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ActiveXperts Network Monitor is a network and server monitoring tool to allow administrators to monitor the network for failures and irregularities automatically. It can monitor all aspects of your LAN- and WAN servers, workstations and IP devices. For years, ICT administrators, network operators and helpdesk employees have relied upon the power, flexibility and reliability of the ActiveXperts Network Monitor tool.
The mission of the product is to maximize the reliability of your production servers and applications through the automatic detection and correction of problems and issues. The product runs as a service on a Windows 2012/2008/2003/2000/8/7/Vista/XP platform, 32-bit or 64-bit.
When problems are detected, you're immediately notified by e-mail, SMS, pager, SNMP trap or network message. When a failure is detected, the network monitor tool will try to correct the problem. ActiveXperts Network Monitor consists of a Network Monitor Engine (a Windows service) and a Network Monitor Manager application.
The Network Monitor Engine is the service that continuously monitors the servers, workstations and IP devices in your LAN/WAN for availability. The service is also responsible for notifying, triggering actions, recovery and logging. There's no agent software required on the servers being monitored; the monitoring service uses protocols and application layers of the Operating System to do its job.
The Network Monitor Manager application is used to view the results and to make changes to the configuration. This Manager application allows you to visually monitor the network from any desktop PC.
The Manager application can be installed on any Windows 2000 or higher computer (workstation or server), and has different authority levels. You can for instance restrict your help desk staff to only see monitoring results, and allowing network operators to make changes to the configuration.
ActiveXperts Network Monitor ships with powerful set of monitoring checks.
Virtualization checks:
IP-related checks:
Windows checks:
Windows Server related checks:
Environmental checks:
Database checks:
Linux/Unix checks:
Miscellaneous checks:
Add new functionality to the product by writing your own VBScript routines. This way, you can monitor almost every piece of hardware, network protocol, software, and so on. Also, VBScript allows you to include techniques like WMI (Windows Management Interface) and ADSI (Active Directory Service Interfaces).
ActiveXperts Network Monitor allows you to extend the set of built-in check routines by writing your own check routines.
ActiveXperts supports PowerShell (Windows), VBScript (Windows), Remote Command (Windows), SSH (Linux/Unix) and RSH (Linux/Unix) for custom scripting.
PowerShell and VBScript are defacto standards for scripting in Windows. Both are popular because of its wide acceptance and its support for ActiveX technologies. PowerShell has full support for .NET frameworks. ActiveXperts installs a large set of PowerShell scripts and VBScript scripts. You can use these script directly, or make modifications to it to meet your requirements.
SSH is a defacto secure standard for remote shell execution. RSH is the less-popular, non-secure equivalent. ActiveXperts installs many shell scripts as part of the product. You can use these script directly, or make modifications to it to meet your requirements.
There are two situations in which notifications are sent to the system administrators:
You can configure the following types of notifications:
For each notification type, there's an Address Book. The Address Book organizes recipients in groups; these groups can be used in all monitoring checks, so you don't need to define a recipient list for each check.
For each notification type (except SNMP Trap) you can define Message Template. A Message Template defines the body of a notification message (E-mail, SMS, NetBIOS). The message template contains plain text, and includes variables like: DATE, TIME, DISPLAYNAME, RESULT and more (See also Appendix C: "Notification Variables"). These variables are substituted by the Network Monitor Engine at runtime (i.e. when the message is sent out).
Notifications can be repetitive. This means that you can configure a notification to be sent out every TxT minutes after a server/device went down.
Actions work in the same way as notifications: they can be triggered upon a critical condition (Failure) or upon Recovery. You can configure the following actions:
Actions can be repetitive, i.e. you can trigger an action every x minutes after a server/device went down. You can pass credentials (login and password) for the Restart and Reboot actions; this makes sense if the service account, used for the ActiveXperts Network Monitor service - has no administrative rights on the remote computer.
For batch programs, executables and VBScript programs, you can use parameters like: DATE, TIME, DISPLAYNAME, RESULT and more (See also Appendix C: "Notification Variables"). These variables are substituted by the Network Monitor Engine at runtime.
A Monitoring Check is always in one of the following states:
There's a difference between an error, a failure, a failure during maintenance and a failure by dependency:
The check meets all the conditions. The corresponding computer/device is working fine.
If a check doesn't match the conditions as defined by the system operator for a while, it's considered as an Error. Think of an ICMP check for server 'www.activexperts.com'. Sometimes, the ping will fail (for instance once a week), because a router on the internet has a hick-up. You don't want to ring all bells and whistles in this situation. So, the check is in the Error state. But when this error happens a couple a times in a row, it's considered as a Failure.
A Failure is the occurrence of one or more Errors in a row. The number of errors (let's say x, the so called threshold) is configurable. After x errors in a row, it is called a Failure. Only on failure, notifications are sent out and actions are triggered. For instance, with an 'ICMP Ping' check that has the threshold set to 5, a failure notification will be sent after 5 consecutive error pings.
If the result of a check is not successful during a Maintenance period, it won't be considered as a regular Error or Failure. Instead, the result will be: Maintenance. This indicates that the negative result is caused by maintenance on servers, devices or network. No notifications will be sent and no actions will be triggered.
If a check fails as a result of another failed server, and there is a dependency relation between these checks, it will not be reported as a regular failure; no notifications will be sent and no actions will be taken. Imagine you have a server 'S1' on a remote location, and there's router 'R' connecting your LAN with the remote location, and you have ICMP checks for both 'S1' and 'R'. By making 'S1' dependent of 'R', a failure of 'R' will only result in notifications for 'R', not for 'S'. Dependencies can be configured from the Dependency command in the Tools menu.
You can put a check 'On Hold'. This means, that the check will not be monitored as long as the check remains 'On Hold'.
When a check cannot be processed by the engine, the state is set to Not Monitored. Think of a monitoring check based on the SNMP check, but the Network Monitor Engine doesn't have the SNMP service installed. It cannot process the check and will set the result to Not Monitored.
When the result of a check cannot be determined by the Engine, the state is set to Uncertain. Think of a Disk Space monitoring check, monitoring free disk space on a file server. If the file server becomes totally unavailable, the Network Monitor Engine cannot determine the Disk Space. In this situation, the result is set to Uncertain.
Note: You can change the way Network Monitor handles 'Uncertain' events. By default, all checks which results cannot be determined are set to Uncertain. You can configure not to use the 'Uncertain' state, and set each undetermined result to either Success or Error.
When a server leaves the Failure state and enters the Success state, we're talking about 'Recovery'. 'Recovery' itself is not a state; however, in this situation, Notifications can be sent and Actions can be triggered. This can be useful for Administrators and Operators, so they know that an Action was successful.
In most companies, system maintenance is done on specific time intervals. During maintenance, some servers or services will not be available to users. For instance, during backup hours, some services/daemons will be down to avoid open files, mail servers will be stopped, and so on.
In these situations, the Network Monitor Engine will not send alerts or trigger actions in case of a failed check. To accomplish this, you can define Maintenance Schedules. During these periods, no actions/notifications will be triggered in case of a failure.
Maintenance Schedules can be configured globally (for all monitoring checks) or at the Monitoring Check level. You can define multiple maintenance schedules.
The central monitoring service runs on a (dedicated) Windows 2012/2008/2003/2000/8/7/Vista/XP platform, 32-bit or 64-bit; it monitors computers/devices in your LAN, WAN or even outside your enterprise. No additional software is required on the monitored servers.
The graphical Manager application is running on the operators desktop PC; it connects to the central monitoring service, and allows you to make changes to the configurations, and view the results.
The ActiveXperts Network Monitor Engine is a Windows Service (AxsNmSvc.exe), and is the actual monitoring program. It polls the computers/devices in your LAN/WAN for availability at specific time intervals. This service is multithreading, allowing the service to monitor many computers/devices simultaneously.
The service is responsible for notification, actions, recovery, logging, and so on.
Note: ActiveXperts Network Monitor doesn't require agent software on the servers you monitor; the service only uses protocols and application layers of the Operating System to do its job.
The ActiveXperts Network Monitor Manager application (AxsNmApp.exe) is used to view the status of your network and to make changes to the configuration. You can install the Manager application on any workstation/server in your LAN/WAN. The Manager application makes a connection to the central ActiveXperts Network Monitor Service, to write configuration information, and to read monitoring information.
The Manager application can be installed on any Windows 2000 or higher computer (workstation or server).
The ActiveXperts Network Monitor Report Generator can be used to create new reports. There are two versions: a graphical version AxRgGui.exe) to create eports using a wizard, and a command line version (AxRgCmd.exe) to create reports from the command line or from the Task Scheduler.
Reports can only be created by using a Report Definition file (.rep). Such a definition file describes the properties of a report (like: filters, sorting, layout, output file, etc.).
The ActiveXperts Network Monitor Report Configurator (AxRgTpl.exe) can be used to define new report definition files. A report definition file (.rep) can be used as an input file to the Report Generator.
Collection of XML- and XSL files. An XML file can be opened by the Internet browser. The associated XSL file is used to make-up the XML page so it can be viewed by your Internet Browser.
The ActiveXperts Network Monitor Web Interface Configurator (AxWebCfg.exe) can be used to customize the Web Interface.
The full ActiveXperts Network Monitor package is available on the internet as a one setup file: AMonitor.exe .
After you download the file from the internet, you start the setup procedure on the server that you assigned as the monitoring server. This server doesn't have to be a dedicated server. The installation will install the monitoring service, the Manager application and several tools and utilities.
The ActiveXperts Network Monitor service only runs on a Windows workstation or server platform, and must meet either of the following requirements:
| Â | CPU | Memory | SP | Disk Space |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Windows 2012 | 1.4GHz (x64) single core |
2GB | - | 10GB |
| Windows 2008 R2 | 1.4GHz (x64) single core |
2GB | - | 10GB |
| Windows 2008 | 1.4GHz (x64) / 1GHz (x86) single core |
2GB | - | 10GB |
| Windows 2003 R2 | 733MHz (x64) / 550MHz (x86) single core |
1GB | SP1 or higher | 10GB |
| Windows 2003 | 733MHz (x64) / 550MHz (x86) single core |
512MB | SP1 or higher | 10GB |
| Windows 8 | 1GHz (x64/x86) single core |
2GB (x64/x86) | - | 10GB |
| Windows Vista | 1GHz (x64/x86) single core |
1GB (x64/x86) | SP1 or higher | 10GB |
| Windows 7 | 1GHz (x64/x86) single core |
1GB (x64/x86) | SP1 or higher | 10GB |
| Windows XP | 233MHz (x86) / 733MHz (x64) single core |
512MB (x64/x86) | SP1 or higher | 10GB |
It's recommended to use a server platform for the ActiveXperts Network Monitor Service, because server platforms support more simultaneous network connections Server platforms are optimized for application services.
