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Table 4-1 Pre-defined roles for Precise

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DelegatePermissions DelegatePermissions

Delegating permissions

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Table 4-2 Resource permissions for nodes based by scope

Defining a role

You can define a role via the Role Settings dialog box.

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The user can view the environment in StartPoint; the data which the user can view, and the operations he can perform are based on the roles given to him. See “About About role management in Alerts” on page 169Alerts.

Table 4-3 Permissions needed to perform an operation

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AboutConfigDowntimes AboutConfigDowntimes

About configuring planned downtimes

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1. From the Email tab, check mark Integrate Alerts with an Email server.
2. Specify the details regarding the Email server.

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SetSNMPServerForActions SetSNMPServerForActions

Setting an SNMP server for actions on the SNMP tab

The SNMP tab lets you set the details of an external SNMP manager that receives the metric status from Alerts through SNMP traps, and to configure a port through which you can perform SNMP Get commands. See “About About setting Alerts SNMP connectivity” on page 176connectivity.

The SNMP tab includes the following parameters:

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1. From the SNMP tab, check mark Integrate Alerts with SNMP console.
2. Specify the details of the SNMP console for receiving Alerts SNMP traps.

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SetMOMServerForActions SetMOMServerForActions

Setting a MOM server for actions on the MOM tab

The MOM tab lets you set the details of an external MOM server that receives the metric status from Alerts. Specify the details of the MOM application server that will receive the alerts from Precise Alerts. See “About About Alerts MOM connectivity” on page 182connectivity.

The MOM tab includes the following parameters:

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1. From the MOM tab, check mark Integrate Alerts with Microsoft Operation Manager.
2. Specify the details of the MOM application server that will receive the alerts from Precise Alerts.

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EditInstanceSettingsOnInstancesTab EditInstanceSettingsOnInstancesTab

Editing instance settings on the Instances tab

The Instances tab allows you to modify the association properties of all instances within a selected AppTier. You can associate or disassociate instances with alerts, enable or disable SNMP actions for each instance, and add a default email address for each server.

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Table 4-4 Instance association table

To edit instance settings

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1. On the Settings menu, click Alerts Metric Settings.
2. In the Alerts Metric settings dialog box, select the appropriate tab.

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SetAlertsMetrics SetAlertsMetrics

Setting alerts metrics on the Settings tab

The Settings dialog box allows you to edit the properties of each metric that is available in your Precise environment, and the Cross-AppTiers metrics (FocalPoints, Agents, Processes, and Licenses) available in the Precise-generated ‘i3 Status’ environment. You can also add customized metrics to an AppTier (excluding the Cross-AppTiers), or delete customized metrics.

To edit a metric setting for one or all instances, from an AppTier (or Cross-AppTier) of the same technology1.   

1. From the AppTier list box, select the required AppTier (or Cross-AppTiers). The table in the Settings tab displays all the metrics and their metric set.

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1. From the Metrics table, select the required metric.

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1. Click Edit.

If you click Edit according to the instructions above, you next need to edit the metric properties. See “Editing metric properties” on page 65 Editing metric properties.

To add a customized metric to an AppTier of the same technology1.   

1. From the AppTier list box, select the required AppTier. The table in the Settings tab displays all the metrics and their metric set of the selected AppTier.

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1. Click Add.

If you click Add according to the instructions above, you next need to create a customized metric. See “Creating customized metrics” on page 63. Creating customized metrics.

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CreateCustomMetrics CreateCustomMetrics

Creating customized metrics

Alerts allows you to monitor any performance aspects using pre-defined metrics for each AppTier. For data that is not collected by any of the pre-defined metrics, you can create new customized metrics. (Only users with Administrator privilege are allowed to define customized metrics.)

For example, you can create a customized metric that uses a UNIX shell that collects data about the memory size allocated for specific processes (in this case, the metric type is Table because it collects multiple values). The metric will return the data by using a host script. Alerts will display the collected data as a list in the Current tab. The History tab will display the processes behavior over time. The Events tab will trace the alert levels produced by this metric including its failures (Not Sampled status).

When creating a customized metric, it is associated with all instances of an existing AppTier. The customized metrics are part of the Customized set. You can also edit the Thresholds, Sampling, and Actions for each customized metric individually.NOTE   

See “About About creating customized metrics” on page 184metrics.

To create a customized metric1.   

1. On the Precise bar, click Settings>Alerts Metric Settings.

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1. Select the Settings tab. From the AppTier list box, select the AppTier for which you want to create the customized metric (Cross-AppTiers cannot include customized metrics).

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1. Click Add.

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1. On the Metric Properties dialog box, in the Metric name text box, type a name for the new metric.

