This section includes the following topics:
About the Dashboard tab
The Dashboard tab provides an overview of Precise components. It displays information that allows the Precise administrator to determine (at a single glance) the health of his installations. This tab analyzes and reports on your system’s current Precise status.
The Dashboard tab indicates the following situations:
- Data is not loaded to the PMDB
- Agents are failing
- FocalPoints are failing
- License Limitation Metrics which have been exceeded
- Licenses have expired or are near expiration
- Licenses that are installed
- Actions Items which are critical
- Agents are stopped
- Instances configured to experience downtime during the selected time frame
How the Dashboard tab is structured
The Dashboard tab is divided into two areas: the Category Details table (left pane) and the Main area (right pane). Each area can include different control elements, such as tabs and view controls, and displays information in various formats, such as tables.
The Category Details table area lists all the components, such as: Agents, FocalPoints, and Licenses, that are monitored by the Precise main FocalPoint, grouped by category.
The Main area provides information regarding the category selected in the Category Details area. Once a certain component is selected in the Category Details table, the upper portion of the Main area displays details (a list of the entities) for the selected category. Once a particular entity is selected in the upper portion of the Main area, the lower portion of the Main area displays additional relevant details for the entity. This information will help the user pinpoint a problem.
About the view controls
In the Dashboard tab, above the Category Details area, is the view controls bar. This bar includes:
- Last Refreshed display. This displays the date and time that the information was last refreshed.
- Auto Refresh is off / Auto Refresh is on button. This button enables you to control whether the information is refreshed automatically.
- Node view control. By default information is displayed for all Nodes.
- To display the overview status of all Precise components in a specific node, select the node from the drop-down menu.
- Application view control. By default information is displayed for all Applications.
- To display the overview status of all Precise components in a specific application, select the application from the drop-down menu.
About the Category Details table
The Category Details table displays all the components monitored by the Precise main FocalPoint, grouped into categories. The categories are displayed in the table by their error severity level, which is defined by the component in each category with the highest error severity level.
You can control the way data is displayed in the table. The Main area (right pane) will display tables based on the selection made previously on the Category Details table. The following table shows the information displayed in the Category Details table.
Table 3-1 Category Details table
| Header | Description |
|---|---|
| Status | Indicates the highest severity error (if any) encountered by one of the category’s components, as follows:
|
| Category | Indicates a group per technology, such as:
|
| Total components | Indicates the total number of components in the selected category. |
| Errors | The color-coded stacked bar indicates the number of underlying components that have an error. Only red (high) and orange (medium) severity errors are shown. Click on the icon on the header to switch between the following display methods:
|
About the Main area in the Dashboard tab
The Main area displays different information depending upon which category is selected in the Category Details table. Clicking on the hyperlink for specific data items launches, in-context, the tab from which the data was derived.
About the Detailed Description
The fish-eye displays text for the purpose of helping the user to understand and focus onto problems.
After selecting a category (Agents, FocalPoints, Warehouse processes, Licenses, Action items, or Acknowledged Items) in the Category Details table, the Detailed Description fish-eye displays text relevant to the selected category. For example: if Agents or Focalpoints are selected in the Category Details table, the Detailed Description fish-eye displays a detailed description of the current status for the selected Agents or FocalPoints. Recommendations to resolve the problem are also given.
Defining problematic components as acknowledged
Handling a problematic component and solving its underlying issues might take time, and continue over into additional time frames. By default, problematic components continue to produce error reports until the underlying issue is resolved. To avoid excess error reports stemming from the same problematic component, you can acknowledge the component as problematic and currently being handled. Components can be defined as acknowledged for a defined period of time or until specified differently.
While a component is defined as acknowledged, it doesn’t appear as part of its original category, but rather as part of a general “Acknowledged Items” category. Errors related to this item are therefore not included as part of their category’s total errors.
To define a component as acknowledged
- In the fish-eye text describing the component’s error, click acknowledged.
- In the dialog box, select and define the desired acknowledgement time frame.
- Click OK.
To cancel a component’s definition as acknowledged
- In the fish-eye text describing the component’s error, click Cancel.
