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SAMAdminGuide PDF

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Copyright 1995-2015 SolarWinds Worldwide, LLC. All rights reserved worldwide.

No part of this document may be reproduced by any means nor modified, decompiled, disassembled, published
or distributed, in whole or in part, or translated to any electronic medium or other means without the written
consent of SolarWinds. All right, title, and interest in and to the software and documentation are and shall remain
the exclusive property of SolarWinds and its respective licensors.
SOLARWINDS DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, CONDITIONS OR OTHER TERMS, EXPRESS OR
IMPLIED, STATUTORY OR OTHERWISE, ON SOFTWARE AND DOCUMENTATION FURNISHED
HEREUNDER INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION THE WARRANTIES OF DESIGN,
MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO
EVENT SHALL SOLARWINDS, ITS SUPPLIERS, NOR ITS LICENSORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES,
WHETHER ARISING IN TORT, CONTRACT OR ANY OTHER LEGAL THEORY EVEN IF SOLARWINDS
HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.
The SOLARWINDS and SOLARWINDS & Design marks are the exclusive property of SolarWinds Worldwide,
LLC and its affiliates, are registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and may be registered or
pending registration in other countries. All other SolarWinds trademarks, service marks, and logos may be
common law marks, registered or pending registration in the United States or in other countries. All other
trademarks mentioned herein are used for identification purposes only and may be or are trademarks or
registered trademarks of their respective companies.
Portions Copyright ComponentOne, LLC 1991-2002. All Rights Reserved.
Portions of the following SolarWinds SAM Documentation is excerpted from:
IBM DeveloperWorks, Copyright IBM Corporation 1994, 2012.Available at
http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/
Microsoft TechNet, TechNet Library, 2010 Microsoft Corporation.All rights reserved.Available at
technet.microsoft.com.
Oracle Corporation, 2012 2010 Oracle Corporation. All rights reserved.Available at www.oracle.com
Portions of the component monitor information used in the AppInsight for SQL feature are provided courtesy of
the following sources:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms190382.aspx
http://sql-articles.com/articles/performance-tunning/performance-counters/
http://linuxtechres.blogspot.com/2012/07/how-to-monitor-and-tune-microsoft-sql.html
http://blogs.msdn.com/b/askjay/archive/2011/07/08/troubleshooting-slow-disk-i-o-in-sql-server.aspx
http://www.grumpyolddba.co.uk/monitoring/Performance%20Counter%20Guidance%20-%20Windows%20Ser
ver.htm
http://www.quest.com/backstage/images/promotions/SQLServer-Perfmonance-Poster.pdf
http://sqlmag.com/t-sql/opening-microsofts-performance-tuning-toolbox
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd672789(v=sql.100).aspx
http://sqlserverplanet.com/optimization/performance-counters
http://rds.blog.alibabainc.com/?tag=mssql-%E6%80%A7%E8%83%BD%E8%AE%A1%E6%95%B0%E5%99%A8
http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/tividd/td/ITMD/SC23-4852-00/en_US/HTML/mssql511rg02.htm#wq1
http://www.sql-server-performance.com/2005/hardware-bottlenecks/
http://blogs.msdn.com/b/teekamg/archive/2007/11/06/sql-server-memory-related-performance-counters.aspx
http://programming4.us/database/3424.aspx
http://www.informit.com/guides/content.aspx?g=sqlserver&seqNum=262

