ServerAgent is AlertSite monitoring service that collects private location health metrics. ServerAgent monitors CPU load, disk utilization and processes.
Components
ServerAgent is a light-weight software agent pre-installed on AlertSite private locations (Private Node Server and InSite). ServerAgent does not accept requests from outside processes, meaning it is not a security risk. All communications are initiated by ServerAgent to one of AlertSite monitoring stations. Each interval (5 min or 15 min, depending on which plan you are using) ServerAgent will report in to AlertSite. If ServerAgent does not report in as expected, an alert is issued letting you know there was no response from the server.
Initial Configuration
You must have an available credit in order to add a ServerAgent device to your account. If you have a Usage Based Monitoring account, you do not need to purchase a credit in order to add a ServerAgent device.
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From the Control Menu Configuration dropdown list, select ServerAgents.
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Click the Add a New ServerAgent button (top right).
The Add a New ServerAgent screen will display the following fields:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
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Site Name |
Name for this ServerAgent instance. |
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Site Plan |
This field shows which ServerAgent plan you are using. Current values are ServerAgent 5 or ServerAgent 15. The numeral (5 or 15) indicates the interval (in minutes) that ServerAgent checks-in with AlertSite to report results and indicate it is up and responding. |
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Monitoring is |
AlertSite will only capture statistics and send alerts when monitoring is Enabled. |
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Notify on Error |
Determines if alerts are sent out when an error is detected. |
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Reporting Interval |
The amount of time in minutes between reported results from ServerAgent. If ServerAgent has not reported in at the expected interval a 4050 - server not responding error occurs. |
Additional Fields
After clicking the Submit button, additional fields and information are displayed:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
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IP Address |
This will be automatically populated if the monitored server is a public server in the DNS system. If the monitored server is not accessible from the Internet, enter your gateway's IP address in this field. This way, if the server does not report in, a diagnostic traceroute will be issued to help determine if there is a connectivity problem. |
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TCP Traceroute on network error |
If the server fails to report in when expected a tcp traceroute will execute and be delivered along with the alerts helping to identify if there is a connectivity problem. |
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Device ID |
A unique, auto-generated, 32-bit ID for the ServerAgent. |
After Initial Reporting
It may take some time for the ServerAgent set up to propagate out to the monitoring locations. After this occurs and the locations start reporting on the server, the following fields are displayed in the top portion of the Manage Servers screen:
| Field | Description | ||
|---|---|---|---|
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Commgr Listener (v2.0 only) |
Port where the Communication Manager (Commgr) listens for Agent registration and collected metric publication. Default is 8000. |
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Proxy/HTTP Listener (v2.0 only) |
Port where the Commgr will listen for Proxy requests from other ServerAgent instances during distributed collection. Also accepts connections from supported browsers to enable the user to view the contents of the collected metrics cache between publication intervals. Default is 2525. |
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Logging Level (v2.0 only) |
Assigns the level of verbosity with which the ServerAgent logs messages. Log files are located in the bin/logs directory found under the installation path.
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Proxy Server (v2.0 only) |
By default, ServerAgent publishes directly to an AlertSite server; however, if this ServerAgent does not have visibility to the Internet, it may be necessary for the ServerAgent to employ another ServerAgent as a proxy. The proxy ServerAgent is assigned here. Specify the IP address of the ServerAgent selected as a Proxy Server. |
Reporting Section
The tabs and columns in the lower section of the Manage Servers screen represent the attributes that are currently monitored by this ServerAgent. Currently available attributes are CPU utilization, disk utilization, monitored processes and user defined scripts.
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Enabled - Checking this box will allow AlertSite’s monitoring console to react to changes in the status of the monitored item.
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Notify - Checking this box will cause alerts to be sent when the Threshold value is exceeded.
Note: Both Enabled and Notify must be checked for this metric to be monitored and reported on. -
Name - This field contains the category and name of the monitored attribute. For example,
CPU_USAGE>LOAD_AVERAGErepresents the 5 minute load average and falls into the CPU category of collected metrics. -
Compare - This field determines how the Warning and Threshold values are compared to determine whether a warning or error condition is occurring.
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Warning - The value at which the monitoring console and reporting will show the monitored item is in a Warning condition.
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Threshold - The value at which the monitoring console and reporting will show the monitored item is in an Error condition. Alerts are issued for error conditions when Notify and Enabled for this item are checked.
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Last value - The last metric reported in from ServerAgent for this item.
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Last status - The last reported status of this item.
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Last reported - The last timestamp at which ServerAgent reported in.
Shortly you should see information related to your new server displayed in the AlertSite status console.
After the final step of the installation process for Windows, where the server ID is entered and the send request button is pressed, a SUCCESSFUL message will be returned if the agent was able to communicate back to the AlertSite service. Within a few minutes status icons should appear in the status console for that monitored server.
From the Configuration: ServerAgents screen, click the Add a New ServerAgent button.
Status Screen
The most recently reported status of any server can viewed in the Status: ServerAgents screen. The specific results for any monitored item can be viewed by clicking on the category. For example, clicking on the CPU category from the console will show the most recent metric reported and its Warning and error Threshold values.
For more detailed information about ServerAgent, please go to the ServerAgent Systems Monitor section of the AlertSite Knowledge Base.
Description of Metrics– A table with the complete description of the monitored and reported system metrics can be found at Description of Metrics.