About the FocalPoints category and the Agents category related table
Either the FocalPoints category or the Agents category may be displayed. The FocalPoints category lists all of the Precise FocalPoints and the Agents category lists all of the Agents and the status for each, in the selected category. Agents whose status is stopped will be reported as problematic. (This option can be controlled from the Admin Dashboard settings).
You can control the way data is displayed in the table. See Managing agents.
The following table shows the information displayed in the FocalPoints or Agents table.
Table 3-2 FocalPoints or Agents table headings
| Header | Description |
|---|---|
| Status | Indicates the highest severity error (if any) encountered by the component, as follows:
|
| Node | Name of the node. |
| Server | Name of the server on which the FocalPoint or Agent is running. |
| Agent | Name of the FocalPoint or Agent. |
| Description | A short description of the current status for the selected FocalPoint or Agent. |
| Criticality | Displays the related instance(s) criticality setting. |
About the Events table
The Events table lists all the Precise events for the selected FocalPoint or Agent. Each row corresponds to an event. You can control the way data is displayed in the table.
The following table shows the information displayed in the Events table.
Table 3-3 Events table headings
| Header | Description |
|---|---|
| Level | Indicates severity:
|
| Date | Displays the date and time the event occurred. |
| Message | A short description of the current status. |
| ID | The ID (identification number) for the specific event. |
About the Warehouse processes category related table
The Warehouse processes table lists all warehouse processes in the selected category and the status for each. Warehouse Load processes that have stopped loading data will be reported as problematic (This option can be controlled from the Admin Dashboard settings).
You can control the way data is displayed in the table.
The following table shows the information displayed in the Warehouse processes table.
Table 3-4 Warehouse processes table headings
| Header | Description |
|---|---|
| Status | Indicates the highest severity error (if any) encountered by the component, as follows:
|
| Node | Name of the node. |
| Instance | Name of the instance. |
| Server | Name of the server on which the instance is installed. |
| Product | Name of the product. |
| Process | Name of the process. |
| Last Run | The date of the last run for this process. |
| Criticality | Displays the related instance(s) criticality setting. |
About the Licenses category related table
The Licenses table lists all licenses installed and the status for each. You can control the way data is displayed in the table.
The following table shows the information displayed in the Licenses table.
Table 3-5 Licenses table headings
| Header | Description |
|---|---|
| Status | Indicates the licenses installed and the status for each. |
| Server | Name of the server on which the FocalPoint or Agent is running. |
| Agent | Name of the FocalPoint or Agent. |
| Feature | A description of the license feature. |
| Licensing Status | One of the following statuses:
|
| Expiration Date | Expiration date for the currently installed license for a feature. |
To use the Precise product suite, you need the appropriate license file. All product keys are saved in a single license file managed by Precise FocalPoint. The Precise license file contains information about the product features that you are licensed to use. It also contains data about your information system environment, including CPU, model, server name, or IP addresses of the servers where the products run.
A license can be either temporary or permanent. Temporary licenses expire after a specific date, while permanent licenses enable you to use the products indefinitely.
You can gather server information for each server and features in your environment by taking an agent snapshot. This information is needed to pass to your customer support representative when you want to obtain a permanent license file. The information is saved as an XML file on your local drive. The path and the filename appear in a message box.
To create an XML file of all servers and features in your application
- Go to AdminPoint > Dashboard.
- In the All Categories table, select Licenses.
- In any of the License descriptions in the Main area, click Apply another license.
- In the Apply License dialog box, click Agent Snapshot.
To create a file of all installed licenses in your application
- Go to AdminPoint > Dashboard.
- In the All Categories table, select Licenses.
- In any of the License descriptions in the Main area, click Apply another license.
- In the Apply License dialog box, click Retrieve License.
To apply a license
- Go to AdminPoint > Dashboard.
- In the All Categories table, select Licenses.
- In any of the License descriptions in the Main area, click Apply another license.
- In the Apply License dialog box, specify the location of the license file, or click browse to find and select the location.
- Click OK.
About the License Limitation Metrics category related table
The License Limitation Metrics category related table list all License Limitation Metrics installed and the status for each. You can control the way data is displayed in the table.
The following table shows the information displayed in the Licenses Limitation Metrics table.