http://blogs.msdn.com/b/rafidl/archive/2010/06/07/check-if-you-have-sql-memory-pressure-using-perfmon.aspx
http://sqlserverplanet.com/dba/understanding-batch-requests-sec
http://www.databasejournal.com/features/mssql/article.php/3932406/Top-10-SQL-Server-Counters-for-MonitoringSQL-Server-Performance.htm
Portions of the following SolarWinds SAM Documentation is excerpted from:
Microsoft TechNet, TechNet Library, 2010 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
Available at technet.microsoft.com
http://msdn.microsoft.com.
http://www.docstoc.com/docs/69756322/Performance-Counters-for-Microsoft-Products
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/968930.
http://powershell.com/cs/media/p/9869.aspx.
http://www.cs.cf.ac.uk/Dave/PERL/node174.html
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee694763.aspx
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff823816.aspx
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb794879.aspx
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg670897.aspx
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc773676%28v=ws.10%29.aspx
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb691338.aspx
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb201689%28EXCHG.80%29.aspx
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/9tyc2s04(v=VS.80).aspx.
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/9tyc2s04(v=VS.80).aspx.
http://www.docstoc.com/docs/69756322/Performance-Counters-for-Microsoft-Products.
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc773514%28v=ws.10%29.aspx.
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff367892.aspx.
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms804612.aspx.
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc727402%28v=ws.10%29.aspx
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc726402%28v=ws.10%29.aspx
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/WindowsServer2003/Library/IIS/0a6c9f07-a70c-4c3d-b93d5dfef593c744.mspx?mfr=true
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee558869.aspx, http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa979484.aspx,
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa979484%28v=office.12%29.aspx
http://www.saunalahti.fi/pesonpa/projects/exchange_server_2003/exchange_2003.php
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc754806%28v=ws.10%29.aspx.
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee254010(v=bts.10).aspx.
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg670897(v=ocs.14).aspx .
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg670897(v=ocs.14).aspx .
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa979484
(v=office.14).aspxhttp://www.webperformance.com/support/suite/manual50/Content/Load_Test_Statistics.htm
http://www.techrepublic.com/article/solutionbase-working-with-microsoft-windows-server-2003s-performancemonitor/5298961.
IBM Corporation, Copyright 2012 IBM Corporation. All rights reserved. Available at http://www.ibm.com
http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/
http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/pseries/v5r3/index.jsp?topic=/com.ibm.aix.cmds/doc/aixcmds6/vmstat.ht
m
http://www.scribd.com/No%20Starch%20Press/d/15737972-The-Book-of-Postfix-StateoftheArt-MessageTransport
http://www.linuxjournal.com/article/9454
http://www.informix.com.ua/articles/monitor/monitor.htm
http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/data/zones/informix/library/techarticle/0303fan/0303fan.html
http://ipmsupport.solarwinds.com/mibs_byoidtree.aspx?oid=1.3.6.1.4.1.334.72.1.1.10.17#h.