Usually, the installation is done only once, on the server that is dedicated as the monitoring server. A wizard will take you through the installation.
Upgrade of ActiveXperts Network Monitor requires un-installation first, followed by a new installation of the software. All configuration files will be preserved during un-installation. However, it is recommended to export the configuration to a save place, before you uninstall the product.
Step 1 - Export the Configuration (Recommended, not required)
In the Manager application, choose Export Configuration from the File menu, and export the configuration to a save place.
Step 2 - Run the Setup application
Launch the Setup application (AMONITOR.EXE). It will detect a previous installation of ActiveXperts Network Monitor. It will ask to press OK to uninstall the current installation of ActiveXperts Network Monitor. After pressing OK, the software will be uninstalled. The previous configuration files will be preserved.
Step 3 - Install ActiveXperts Network Monitor
Launch the Setup application (AMONITOR.EXE) again. Follow the steps described below.
Step 4 - Import a configuration
After the installation has completed, you can import any Network Monitor configuration file, no matter what version of Network Monitor was used to create it.
Before you start the installation, you must assign one of your Windows servers in your network as the ActiveXperts Network Monitor Server. This machine will host the Network Monitor Engine (service).
Download the installation file AMONITOR.EXE from the internet (Thttp://www.activexperts.com/downloadT) and run this program on the server that you assigned as the monitor server. The following components will be installed on that server:
Step 1 - Welcome Message
This is where the installation begins.
Step 2 - Setup Type
Choose "Network monitor Engine + Management Console" if you want to install the Network Monitor service. The first installation should always be this type of installation. After the first installation, you can run a "Management Console" installation on network workstations to allow users to view the monitoring results of Network Monitor, or to make changes to the configuration.
Step 3 - Registration information
Here, you can enter you Registration code. If you want to try the software, enter 'EVALUATION' as the registration code. You will be able to use the software for 30 days. If you decide to buy after 30 days, you don't need to re-install; the Manager application allows you to enter the registration code and the software will continue working.
Step 4 - Choose Destination Folder
Choose a destination folder. Setup will copy the service, the Manager application, the Manager Setup files and other components to this location. Please make sure to have approximately 50 megabytes available.
Step 5 - Select Program Folder
Specify a name for the Program folder.
Step 6 - Service Account
The Network Monitor Engine (a Windows service) must run with specific credentials. It's recommended to provide a Domain Admin or Enterprise Admin account, because it is likely that ActiveXperts Network Monitor needs access to servers in the domain with administrative rights to do its job. However, it's not mandatory to provide a Domain/Enterprise Admin account; for every monitoring check, alternate credentials can be provided.
Step 7 - Reboot (only for Windows 2000)
If you install the software on a Windows 2000 platform, you may be asked to reboot the computer.
You can use the Management Console (the 'ActiveXperts Network Monitor Manager') on any workstation in your domain. Use this ActiveXperts Network Monitor Manager application to:
The Manager application is already installed by default on the server where the ActiveXperts Network Monitor service runs. So, there's no need to run ActiveXperts Network Monitor Manager installation on the server.
By default, installing ActiveXperts Network Monitor Manager applications on remote computers is prevented for security reasons. To allow the installation of the Manager application on other computer, a share must be created. This share will be used by the remote Manager application to communicate with the Network Monitor Engine.
To define the Share:
Once you have created the share, you're ready to install the Network Monitor Manager on remote PC's.
Simply run the AMONITOR.EXE setup program (same installation as used for the server installation) on the workstation, and choose 'Install Management Console on a Desktop PC or Notebook'. The Setup program will now prompt for a share. Enter the share (UNC format) of the central ActiveXperts Network Monitor directory.
To be able to run the Network Monitor Manager application on workstations, Users (operators) need Change (RWX) permissions on the files in the shared directory.
To allow/prevent users in the network from installing/running the Network Monitor Manager, simply use NTFS permissions or Share Permissions. The easiest is to use Share Permissions: simply add/remove RWX permissions to allow/prevent Users or Groups at Share level.
Step 1 - Welcome Message
This is where the installation begins.
Step 2 - Setup Type
Choose 'Install Management Console on a Desktop PC or Notebook'. It will install the Network Monitor Manager, the Report Generator and some utilities on the workstation PC.
Step 3 - Location of the central Network Monitor server
You're prompted for the location of the central Network Monitor Server share. Enter the share, as created on the server machine by the 'Network Monitor Remote Manager Configurator'.
Step 4 - Choose Destination Folder
Choose a destination folder. Setup will copy all client application files to this location. Please be sure to have approximately 5MB available, depending on the type of installation.
Step 5 - Select Program Folder
Specify a name for the Program folder.
Step 6 - Reboot (only if you're asked to do so
If you install the software on a Windows 2000 platform, you may be asked to reboot the computer.
The ActiveXperts Network Monitor configuration consists of two parts
Use the ActiveXperts Network Monitor Manager application to make configuration changes, to view real-time monitoring information, and to analyze results. The Manager application can be launched from any Win32 platform, or from the machine where the service is running on.
You don't need to restart the service every time you make changes to the configuration. The service will detect configuration changes as they are made, and will reload the configuration.
The ActiveXperts Network Monitor configuration can be imported, exported and cleared at any time. By using the Export command, the configuration can be backed up to a save location. By using Import command, a configuration can be loaded and set as the current configuration. By using the Clear command, you can clear your current configuration and start from scratch. None of the above commands need a restart of the ActiveXperts Network Monitor Service.
To launch the ActiveXperts Network Monitor Manager, click Start, point to the ActiveXperts Software folder, point to the Network Monitor folder and click on the Network Monitor Manager icon.
The ActiveXperts Network Monitor Manager application window is divided into three views: Folder view (left view) - Checks can be grouped in logical containers called Folders; Checks view (right view) - list of checks that are organized in the selected folder. The checks in the subfolder(s) of the selected folder are also displayed; Activity Log view (bottom view) - shows the activity of the ActiveXperts Network Monitor service.
The ActiveXperts Network Monitor Manager application can be run in two different modes: Read-write mode (default) - view results, make reports and make changes to the configuration; Read-write access is required for administrators who install and configure ActiveXperts Network Monitor. Read-only mode - only view results; in Read-only mode, you can't make changes to the configuration. Read-only mode is ideal for people who work at the Help Desk and do first line support.
The next chapter discusses how to assign read-write and read-only permissions to users and groups.
In the server view, an icon precedes every server entry. Here's a list of all possible state values (with corresponding icons) and their meanings:
The first time you start the ActiveXperts Network Monitor Manager application, the Quick Configuration Wizard pops up to collect some basic information, like: your SMTP e-mail server, your e-mail address, and so on. The Quick Configuration Wizard also adds some sample monitoring checks to your configuration.
To import a previously saved configuration, use the Import function. Note that the current configuration will be overwritten.
To quickly import a configuration, click Import on the toolbar. To import a configuration:
Note: It is possible to Import a configuration file that was created on another computer.
It's a good practice to make a backup after major configuration changes. The 'Export Configuration' function exports all of the configuration settings. This means: all global configuration settings (like mail server, default scan time, etc.) as well as all monitoring checks.
To quickly export a configuration, click Export on the toolbar. To export a configuration:
Note: The Auto Backup feature automatically exports the configuration periodically. Auto Backup can be configured from the Auto Backup tab of the Options dialog.
The New Configuration function clears the existing configuration and creates a new one. The ActiveXperts Network Monitor Manager will ask you to save the current configuration before you clear it.
To quickly create a new configuration, click New Configuration on the toolbar. To create a new configuration:
To rename the computer where the ActiveXperts Network Monitor Engine is running on, you must take the following steps:
You can change the name of the computer where the Manager application is running. This will not affect the ActiveXperts Network Monitor Manager installation.
To add a new monitoring check, click New Monitoring Check on the toolbar. To configure an existing monitoring check, double click on the particular check entry in the Manager application, or right-click on the selected check and choose 'Properties'.
Most important configuration items of a Monitoring Check are:
The configuration of checks is discussed in detail in Chapter 4: "Managing Checks".
Options are properties that are global for all monitoring checks. You can configure these from the Tools menu, by selecting the Options item, or by pressing on the toolbar.
'Defaults' apply to new Monitoring Checks. Default values can be defined in the Options dialog:
The following default values can be configured per check-type:
Default values only apply to new checks; they do not affect existing monitoring checks. However, you can apply the default values to all monitoring checks by pressing the Copy/Paste Special from the Edit menu.
By default, Network Monitor uses the Service Account credentials to monitor remote Windows servers. However, if these credentials do not have administrative permissions on a remote Windows server (for instance because the remote machine is member of another domain, or because the server is a standalone server) you can specify alternate credentials. These alternate credentials are administrated globally, and can be used in any Windows check.
Network Monitor does not use Windows' Date/Time settings for displaying information, because results can be viewed by non-Windows users (Web interface, reports, etc.). Therefore, you can set Date/Time settings; these settings are stored in the configuration database, and will be used by all Manager applications, Web Views, Reports, etc..
To configure Date/Time settings:
Automatic Backup is enabled by default, and will backup the configuration file and all VBScript programs to a fixed network location automatically, periodically. For more details regarding Backup and Restore, please read chapter 3.17: "Backup and Restore".
To configure logging, select the Options item from the Tools menu, and select the Logging tab; There are two destinations:
By default, Database/Text logging is enabled. To enable/disable this option:
By default, Syslog is disabled. To enable/disable this option:
ActiveXperts Network Monitor only logs status changes.
On www.activexperts.com/support/network-monitor/online/netmonlogging/ (online Network Monitor Logging Guidelines) you can find information about configuring OLE DB (ADO) logging. The guidelines also explain how to migrate logging from MS Access to MS SQL, and how to troubleshoot OLE DB logging.
Notifications are sent in two situations:
Notification Settings are software settings that are global for all monitoring checks. You can configure them from the Tools menu, by selecting the Notification Setup item, or by pressing on the toolbar.