Table 3-6 License Limitation Metrics
| Label | Description |
|---|---|
| status | Indicates the License Limitation Metrics status for the installed technology/CPUs. |
| Technology | Technology to which the License Limitation Metrics applies. |
| Amount Installed | The number of instances of the relevant technology/CPUs that are installed. |
| Amount of Applied Licenses | The limitation of the number of instances of the relevant technology/CPUs. |
About the Action Items category related table
The Action Items table lists all action items in the selected category and the status for each. You can control the way data is displayed in the table. See About the Action items view.
The following table shows the information displayed in the Action Items table.
Table 3-7 Action Items table headings
| Header | Description |
|---|---|
| Icon | The icons display the criticality of the Action Item related instance, whether high, medium, or low. |
| Status | Indicates the status of an Action Item. |
| ID | The Action Item ID number. |
| Node | Name of the node. |
| Instance | Name of the instance. |
| Server | Name of the server on which the FocalPoint or Agent is running. |
| Origin | the origin of an Action Item. |
| Status | Indicates the status of an action item, whether done, failed, pending, blocking, or executable. |
| Update time | The date of the last run for this process. |
| Criticality | Displays the criticality of the Action Item related instance, whether high, medium, or low. |
About the Agents tab
You can view information on and manage Precise agents by using the Agents tab. In this tab, the table includes the following columns:
- Agent Server. Name of the server where the Precise agent is running.
- Technology. The technology type of the AppTier monitored by this agent.
- Instance. Name of the instance that is monitored by this agent (if relevant).
- Application. Name of the instance application. This name is displayed only for agents that have an instance specified in the instance column. Some agents do not have this name, for example FocalPoints.
This column displays all the environments that an instance belongs to.
- Agent. The name of this agent.
- Product. Name of the Precise product this agent belongs to.
- Most Recent Error. If problems occurred during the Installation Verification Procedure, the time the last Installation Verification Procedure occurred.
- Status. Current state of the specific Precise agent. See the explanation below.
- Last Update Time. The time when the agent status was last updated.
- OS. The operating system where this agent is installed.
- Node. Name of the node.
The current status of an agent can be any of the following statuses:
| Icon | Description |
|---|---|
 | The agent is starting up. |
 | The agent is running. |
 | The agent is stopped. |
 | The agent is running but has encountered a problem. See the agent log files for details, verify the agent (using the Verify button), or contact Precise Technical Support. |
 | The agent is in failed status. This occurs in case the agent has problems. For example, in case it has crashed at least three times in an hour. See the agent log files for details, verify the agent (using the Verify button), or contact Precise Technical Support. Once the agent is in failed status it keeps returning this status even if the original problem is fixed. To recover the agent from this status, fix the original problem, then start the agent using AdminPoint>Agents tab. |
 | Precise FocalPoint cannot retrieve the current agent status. See the Precise FocalPoint logs and the agent log files for details. See Viewing a log file from the Agents tab. |
You can control the way data is displayed in the table. You can select several agents to start/stop or refresh status. The following table describes the different procedures for selecting multiple agents.
Table 3-8 Selecting agents
| Select | Action |
|---|---|
| An individual agent | Click a specific row in the table. |
| An arbitrary set of agents | Click the first agent row, hold down the <Ctrl> key, and then click all other required agent rows. |
| A consecutive group of agents | Click the first agent row, hold down the <Shift> key, and then click the last agent row. |
Managing agents
Agent command buttons appear at the bottom of the Agents tab.
Using the Agent command buttons, you can perform the following actions on one or more agents in the table:
- Start one or more agents at a time.
- Stop one or more agents at a time.
- Refresh the status of one or more selected agents.
- View the log files that are available for a selected agent.
- Verify the installation by manually running the Installation Verification Procedure for the selected agent. By default, this procedure runs once a day. It validates that the agent is running properly. If it detects problems, a message appears on the screen, reporting the found errors. The time of the last error that was found during the Installation Verification Procedure is indicated in the Recent Errors column in the table. The findings of the Installation Verification Procedure process are also reflected in the Dashboard tab.
Installation Verification Procedure process findings are also reflected in the AdminPoint Dashboard tab.