Portions of this document were originally created by and are excerpted from the following sources:
Oracle Corporation, 2012 2010 Oracle Corporation. All rights reserved.Available at www.oracle.com
http://docs.oracle.com/cd/E19623-01/820-6173/def-unbind-operation.htm
http://gurudatta-solaris.blogspot.com/2009/12/solaris-notes.html
http://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/5.0/en/server-status-variables.html
http://download.oracle.com/docs
http://www.postgresql.org/docs/9.1/interactive/index.html
http://docs.oracle.com/javase/1.5.0/docs/api/java/lang/management/package-summary.html.
http://docs.redhat.com/docs/en-US/JBoss_Operations_Network/2.2/html/Managed_Resources_
Guide/JBossAS_Server.html.
Dirk Nachbar: Oracle Fusion Middleware & Application Server, Copyright 2015
http://dirknachbar.blogspot.com/2011/02/percentage-used-of-tablespaces.html
Symantec Corporation, Copyright 2012, Symantec Inc. All rights reserved. Available at
http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=TECH23710.
http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=TECH102748
Citrix Corporation, Citrix InfoCenter, Copyright 2012 Citrix Corporation. All rights reserved. Available at
http://support.citrix.com/proddocs/topic/infocenter/ic-how-to-use.html
RealNetworks, Inc., Helix Server and Helix Proxy Troubleshooting Guide, Copyright 2012 RealNetworks,
Inc. All rights reserved. Available at
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=%22a%20mutex%20collision%20occurs%20when%20one%20serv
er%20process%20must%20wait%20for%20another%20%22&source=web&cd=4&ved=0CDoQFjAD&url=http
%3A%2F%2Fservice.jp.real.com%2Fhelp%2Flibrary%2Fguides%2FHelixServerWireline12%2Fpdf%2FServer
ProxyTroubleshoot.pdf&ei=uyqQT9_XE6ie2wXPo5iSBQ&usg=AFQjCNE3CpUHuLmpfScz2A9GOM9ysztgA&cad=rja.
Hewlett-Packard Company, Copyright 2012 Hewlett-Packard Company. All rights reserved. Available at
http://www.hp.com
http://gurudatta-solaris.blogspot.com/2009/12/solaris-notes.html
Portions of the Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2-2012 R2 Failover Cluster documents are based on the
following source:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee461009.aspx.
Internet Systems Consortium, Copyright 2012 Internet Systems Consortium. All rights reserved. Available at
http://www.isc.org
http://www.isc.org/software/dhcp
Portions of the Microsoft Routing and Remote Access 2008-2012 R2 and Microsoft Routing and Remote Access
2008-2012 R2 (Events) document are based on the following content:
http://tech-nic.is-a-geek.org/eventid-windows-2008r2/routing-and-remote-access-service-infrastructure/.
Portions of the Remote Desktop Services Licensing document were originally created by and are excerpted from
the following sources:
Microsoft Corp., Copyright 2012. All rights reserved. Available at http://www.microsoft.com/enus/download/details.aspx?id=17657
Portions of the Barracuda Spam and Virus Firewall document is based on the following:
http://techlib.barracuda.com/display/BSFv51/How+to+Use+SNMP+Monitoring.
Portions of the Trend Micro documents are based on the following:
http://downloadcenter.trendmicro.com/index.php?regs=NABU&clk=latest&clkval=3802&lang_loc=1
http://docs.trendmicro.com/all/ent/officescan/v10.6/en-us/osce_10.6_sp2_ag.pdf

