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Assign Monitoring

Monitor > Agent Monitoring > Assign Monitoring

The Assign Monitoring page creates monitor set alerts for managed machines. An alert is a response to an alert condition. An alert 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 manually and review them using Monitor Lists.
  2. Create and maintain monitor sets using Monitor > Monitor Sets.
  3. Assign monitor sets to machine IDs using Monitor > Assign Monitoring.
  4. Optionally customize standard monitor sets as individualized monitor sets.
  5. Optionally customize standard monitor sets using Auto Learn.
  6. 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. Optionally change the name or description of the individualized monitor set, then click the Save button. Providing a unique name and description helps identify an individualized monitor set in reports and log files.
  5. Make changes to the monitoring settings of the individualized monitor set and click the Commit button. Changes apply only to the single machine the individualized monitor set 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.

    Note: You cannot apply Auto Learn settings to a monitor set that is already assigned to a machine ID. If necessary, clear the existing assignment of the monitor set to the machine ID, then perform steps 1 through 3 above.

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 an alert condition is encountered:
  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 Procedures

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

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 are passed to agent procedures assigned to the alert.

Within an Email

Within a Procedure

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 alert condition is encountered, an alarm is created. Alarms are displayed in Monitor > Dashboard List, Monitor > Alarm Summary and Info Center > Reporting > Reports > Logs > Alarm Log.

Create Ticket

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

Run Script

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

Email Recipients

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

(Apply Filter)

Enter text in the filter edit box, then click the funnel icon to apply filtering to the drop-down list displayed in Select Monitor Set. Filtering is case-insensitive. Match occurs if filter text is found anywhere in the set name.

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.

Note: Sample monitor sets do not display in the Assign Monitoring > Select Monitor Set drop-down list. Create a copy of a sample monitor set by selecting the sample set in Monitor Sets and clicking the Save As button. Your copy of the sample monitor set will display in the drop-down list. In a SaaS-based VSA, Save and Save As buttons are available. You can make changes to the sample set and use it immediately, because it does not get refreshed.

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. Hovering the cursor over a check-in icon displays the agent Quick View window.

Word 50% / HTML 50% Online but waiting for first audit to complete

Word 50% / HTML 50% Agent online

Word 50% / HTML 50% Agent online and user currently logged on.

Word 50% / HTML 50% Agent online and user currently logged on, but user not active for 10 minutes

Word 50% / HTML 50% Agent is currently offline

Word 50% / HTML 50% Agent has never checked in

Word 50% / HTML 50% Agent is online but remote control has been disabled

Word 50% / HTML 50% The agent has been suspended

Word 80% / HTML 80% An agent icon adorned with a red clock badge is a temporary agent.

Machine.Group ID

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

Monitor Sets

Displays the list of 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:

Email Address

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