About log files
Log files record information, warning, and error messages. They may be helpful to understand the scope of a problem and provide directions to solve it.
Viewing a log file from the Agents tab
In AdminPoint you can view a log file from the Agents tab.
To view a log file from the Agents tab
- In the Display Agents table, select an agent and click Log.
- In the Select Log File dialog box, select a log file and click View. The log file opens in a separate dialog box.
Saving a log file
In AdminPoint you can save the log file using the log file dialog box.
To save a log file
- In the log file dialog box, click Save. The log file opens as HTML text in a new browser window.
- Use your browser menu to save the file on your computer.
- Close the browser window; then click Cancel to close the log file dialog box.
About the Installation tab
Through the Setup tab, you can view and manage various setup functions:
- Adding a new application
- Editing an existing application
- Customizing custom columns in the application
Adding a new application
On the Installation tab, you can add a new application to the Precise system.
To add a new application
- On the Installation view, click Add.
- In the Add Application dialog box, enter the application name and select a node from the list.
- Click OK to apply your settings, or click Cancel to close without saving the settings.
Editing an existing application
You can edit existing application via the Edit dialog box. In the Edit dialog box, you can perform any of the following editing options:
- To edit an existing application, in the Applications list, select the application you want to edit, and then click Edit.
- To rename an existing application, in the Applications Installer dialog box, click Rename the Application Name, and then click Finish to save the new name or click Cancel to close without saving.
Customizing custom columns in the application
You can customize the application's column headers and their contents as displayed on the application's table in both AdminPoint and StartPoint.
To customize column headers on a table
- Click AdminPoint > Intallation tab.
- Select the application, and then click Customize Columns.
- Click OK to save the customized columns settings, or click Cancel to close the dialog box without saving.
About the Management tab
Through the Management tab, you can view and manage various functions:
About the Updates view
Known in previous versions as the Patch view, the Updates view in version 9.0 displays available updates and manages their application process. Using the Updates view, you can check which updates were applied to your servers, view the update properties, and launch the update application process. For more information about applying updates, see Applying an update.
To view and manage updates
- In AdminPoint, select Management > Updates.
- In the screen that appears, select one of the following display modes from the drop-down menu(s) above the table.
Server Status. This mode displays all servers that the update selected in the “For” drop-down menu should be applied to, and the current application status. The Server Status table displays the following information:
Header Description Update ID Name of the update. Server Name of the server. Status An icon that indicates whether the update was applied successfully or with errors. Application Type Indicates how the update was applied to the server. The application types include:- Applied (Directly). The update was applied directly on the selected server.
- Applied (Upon Installation). The update was automatically applied on the server when the server was installed.
- Applied (Indirectly). The changes and functionalities provided by the update were applied on the selected server when a newer update containing these functionalities was applied to it.
- Update Required. The update should be applied on the selected server.
Update Required (Priority). The updated must be applied on the selected server before it is applied on other servers in the same framework.
A FocalPoint is installed on the selected server. Within each node, the servers with FocalPoints installed on them must be updated before the other servers. Therefore, the update must be applied on the selected (FocalPoint) server before it is applied on other servers in the same node.Because there can be multiple nodes in a Precise installation, there can be multiple servers with this status. This status only refers to servers in the same node. You can update a server (without a FocalPoint) in a different node before updating the selected server, if the servers with FocalPoints installed on them in the other node have already been updated.
- Pending Prerequisites. The update cannot be applied until all prerequisites are fulfilled. A list of prerequisites can be found per update on https://precise.secure.force.com.
- Pending Server-Update Version Upgrade. The server version is not supported by the update. The server version must be upgraded before the update can be applied.
Applied On The date and time that the update was applied on the server. Node Name of Framework node that the selected server is part of. Installed Agents List of all agents that are currently installed on the server.
Update Status. This mode displays all updates currently loaded and their status for all relevant servers. The table displays the following information:
Header Description Update ID Name of the update. Server Name of the server. Status An icon that indicates whether the update was applied successfully (insert icon) or with errors (insert icon). Application Types Indicates how the update was applied to the server. The application types include:
- Applied (Directly). The update was applied directly on the selected server.