Portions of the SQL Server 2008 Reporting Services document, the SQL Server 2008 Reporting Services R2
document, the SQLServer 2012 reporting Services document, and the SQLServer 2008-2012 Reporting Services
(Events) document are based on the following sources:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms165307(v=sql.100).aspx
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc627471(v=sql.110).aspx
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms159650.aspx
Danga Interactive, Copyright 2012 Danga Interactive. All rights reserved. Available at
http://www.php.net/manual/en/book.memcache.php.
MongoDB, Copyright 2012 10gen, Inc. All rights reserved. Available at
http://www.mongodb.org/display/DOCS/serverStatus+Command.
O'Reilly Squid, Copyright 2012 O'Reilly Media, Inc. All rights reserved. Available at
http://www.scribd.com/sivatcs/d/77305197-O-Reilly-Squid-the-Definitive-Guide.
Sybase, Copyright 2012 Sybase, Inc. All rights reserved. Available at http://www.sypron.nl/mda.html,
http://infocenter.sybase.com/help/index.jsp?topic=/com.sybase.help.ase_15.0.sag1/html/sag1/sag1462.htm,
http://infocenter.sybase.com/help/index.jsp?topic=/com.sybase.dc20022_1251/html/monitoring/monitoring33.htm.
SAP Corporation, Copyright 2012 SAP Corporation. All rights reserved. Available at
http://dcx.sybase.com/1101/en/dbadmin_en11/server-properties-perfapp.html and
http://dcx.sybase.com/1200/en/dbadmin/database-properties-perfapp.html#connpoolcachedcount-db-prop.
APC powerchute, Copyright 2012. All rights reserved. Available at
http://danielthechskid.home.mchsi.com/appa6.htm.
Oracle Corporation, Copyright 2012 Oracle Corporation. All rights reserved. Available at
http://docs.oracle.com/javase/1.5.0/docs/guide/management/overview.html and
http://docs.jboss.org/jbossas/docs/Server_Configuration_Guide/4/html/Additional_Services-Memory_and_Thread_
Monitoring.html.
http://docs.oracle.com/javase/1.5.0/docs/guide/management/overview.html.
TrendMicro, Copyright 2012. All rights reserved. Available at
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CF4QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2F
www.uv.es%2Fdistrisoft%2Fantivirus%2Fcas%2Fman_01_spnt_58_1060_
en.pdf&ei=tw4cUOeJKqrY2QXCgIGgDw&usg=AFQjCNGocyArGtBrtOWmt29IlqGYCQhxQQ
Server Manager for JD Edwards EnterpriseOne. Copyright 2012 JD Edwards Corporation. All rights reserved.
Available at http://servermanager.blogspot.com/2008/01/server-manager-logging-part-3.html;
IBM, Copyright 2012. All rights reserved. Available at
http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/db2luw/v9/index.jsp?topic=/com.ibm.db2.udb.admin.doc/doc/r0011478.ht
m.
Bind 9 Administrator Reference Manual: http://ftp.isc.org/isc/bind9/cur/9.9/doc/arm/Bv9ARM.html.
Microsoft TechNet, TechNet Library, 2010 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.Available at
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb490957.aspx
Unidata, Rocket software, 2010 Unidata. All rights reserved.Available at
http://www.rocketsoftware.com/u2/resources/technical-resources/unidata
Portions of this documentation are based on:
http://www.veeam.com/kb1518
http://forums.veeam.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=13559
Veeam Backup & Replication PowerShell Guide.
Portions of this document were originally created by and are excerpted from the following sources:
SAAS Corporation, Copyright 2012 SAAS Corporation. All rights reserved. Available at:
http://www.ssas-info.com/analysis-services-articles/58-ssas-2008/1113-analysis-services-2008-performance-

counters,
http://allcomputers.us/windows_server/microsoft-sql-server-2008-analysis-services---monitoring-usage.aspx,
http://allcomputers.us/windows_server/Microsoft-SQL-Server-2008-Analysis-Services---Monitoring-queryperformance.aspx,
http://www.grumpyolddba.co.uk/monitoring/Performance%20Counter%20Guidance%20-%20SSAS.htm,
http://allcomputers.us/windows_server/Microsoft-SQL-Server-2008-Analysis-Services---Monitoring-processingperformance.aspx
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh230807.aspx
http://www.ssas-info.com/analysis-services-articles/58-ssas-2008/1113-analysis-services-2008-performancecounters,
http://allcomputers.us/windows_server/microsoft-sql-server-2008-analysis-services---monitoring-usage.aspx,
http://allcomputers.us/windows_server/Microsoft-SQL-Server-2008-Analysis-Services---Monitoring-queryperformance.aspx,
http://www.grumpyolddba.co.uk/monitoring/Performance%20Counter%20Guidance%20-%20SSAS.htm,
http://allcomputers.us/windows_server/Microsoft-SQL-Server-2008-Analysis-Services---Monitoring-processingperformance.aspxhttp://www.ssas-info.com/analysis-services-articles/58-ssas-2008/1113-analysis-services2008-performance-counters,
http://allcomputers.us/windows_server/microsoft-sql-server-2008-analysis-services---monitoring-usage.aspx,
http://allcomputers.us/windows_server/Microsoft-SQL-Server-2008-Analysis-Services---Monitoring-queryperformance.aspx,
http://www.grumpyolddba.co.uk/monitoring/Performance%20Counter%20Guidance%20-%20SSAS.htm,
http://allcomputers.us/windows_server/Microsoft-SQL-Server-2008-Analysis-Services---Monitoring-processingperformance.aspx
MSIISSMTPServer document are based on: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms804618.aspx.
Microsoft copyright 2013
BizTalk Server 2010-2013 is based on the following sources:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa559591(v=bts.70).aspx;
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa559893(v=bts.20).aspx.
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee254010(v=bts.10).aspx.
http://www.microsoft.com/biztalk/en/us/orchestration.aspx;
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd800372.aspx.
V-Server definition courtesy of the following:
https://library.netapp.com/ecmdocs/ECMP1196798/html/GUID-E643017F-041B-4ECC-BEA1E4D80E26A47E.html
Portions of the Exchange Active Sync Connectivity document are provided courtesy of the following sources:
Test-ActiveSyncConnectivity:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb123540(v=exchg.150).aspx
Exchange 2013 templates are based on the following documents:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff367877.aspx.
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff367871.aspx
Portions of the Clam AV document is based on the following information:
http://exchange.nagios.org/directory/Plugins/Anti-2DVirus/ClamAV/ClamAV-check-plugin/details.
Portions of the Websense document are courtesy of Websense, copyright 2013.
http://www.websense.com/content/support/library/shared/v75/wsga_getting_started/wws_install.aspx
http://www.websense.com/support/article/t-kbarticle/Websense-Web-Security-default-ports
Portions of the Blackberry Enterprise Server 10 Services (Windows) document are based on information found
at:
http://us.blackberry.com/business/software/bes-10.html