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1. From Sample this metric by running options, select either stored procedure or executable file.

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1. In the Executable/Stored procedure textbooks, type the command line that runs the required stored procedure or executable file.

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1. In the Metric's response type option, select the metric type, either single value or item list (multiple values).

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1. If necessary, select Alert when value drops below the designated thresholds and click Save.

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1. Select the Description tab. In the Description box, type a description of the new metric and click Save.

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1. Info
   To move from one tab to the next you must first save the changes made in the previous tab.

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1. Edit the settings of the customized metric in the remaining tabs (Scheduling, Thresholds, Actions, and Customize) as required. Click Save after editing each tab's settings.

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1. Click Close. The new customized metric is created.

To delete a customized metric from an AppTier1.   

1. On the Precise bar, click Settings>Alerts Metric Settings. The Settings dialog box opens.

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1. Select the Settings tab.

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1. On the Settings tab, from the AppTier list box, select the AppTier for which you want to delete the customized metric.

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1. From the Metrics list, select the metric you want to delete (only metrics of the Customized set can be deleted).

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1. Click Delete.

Enabling and disabling metrics on the Activities tab

In the Activities tab, you have quick customization options to enable or disable metrics. These operations can also be performed in the settings tab of this dialog, except the focus in the settings tab is on only enabling or disabling metrics.

To disable all metrics for all instances of all environments1.   

1. From the AppTier list box, select the required AppTier (or Cross-AppTiers). The table in the Activities tab displays all the enabled metrics and their metric set.

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1. Click Disable all metrics.

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1. Click Save to save the settings.

To enable an Availability metric for all instances of all environments1.   

1. From the AppTier list box, select the required AppTier (or Cross-AppTiers). The table in the Activities tab displays all the enabled Availability metrics and their metric set.

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1. Click Enable Availability metrics.

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1. Click Save to save the settings.

To enable/disable metrics from the various sets for a specific instance1.   

1. Select the Environment, AppTier, and instance.

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1. Check any metric to enable it, or uncheck any metric to disable it.

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1. Click Save to save the settings.

Copying metric properties on the Copy Metric Settings tab

Metric settings you set on the Activities tab, or in the settings tab, can be copied to other instances using the Copy Metric Settings tab. To copy the settings to other instances, follow the steps as given on the Copy Metric Settings tab.

To copy metric properties on the Copy Metric Settings tab:1.    Under “Source Definitions”

1. Under Source Definitions, select the Environment, AppTier, and Instance you want to copy.

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1. On the table, check mark the metrics you want to copy.

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1. Check mark the settings group you want to copy.

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1. Under Destination Instances, click Populate destination Instances.

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1. On the table, check mark the destination instance(s).

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1. Click Execute to copy the selected metric settings.

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EditMetricProps EditMetricProps

Editing metric properties

You can edit the properties of each metric that is available in your Precise environment, including Cross-AppTiers metrics, such as: FocalPoints, Agents, Processes, and Licenses.

Alerts issues alerts according to the metric properties, which must be adjusted to your individual environment and organization preferences. The metric definitions must be accurate and adequate. Sampling frequencies and periods require careful considerations. Thresholds need to be set in accordance with the performance level you want to meet.

In addition, alerts must reach the relevant personnel, or in severe cases, management representatives immediately and regardless of their location. Subsequently, the threshold-exceeding values must be examined.

Alerts enables you to adjust the metric definitions through the Metric Properties dialog box.

If you had previously selected Edit or Add for alerts metric settings on the Settings tab, you next need to edit the metric properties.

The Metric Properties dialog box includes the following tabs:•   

• Description

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• Scheduling

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• Threshold

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• Actions

To edit metric properties for one or all instances, from an AppTier (or Cross-AppTier) of the same technology•   

1. In the Settings tab, click Edit or Add.

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1. See

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1. Setting alerts metrics on the Settings

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1. tab.

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1. Click the appropriate settings tab (Scheduling, Threshold, or Action)

About setting metric sampling properties on the Scheduling tab

Alerts copies the scheduling settings for the source instance.

To set the metric sample properties1.    From

1. From the Metric Properties dialog box, select the Scheduling tab.

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1. To set the sampling rate, in the Sample metric every <...> boxes, set the time (day, hours, and minutes) to the frequency, in which you want Alerts to sample the metric. If you do not want to sample this metric, select the Disable metric sampling radio button.

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1. Info
   Time slice metrics’ sampling parameters are usually disabled for editing.

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1. To modify the sampling base, in Start sampling at <...> boxes, set the time (day, hours, and minutes) in which Alerts starts to sample the metric (the day parameter is available in case the sampling rate is a week and above). The default is: Sunday, 00:00 AM.

