Server Monitoring and Event Log Management Solutions
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October 6, 2009 - Volume 4, Number 10- In this Issue -
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Checkout the Latest ELM Case Study on MCSO Highlights of ELM Release 5.5.141 Last Month's Windows 7 Curiosity Poll Results October Curiosity Poll - Working with Administrator Rights |
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"Our ability to monitor all of these devices from one central location combined with custom notifications allows us to monitor all devices without the need for staff to manually review event logs..."
Check out our latest
Case Study on MCSO
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Contact Us: Phone: 360-546-0878 |
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Checkout the Latest ELM Case Study on MCSO
Below is an excerpt from our latest case study with MCSO (Multnomah County Sheriff's Office).
MCSO looked at Microsoft Operations Manager (MOM) as another possible solution. However they needed something that would not only work with Windows, but network appliances and Linux servers as well. They required a single solution, rather than multiple tools and interfaces for each operating system or appliance type in their environment.
With the addition of ELM Enterprise Manager, MCSO is now able to monitor all of their servers and network services from one central location. Automated alerting as conditions change provides them the ability to manage by exception and proactively address issues before they become outages. Server up time has improved, and they can correct many issues before users ever see them as a problem.
To view the complete case study, click here.
Highlights of ELM Release 5.5.141
A new build of ELM is now available. Highlights of this release include:
- Installing the ELM Web Viewer to a non-default IIS web site is improved.
- Home/Standby Agent behavior is more reliable.
- Event table pruning is done in manageable batches.
- Now supports SMTP servers that accept HELO and not EHLO.
- Event details are now viewable from the ELM Web Viewer.
- Emailed ELM Editor Reports contain a message body.
- Performance data is more reliable on non-English operating systems.
- Automatically saving configuration changes is improved.
- Syslog time received field is more accurate.
Last Month's Windows 7 Curiosity Poll Results
With the official public release date right around the corner, the computer world is gearing up for Windows 7. Last month we asked, Will your company eventually migrate to Windows 7? And here's what our readers had to say:
Over half of the respondents here say they are ready to adopt the new OS - great news for Microsoft! We'll all be watching closely as Windows 7 hits the street and makes its way into our lives.
For details of who voted where on this curiosity poll click here.
October Curiosity Poll - Working with Administrator Rights
Convenience vs. Policy - This month we're curious to find out, Do you normally logon and work with administrator permissions?
The "ELM 411" - Setting up Process Monitoring
The Process Monitor in ELM Enterprise Manager (and ELM Performance Manager) monitors Windows processes when assigned to an Agent. The Process Monitor is multi-functional; it can notify you when a process has exceeded the threshold of CPU usage you specify and it can track when processes are started or terminated. In addition, it can generate a Warning or Error when the number of instances of a process exceeds your specified value.
Processes
Each Process Monitor item supports multiple match criteria. Use the Add button to add a match criterion. Use the Delete button to remove a listed match criterion. You can also double-click any listed item to edit it. You may use the asterisk (*) as a wildcard character, a pipe (|) as an OR operator, the ampersand (&) as an AND operator, and the exclamation point (!) as a NOT operator. Starting with ELM 5.5, process names can be entered on separate lines for exclusion so they are easier to read.
Thresholds
There are two monitoring options with thresholds. These include CPU Usage and Number of Processes With The Same Name.CPU Usage
High CPU is the most typical use for the Process Monitor. This next screen shows where you can modify the thresholds according to your needs.
- Warning when % Processor Time is greater than - Executes the enabled CPU Warning Actions when the CPU utilization of a monitored process exceeds the value.
- Error when % Processor Time is greater than - Executes the enabled CPU Error Actions when the CPU utilization of a monitored process exceeds the value.
Often times the CPU Usage monitor is used in conjunction with the Run Command action to kill a process out of control, then even restart it.
Number of Processes With The Same Name
- Warning when the number is greater than - Executes the enabled Process Count Warning Actions when the number of processes with the same name exceeds the value.
- Error when the number is greater than - Executes the enabled Process Count Error Actions when the number of processes with the same name exceeds the value.
As old as they are, sometimes a simple batch file is all that's needed. They're typically setup with a Windows Schedule Task, and run each day. If there's a problem, then after several days you have several orphan cmd.exe processes, and in no time these processes pile-up, taking system resources. The 'Process Count' Warning and Error will let you know when many duplicate processes are found.
Hidden Benefit
Finally, one of the "hidden" benefits of the Process Monitor is 'New Process' and 'Process Ended' monitoring. A new process could be a rogue process, and a missing process could mean users without a resource. The appearance of a new process with an unrecognized name, or the disappearance of an anti-virus process may not tax the CPU, but could indicate a serious condition.
We hope that you found this article informative and wish you continued success with your ELM deployment!
NOTE: All ELM 411 articles are written based on ELM Version 5.5 and instructions may not be accurate for previous ELM Versions. If you would like assistance upgrading to ELM 5.5 so you can use these tips - please contact support@tntsoftware.com.
Share your own ELM tips!
Have a tip or trick with our ELM products you'd like to share with our newsletter subscribers? Send your ideas and any applicable screen shots to info@tntsoftware.com with "ELM 411" in the subject line. We'll take a look and if usable you'll see it published here in the ELM 411 section of upcoming newsletters!
Not much change in the Forbes Top Ten Richest Americans List from 2008 to 2009. Bill Gates still sits atop the uber rich, however all have seen a decline in net worth just like "the rest of us."
According to Forbes.com "America's super rich are getting poorer. For only the fifth time since 1982, the collective net worth of The Forbes 400, our annual tally of the nation's richest people, has declined, falling $300 billion in the past 12 months from $1.57 trillion to $1.27 trillion."
- Bill Gates - Microsoft
- Warren Buffett - Berkshire Hathaway
- Lawrence Ellison - Oracle
- Christy Walton and Family - WalMart
- Jim Walton - WalMart, Chairman Arvest Bank
- Alice Walton - WalMart
- S Robson Walton - WalMart
- Michael Bloomberg - Mayor of New York City
- Charles Koch - Koch Industries
- David Koch - Koch Industries
- Bill Gates - Microsoft
- Warren Buffett - Berkshire Hathaway
- Lawrence Ellison - Oracle
- Jim Walton - WalMart, Chairman Arvest Bank
- S Robson Walton - WalMart
- Alice Walton - WalMart
- Christy Walton and Family - WalMart
- Michael Bloomberg - Mayor of New York City
- Charles Koch - Koch Industries
- David Koch - Koch Industries
Click here for full details of the 2009 Forbes 400 Richest Americans List.