Portions of the Blackberry Enterprise Server 10 Statistic (SNMP) document are based on information found at:
http://us.blackberry.com/business/software/bes-10.html
Portions of the Microsoft DirectAccess documents are based on:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh918442.aspx Microsoft, copyright 2013.
Potions the Oracle documents are based on the following and courtesy of Oracle, copyright 2013:
http://docs.oracle.com/cd/B12037_01/server.101/b10755/dynviews_1019.htm
http://docs.oracle.com/cd/B19306_01/server.102/b14237/dynviews_1019.htm
Portions of the Microsoft System Center Operations Manager 2012 document are courtesy of Microsoft Corp.
Copyright 2013.
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc146632.aspx
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb932169.aspx
Portions of the AppInsight for IIS document are courtesy of Microsoft Corp. Copyright 2013.
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb742410.aspx
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms972959.aspx
Portions of this document are courtesy of Kaspersky, copyright 2013:
http://support.kaspersky.com/9297
SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor, 2/24/2015, version 6.2
DJR

About SolarWinds
SolarWinds, Inc develops and markets an array of IT management, monitoring, and
discovery tools to meet the diverse requirements of todays IT management and consulting
professionals. SolarWinds products continue to set benchmarks for quality and
performance and have positioned the company as the leader in IT management and
discovery technology. The SolarWinds customer base includes over 85 percent of the
Fortune 500 and customers from over 170 countries. Our global business partner
distributor network exceeds 100 distributors and resellers.

Contacting SolarWinds
You can contact SolarWinds in a number of ways, including the following:
Team

Contact Information

Sales

1.866.530.8100
http://www.solarwinds.com

Technical http://www.solarwinds.com/support, you need a customer account to access

Support the Customer Support area of the website.
User
Forums

http://www.thwack.com contains the community oriented user forums

Conventions
The documentation uses consistent conventions to help you identify items throughout the
printed and online library.
Convention

Specifying

Bold

Window items, including buttons and fields.

Italics

Book and CD titles, variable names, new terms

Fixed font

File and directory names, commands and code examples, text

typed by you

Straight brackets, as in
[value]

Optional command parameters

Curly braces, as in
{value}

Required command parameters

Logical OR, as in
value1|value2

Exclusive command parameters where only one of the options

can be specified

SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor Documentation

Library
The following documents are included in the Server & Application Monitor (SolarWinds SAM)
documentation library:
Document

Purpose

Administrator Guide

Provides detailed setup, configuration, and conceptual information

for SolarWinds SAM.

Evaluation Guide

Provides an introduction to SolarWinds Server & Application

Monitor features and instructions for installation and initial
configuration.