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1. Info
   These sampling parameters are useful for metrics whose sampling rate is once a day or more. For example, if sampling every 24 hours (1 day), the metric will be sampled every midnight. For sampling it at 3:00 am, change the time parameters to 3:00.

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1. In the Analyze metric over the last <...> boxes, set the sampling period for which you want to analyze the metric.

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1. The Sampling period is the time frame for retrieving statistical data from the monitored product. The sampling period is used only in metrics that return statistics for a period of time.

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1. To sample the metric during downtime period, check Sample this metric even during downtime.

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1. If the metric monitors an important performance aspect, check This is a key metric.

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1. Critical alerts related to a key metric are indicated by an exclamation point.

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DefineThresholdsOnTab DefineThresholdsOnTab

Defining thresholds on the Thresholds tab

Alerts defines “copy threshold settings” from the source instance.

The Thresholds tab allows you to define your performance requirements, and to ignore or consider specific items or conditions. Alerts will then be issued logically and according to your specific configuration.

Because some alerts are calculated based upon total instance running time, a false alert may sometimes be issued. For example, assume the Top Programs sub-metric of the Top Activities metric for SQL Server AppTier is assigned a 10% Near-Critical threshold and a 20% Critical threshold. If a program runs only 10 seconds during the time slice and there are no other programs running on the instance, it will issue a false alert because it exceeds the defined threshold (10 seconds out of a total running time of 10 seconds is 100% of instance running time). This occurs though the program ran for only 1.1% of the time slice total time [10 seconds/(60 seconds x 15 min)]. This false alerts issue is resolved by using a Minimum value setting defined on the Thresholds tab of the Metric Properties dialog box.

The Minimum value setting is a minimum value in seconds of MS-SQL time below which an alert will not be issued. Suppose you do not want to issue an alert for the Top Programs sub-metric if it does not reach 15% of the MS-SQL time. You would then set a Minimum value of 135 seconds (15 min time slice x 60 seconds/min x 15%). No alarm will be issued until the defined minimum value is exceeded.NOTE   

Alerts comes with a default set of thresholds defined to suit general needs. You should tune these thresholds, as required, in relation to the setup and definitions of your environment.

There are two types of metrics:•   

• Single value metrics. These are metrics that collect only a single value. An alert is issued when its value exceeds the predefined threshold (for example the Availability metric). Parent Single Value metrics include sub-metrics (child metrics). Each child metric has its own thresholds and may be enabled or disabled individually (for example the General Behavior metric).

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• List metrics. These are metrics that collect a dynamic list of items identifying each item by its description and value (for example the Locked sessions metric). Parent List metrics include sub-metrics (child metrics). Each child metric has its own thresholds and may be enabled or disabled individually (for example the Top Activities metric).

To edit a Sub-Metrics threshold1.   

1. From the Metric Properties dialog box, select the Thresholds tab.

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1. Select the sub-metric you want to edit.

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1. Click Edit.

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1. In the Metric Properties - Edit thresholds dialog, enter the required value in the Critical Threshold and Near-critical Threshold text boxes.

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1. To consider only specific items when sampling data, include them in the Include list text box.

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1. To ignore specific items when sampling data, include them in the Exclude list text box.
   When entering list items, verify that they are separated by a semicolon. Use the percent sign (%) as a wildcard. For example, Alerts%; %Alerts; %Alerts%.

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1. To disable a sub-metric, clear the check mark in the Enable Sub-Metric checkbox. If a List metric type, a disabled sub-metric will not be sampled. If a Single value metric type, a disabled sub-metric will be sampled (retrieve a value), however, this will not generate an alert (the sub-metric will always be green).

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1. Click OK. Repeat steps 2 through 7 for each sub-metric to be defined.

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1. In the Minimum value <...> text box at the bottom of the Threshold tab dialog, enter the minimum value necessary for Alerts to consider the item.

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1. To save your definitions, choose whether to save them either for the selected instance, or for all the environments” instances. Then click Save and Close.

About metric properties for Action settings

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• Email
• Message Box
• Program
• SNMP
• MOM

See “About About metric properties for Action settings” on page 170, “About settings, About setting Alerts SNMP connectivity” on page 176connectivity, and “About About Alerts MOM connectivity” on page 182connectivity.

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ConfigAdminDashboard ConfigAdminDashboard

Configuring Admin Dashboard settings

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• Report also when one or more instances are not loading data into the PMDB.
• Report also when the status of one or more agents agent is “Stopped”Stopped.

The default Refresh Rate setting is 15 minutes and this amount can be changed.

Precise. Performance intelligence from click to storage. Learn more > >

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