- Applied (Upon Installation). The update was automatically applied on the server when the server was installed.
- Applied (Indirectly). The changes and functionalities provided by the update were applied on the selected server when a newer update containing these functionalities was applied to it.
- Update Required. The update should be applied on the selected server.
- Update Required (Priority). The updated must be applied on the selected server before it is applied on other servers in the same framework.
A FocalPoint is installed on the selected server. Within each node, the servers with FocalPoints installed on them must be updated before the other servers. Therefore, the update must be applied on the selected (FocalPoint) server before it is applied on other servers in the same node.
Because there can be multiple nodes in a Precise installation, there can be multiple servers with this status. This status only refers to servers in the same node. You can update a server (without a FocalPoint) in a different node before updating the selected server, if the servers with FocalPoints installed on them in the other node have already been updated.
- Pending Prerequisites. The update cannot be applied until all prerequisites are fulfilled. A list of prerequisites can be found per update at https://precise.secure.force.com.
- Pending Server-Update Version Upgrade. The server version is not supported by the update. The server version must be upgraded before the update can be applied.
Applied On The date and time that the update was applied on the server. Node Name of framework node that the selected server is part of. Product Name of the Precise components that are affected by the update.
You can control the way data is displayed in the table.
Applying an update
To apply an update
- Go to https://precise.secure.force.com and locate the desired update.
- Download the update to a local directory on the computer from which you run the Precise GUI.
- Go to AdminPoint > Management > Updates.
- In the Updates view, click Apply updates. The Update Installation wizard appears.
In the “Select Updates” screen, locate the desired update in the Available Updates table. If the update does not appear, click Add Update and enter the file path from the folder you downloaded the update to. Alternatively, click the browse button, select the path, and click OK. The update now appears in the Available Updates table.
For more information regarding a specific update, see the Description area at the bottom of the screen. To view all information for the update, scroll down or click the expand icon at the top right of the area to open a new window with the information.
Selecting an update to appear in the Available Updates table does not apply the update. The update application process begins only after the servers have been selected.
Select the desired update in the Available Updates table and move it to the Updates to Install table using the arrows between the two tables.
If there is a newer update that contains the update you selected, the newer update will be selected and appear in the Available Updates table.
Click Next. The Select Servers screen appears, displaying all servers and their update status.
By default, all the servers will be selected to be updated. You can choose to exclude servers from the application process at this time by removing the selection mark next to them.In some cases, applying the update to one server will only be allowed if another server is updated at the same time. In these cases, you will be prompted to include the relevant servers in the selection to be updated.
- Click Next. The update application “preparing” phase begins. If there are pre-action items to be executed, they will appear on the screen and must be completed to continue to the update application “applying update” process. Perform these action items.
- Once all pre-action items are completed, the update application process will resume. If there were no pre-action items, the update application process will automatically continue.
- The “Applying Updates” screen appears, displaying an update application process progress bar for each server.
After the update application is complete, post-action items will appear on screen. Perform these action items. You can decide to perform these action items at a later stage.
If there are no pre- or post-action items, the wizard will automatically move from through the “Preparing”, “Pre Action Items”, “Apply update”, and “Post Action Items” screens.
About the Action items view
The action items management mechanism tracks and automates manual action items required for installations and updates. You can manage action items by displaying which action items have been performed and which have not.
Through the Action Items view, you can check if instance-related action items are pending, failed, or completed. You need to perform all action items because some of the action items block the related agent startup. This means you cannot start the related agent until performing the action item.
You can manually perform any action item. Once you have performed it, notify Precise of this by selecting the action item and clicking the Mark as done button.
Some action items support automatic execution. For such action items the "execute" button is enabled. You can instruct Precise to automatically perform the action item for you by selecting the action item and clicking "Execute". You can select several action items and click execute or mark as done.