For all notification types - except pager notifications and SNMP traps - you can use an Address Book. In the Address Book, you can organize notification recipients in groups. Groups can be used in any check.But you can still define a custom list of recipients for individual checks.
The following notification types are supported by ActiveXperts Network Monitor:
Default notification settings apply to new Monitoring Checks. These values can be defined in the Notifications dialog:
The following notification defaults can be configured:
To use SMTP e-mail notifications, the ActiveXperts Network Monitor service must have access to a SMTP server to send out e-mails. It can be any SMTP compliant mail server. You don't need IIS to be installed.
Note: ActiveXperts Network Monitor doesn't require IIS or an IIS SMTP connector; it communicates directly with the SMTP server using the SMTP protocol.
ActiveXperts Network Monitor is compliant with SMTP servers that require SMTP authentication, like Microsoft Exchange. SMTP AUTH is the protocol that is used to verify that you are one of the users of the SMTP server. ActiveXperts Network Monitor is RFC 821 and RFC 822 SMTP AUTH compliant. It also supports multiple character sets, including English (ISO-8859-1), Chinese (big5) and Japanese (ISO-2202-JP).
To quickly configure general e-mail notification settings, click Notification Setup on the toolbar.
To configure general e-mail notification settings:
To test the E-mail Notification Settings, use the Test SMTP Server button. It will send a request the Network Monitor Engine to send an E-mail message using the given settings.
Message Templates are discussed in Chapter 3.15: "Message Templates".
Note: Be aware of e-mail clients that do not have Rich Text enabled for security reasons. For instance, Windows 2003 has the 'Read all messages in plain text' option switched on in Outlook Express by default, so that incoming Rich Text messages may look garbled.
For each check, you can make the following configuration settings:
ActiveXperts Network Monitor supports alpha-numeric SMS messaging in two ways: Through a GSM Modem (or GSM phone), connected to the Network Monitor server by serial cable, Infrared or BlueTooth; Via an SMPP SMSC service center. This requires ActiveXperts SMS Messaging Server on one of your network computers (or on the same machine as ActiveXperts Network Monitor).
To quickly configure general SMS notification settings, click Notification Setup on the toolbar.
To configure general SMS notification settings:
In the GSM Modem setup dialog, you must select the Windows telephony device (recommended) or a physical COM port (directly) that is used to connect to the physical GSM modem. As soon as you select the device from the list, the Network Monitor Manager tries to detect the device connected to the Network Monitor server. If a GSM modem cannot be detected, a log file is provided for troubleshooting purposes.
Use the Advanced Settings button to configure advanced communication settings.
ActiveXperts SMS Messaging Server is an SMS messaging framework to enable sending, receiving and processing of SMS messages. You can relay SMS notifications from any application (including Network Monitor) to the SMS Messaging Server.
With ActiveXperts SMS Messaging Server, you can benefit from the product's SMPP support. SMPP is the fastest and most reliable way of sending bulk SMS messages.
To relay Network Monitor SMS notifications to ActiveXperts SMS Messaging Server, you must install the ActiveXperts SMS Messaging Server Client Tools on the server that has the Network Monitor service running. Once installed, you can select an SMPP channel (or a GSM channel).
The SMS recipient number must be in International Number Format: the SMS number, prefixed by the international dialing number and the '+' character. The use of the '+' character is required. For example: +4412345678
For each check, you can make the following configuration settings:
Note: To log all modem operations, you must enter a valid file name in the following registry entry: HKLM\Software\ActiveXperts\Network Monitor\Server\Trace\NotifySms
Windows Live Messenger (formerly named MSN Messenger) is an instant messaging client, available on most Windows operating systems and smart phones.
To quickly configure general Live Messenger notification settings, click Notification Setup on the toolbar.
To configure Live Messenger network notification settings:
To test the Network Notification Settings, use the Test Live Messenger Account button. It will send a request the Network Monitor Engine to send an network popup message using the given settings.
For each check, you can make the following configuration settings:
ActiveXperts Network Monitor supports numeric DTMF Paging (using a Hayes compatible modem) and alpha-numeric paging (using an SNPP provider).
The modem must be connected to the server where the Network Monitor Engine is running. When there's a failure, ActiveXperts Network Monitor uses the modem to dial-out to the Pager recipients.
To quickly configure general Paging notification settings, click Notification Setup on the toolbar.
To configure general Pager notification settings:
In the Pager/SNPP setting dialog:
In the Pager/DTMF setting dialog:
Note: A Pager recipient can only consist of the following characters: T0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,+,-,*,#@,a,b,c,d,A,B,C,D,w,WT
For each check, you can make the following configuration settings:
Note: To log all Pager operations, you can enter a valid file name in the following registry entry: HKLM\Software\ActiveXperts\Network Monitor\NotifyPager
ActiveXperts Network Monitor supports SNMPv1 and SNMPv2c Trap notifications.
To quickly configure general SNMP Trap notification settings, click Notification Setup on the toolbar.
To configure general SNMP Trap notification settings:
A trap consists of the following parameters:
For each monitoring check, you can configure the following settings:
Network Notifications are the well-known 'Net Send' (or 'NetPopup') messages over the network. Only machines that support NetBIOS (like Windows and OS2) can send/receive these messages. NetBIOS messages can be sent to users and/or computers.
To quickly configure general network notification settings, click Notification Setup on the toolbar.
To configure general network notification settings:
To test the Network Notification Settings, use the Send Test Message button. It will send a request the Network Monitor Engine to send an network popup message using the given settings.
For each check, you can make the following configuration settings:
A notification message can be customized. Use the Format Message button in the appropriate general notification tab of the Notification Setup dialog from the Tools menu. Each notification type has its own message template.
Inside a message template, you can use system variables. These variables are substituted each time the message is sent out. System variables must be enclosed between <% and %> strings, for example: <% DATE %>. See also Appendix C: "Notification Variables" for a complete list of Notification Variables.
Example of a message template:
Message from ActiveXperts Network Monitor, <% DATE %> <%TIME %>: Item: <% DISPLAYNAME %> Result: <% RESULT %> Explanation:<% EXPLANATION %>
Note: Using newlines in SMS Message Templates is NOT recommended. Many GSM phones don't know how to handle newlines and will display bad characters.
To avoid notifications and actions during maintenance hours, you can configure maintenance schedules. All failures that happen during these schedules won't be notified, and no actions will be triggered.
The maintenance schedules can be configured as Every Day of the Week, or as On This Date.
To configure maintenance schedules:
By default, the maintenance schedules are inherited by all Monitoring Checks; however, you can configure maintenance schedules for each check individually in the Advanced tab of the Monitoring Check properties. Let's say a company has maintenance on every Friday at 11:00 pm for nearly all servers (use the global maintenance schedules for that). But for one server (server 'A'), maintenance is scheduled on Saturday at 09:00 am. Configure individual maintenance schedules for server 'A'.
Dependencies allow you to create a hierarchy of checks that depend on each other. This hierarchy is not related to the Folder structure of your Network Monitor configuration. Dependencies prevent you and your network administrators from being overwhelmed with notifications when a central router or server goes down. Without a dependency configuration, the failure of a central server or device would cause a failure of other servers, and as a result many notifications would be sent out. There are at least two items involved when configuring dependencies:
A dependee cannot be a folder, only a check. You can make other checks and/or folders dependent on the Dependee. It is recommended to use Folders rather than Checks as a Depender, because it is dynamic.
For more information about Dependencies, visit the Online Dependency Guidelines on the ActiveXperts web site. It contains a good sample and some best practice hints.
The ActiveXperts Network Monitor configuration is stored in one single file Config.mdb. The Config.mdb file is located in the \Configuration\ directory.
Custom scripts are stored in the <Installation-Directory>\Scripts directory.
It is recommended to backup the configuration and custom scripts regularly.
To backup the configuration manually, follow the instructions as described in Chapter 3.3 ('Import, Export and Clear configuration settings') of this manual. This chapter also describes how to restore the configuration manually.
Automatic Backup is enabled by default, and will backup the configuration file and all VBScript programs to a fixed network location automatically. By default, the backup is made on every Wednesday and Saturday, at 06:00am.
To change the Auto Backup settings:
To quickly add a new Monitoring Check, click New Monitor Check on the toolbar.
To add a new Monitoring Check:
To quickly copy an existing Monitoring Check to the Clipboard, click Copy on the toolbar.
To copy an existing Monitoring Check:
To quickly paste a Monitoring Check from the Clipboard, click Paste on the toolbar.
To paste a Monitoring Check:
Note: You can only copy one Monitoring Check to the clipboard at a time.
To quickly delete an existing Monitoring Check, click Delete on the toolbar.
To delete an existing Monitoring Check:
Confirm that you really want to remove the server from the configuration.
To quickly edit the Monitoring Check properties, right click on the Monitoring Check and choose properties, or double click on the Monitoring Check.
The Monitoring Check dialog will pop up. This dialog contains 4 tabs:
Select the General Properties tab, and configure the following fields:
Select the Notifications tab, and configure the following fields:
For all of the above items (except SNMP Traps), you can select recipient groups from the global Address Book.
If you want to use different recipients (or traps) for a particular Monitoring Check, press the '.' button next to the corresponding item.
You can define an action for each particular check. Actions are triggered when a check fails, or when a check recovers from a failure. There are no general settings for Actions; all settings are made in the properties of the monitoring check.
There are 3 different types of actions:
After a failure, it's possible to restart a service. For instance, if you can't reach an IIS web server in your LAN, it may be a good idea to restart the W3SVC service. You can use either the short service name (for instance W3SVC) or the long service name (for instance: World Wide Web Publishing Service). To restart multiple services, enter all services separated by a semicolon (';'), for instance: alerter;browser;
In some situations, it may be useful to reboot a machine to try to recover from a failure;
You can configure to run a program after a failure has occurred. ActiveXperts Network Monitor supports three different types of programs:
You can pass parameters to these programs on the command line. You can also use Notification Variables as parameters, as described in Appendix C.
To configure Actions, select the Actions tab, and configure the following fields:
To restart a service or reboot a computer, the Network Monitor service credentials are used by default (i.e. the credentials used to start the ActiveXperts Network Monitor service, see also the "Services" applet in the "Administrative Tools" folder). However, if a server is in a different domain or forest, and there is no trust, you may need to pass different credentials to restart or reboot.
