selected machine IDs.

Once auto learn is applied to a machine ID and runs for the specified time period, you can click the override auto learn icon for a specific machine ID and manually adjust the calculated alarm thresholds values. You can also re-run Auto Learn again, using a new session of actual performance data to re-calculate alarm threshold values.

To Create a Monitor Set Alert

  1. Check any of these checkboxes to perform their corresponding actions when a an alarm condition is encountered:
    • Create Alarm
    • Create Ticket
    • Run Script
    • Email Recipients
  2. Set additional email parameters.
  3. Select the monitor set to add or replace.
  4. Check the machine IDs to apply the alert to.
  5. Click the Apply button.

To Cancel a Monitor Set Alert

  1. Select the machine ID checkbox.
  2. Click the Clear button.

    The alert information listed next to the machine ID is removed.

Passing Alert Information to Emails and Scripts

The following types of monitoring alert emails can be sent and formatted:

  • Monitoring threshold alarm
  • Monitoring trending threshold alarm
  • Monitoring exit alarm state notification

Note: Changing this email alarm format changes the format for all monitor set and SNMP set emails.

The following variables can be included in your formatted email alerts and in scripts.

Within an Email

Within a Script

Description

<ad>

#ad#

alarm duration

<ao>

#ao#

alarm operator

<at>

#at#

alert time

<av>

#av#

alarm threshold

<cg>

#cg#

event category

<db-view.column>

not available

Include a view.column from the database. For example, to include the computer name of the machine generating the alert in an email, use <db-vMachine.ComputerName>

<dv>

#dv#

SNMP device name

<gr>

#gr#

group ID

<id>

#id#

machine ID

<ln>

#ln#

monitoring log object name

<lo>

#lo#

monitoring log object type: counter, process, object

<lv>

#lv#

monitoring log value

<mn>

#mn#

monitor set name

 

#subject#

subject text of the email message, if an email was sent in response to an alert

 

#body#

body text of the email message, if an email was sent in response to an alert

Create Alarm

If checked and an alarm condition is encountered, an alarm is created. Alarms are displayed in Monitor > Dashboard List, Monitor > Alarm Summary and Reports > Logs > Alarm Log.

Create Ticket

If checked and an alarm condition is encountered, a ticket is created.

Run Script

If checked and an alarm condition is encountered, a script is run. You must click the select script link to choose a script to run. You can optionally direct the script to run on a specified range of machine IDs by clicking the this machine ID link. These specified machine IDs do not have to match the machine ID that triggered the alarm.

Email Recipients

If checked and an alarm condition is encountered, an email is sent to the specified email addresses.

  • The email address of the currently logged in administrator displays in the Email Recipients field. It defaults from System > Preferences.
  • Click Format Email to display the Format Alert Email popup window. This window enables you to format the display of emails generated by the system when an alarm condition is encountered.
  • If the Add to current list radio option is selected, when Apply is clicked alert settings are applied and the specified email addresses are added without removing previously assigned email addresses.
  • If the Replace list radio option is selected, when Apply is clicked alert settings are applied and the specified email addresses replace the existing email addresses assigned.
  • If Removed is clicked, all email addresses are removed without modifying any alert parameters.
  • Email is sent directly from the KServer to the email address specified in the alert. The SMTP service in IIS sends the email directly to the address specified. Set the From Address using System > Configure.

Select Monitor Set

Select monitor sets from the Select Monitor Set list, then click the Apply button to assign the monitor set to selected machine IDs. You may assign more than one monitor set to a machine ID. Add or edit monitor sets using Monitor > Monitor Sets.

Add Monitor Set

When a monitor set is assigned to machine IDs, the monitor set is added to the list of monitor sets currently assigned to those machine IDs.

Replace Monitor Set

When a monitor set is assigned to machine IDs, the monitor set replaces all monitor sets already assigned to those machine IDs.

Apply

Applies the selected monitor set to checked machine IDs.

Clear

Clears the assignment of a selected monitor set from selected machine IDs.

Clear All

Clears all monitor sets assigned to selected machine IDs.

Select All/Unselect All

Click the Select All link to check all rows on the page. Click the Unselect All link to uncheck all rows on the page.

Check-in status

These icons indicate the agent check-in status of each managed machine:

Agent has checked in

Agent has checked in and user is logged on. Tool tip lists the logon name.

Agent has not recently checked in

Agent has never checked in

Online but waiting for first audit to complete

The agent is online but remote control is disabled

The agent has been suspended

Machine.Group ID

The list of Machine ID.Group IDs displayed is based on the Machine ID / Group ID filter and the machine groups the administrator is authorized to see using System > Group Access.

Monitor Sets

Displays the list all monitor sets assigned to machine IDs.

- Edit - Always displays next to a monitor set. Click this icon to set header parameters to those matching the selected machine ID.

- Override auto learn values - Displays if Auto Learn is applied to this standard monitor set. Click this icon to display or change the actual values calculated by Auto Learn for this monitor set on this machine ID.

- Individualized monitor set - Displays if Auto Learn is not applied to this standard monitor set. Click this icon to create or make changes to a copy of this standard monitor set that is individualized for this machine ID. An individualized monitor set adds an (IND) prefix to the name of the monitor set.

ATSE

The ATSE response code assigned to machine IDs or SNMP devices:

  • A = Create Alarm
  • T = Create Ticket
  • S = Run Script
  • E = Email Recipients

Email Address

A comma separated list of email addresses where notifications are sent.