About the action items table
Using the Status combo at the top of the view you can select to view only pending action items, failed action items, or completed action items:
| Header | Description |
|---|---|
| ID | The action items resource identification number; this ID number may be used more than once. For example, there may be several messages with the same Action ID for different instances. |
| Server | The name of the server where the action item was produced. |
| Technology | The technology type of the monitored instance. Exists only for action items which have a value in the instance column. |
| Instance | Name of the specific instance that is being monitored (if relevant). |
| Action Item | The title of the action item. After clicking an action item, the action item's full text is displayed lower on the screen. You can also view the action item's full text in the tooltip of this column. |
| Order | The order of Precise installation action items should be performed as specified - in ascending order. The specified order is necessary because of dependencies between action items. |
| Status | This is an icon which indicates the status of Precise installation action items. The action item status can be one of the following: completed, failed, or pending. In the case of a failed status, the tooltip describes the reason for failure. |
| Blocking | The icon indicates whether the start of the related agent is being blocked, until the action item has completed. |
| Origin | This the source of the action item. The source can be any of the following: install, uninstall, update, or verification. |
| Executable | A check mark indicates the action item is executable. An executable action item can be handled automatically by selecting the action items and clicking Execute. To execute the action item, additional user input (such as: user and password) may be required. |
| Node | Name of Framework node. |
| Update Time | Date and time when the action items were produced or last updated due to failure, execution or marked as done. |
| Required Fields | This column displays the name of fields requiring user input before automatic execution of the action item. |
About icons for action items
The legend for the action items table is:
| Icon | Description |
|---|---|
 | The action item was completed successfully. |
 | Invocation of the action item failed. See this icon’s tooltip for the failure reason. |
 | The action item was not yet performed. |
 | The action item's related agent cannot be started until the action item is performed. |
 | The action item can be automatically executed by Precise. Click execute to instruct Precise to execute it for you. |
Displaying Dependencies on/off
On the Action Items view, the Dependencies On/Dependencies Off button will filter selected instances by displaying or not displaying their dependencies. By default, all instances and their action items are displayed as “Dependencies On”.
“Dependencies On” signifies that dependent action items will be displayed in the Action Items table regardless of any filters set on the table.
To not display dependencies
- Select the instance from the Action Items table and click Dependencies On near the top of the screen.
Advanced Settings
On the Action Items view, the Advanced button lets you set the way you want to execute the action items.
If you have many action items, click Advanced and select Expert mode. Once Expert mode is selected, the executing action items prompt for required inputs only once (at the beginning of the operation), and only update the status of the executed action items. The status of the executed action items does not display any popup messages for each problem encountered while executing action items.
To execute action items by Expert mode
- If you have many action items, click Advanced.
- On the Settings dialog box, mark the Expert mode status check box.
- Click OK to save the setting, or Cancel to close the dialog box without saving.
About the Nodes view
Through the Nodes view, you can add new Framework nodes, or edit properties, or remove an existing Framework node.
To view and manage Framework nodes
- On the AdminPoint screen, click Management > Nodes.
The Display Nodes table displays a list of installed nodes. You can add a new Framework node to the list, rename, or remove a Framework node from the list.
The Display Nodes table displays the following columns for Framework nodes:
- Node Name. Framework node name.
- Proxy Server. Server name or IP address of the node's Precise FocalPoint server.
- Proxy Port. Communication listener port number of the node's Precise FocalPoint server.
- Primary Node. Indicates the primary node.
- URL. URL used to access the node’s GUI.
- Proxy Relay to FocalPoint. Indicates communication from the node's Precise FocalPoint to the main Precise FocalPoint is blocked, and that only the main Precise FocalPoint will access the node's Precise FocalPoint.
- Proxy Relay to Servers. Indicates that communication from the main Precise FocalPoint to the node's servers is blocked, and the main Precise FocalPoint will send requests through the node's Precise FocalPoint to the node's servers.
Managing Framework nodes
Using the Nodes command buttons, you can perform the following actions on one or more nodes in the Display Nodes table:
- Click Add to select between installing a new Framework node, or connecting an existing one. For more details, see Installation and Administration.
- Click Edit to change properties, such as: enabling the proxy relay to the FocalPoint or to servers.
- Click Remove to uninstall or disconnect the selected node. For more details, see Installation and Administration.
To edit a node (on the Nodes-Edit dialog box), enter the node name, proxy server name, and URL address. The following optional proxy settings can also be selected.