To do so, press the Credentials button and select an entry from the Alternate Credentials list. Alternate credentials are administrated globally (see also chapter 3.7: "Options")
Select the Advanced tab to configure the following items:
The ActiveXperts Network Monitor engine runs as a service on a Windows 2008//2003/2000/7/Vista/XP operating system. This service run with Local System credentials or with Local/Domain Administrator credentials.
To change the ActiveXperts Network Monitor service credentials:
To monitor servers in a domain, enter an account that has Administration privileges on all domain members. A 'Domain Administrator' or 'Enterprise Administrator' account will suffice. You can use the UNC notation for the domain account, i.e.: DOMAIN\Account. You can also use other dotted domain notations (mysubdomain.mydomain.dom\Account) or user principle names (j.doe@mydomain.dom).
To monitor servers in another domain, ActiveXperts Network Monitor requires administrator rights on that domain. This can be established through a trust relationship between these domains. However, if there is no trust relationship, the service account credentials cannot be used.
To monitor servers in another - untrusted - domain, you need to enter credentials for each Windows server in the Server Credentials table. See also Chapter 3.7: "Options". This also applies to stand-alone servers.
ActiveXperts Network Monitor can monitor VMware ESXi servers to check various performance counters, including CPU, Memory, Network Trafic, Physical Status and more. Checks can be performed on the ESXi host itself, and/or on the Virtual Machines that it is hosting.
A VMware ESXi check requires the following parameters:
ActiveXperts Network Monitor can monitor Citrix XenServer servers to check various performance counters, including CPU, Memory, Network Trafic, Physical Status and more. Checks can be performed on the XenServer host itself, and/or on the Virtual Machines that it is hosting.
A Citrix XenServer check requires the following parameters:
The Hyper-V Server check monitors services, processes and WMI counters related to Microsoft Hyper-V Server.
The Hyper-V Server check requires the following parameters:
ActiveXperts Network Monitor can monitor DHCP servers to check IP addresses in use, IP addresses offered and IP addresses available. The DHCP server have SNMP v.1 or SNMP v.2 enabled to allow Network Monitor to retrieve the performance data.
A DHCP Server check requires the following parameters:
ActiveXperts Network Monitor can resolve any DNS record and check the result against a specified value. Allowed record types include the 'A' record, 'MX' record' and 'CNAME' record'.
A DNS Server check requires the following parameters:
ActiveXperts Network Monitor can check the availability of an FTP site. You must pass credentials (username and password) to access the actual FTP site. If the FTP server allows anonymous access, specify 'anonymous' in the 'Account' field, and specify a valid e-mail address in the 'Password' field. With the FTP check, you can check for a file in one of the subdirectories on the FTP server, and even check for a specific pattern in the file.
An FTP check requires the following parameters:
ActiveXperts Network Monitor can check the availability of HTTP and HTTPs sites, on default ports (i.e.: 80 and 443) or on alternate ports. If the HTTP(s) server is not directly accessible, you can configure ActiveXperts Network Monitor to go through a Proxy server to access the particular HTTP(s) server, even passing credentials for that Proxy server (to be able to make use of the Proxy). Additionally, you can pass credentials (username and password) to access the actual HTTP(s) site if required. ActiveXperts Network Monitor supports web site content checking; contents of web sites can be searched for text patterns (including tags).
An HTTP/HTTPs check requires the following parameters:
ICMP Ping checks a remote host for availability. Local hosts should normally respond to ping requests within milliseconds. However, on a very congested network it may take up to 3 seconds or longer to receive an echo packet from the remote host. If the time-out is set too low under these conditions, it will appear that the remote host is not reachable (which is almost the truth). ActiveXperts Network Monitor checks servers for availability by sending ICMP Echo commands and wait for the responds. An ICMP time-out failure doesn't necessarily mean that the remote host is actually functioning beyond its ability to echo packets.
An ICMP/Ping check requires the following parameters:
ActiveXperts Network Monitor can check IMAP mail servers by establishing a connection on the remote IMAP port (usually port 143) and do a handshake. By handshaking, ActiveXperts Network Monitor can verify that the remote server's IMAP protocol is working well.
An IMAP Mail Server check requires the following parameters:
LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) is a protocol for querying (and modifying) directory services like Microsoft Active Directory and Novell Netware.
The LDAP check requires just one parameter:
The check will by default try to retrieve the full name of the queried directory service, and match the result against a pattern. One may check want to use more sophisticated queries; for this reason, the check is a VBScript check to allow customization.
ActiveXperts Network Monitor can check NNTP news servers by establishing a connection on the remote TCP port (usually port 119) and do a handshake. By handshaking, ActiveXperts Network Monitor can verify that the remote server's NNTP protocol is working well.
An NNTP News Server Availability check requires the following parameters:
Commercial organizations today rely on networks of computers, all of which have clocks that are the source of time for files or operations they handle. Most of these organizations use a time server to ensure accurate time settings. The NTP protocol is the protocol used to synchronize times between workstations and servers, and external time sources. ActiveXperts Network Monitor uses the IP based NTP protocol to check availability of internal and external time sources.
An NTP check requires one parameter:
ActiveXperts Network Monitor can check POP3 mail servers by establishing a connection on the remote TCP port (usually port 110) and logon to a mailbox on that mail server.
A POP3 check requires the following parameters:
ActiveXperts Network Monitor can check RADIUS (Remote Authentication Dial In User Service) servers by authenticate a user.
A RADIUS check requires the following parameters:
ActiveXperts Network Monitor can check the availability of an SFTP server. SFTP (Secure File Transfer Protocol) allows secure network file transfer over an insecure network, such as the Internet. The Secure File Transfer Protocol is an extension to the SSH version 2.0 protocol. Most SSH server implementations will also allow for SFTP logins. SFTP is the secure successor to SFTP.
An SFTP check requires the following parameters:
ActiveXperts Network Monitor can check the availability of an SMPP server. SMPP (Short Message Peer-to-Peer Protocol) is a telecommunications industry protocol for exchanging SMS messages between peer entities.
An SMPP check requires the following parameters:
ActiveXperts Network Monitor can check SMTP mail servers by establishing a connection on the remote TCP port (usually port 25) and do a handshake. By handshaking, ActiveXperts Network Monitor can verify that the remote server's SMTP protocol is working well.
An SMTP Mail Server check requires the following parameters:
This check verifies whether an e-mail service is working properly by sending a test e-mail message through an SMTP server and verifying that it has been delivered to the recipient's mailbox.
An SMTP to POP3 check requires the following parameters:
SNMP means: Simple Network Management Protocol. The SNMP GET message allows the Network Monitor Engine to request information about a specific variable on a remote computer or device. The agent, upon receiving a GET message, will issue a GET-RESPONSE message to the Network Monitor Engine with either the information requested or an error indication as to why the request cannot be processed.
An SNMP GET check requires the following parameters:
The SNMP Trap Receive check listens for real-time network traps for processing. The SNMP Trap Receiver must be enabled at a global level. To enable the SNMP Trap Receiver:
An SNMP Trap Receive check works different than other checks in Network Monitor: the SNMP Trap Receive check is event-driven. The check is not executed at timed intervals, but is triggered on a newly received trap. As a result, you cannot specify a time interval for SNMP Trap Receive checks.
An SNMP Trap Receive check requires the following parameters:
ActiveXperts Network Monitor can check local- or remote servers by challenging a specific port. It makes a connection to it, and performs a challenge/respond (by sending a sequence of bytes to it, wait for the respond and analyzing the received information).
A TCP/IP check requires the following parameters:
ActiveXperts Network Monitor can check the availability of a TFTP host by checking the existence of a file on the TFTP host. TFTP stands for 'Trivial File Transfer Protocol' and is a forerunner of the FTP protocol. It has less functionality than FTP: it is based on the (unreliable) UDP protocol, has no support for directory browsing and has not protected by a logon and password. With the TFTP check, you can check for a file in a directory on the TFTP host, and check for a specific pattern in the file.
A TFTP check requires the following parameters:
The Anti-Virus check allows monitoring various popular Anti-Virus packages on workstations and servers. The following Anti-Virus software packages are supported:
An Anti-Virus/Anti-Spam check requires the following parameters:
ActiveXperts Network Monitor can check Citrix ICA servers by establishing a connection on the remote TCP port (usually port 1494) and do a handshake. By handshaking, ActiveXperts Network Monitor can verify that the remote server's ICA protocol is working well.
An Citrix ICA check requires the following parameters:
The Citrix XenApp check monitors services, processes and WMI counters related to Citrix XenApp.
The Citrix XenApp check requires the following parameters:
ActiveXperts Network Monitor provides the 'CPU Usage' check to monitor processor(s) on Windows platforms. When the CPU load exceeds the limit, an alert is generated. For multi-processor systems, you can select to monitor all CPU's (default) or monitor an individual CPU.
A CPU Usage check requires the following parameters:
You are running Windows Server and some of your users insist on copying the contents of their notebook computer to your file server. Other users want to download everything they see on the Web. Unfortunately, you're running out of disk space. Disk space is your server's most expensive subsystem, so it's a good practice to monitor - for instance - user's Home Directories. The 'Directory check' can be of good help.
A Directory check requires the following parameters:
ActiveXperts Network Monitor can monitor all physical disk drives on servers running the Windows operating system. If a malfunctioning disk drive is detected on the computer, an alert is generated.
A Disk Drive check requires the following parameters:
The amount of free disk space is checked periodically, and if it drops too low you're immediately notified. It can also notify if used space gets too high.
A Disk Space check requires the following parameters:
Note: The 'Disk Space' check uses the system's administrative shares (i.e. C$, D$ etc.) to access drives on remote computers. For security reasons, these share are sometimes renamed by system administrators, for instance: MYCDRIVE$. You can type such a name in the selection box, and the Network Monitor Engine will use this administrative share name instead of the defaults administrative share name.
ActiveXperts Network Monitor can read Windows Event logs on local- or remote computers. It can look for specific Event Sources, Categories, Event ID's and so on. It can look for a pattern in the Description of the Event. It can do advanced filtering in Event Logs; it can look for multiple events in the Event Log, and notify the system administrator if one of the Events occurred in a specific time interval. For instance, as a network administrator, you want an alert if there's a McAfee or Norton virus message in the Application Event Log, but only if the event is posted in the last 30 minutes. ActiveXperts Network Monitor uses VBScript and WMI for this.
It enables you to fully customize Event Log filtering, speeding up performance by checking for more than one event in each cycle.