Page Help

Provides help for every window in the SolarWinds Server &

Application Monitor user interface

Quick Start Guide

Provides installation, setup, and common scenarios for which

SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor provides a simple, yet
powerful, solution.

Release Notes

Provides late-breaking information, known issues, and updates. The

latest Release Notes can be found at www.solarwinds.com.

The following documents supplement the Server & Application Monitor documentation library
with information about SolarWinds Common Components:
Document

Purpose

Orion Common
Components
Administrator Guide

Provides detailed setup, configuration, and conceptual

information for the common components.

Orion Common
Provides help for every window in the Orion Common
Components Page Help Components user interface.
Release Notes

Provides late breaking information, known issues, and updates.

The latest Release Notes can be found at www.solarwinds.com.

Note: With this release, Orion products are based on a set of common features that are
shared by all of the Orion products. Therefore you need to consult the documentation listed
above for the Orion Common Components in order to find information about all of the
common features.

Table of Contents
About SolarWinds

Contacting SolarWinds

Conventions

SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor Documentation Library

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Introduction

Changes in this Guide from SAM 6.1.1 to 6.2

Applications Defined

SAM Glossary of Terms

How Does SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor Work?

Application Availability and Status

Chapter 2: Requirements and Installation

Requirements for SolarWinds SAM

FIPS Support

Server Sizing

Scalability

SNMP Requirements for Monitored Devices

Enabling Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS)