- Enable the proxy relay to the FocalPoint. Unchecked by default. Use only when, for security reasons, the node's Precise FocalPoint cannot directly access the Precise Main FocalPoint. Note: Its use slows down system performance.
Enable the proxy relay to the servers. Unchecked by default. Use only when, for security reasons, the Precise Main FocalPoint cannot directly access the node’s production servers. Marking this check box causes the Precise Main FocalPoint to access the node’s production servers through the node's Precise FocalPoint.
Its use slows down system performance.
Generating an inventory report
The Inventory Report creates an excel file that lists details regarding installed servers, instances, License Limitation Metrics, and the PMDB. A generated report provides information for all nodes.
To generate an inventory report
- Click Inventory Report. The excel file will be downloaded to your computer, and can be saved locally.
About the Applications view
A Precise application is a collection of instances that are organized to work together. An application includes one or more application tiers (AppTiers), and each AppTier can consist of one or more instances of the same technology.
The Precise agents installed on an AppTier monitor, process, and communicate performance-related information for that tier.
By default, an AppTier carries the name of its technology (such as ‘Oracle’). You can set the AppTier name to another significant name to be able to distinguish between different AppTiers. In AdminPoint, you can add a suffix to the technology name (such as ‘Oracle_PeopleSoft’), rename or edit an existing AppTier, and add or delete AppTiers.
Verify that you have renamed an AppTier before you add another AppTier of the same technology.
Every AppTier has instances assigned to it. Instances can be assigned to more than one AppTier. An instance can be copied or moved from one AppTier to another. Applications, AppTiers, and instances belong to only one node; therefore you can manage all these entities only within the same node. For example, you can copy an instance only to applications that are part of the instance’s node.
AppTiers are combined in applications. By defining multiple applications, you can make your work more manageable, for example by distinguishing between a test application and a production application. You can also define applications to implement a security policy and authorize specific users to access performance information for only their application.
During the Precise installation, a default application based on the installed components is created. Using the Edit Application dialog box, you can change the default application or create a new application. You can also add, rename, or correlate applications.
The AppTier table, in the Edit application dialog box, lists all AppTiers in the application and their respective information source. The current correlation of an application is shown in the data flow diagram to the right of the AppTier table. Within Precise, you can view the data flow diagram on the StartPoint page and in the Overview tab of Insight.
To view and manage applications
- In AdminPoint, click Setup>Applications.
The Applications table displays information in different columns for each instance. The user can customize each column header and its value.
Table 3-11 Display Applications table displayed columns
| Column name | Description |
|---|---|
| Application | Name of the application. In the Agents table, AdminPoint displays all of the applications that an instance belongs to, according to the AppTiers it is part of. |
| Node | Name of the node. |
| AppTiers | Name of the AppTiers. |
| Technologies | Name of the technologies within the application. |
| SmartLink Application | If available, the name of the SmartLink application. |
| Product | See Customizing custom columns in the environment. |
| Type | See Customizing custom columns in the environment. |
| Location | See Customizing custom columns in the environment. |
| Tag | See Customizing custom columns in the environment. |
| Comment | See Customizing custom columns in the environment. |
Managing applications
Using the applications command buttons, you can perform the following actions on one or more applications in the Display applications table:
- Click Add to add a new application.
- Click Edit to change the members of an existing application.
- Click Remove to delete the selected application from the Display applications table.
- Click Customize Columns to customize the display of columns on the table.
Adding a new application
On the applications view, you can add a new application to the Precise system.
To add a new application
- On the applications view, click Add.
- In the Add application dialog box, enter the application name and select a node from the list.
- Click OK to apply your settings, or Cancel to close and not save the settings.
Editing an existing application
Existing Environments can be edited via the Edit Environment dialog box. In the Edit Environment dialog box, you can perform any of the following editing options:
- Rename a selected Environment.
- Change the order of all AppTiers that are part of the selected environment.
- Change the data flow between AppTiers.
- Mark the front-end AppTier
Configure the SmartLink correlation for the AppTier.
In the Edit Environment dialog box, the node for the selected environment is displayed.
To edit an existing Environment
- To edit an existing AppTier in the table, on the Environments view select the Environment you want to edit and click Edit.