An Event Log check requires the following parameters:
ActiveXperts Network Monitor can monitor file existence, file size and file content. This is particularly useful in situation where log files need to be analyzed. In many organizations, batch jobs run at night and produce logging information; ActiveXperts Network Monitor can check this logging information and analyze it. It can check the existence, or search for patterns. It can also check the size of a file.
A File check requires the following parameters:
ActiveXperts Network Monitor can check the memory usage of the Windows Operating System. It can monitor the total available physical memory usage, the committed memory or the pages per second.
A Memory Usage check requires the following parameters:
The Active Directory check monitors services, processes and WMI counters related to Microsoft Active Directory.
The Active Directory check requires the following parameters:
The Hyper-V Server check monitors services, processes and WMI counters related to Microsoft Hyper-V Server.
The Hyper-V Server check requires the following parameters:
ActiveXperts Network Monitor monitors the status of the MS Message Queue's. It can check a queue for its length (i.e. number of jobs in the queue) or for its total size (MB).
An MSMQ check requires the following parameters:
ActiveXperts Network Monitor monitors the status of the Operating System's Terminal Server role (part of Windows2008 /2003 /2000/7/Vista/XP) by checking the number of active/inactive sessions.
A Terminal Server check requires the following parameters:
The Performance Counter check monitors one or more WMI counters.
Each WMI performance should be defined:
Even the most mechanically sound printer stops working or needs maintenance from time to time:
Printers run low on toner, run out of paper, or get jammed - unavoidable situations that prevent users from printing their documents. Unfortunately, when a printer stops working, no notice is sent to users; in addition, users can still send print jobs to the printer. If the problem is not identified and corrected, those jobs will continue to accumulate as long as the printer is unavailable. For these reasons, monitoring the printers in your organization is an important part of print management. With a well-designed monitoring strategy in place, you can receive timely notification whenever a printer stops functioning and take immediate steps to either get the printer back online or transfer print jobs to a different printer. ActiveXperts Network Monitor checks printers for availability by checking its status. Windows knows a wide range of printer status values, like: 'Running', 'In Test', 'Power Off', 'Offline', 'Power Save', and so on. If the Printer Status is not equal to Running or Power Save, then the printer is considered as malfunctioning.
A Printer Availability check requires the following parameters:
Note: The printer availability check is based on WMI, and only works on Windows 2000 platforms or higher.
ActiveXperts Network Monitor allows users to check processes on local- and remote computers; if a process is active, a computer is considered available. Additionally, memory usage of a process can be checked, to detect memory leaks.
A Process check requires the following parameters:
Note: The process check is based on WMI; it requires WMI on both monitored and monitoring system.
PowerShell is a command line interface shell for Microsoft Windows platforms:
ActiveXperts Network Monitor can check any Windows server by running a PowerShell script. The script is executed on the monitoring machine. There's no need to have PowerShell installed on the monitored server; it must be installed on the monitoring computer. PowerShell scripts do not need to be copied to the monitored computer; you can have all PowerShell scripts located on the monitoring computer to monitor remote computers.
ActiveXperts Network Monitor ships with a collection of PowerShell (.ps1) that work out of the box.
ActiveXperts Network Monitor requires the PowerShell script output (i.e. StdOut) to be formatted according to the following syntax:
[SUCCESS | ERROR | UNCERTAIN]: { <explanation> } { DATA:<value>}
The <explanation> field is displayed in the 'Last Response' column in the Manager application. The <value> field is displayed in the 'Data' column in the Manager application.
Samples:
ERROR: Free Disk space is less than 40 GB DATA:34
SUCCESS: CPU Usage is 10%, maximum allowed is 50% DATA:10
A PowerShell check requires the following parameters:
If StdErr is not empty, the result will be - If there's an error in the script, you can handle this error and specify what the result of the check should be: Uncertain, Error or Success; Time-out - Number of milliseconds before the check will time-out.
ActiveXperts Network Monitor can check a registry value on a remote Windows computer. You can compare a current registry value with a predefined pattern. You can even monitor registry changes.
A Registry check requires the following parameters:
Use the Removable Drive check to detect the presence of USB drives, CompactFlash, memory cards and other portable storage devices on your domain or network.
A Removable Drive check requires the following parameters:
ActiveXperts Network Monitor can check any Windows server by executing a command on a remote computer. The command file (executable, batch-job, etc.) must be located on the remote monitored computer.
ActiveXperts Network Monitor requires the remote command output (i.e. StdOut) to be formatted according to the following syntax:
[SUCCESS | ERROR | UNCERTAIN]: { <explanation> } { DATA:<value>}
The <explanation> field is displayed in the 'Last Response' column in the Manager application. The <value> field is displayed in the 'Data' column in the Manager application. Samples:
ERROR: Free Disk space is less than 40 GB DATA:34
SUCCESS: CPU Usage is 10%, maximum allowed is 50% DATA:10
A Remote Command check requires the following parameters:
Note: The Remote Command check installs a service on the remote computer in order to execute the command. This service is called 'ActiveXperts Remote Command service'; the associated executable name is 'AxRemSvc.exe'. The service is uninstalled after the check has completed and is re-installed once the check is processed again.
With the Scheduled Task check, one can check if a scheduled task has completed successfully or not. A Scheduled Task check can only be applied to a task that should run today. I.e. you cannot check the completion of a task that ran - for instance - yesterday.
A Scheduled Task check requires the following parameters:
Service monitoring involves a probe that returns the status of a service. ActiveXperts Network Monitor monitors services on local- and remote computers by checking if the status equals "Running". If so, the server is running fine, otherwise it's not.
A Service check requires the following parameters:
ActiveXperts Network Monitor provides a programming interface to IT administrators. VBScript is the standard scripting language in ActiveXperts Network Monitor product. VBScript is the most popular scripting language in Windows environments.
A VBScript check requires the following parameters:
Visit www.activexperts.com/support/activmonitor/online/vbscript/ for detailed information on writing custom VBScript checks.
The Windows Defender check monitors services, processes and WMI counters related to Microsoft Windows Defender.
The Windows Defender check requires the following parameters:
The BizTalk check monitors services, processes and performance counters related to Microsoft BizTalk.
The BizTalk check requires the following parameters:
With ActiveXperts Network Monitor, you can check MS Dynamics AX, MS Dynamics NAV, MS Dynamics CRM as well as MS Dynamics SL. The Dynamics check monitors services, processes and performance counters related to Microsoft Dynamics.
The Dynamics check requires the following parameters:
The Exchange Server check monitors services, processes and performance counters related to Microsoft Exchange Server.
The Exchange Server check requires the following parameters:
The Forefront check monitors services, processes and performance counters related to Microsoft Forefront TMG.
The Forefront check requires the following parameters:
The IIS Server check monitors services, processes and performance counters related to Microsoft IIS Server.
The IIS Server check requires the following parameters:
The Index Server check monitors services, processes and performance counters related to Microsoft Index Server.
The Index Server check requires the following parameters:
The ISA Server check monitors services, processes and performance counters related to Microsoft ISA Server.
The ISA Server check requires the following parameters:
The SharePoint Server check monitors services, processes and counters related to Microsoft SharePoint Server.
The SharePoint Server check requires the following parameters:
The SQL Server check monitors services, processes and counters related to Microsoft SQL Server.
The SQL Server check requires the following parameters:
SSH Secure Shell allows secure network services over an insecure network, such as the Internet. With SSH, ActiveXperts Network Monitor can login onto a remote machine running the SSH daemon, and execute a command or shell script. ActiveXperts Network Monitor requires the output (i.e. StdOut) to be formatted according to the following syntax:
[SUCCESS | ERROR | UNCERTAIN]: { <explanation> } { DATA:<value>}
The <explanation> field is displayed in the 'Last Response' column in the Manager application. The <value> field is displayed in the 'Data' column in the Manager application.
Samples:
ERROR: Free Disk space is less than 40 GB DATA:34 SUCCESS: Daemon 'LPD' is running
To allow clients (incl. ActiveXperts Network Monitor) to run a shell script on Linux/Unix machine using SSH, the following pre-conditions must be met:
An SSH Shell Script check requires the following parameters:
SSH Secure Shell allows secure network services over an insecure network, such as the Internet. With SSH, ActiveXperts Network Monitor can login onto a remote machine running the SSH daemon, and execute a command or shell script. ActiveXperts Network Monitor requires the output (i.e. StdOut) to be formatted according to the following syntax:
[SUCCESS | ERROR | UNCERTAIN]: { <explanation> } { DATA:<value>}
The <explanation> field is displayed in the 'Last Response' column in the Manager application. The <value> field is displayed in the 'Data' column in the Manager application.
Samples:
ERROR: Free Disk space is less than 40 GB DATA:34 SUCCESS: Daemon 'LPD' is running
To allow clients (incl. ActiveXperts Network Monitor) to run a shell script on Linux/Unix machine using SSH, the following pre-conditions must be met:
An SSH Shell Script check requires the following parameters:
RSH is a client process that opens connections to an rsh daemon; it sends a command to execute on the remote server and retrieves its output, both stdout and stderr. The connection is established on standard port 514 (tcp port for the shell/cmd protocol). ActiveXperts Network Monitor requires the output (i.e. StdOut) to be formatted according to the following syntax:
[SUCCESS | ERROR | UNCERTAIN]: { <explanation> } { DATA:<value>}
The <explanation> field is displayed in the 'Last Response' column in the Manager application. The <value> field is displayed in the 'Data' column in the Manager application.
Samples:
ERROR: Free Disk space is less than 40 GB DATA:34 SUCCESS: Daemon 'LPD' is running
To allow clients (incl. ActiveXperts Network Monitor) to run a shell script on Linux/Unix machine using RSH, the following pre-conditions must be met:
A RSH Shell Script check requires the following parameters:
ActiveXperts Network Monitor uses OLE DB (also known as ADO) to check availability of databases. OLE DB (sometimes written as OLEDB or OLE-DB) is an API for accessing different types of data stores in a uniform manner, including: MS SQL, MS Access, Oracle, MySQL and more.
The Database Query check requires the following parameters:
You can use an AND/OR operator to create an advanced condition.
Note: To check query results, you should use the custom VBScript database check. This check can be fully customized to meet your exact requirements. For instance, you can build complex queries, and analyze the query output. To create a new VBScript based database check, select 'New Monitoring Check (VBScript)' from the Monitor menu, and choose Database.vbs. Edit Database.vbs to meet your requirements.
