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System Check

The VSA can monitor machines that don't have an agent installed on them. This function is performed entirely within a single page called System Check. Machines without an agent are called external systems. A machine with an agent is assigned the task of performing the system check on the external system. A system check typically determines whether an external system is available or not. Types of system checks include: web server, DNS server, port connection, ping, and custom.

To Create a System Check Alert

  1. Check any of these checkboxes to perform their corresponding actions when an alert condition is encountered:
  2. Set additional email parameters.
  3. Set additional system-check parameters. You may check multiple systems using the same machine ID.
  4. Check the machine IDs to apply the alert to.
  5. Click the Apply button.

To Cancel a System Check 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 system check alert emails can be sent and formatted:

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

<at>

#at#

alert time

<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>

<gr>

#gr#

group ID

<id>

#id#

machine ID

<p1>

#p1#

address checked

<p2>

#p2#

additional parameter

<sc>

#sc#

system check type

<scn>

#scn#

system check custom 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

Apply

Click Apply to apply parameters to selected machine IDs. Confirm the information has been applied correctly in the machine ID list.

Clear

Click Clear to remove all parameter settings from selected machine IDs.

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.

System Check Parameters

Select a system check type:

The following optional parameters display for all types of system checks:

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.

Delete

Click the delete icon to delete a system check.

Edit Icon

Click a row's edit icon to populate header parameters with values from that row. You can edit these values in the header and re-apply them.

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.

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.

Type

The type of system check:

Interval

The interval for the system check to recur.

Duration

The number of periods the system check alarm is suppressed, after the initial problem is detected. This prevents triggering an alarm for a temporary problem.

ReArm

The number of periods to ignore additional alert conditions after the first one is reported. This prevents creating multiple alarms for the same problem.