Monitoring database
Are there raw data for all polls of monitors in IPHost Network Monitor?
How can I access monitoring database to select certain data or make bulk changes to monitor properties?
SNMP monitoring
How to add a MIB (how to teach IPHost Monitor to recognize unknown OIDs)?
How to monitor SNMP variables that return non-integer values?
Alerts and Alerting Rules
Alerting Rules and Alerts inheritance.
Why 'Play Sound' alert doesn't work in my browser?
Custom monitors
How to create a custom monitor?
How can I monitor a directory size?
How can I check a file content?
How can I check a web page content?
A: Monitoring database contains raw data for the default reporting period. Those can be used to generate custom reports and to perform detailed incidents investigation.
Default reporting period can be set in "Reporting" tab of "Settings" window. Default value is one day (24 hours). "Raw data" mean all the polls (monitor checks) data from all the monitors.
Hence, a user can obtain both the average values (during 10 minutes intervals) shown on charts, and data on monitors changing states - as well as monitors states data for all the intermediate moments.
We supply database schema only upon a user's request.
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A: You can access monitors data with isql.exe utility (shipped with our software distribution), from both remote and local computer, from both Windows and Linux. The data can be obtained in CSV format, and used afterwards to generate Excel charts, calculating response time variation with a custom script and so on.
Alternate means to access database is to use an ODBC driver for Firebird. Please keep in mind that we only supply database schema upon a user's request.
To perform a remote access, one should use credentials from [Database] section in nms.ini file (located in
"C:\ProgramData\IPHost Network Monitor"
folder). Default DB password is 'masterkey'.
Monitoring database is an ordinary Firebird database and thus can be accessed with such tools as "EMS SQL Manager for InterBase/Firebird" or by using isql.exe command line utility. Executing the "CONNECT" command like the following one:
C:\Program Files\IPHost Network Monitor\firebird\bin>isql.exe
Use CONNECT or CREATE DATABASE to specify a database
SQL> CONNECT 'localhost/3055:C:\ProgramData\IPHost Network Monitor\data\nms.fdb' user 'SYSDBA' password 'masterkey';
Database: 'localhost/3055:C:\ProgramData\IPHost Network
Monitor\data\nms.fdb', User: SYSDBA
SQL> SELECT count(*) FROM monitors;
COUNT
=============
107
To obtain data in CSV format once can use the following SQL query:
SELECT
'"' || HOSTS.IP ||
'","' || RESULT_RAW.WHEN_ ||
'","' || RESULT_RAW.PERFORMANCE || '"'
FROM
MONITORS
INNER JOIN HOSTS ON (MONITORS.HOST_ID = HOSTS.ID)
INNER JOIN RESULT_RAW ON (MONITORS.ID = RESULT_RAW.MONITOR_ID)
WHERE
HOSTS.DISPLAY_NAME = 'hostname'
AND RESULT_RAW.PERFORMANCE IS NOT NULL
ORDER BY
RESULT_RAW.WHEN_;
To questions list
A: In the SNMP monitor properties, "Monitor Definition" section click the ellipsis button to the right of OID entry to open the MIB browser.
Click "MIBs" button to display currently available MIBs definitions files list (located in
C:\Documents and Settings\All USers\Application Data\IPHost Network Monitor\mibs
(or similar, depending on how have you installed the software) folder.
If there are no suitable files in the mentioned directory, you can import MIB definition, using "Import" button (it allows to scan the entire filesystem for the definition file).
If you have no suitable definition, try using services such as mibsearch.com to download the required MIBs files and import them.
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A: By default you can monitor only SNMP variables that return integer values. Non-integer SNMP variables are disabled in SNMP browser for default Counter Type 'Current value' as for 'Delta' Counter Type. But IPHost Network Monitor allows monitoring of non-integer SNMP variables and provides two SNMP 'Counter Types' for this:
- Value has changed
- Value is allowed
So if you select one of these Counter Types you will be able to select any SNMP variable in the SNMP browser to monitor.
If you select 'Value has changed' Counter Type, IPHost Network Monitor compares result of current poll with result of previous poll and returns 0 if the results are equal and 1 if they differ.
If you select 'Value is allowed' Counter Type, IPHost Network Monitor compares result of current poll with values from the list of allowed values that you provided ('Allowed Values' row in the Property Editor) and returns 0 if the result is one of allowed values and returns 1 if not. Please note that you should enter allowed values in the same format as they are formatted in the SNMP browser.
Actual result of latest poll you can find in the Log View (Current value: 'result of poll'). Result of poll will be logged only if it differ from previous or monitor state change has occured.
You can set IPHost Network Monitor to alert you if monitor returns 1 (means value has changed or value is NOT allowed). You can use Performance Monitoring parameters for this. You can set Performance Warning (or Performance Problem) levels equal to 0 so monitor turns Performance Warning (or Performance Problem) state and performs alerts assosiated with the monitor. So you will be notified about the state change, also you can set IPHost Network Monitor to run any program or script on state change.
Of course you can also use 'Value has changed' and 'Value is allowed' Counter Types with integer SNMP variables the same way as non-integer SNMP variables.
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A: A number of parameters used to create monitors are inherited from other object types. The following inheritance rules are in effect (available from Property Editor).
For Alerting Rules:
- can be directly specified (from the list of named alerting rules, see the "Tools" menu -> Settings" -> "Alerting rules")
- can be inherited from monitor type
- can be inherited from host
- can be a custom one, created for the given monitor (one can cerated either a monitor-specific rule, or a new global rule)
Availability and Performance Monitoring parameters can be inherited from monitor type (corresponding checkbox in Property Editor is selected by default), or may be custom ones.