To rename an existing Environment
- To rename an AppTier, in the Edit Environment dialog box, click Rename.
- In the Rename Environment dialog box, enter the new name for the Environment.
- Click OK to save the new name, or Cancel to close and not save.
To change the AppTier order in the AppTiers table
- In the Edit Environment dialog box, select the AppTier to be moved in the AppTiers table.
- Click the appropriate up/down arrow to change where the selected AppTier appears in the table.
Click OK to save the changes, or Cancel to close and not save the change(s).
Any AppTier change performed on an instance which is part of a cluster, is automatically applied to all instances of that cluster.
Changing the data flow between AppTiers
The Environment map displays the data flow between AppTiers and displays the front-end AppTier.
To delete a relation (relation arrow), click an AppTier with an existing relation and drag the plus onto another related AppTier. To mark or clear an AppTier as front end, right-click on an AppTier to mark or clear the front-end mark.
To change the data flow between AppTiers
- On the Environment map, click an AppTier to select it.
- To define a new data flow, drag the plus sign (from the previously selected AppTier) to another AppTier.
Marking a Front-end AppTier for an environment
It is important that you indicate which AppTier is to the front-end. On the Environment map, a Front-end AppTier is marked with an arrow. You can change the Front-end AppTier whenever needed by unmarking a current Front-end AppTier and marking another AppTier as Front-end.
To change the Front-end AppTier for an environment
- In the Edit Environment dialog box, right-click an AppTier on the Environment map.
- To remove a Front-end indication, right-click on the AppTier and click UnMark as Front-end AppTier.
- To assign an AppTier as Front-end, right-click on the AppTier and click Mark as Front-end AppTier.
Configuring an AppTier's application
An AppTier's application can be configured via the Environments view. This enables related application associations in the related Precise product tab.
To configure an AppTier's application
- On the Setup tab menu, click Environments.
- In the relevant environment, click the AppTier.
- Click Edit and set the application to required application
About configuring Insight SmartLink correlation
Insight SmartLink correlates end-to-end activities across multiple tiers, and provides information on the environment’s performance, from the user’s perspective by tracking individual transactions. To use Insight SmartLink, you need to specify the SmartLink mode (application) to be applied to the selected environment.
There are two SmartLink modes for two types of applications:
- PeopleSoft application
- Web, MS .NET and J2EE applications. (This includes any application that has some or all of these AppTiers in any combination, including any database AppTier that is invoked by the .NET or J2EE AppTiers.)
For more information on Insight SmartLink, see the Precise Insight User Guide.
Configuring Insight SmartLink correlation
You can configure the Insight SmartLink correlation via the Edit Environment dialog box.
To configure Insight SmartLink correlation
- On the Setup tab menu, click Environments.
- In the Edit Environment dialog box, click SmartLink.
- Select a mode: PeopleSoft or Web, MS .NET and J2EE application.
- PeopleSoft configuration
- The PeopleSoft configuration dialog contains a table with all AppTiers to correlate data from. The Web, J2EE and Tuxedo AppTiers are mandatory; the Oracle AppTier is optional.
Once configuration is finished, you must restart: Insight, Web, J2EE, Oracle FocalPoints and agents.
Only one SmartLink for PeopleSoft environment can be configured per specific PeopleSoft application.
- Web, MS .NET and J2EE configuration
- In Web, MS .NET and J2EE mode, there is no need to select specific AppTiers. The SmartLink correlation engine correlates data from all Web, MS .NET and J2EE AppTiers in the environment.
- Once configuration is finished, and if configuration was changed from PeopleSoft to Web, MS .NET and J2EE mode, you must restart the FocalPoints and agents.
- PeopleSoft configuration
- Click OK to save, or Cancel to not save this configuration.
Customizing custom columns in the environment
You can customize the environment’s column headers and their contents as displayed on the environment's table in both AdminPoint and StartPoint.
To customize column headers on a table
- Click AdminPoint>Environments view.
- Select one or more environments and click Customize Columns.
- Click OK to save the customized columns setting, or Cancel to close the dialog box without saving.
About the Warehouse tab
Through the Warehouse tab, you can view and manage PMDB statuses and processes. See About the PMDB.