ActiveXperts Network Monitor uses ODBC to check availability of a variety of databases. Most major database systems support ODBC, such as: Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft Access, Microsoft Excel, Oracle, FoxPro, Paradox, SyBase, Informix, OpenIngres, InterBase, Progress, IBM LANDP, DB2 and AS/400. You must configure ODBC (from the Control Panel on the server where ActiveXperts Network Monitor is running on) before ActiveXperts Network Monitor can check ODBC compliant databases.
An ODBC check requires the following parameters:
ActiveXperts Network Monitor also provides Oracle checks based on SQLNet, like TNSPing and logon/logoff through SQLNet.
Note: The 'ADO / OLE/DB' check requires fewer configurations and is usually faster. As a result, it is the preferred way to check database, unless the database doesn't ship with an OLE DB driver.
ActiveXperts Network Monitor uses SQL*Net to monitor Oracle servers for availability. The role of SQL*Net is to establish and maintain a connection between the client application and the server and exchange messages between them. SQL*Net is a software layer that is required to communicate between Oracle clients and servers. It provides both client-server and server-server communications across any network. It enables client tools to access, modify, share, and store data on Oracle servers over a Network. The communication between client applications and servers takes place across one or more networks, and is referred to as client/server communication.
ActiveXperts Network Monitor has two SQL*Net based checks for Oracle:
A Database-Oracle TNSPing check requires the following parameters:
A Database-Oracle Logon/Logoff check requires the following parameters:
ActiveXperts Network Monitor requires an Environmental Monitor device from Sensatronics to monitor temperature. By using their server room temperature monitor in your data center design, you are taking a proactive approach in datacenter management. A managed environment can reduce IT server, storage and network outages by 50% or more.
ActiveXperts Network Monitor supports the following Sensatronics models to monitor temperature:
A Temperature check requires the following parameters:
Data data can be logged to an ASCII log file or to an OLE DB (ADO) compliant database like MS Access or MS SQL.
ActiveXperts Network Monitor requires an Environmental Monitor device from Sensatronics to monitor humidity.
ActiveXperts Network Monitor supports the following Sensatronics models to monitor humidity: Model Senturion (capable of monitoring temperature, humidity, wetness, power, light, motion, smoke, door, resistance, switch); Model EM1 (capable of monitoring temperature, humidity and wetness).
A Humidity check requires the following parameters:
Data can be logged to an ASCII log file or to an OLE DB (ADO) compliant database like MS Access or MS SQL.
ActiveXperts Network Monitor requires an Environmental Monitor device from Sensatronics to monitor humidity.
ActiveXperts Network Monitor supports the following Sensatronics models to monitor wetness:
A Wetness check requires the following parameters:
Data can be logged to an ASCII log file or to an OLE DB (ADO) compliant database like MS Access or MS SQL.
ActiveXperts Network Monitor requires the Sensatronics Senturion device to monitor power, light, motion, smoke, door, resistance or switch.
Such check requires the following parameters:
Data can be logged to an ASCII log file or to an OLE DB (ADO) compliant database like MS Access or MS SQL.
ActiveXperts Network Monitor allows you to query a serial device (e.g. a modem, a weight indicator, etc.) and analyze the response. The device must have a serial port interface, for instance an RS-232 interface. USB devices are also supported, but only if the device ships with a driver to emulate a serial port.
A Serial Device check requires the following parameters:
ActiveXperts Network Monitor monitors groups and group membership. In case of unexpected members in certain groups (for instance: unexpected Domain Admins members), it'll notify the network administrators.
ActiveXperts Network Monitor checks different kinds of Directory Services, for instance: Active Directory, or Novell NDS. You can configure ActiveXperts Network Monitor to check user accounts (locked out, disabled, etc.), groups, group membership, organizational units, and so on.
The User/Group Membership check requires the following parameters:
PowerShell is a command-line shell with associated scripting language from Microsoft. It was released in 2006, and is currently available for the following Operating Systems:
PowerShell 2.0 is the next generation Windows PowerShell, and is available for the following Operating Systems:
NOTE: PowerShell is NOT available for Windows XP SP1 or Windows XP without SP.
If PowerShell is not enabled on your computer, you need to install it first. On Windows 7 and Windows 2008 R2, PowerShell is installed by default. On Windows 2008, PowerShell is included but not installed by default. In all other situations, PowerShell must first be downloaded from the Microsoft Download Center. ActiveXperts Network Monitor requires Windows PowerShell 1.0 or higher.
Out of the box, the Operating System does not allow you (or ActiveXperts Network Monitor) to run PowerShell scripts. You must enable PowerShell scripting first from the command line.
Please note that allowing Powershell scripts for Network Monitor in 64-bits operating systems is different from 32-bits operating systems.
To allow execution of Powershell scripts on 32-bits operating sytems, please do the following:
ActiveXperts Network Monitor runs as a 32-bit service. Therefore, it runs Powershell scripts in a 32-bit context. To allow execution of Powershell scripts on 64-bits operating sytems, please do the following:
ActiveXperts Network Monitor ships with a set of PowerShell that run out of the box. These can be used to check servers and can be modified in order to meet your requirements. ActiveXperts Network Monitor requires the output (i.e. StdOut) of the PowerShell script to be formatted according to the following syntax:
[ SUCCESS | ERROR | UNCERTAIN]: { <explanation> } { DATA:<value>}
The <explanation> will be shown in the 'Last Response' column in the Manager application. The <value> field will be shown in the 'Data' column in the Manager application. For example:
ERROR: Free disk space is less than 40 GB DATA:34
SUCCESS: Free disk space is more than 40 GB DATA:102
ActiveXperts Network Monitor contains a comprehensive set of built-in monitoring checks. The product is designed to let operators write their own monitoring checks and use them in the product. ActiveXperts uses VBScript because it is the most popular scripting language in Windows environments.
ActiveXperts ships with a collection of cooked VBScript files and routines. These scripts are located in the folder '\Scripts\Monitor (vbs)' folder, and can be used out of the box. Feel free to modify these scripts.
VBScript check routines should return one of the following values:
Keep the following in mind when writing a new VBScript function:
Function template:
Const retvalUnknown = 1
Dim SYSDATA, SYSEXPLANATION
Function Foo( var1, var2, ..., varn )
If( Not Pre-condition ) Then
SYSEXPLANANTION = "Unable to determine..."
Foo = retvalUnknown
Else
If( condition ) Then
SYSEXPLANANTION = "Yes it is true because ..."
SYSDATA = 5
Foo = True
Else
SYSEXPLANANTION = "No it's not true because ..."
SYSDATA = 6
Foo = False
End If
End If
End Function
To add a VBScript check:
To create a new VBScript file, choose Create New File. from the File selection box and a new file will be created. To create a new function in a VBScript file, choose Add New Function. from the Function selection box and a new function will be written.
If you plan to write check routines based on WMI (Windows Management Instrumentation), be sure you have WMI installed on the ActiveXperts Network Monitor server and on the server that you want to monitor.
WMI is part of the Windows 2008/Vista/2003/2000/XP operating system by default; For WMI for Windows NT4/98/ME, please check the Microsoft website; WMI is available for free.
ActiveXperts has collected more than a hundred WMI samples. You can use these samples as a base for your new check routines. You can find these samples at www.activexperts.com/network-monitor/windowsmanagement/wmi/samples.
If you plan to write check routines based on ADSI (Active Directory Service Interfaces), be sure you have ADSI installed on the ActiveXperts Network Monitor server and on the server that you want to monitor. ADSI allow you to access not only Windows 2000 Active Directory, but also NT4 User information from the SAM database, and other User Databases like Novell Bindery and so on.
ADSI is part of the Windows 2000 operating system; it's not part of NT4. For NT4, please check the Microsoft website; ADSI is available for free.
ActiveXperts provides some useful ADSI scripts on their website, at www.activexperts.com/network-monitor/windowsmanagement/adsi/samples. You can use these samples as a base for check routines that you write yourself.
It's recommended to write and test a custom script as a batch job first, before integrating the script in the Network Monitor software. It is important to write bug-free scripts; a script that is poorly written may block all VBScript based checks at the end. ActiveXperts Network Monitor has a multi-threaded engine, and is capable of processing eight VBScript checks simultaneously. However, when all VBScript threads are blocked, there's no way the Network Monitor can check other VBScript based checks.
General VBScript Guidelines:
The batch script must be located in the ActiveXperts Network Monitor installation directory or one of its sub-directories;
Before integrating the script in the Network Monitor software, test it as a batch job first.
Example:
Option Explicit
Const retvalUnknown = 1
Dim SYSDATA, SYSEXPLANATION
Function IsWeekend()
If WeekDay( Date() ) = VBSaturday or WeekDay( Date() ) = VBSunday Then
SYSEXPLANATION = "Yes, weekend"
IsWeekend = True
Else
SYSEXPLANATION = "No, no weekend"
IsWeekend = False
End If
End Function
Wscript.Echo "IsWeekend: " & IsWeekend() ' Use Wscript ONLY for testing
(NOTE: the piece of code in green is the code that will be copied to the Network Monitor script when tested well)
Save this file as a .vbs file, for instance: test.vbs. Then, run it from the command-line like this: CSCRIPT TEST.VBS
Any commands and functions related to a console or User Interface should be avoided. Keep in mind that the Network Monitor Engine runs as a service, and has no user interface. Message boxes and console output statements may lead to undesirable results. Some objects will not work in Network Monitor:
Also, avoid functions that display a dialog box, like InputBox.
ActiveXperts Network Monitor includes a debug control to print debug information to a log file while the Network Monitor Engine interpreter runs the script. The debug control is called TActiveXperts.VbDebugger.
ActiveXperts.VbDebugger has the following properties:
ActiveXperts.VbDebugger has the following functions:
The following sample shows how to use the debug control:
Function IsWeekend()
Set objDebugger = CreateObject( "ActiveXperts.VbDebugger" )
objDebugger.DebugFile = "c:\temp\debug.txt"
objDebugger.ClearDebugFile ' Clear the file is desired
objDebugger.Write "Function WeekDay will be called now... " & vbCrLf
If WeekDay( Date() ) = VBSaturday or WeekDay( Date() ) = VBSunday Then
SYSEXPLANATION = "Yes, weekend"
IsWeekend = True
Else
SYSEXPLANATION = "No, no weekend"
IsWeekend = False
End If
objDebugger.Sleep 3000 ' Hold the script for three seconds
objDebugger.Write "Exit IsWeekend" & vbCrLf
End Function
Visit www.activexperts.com/support/network-monitor/online/vbscript/ for detailed information on writing custom VBScript checks. It contains detailed information about writing custom scripts, describes the debugger and contains various samples.