When you changes Alert or Alerting Rule the following inheritance rules are in effect:
- if a named Alerting rule is changed, this affects all the monitors and hosts using this named rule
- if monitor type settings are changed, all the monitor inheriting monitor type settings are affected
These inheritance rules can be used to quickly apply mass change to a number of monitors. An example: create a named rule, assign it to a host or monitor type and let the monitor inherit the rule from either of those. In this case, if the specific named rule is changed, all the changes are immediately in effect for all the monitors that 'received' this rule from host/monitor type they inherit alerting rule from.
To questions list
A: The most probable cause is Flash Player (which web interface use for playing mp3 sounds for 'Play Sound' alert) that blocks any activity on some ports because of the security issues (these ports are reserved for some protocol). The following lists show which ports are blocked in Flash Player:
HTTP: 20 (ftp data), 21 (ftp control)
HTTP and FTP: 1 (tcpmux), 7 (echo), 9 (discard), 11 (systat), 13 (daytime), 15 (netstat), 17 (qotd), 19 (chargen), 22 (ssh), 23 (telnet), 25 (smtp), 37 (time), 42 (name), 43 (nicname), 53 (domain), 77 (priv-rjs), 79 (finger), 87 (ttylink), 95 (supdup), 101 (hostriame), 102 (iso-tsap), 103 (gppitnp), 104 (acr-nema), 109 (pop2), 110 (pop3), 111 (sunrpc), 113 (auth), 115 (sftp), 117 (uucp-path), 119 (nntp), 123 (ntp), 135 (loc-srv / epmap), 139 (netbios), 143 (imap2), 179 (bgp), 389 (ldap), 465 (smtp+ssl), 512 (print / exec), 513 (login), 514 (shell), 515 (printer), 526 (tempo), 530 (courier), 531 (chat), 532 (netnews), 540 (uucp), 556 (remotefs), 563 (nntp+ssl), 587 (smtp), 601 (syslog), 636 (ldap+ssl), 993 (ldap+ssl), 995 (pop3+ssl), 2049 (nfs), 4045 (lockd), 6000 (x11)
If you use one of these ports for IPHost Network Monitor web interface, please refer to Help topic on how to change a web interface port.
This problem doesn't appear if you use default port (8084) for IPHost Network Monitor web interface.
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A: Right click on an existing host and select "New Monitor", then select "Script of Program".
Select the appropriate settings on a next screen and click on "Finish". Now select the newly created monitor and proceed to "Monitor Definition" section.
One can use either a script known to Windows Scripting Host, a Nagios Plugin or an external script and/or program to run.
Note that the script/program selected is executed under the default user account credentials set in "Global settings", so the appropriate permissions should be granted to access whatever data the script would use.
The following settings are self-explanatory: "Path to Program File", "Program Parameters", "Program Type", "Program Mode".
External program is run by invoking cmd.exe and passing it the full path to program and the parameters.
If the program/script exit code is zero, then the whatever is printed to the standard output is used as the returned value; otherwise, the output is used as an error message.
You can scale the returned (real) value with "Divide returned value by" setting (1.0 by default, i.e., no change).
To questions list
A:Some examples of custom monitors are delivered with IPHost Network Monitor installation. One of them is a program that checks the size of a directory. This program (dirsize_kb.exe) is provided with its source code and a batch file to build the executable. To make use of the program, select iphost_dirsize_kb.exe from scripts folder of IPHost Monitor installation path and provide the following parameters:
directory or share name directory to collect size for
-t timeout timeout in seconds
-l domain:username:password credentials to logon in case on needs to access remote server
A typical set of command-line parameters may look like
\\SERVER\share -t 20 -l $AdminDomain:$AdminName:$AdminPassword
Please note that directory size calculation can take quite a large time, so please consider running it not too frequently in order not to overload the system.
To questions list
A:Some examples of custom monitors are delivered with IPHost Network Monitor installation. One of them is a script that checks the content of a file (and extracts specified value from the file). This VBScript (file_content.vbs) can be used to find specific content in a given file. To use it, locate iphost_file_content.vbs file in scripts folder of IPHost Monitor installation, use 'Run Script'program type and 'Standard' Program Mode. The parameters expected are:
filename mode string credentials
Where 'filename' is the file name, 'mode' is either 'C' (count - find the number of occurrences of 'string') or 'F' (find the first numeric string after the first 'string' is found); credentials, if present, are of the same format as provided for '-l' parameter for dirsize_kb sample program shipped with IPHost Network Monitor.
An example of command line is
"C:\ProgramData\IPHost Network Monitor\logs\error.log" C shutdown
(i.e., scan the IPHost Monitor error log file and retirn the number of 'shutdown' strings found)
To questions list
A:Some examples of custom monitors are delivered with IPHost Network Monitor installation. One of them is a script that checks the content of a web page (and extracts specified value from the page). This script (http_content.vbs) resembles file_content.vbs script: it loads the document specified by the URL and looks for either count of string provided, or for the first numerical string after the string provided. It's located in scripts folder under the name of iphost_http_content.vbs and its parameters are:
An example of command line is
"http://weather.yahooapis.com/forecastrss?p=UKXX0085&u=c" F temp=
(it looks on the Yahoo weather page for London and returns the air temperature)
Note: please keep in mind that running scripts can assume noticeable overhead, so please specify a decent 'Down state timeout' value to ensure the script actually runs and returns sensible information.
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