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Network Monitor Concepts

Familiarize yourself with the following terms and concepts to help quick start your understanding of Network Monitor.

  • Object - An object represents a computer or any other device that can be addressed by an IP number or host name. An object contains settings that are common to all monitors in that object. It is possible to create several objects assigned to the same IP number or host name.
  • Network - Within Network Monitor the term network refers to user-defined grouping of objects. Member objects of a Network Monitor network do not have to belong to the same physical network. Network Monitor networks can be compared to a folder in a file system. Every object must be a member of a Network Monitor network. You can activate and deactivate an entire network of objects.
  • Monitor - A monitor tests a specific function in an object. Most monitors are capable of collecting various statistical data for reporting purposes. If a monitor fails a test it firsts enter a failed state. After a number of consecutive failed tests it then enters an alarm state. When entering an alarm state a monitor executes a number of actions specified in the alarm action list used by the particular monitor.
  • Action list - An action list defines a number of actions to be executed as a monitor enters, or recovers from, an alarm state.
  • Object template - An object template serves as a base model for objects. It can be used to quickly initialize new objects. Object templates are not counted as regular objects in the license quota.
  • Operator - Network Monitor users are called operators. An operator contains login information, contact information and privileges. An operator can be a member of one or more operator groups.
  • Operator group - An operator group is a collection of operators. Each object in Network Monitor is assigned to one operator group. Notifications sent as a response to a monitor entering an alarm state are normally sent to the object's operator group.
  • Account - An account is a set of credentials used by a monitor, action or event to carry out an operation.

Status Icons

A monitor is always in one specific state. This state is visualized in the Network Monitor interface with different colors. An object or network always displays the most important state reported by any single monitor that belongs to it. Icons are listed below, ranked by their importance.

- The monitor is deactivated.

- This icon is used in the Distributed Edition only. The monitor status is unknown because the gateway responsible for the monitor is not connected.

- This icon is used for objects and networks only. All monitors in the object or network are deactivated, but the object or network itself is active.

- The monitor has entered an alarm state.

- The monitor has failed one or more tests, but has not yet entered alarm state.

- The monitor is ok.

Additional guidelines:

  • Any state other than deactivated is an activated state.
  • An activated monitor tests its object.
  • Deactivating any or all monitors of an object does not deactivate their parent object.
  • Deactivating any or all objects of a network does not deactivate their parent network.
  • Deactivating an object deactivates all of its member monitors.
  • Deactivating a network deactivates all of its member objects.

Other Commonly Used Icons

- This icon links to the properties of the item it belongs to.

- This icon indicates that the object or monitor is inherited from a template. Monitors inherited from a template can not be edited directly.

- This icon indicates that the object or monitor is in maintenance state and is not currently tested.

- This icon displays a list of items.

- This icon displays a view of an item.

Gateways

Network Monitor monitors the entire network by installing gateways on separate subnets. A Network Monitor gateway performs all monitoring tasks performed by the Network Monitor server, with the following exceptions:

  • All data collected by the gateway is forwarded to the Network Monitor server for notification, reporting and disk storage.
  • No independent web interface exists for a Network Monitor gateway. Network Monitor administrators always log into the Network Monitor server.