ActiveXperts Network Monitor supports the execution of a command on a remote server, and base the result on the outcome of standard output.
The check is executed by installing a service on the remote monitored server. This service is called 'ActiveXperts Remote Command Service' (AxRemCmd). After installation, the service is started and is ready for a request from the Network Monitor service. After the command has been executed, the service is uninstalled by the Network Monitor service.
ActiveXperts Network Monitor requires the output (i.e. StdOut) to be formatted according to the following syntax:
[ SUCCESS | ERROR | UNCERTAIN]: { <explanation> } { DATA:<value>}
The <explanation> will be shown in the 'Last Response' column in the Manager application. The <value> field will be shown in the 'Data' column in the Manager application. Samples:
ERROR: Free Disk space is less than 40 GB DATA:34 SUCCESS: Daemon 'LPD' is running
The Secure Shell Script (SSH) check allows you to login to a Linux/Unix host and run a shell script in a secure way. There are two ways to login: using an account and a password, or using an account and a private key file.
ActiveXperts Network Monitor requires the output (i.e. StdOut) to be formatted according to the following syntax:
[SUCCESS | ERROR | UNCERTAIN]: { <explanation> } { DATA:<value>}
The <explanation> field is displayed in the 'Last Response' column in the Manager application. The <value> field is displayed in the 'Data' column in the Manager application.
Samples:
ERROR: Free Disk space is less than 40 GB DATA:34 SUCCESS: Daemon 'LPD' is running
Sample Shell Script to check directory existence:
#!/bin/sh
# Macro definitiions
FREE=`free -m | awk '/^Mem:/ { printf( "%s\n", $4 ); }'`
USED=`free -m | awk '/^Mem:/ { printf( "%s\n", $3 ); }'`
# Validate number of arguments
if [ $# -ne 2 ] ; then
echo "UNCERTAIN: Too few arguments Usage: memory <free>|<usage> <size>";
exit 1;
fi
# Validate arguments
if [ $1 != "free" ] && [ $1 != "used" ]; then
echo "ERROR: Wrong parameters entered DATA:0";
fi
# Check free memory
if [ $1 == "free" ] ; then
if [ $FREE -gt $2 ]||[ $FREE == $2 ] ; then
echo "SUCCESS: Free memory is [$FREE MB], minimum required=[$2 MB] DATA:$FREE";
else
echo "ERROR: Free memory is [$FREE MB], minimum required=[$2 MB] DATA:$FREE";
fi
fi
# Check used memory
if [ $1 == "used" ] ; then
if [ $USED -lt $2 ]||[ $USED == $2 ] ; then
echo "SUCCESS: Used memory is [$FREE MB], maximum allowed=[$2 MB] DATA:$FREE";
else
echo "ERROR: Used memory is [$FREE MB], maximum allowed=[$2 MB] DATA:$FREE";
fi
fi
ActiveXperts Network Monitor ships with a selection of monitoring checks implemented as shell scripts. These script are locatied in the directory '\Scripts\Monitor (ssh)'
In ActiveXperts Network Monitor, all checks are organized into folders. Folders can be used in the Web Interface (to show only checks located in a particular folder), in Reports (to create reports of check within particular folders) and in Dependency relationships.
To add a new folder:
To edit a folder:
To quickly delete a folder, select the appropriate folder and click Delete on the toolbar.
To delete a folder:
The ActiveXperts Network Monitor Web Interface is a collection of web pages, also called Web Views. Web Views are web pages, generated by the Network Monitor Engine, to provide a user interface to users who do not have the Network Monitor Manager installed. An Internet Browser can be used to view the status of the network. Web Views are based on XML/XSL technology. Web Views require Internet Explorer 6.x or higher, or any other web browser that is capable of parsing XML files.
XML stands for Extensible Markup Language. It's a markup language much like HTML. The big difference is, that XML was designed to describe data; HTML was designed to display data. XML tags are not predefined. ActiveXperts Network Monitor defines its own tags for their Web Views. The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) started to develop XSL because there was a need for an XML based Style sheet Language. XSL can transform XML into HTML, filter and sort XML data, define parts of an XML document, format XML data based on the data value, and more. This is exactly how Web Views work in ActiveXperts Network Monitor.
It is important to understand that XML is not a replacement for HTML; XML is a cross-platform, software and hardware independent tool for transmitting information. The tags used to mark up HTML documents and the structure of HTML documents are predefined. The author of HTML documents can only use tags that are defined in the HTML standard (like <p>, <h1>T, etc.). XML allows ActiveXperts Network Monitor to define his own tags and his own document structure; the tags are described in the section 'XML Tags in Web Views' in this section.
Web Views are preferred over the ActiveXperts Network Monitor Manager application when:
The ActiveXperts Network Monitor software is delivered with a pre-defined set of Web Views. To view these Web Views:
Note: You need an XML capable browser to make use of the Web Interface, e.g. Microsoft Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox.
Use the Web Interface Configuration Tool to customize the Web Interface. Use it also to create, modify or delete Web Views.
To launch the Web Interface Configuration Tool:
With the Web Interface Configuration Tool, you can configure the following items:
You can add, delete and edit Web Views at any time. A restart of the Network Monitor service is not required.
It's recommended to publish the XML pages through IIS, but they can also accessed directly by UNC path. You can manually configure IIS to provide the ActiveXperts Network Monitor pages in the following way:
Appendix B ("Web Interface XML Tags") describes the XML tags in the web interface XML pages.
With the ActiveXperts Report Module, you can create reports over a specified period of time, Reports can either be run ad hoc, or they can be scheduled from the Windows 'Task Scheduler', which will run them automatically, periodically (e.g. daily, weekly, monthly). When a report is run from a schedule, the report results can be sent to a list of e-mail recipients.
Report Data is stored in an MS Access compatible database (\Logs\Stats.mdb) by default, but can be migrated to an MS SQL database at any time.
The ActiveXperts Reports Module features the following:
To create a new report, you must always select a Report Definition file (.rep). This definition file describes the properties of a report, including:
ActiveXperts Network Monitor provides a set of pre-defined Report Definition files that can be used to create new reports, e.g.:
You can launch the Report Generator tool from the Manager: Open Reports from the Tools menu and select Create New Report. The Report Generator Wizard starts with a welcome screen. Click Next to continue.
You must now select a Report Definition (.rep) file. Such a definition file includes all properties of the new report, including type of report, date ranges, name of the report output file, etc.. You can use one of the pre-installed Report Definition files, but you can use your own Report Definition file. See also Chapter 7.4 ("Customizing Reports").
Finally, press Finish to create the report. The report is saved in the <INSTALL-DIR>\Reports directory, with a filename as specified in the Report Definition file. The results of the report creation are logged in the following file: \Logs\ReportGenerator.log.
You can choose not to send the report to the e-mail recipients (the check box is only enabled when the Report Definition file contains e-mail recipients).
The ActiveXperts Network Monitor Reports Module allows you to send out reports automatically to a specified list of e-mail recipients. This can be useful for scheduled reports, for instance for reports that run automatically every week or every month.
To send a report to e-mail recipients from a scheduled job, you must configure the e-mail recipients in the Report Definition (.rep) file.
The ActiveXperts Report Modules uses the same global e-mail settings as the ActiveXperts Network Monitor Manager and the ActiveXperts Network Monitor Service, like: SMTP server, fallback SMTP server (if any), SMTP login credentials (if any), E-mail Address Book, etc. To change global e-mail settings, you must use the ActiveXperts Network Monitor Manager.
To configure e-mail recipients for a Report Definition (.rep) file:
NOTE: It is recommended to use E-mail Distribution Groups (from the E-mail Address Book) rather than individual recipients. With a Distribution Group, you don't need to change the Report Definition file to add/remove a recipient. You just need to modify the Distribution Group's recipient list. Besides that, a Distribution Group can be used by multiple Report Definition files.
Before you schedule a report using the Task Scheduler, it is recommended to test the report using the command line tool AxRgCmd.exe. This command line tool produces the same result as the graphical report tool (AxRgGui.exe) described in Chapter 7.2, but does not require any user intervention so it can be run from the Task Scheduler.
To create a new report from the command line:
Report creation can be automated by scheduling the creation of a report using the Windows Task Scheduler. Scheduling is often used to create monthly reports and send the report to a specified list of e-mail recipients.
With the Task Scheduler, you can only run the command-line version of the Report Creation Tool (AXRGCMD.EXE). The graphical version (AxRgGui.exe) requires user input and is not designed to run from the Task Scheduler.
'Step 3' already described how to use the AxRgCmd.exe tool command line tool. This tool can be used to create a report from the command line using a Report Definition (.rep) file, without user intervention, like this:
@echo off CD "C:\Program Files\ActiveXperts\Network Monitor\" AXRGCMD.EXE /f Detail_Day.rep
For scheduled tasks, it is recommended to make use of a batch file to encapsulate parameters. For instance, see:
C:\Program Files\ActiveXperts\Network Monitor\Report Definitions\BatchJobs\Detail-Day.cmd
ActiveXperts' reporting is based on Report Definition Files (.rep). Such a Report Definition file describes the characteristics of a new report, including:
With the Report Configuration Tool, you can:
To create/modify a Report Definition File:
On of the configurable items in a Report Definition File is the type of report. It can be:
An 'availability' report provides overall availability information of your servers/checks during the nominated date range. You can see uptimes and downtimes, in days, hours, minutes and seconds, and also as percentages. A 'availability' report is used for instance to compare real availability statistics against the SLA requirements.
A 'detail' report provides a detailed list of all state changes during the nominated date range. For each check, you can see exactly when and why it failed, and for how long.
On of the configurable items in a Report Definition File is the begin date and the end date selection of a report. You can select the absolute begin date and end date, but it is recommended to use a relative begin date and end date. You can select the following relative date selectors:
One of the configurable items in a Report Definition File is the report output format. ActiveXperts Network Monitor supports four different output formats:
On of the configurable items in a Report Definition File is the report output filename.
You can choose for:
On of the configurable items in a Report Definition File is the report output filename. If you use scheduled day/week/month/quarter/year reports, it is recommended to use dynamic filenames. Otherwise, new report files will automatically overwrite olders ones, because the report output files have identical names.
With dynamic files, the name of the report file depends on the date it is created. You can use the following placeholders:
Examples:
Filename: DetailReport%MMDDYY%.xml Date of creation: 20060422 Result: DetailReport042206.xml Filename: DetailReport%MDYYYY%.xml Date of creation: 20060422 Result: DetailReport4222006.xml
You can define filters in your Report Definition File to show only a subset of all checks in your reports. You can define the following filters:
The ActiveXperts Reports Module allows you to send out reports automatically to a nominated list of e-mail recipiuents. This is particularly useful for automated reports, where reports are created daily/weekly/monthly, automatically. Recipients are automatically notified of a new report. They just need to click on the URL that is inside the e-mail message.
The ActiveXperts Reports Module makes use of the SMTP settings and E-mail address book of the ActiveXperts Network Monitor configuration. So, it uses the same primary- and secundary SMTP server as used by the ActiveXperts Network Monitor service. You can use the same e-mail distribution groups as used for e-mail alerts.
The HTML- and XML reports are based on an XSL stylesheet to format the report. With the HTML report, the stylesheet is used to create the HTML report. Once the report has been created, you cannot change the format of the produced HTML report. With XML based reports, a link to the XSL stylesheet is included in the XML report. This means that report data and formatting are stored in two separate file, so you can change the format of the XML report at any time.
Appendix A: "Report Data Format" describes the Report Data of the XML files.
The ActiveXperts Reports Module allows you to send out reports automatically to a nominated list
By default, all XML/HTML 'detail' reports are based on the following XSL stylesheet:
DetailReport.xsl
All XML/HTML 'availability' reports are based on the following XSL stylesheet:
AvailabilityReport.xsl
To change the format of a report, you can either modify the XSL file, or create a new custom XSL file and link the reports to the new XSL file.
To create a new XSL file:
To link a report to a new custom XSL file:
To modify an XSL file:
To change the format of an HTML or XML report requires basic knowledge of XSL. A good tutorial to XSL can be found here: www.w3schools.com.
Use the <xsl:for-each> tag to iterate over a set of checks.
<xsl:for-each select="monitor/check">
...
<br><xsl:value-of select="result"/><br>
</xsl:for-each>
The XSL <xsl:for-each> element can be used to select every XML element of a specified node set.
The <xsl:value-of> element can be used to select the value of an XML element and add it to the
output stream of the transformation.
Use the <xsl:sort> tag to sort a record set.
<xsl:for-each select="monitor/check">
<xsl:sort select="result"/>
<xsl:sort select="displayname"/>
...
<xsl:for-each>
To sort output it at the same time, simply add the <xsl:sort> sort element inside the for-each
element in your XSL file. Use multiple <xsl:sort> elements to sort on multiple columns.
Use the <xsl:if> tag to use a condition.
<xsl:if test="result > 2"> ... </xsl:if> To put a conditional if test against the content of the file, simply add an <xsl:if> element to your XSL document. The value of the required test attribute contains the expression to be evaluated.
You can assign the following permissions to users and groups of users:
ActiveXperts Network Monitor uses file system permissions to allow/disallow users to use the software.
Only two files/shares are important when dealing with permissions:
Use the ActiveXperts Network Monitor Share on the ActiveXperts Network Monitor server to assign No Access permissions to users or groups.
By default, the following share permissions are assigned:
EveryOne: Full Control
This will allow all users on the network to install the ActiveXperts Network Monitor Manager application and to use the Manager application.
Only assign share permissions to people who are allowed to use ActiveXperts Network Monitor. Always assign Change permissions on the share to people who will use ActiveXperts Network Monitor, even if they only need read-only permission. Change is required to allow read-only users to send control information to the ActiveXperts Network Monitor service, for instance to request to monitor a particular server immediately.
Two scenarios:
Scenario 1: Allow only Domain Admins to use ActiveXperts Network Monitor.
Share permissions:
Domain Admins: Change
Scenario2: Allow everyone in the domain except users Joe
Share permissions:
Domain Users: Change
Joe: No Access
Read-only access means, that a user can only view results of the ActiveXperts Network Monitor, but cannot make changes to the configuration.
The Config.mdb file plays an important role in assigning read-only permissions. The Config.mdb file holds ALL configuration data and is located in the \Configuration directory on the ActiveXperts Network Monitor server;
People who are only allowed to view results of ActiveXperts Network Monitor, should have read-only permissions on the Config.mdb file. By having read-only access to the Config.mdb file, the user cannot make changes to the configuration. The ActiveXperts Network Monitor Manager application detects the read-only permissions on the Config.mdb and disables certain menu's and commands for the particular user. Still assign Change permission on the Share for read-only users. Change permission is needed to send control information to the ActiveXperts Network Monitor service.
Scenario: Allow Domain Admins to configure ActiveXperts Network Monitor and view monitor results, allow all other people to view the monitor results only.
Share permissions: Domain Admins: Change Config.mdb: Domain Admins: Change Domain Users: Read
Read-write access means, that a user can view and configure ActiveXperts Network Monitor. People, who are allowed to make changes to the ActiveXperts Network Monitor configuration, should have Change permissions on the Config.mdb file. By having Change access to the Config.mdb file, the user can make changes to the configuration, as well as view the monitor results.
Scenario: Allow Domain Admins to configure ActiveXperts Network Monitor. Share permissions: Domain Admins: Change CONFIG.MDB: Domain Admins: Change
The ActiveXperts Network Monitor Engine (a Windows Service) is responsible for monitoring servers, workstations and devices from a central point. It is designed to run multiple checks simultaneously. To do so, it uses so called 'threads'. Multi-threading gives a program the ability to perform several tasks concurrently.
In ActiveXperts Network Monitor, multiple threads are spawned, including:
The number of threads strongly influences the performance of the ActiveXperts Network Monitor Engine (service). If there are only a few threads, the software will not use much CPU and memory resources, but the throughput of checks may be low. By increasing the number of threads, the throughput will increase. However, too many threads will consume too many system resources together (each thread consumes memory and CPU), decreasing the performance of the Network Monitoring engine dramatically.
It is recommended to have less than 40 threads on an average server. If - for instance - you have a lot of ICMP checks, and only a few VBScript based checks, you can increase performance by configuring a few more ICMP threads and a few less VBScript threads.
On more powerful servers, you can configure more threads.
To configure the number of threads, choose Options from the Tools Menu and select the Advanced tab. Press on the top-most button.
You find all different types of threads. You can change the number of threads that is spawned when the ActiveXperts Network Monitor is started. As a result, changes take affect after you restart the service!
The following threads are used by the ActiveXperts Network Monitor Engine (service):
ActiveXperts Network Monitor maintains its own log files. By default, logging is enabled, and is written to the <INSTALL-DIR>\LOGST directory. You can change this directory from the Options dialog in the Tools menu.
Visit our website at http://www.activexperts.com/support/activmonitor for a complete FAQ list. You can also send an email to our support staff: support@activexperts.com.
ActiveXperts Network Monitor licensing options:
Please visit:
to read more about our licensing schemes.
Please visit:
to read more about how to purchase the product. On this site, you can also find the URL to make an online order.
You can also contact us via email: sales@activexperts.com.
After you have installed the product, you can use the software for 30 days. All features are available during this period. After 30 days, the Manager application can still be launched, and the service will keep on running. However, you won't be able to (re)start the service anymore.
During the trial period, you can check how many days are left at any time: go to the Help menu and select the About ActiveXperts Network Monitor menu item. It'll pop up an about dialog, which displays the number of days remaining.
After you purchase the product, you will receive one or more product registration keys. These must be entered by using the ActiveXperts Network Monitor Manager application.
To enter the registration code, go to the Help menu, and choose Registration. Enter the registration code and press OK.
PLEASE READ THIS SOFTWARE LICENSE AGREEMENT CAREFULLY BEFORE
DOWNLOADING OR USING THE SOFTWARE. BY CLICKING ON THE
"ACCEPT" BUTTON, OPENING THE PACKAGE, DOWNLOADING THE PRODUCT,
OR USING THE EQUIPMENT THAT CONTAINS THIS PRODUCT, YOU ARE
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ACCEPT" BUTTON AND THE INSTALLATION PROCESS WILL NOT CONTINUE,
RETURN THE PRODUCT TO THE PLACE OF PURCHASE FOR A FULL REFUND,
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In this Software License Agreement:
(i) "ActiveXperts" means ActiveXperts Software B.V.
(ii) "Customer" means the individual(s), organization or business entity
buying a license of the Software from ActiveXperts or its Distributors
or its Resellers.
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supplied by ActiveXperts and known collectively as "Mobile Messaging Toolkit"
in which ActiveXperts has property rights and any user manuals,
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or any part or any combination of Software).
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(a) Installation and use. Customer may install, use, access, display and
run one copy of the Software on a single computer, such as a
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additional copies of the Software up to the number of "Licensed Copies"
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expressly granted to you in this License Agreement.
2. UPGRADES AND SUPPLEMENTS
To use a product identified as an upgrade, you must first be licensed
for the Software as eligible for the upgrade. After upgrading, Customer
may no longer use the product that formed the basis for Customer's
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This License Agreement applies to updates or supplements to the original
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Customer may not reverse engineer, decompile, or disassemble the
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Software identified as "Not for Resale" or "NFR," may not be resold,
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ActiveXperts warrants that for a period of ninety (90) days from the
date of shipment from ActiveXperts: (i) the media on which the Software
is furnished will be free of defects in materials and workmanship under
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published specifications. Except for the foregoing, the Software is
provided AS IS. This limited warranty extends only to Customer as the
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This warranty does not apply if the software (a) has been altered,
except by ActiveXperts, (b) has not been installed, operated, repaired,
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Notwithstanding any damages that you might incur for any reason
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and all direct or general damages), the entire liability of ActiveXperts
and any of its suppliers under any provision of this License Agreement
and your exclusive remedy for all of the foregoing (except for any
remedy of repair or replacement elected by ActiveXperts with respect to
any breach of the Limited Warranty) shall be limited to the greater of
the amount actually paid by you for the Software or U.S.$5.00. The
foregoing limitations, exclusions and disclaimers (including Sections 4,
5 and 6 above) shall apply to the maximum extent permitted by applicable
law, even if any remedy fails its essential purpose.
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terms of this License Agreement, the terms of this License Agreement
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