Enabling IIS on Windows Server 2003

Enabling IIS on Windows Server 2008

Upgrading SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor

Upgrading NPM and SolarWinds SAM on Your Current Server

Upgrading SAM to a New Server While Keeping NPM on Your Current Server

Moving SolarWinds SAM to a different server

General Requirements

Database Requirements

Stopping SAM Services

Creating a Database Backup File with Database Manager

Creating a Database Backup File with SQL Server Management Studio

Restoring a Database Backup File for SQL Express Server

Restoring a Database Backup File for SQL Server 2008

Updating SolarWinds SAM to Use the New Database Server

Reassigning Nodes

Moving SolarWinds SAM Security Certificates to a New Server

Migrating Licenses with License Manager

Installing License Manager

Upgrading SolarWinds APM when SolarWinds Failover Engine is Installed

Installing SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor

Uninstalling SAM

Advanced Installation of SAM

Activating Your License

Finishing SolarWinds SAM Installation

Excluding SolarWinds Data Directories from Anti-Virus Scanning

Running SolarWinds SAM

Internet Explorer Security Settings

Licensing

Chapter 3: Common Tasks with SolarWinds SAM

103

Monitoring Web Site Performance

103

Monitoring IIS Application Pools

106

Scanning for Applications Worth Monitoring

108

Monitoring a Specific URL

109

Monitoring VMware Performance Counters

111

Monitoring and Restarting Stopped Windows Services

114

Views

125

Manage Views

127

SAM Settings

127

SolarWinds Thresholds

127

Virtualization Thresholds

127

Details

127

Database Details

127

Polling Engines

145

SolarWinds General Threshold Types

145

Setting SolarWinds General Thresholds

147

Customizing Views

147

Creating New Views

148

Editing Views

149

Configuring View Limitations

150

Copying Views

170

Exporting Views to PDF

172

Creating a Custom Summary View

172

Creating and Editing External Website Views

Windows Authentication with Active Directory

179

Using the Web Console Notification Bar

180

Using the SolarWinds Web Console Message Center

181

Suppressing Events

181

Using Node Filters

182

Accessing Nodes Using HTTP, SSH, and Telnet

183

Using Integrated Remote Desktop

183

Using Audit Events

184

Filtering Audit Events

Chapter 5: SolarWinds SAMCharts and Resources

185
189

Application Availability Chart

189

Custom Chart

190

Custom Area Chart

193

Custom Bar Chart

193

Component Availability Chart

194

Custom Chart View

196

Custom Line Chart

198

Custom Query Resource

198

Custom Table

199

Custom Node Charts

201

Custom Volume Charts

202

Event Log Message Details

203

Min/Max Average Chart

204

Multiple Object Chart

206

Multiple Statistic Chart

208

Multi Chart

210

Chapter 6: SolarWinds SAM Settings

Getting Started with SAM

213
214

Scan Nodes for Applications

214

Manually Assign Application Monitors

214

Component Monitor Wizard

214

Application Monitors
Manage Application Monitors
Application Monitor Templates

215
215
215

Manage Templates

215

Create a New Template

215

Component Monitors

215

Component Monitor Library

216

Manage Assigned Component Monitors

216

Manage Component Monitors within Templates

216

Application Detail Views

Views by Application Type
SAM Settings

216
216
216

Credentials Library

217

Data and Database Settings

217

License Summary
SAM License Summary
thwack Community

218
218
218

Shared thwack Templates

219

SAM thwack Forum

219

Chapter 7: Discovering and Adding Nodes on a Network

220

Discovery Central

220

Virtualization Discovery

240

Server Warranty Summary

241

Chapter 9: Managing Groups and Dependencies

243

Creating Groups

243

Editing Groups

245

Managing Group Members

245

Deleting Groups

246

Managing the Display of Group Status

246

Managing Dependencies

248

Creating a Dependency

248

Editing a Dependency

250

Deleting a Dependency

251

Viewing Alerts on Child Objects

251

Chapter 10: Managing Accounts

252

Creating Accounts

252

Editing User Accounts

253

User Account Access Settings

254

Configuring Audible Web Alerts

256

Setting Account Limitations

257

Defining Pattern Limitations

259

Setting Default Account Menu Bars and Views

259

Configuring an Account Report Folder

261

Server & Application Monitor Settings

262

Orion General Settings

263

Integrated Virtual Infrastructure Monitor Settings

264

Chapter 11: Managing SolarWinds SAM Polling Engines

265

Viewing Polling Engine Status

265

Configuring Polling Engine Settings

266

SolarWinds Polling Settings

266

Polling Intervals

266

Polling Statistics Intervals

267

Network

267

Calculations & Thresholds

267

Calculating Node Availability

268

Calculating a Baseline

269

Using the Polling Engine Load Balancer

270

Setting the Node Warning Level

271

Managing Packet Loss Reporting

271

Chapter 12: Virtualization

VMware Monitoring

273
273

Requirements for Monitoring ESXi and ESX Servers

274

Enabling SNMP on VMware ESXi and ESX Servers

276

Enabling SNMP on VMware ESXi

276

Enabling SNMP on ESX Server Version 3.5

278

Enabling SNMP on ESX Server Version 4.0

279

Creating ESX Server Credentials for SolarWinds SAM

281

Managing VMware Credentials in the Web Console

282

Adding Virtual Servers for Monitoring

282

Virtualization Summary

283

Viewing ESX Host Details

283

Changing Polling Orders for ESX Servers

284

Troubleshooting ESX Hardware Monitoring

284

Hyper-V Monitoring

285

Requirements for Monitoring Hyper-V Servers

285

Configuring Hyper-V Servers for Discovery

286

Enabling and Disabling Hyper-V Monitoring

288

Accessing Hyper-V Details

290

Chapter 13: Building Component Monitors and Templates

Deleting Assigned Application Monitors

301

Application Monitor Thresholds

302

Inheriting Thresholds

302

Automatic Calculation of Baseline Data

303

Multi-value Scripts and Thresholds

304

Applying Baseline Thresholds at the Template Level

306

Applying Baseline Thresholds at the Application Level

307

Latest Baseline Details

309

Understanding Latest Baseline Details

310

Understanding Sustained Thresholds

314

Working with Component Monitors

315

Viewing the Component Monitor Library

316

Managing Assigned Component Monitors

316

Managing Component Monitors within Templates

319

Choosing Component Monitors and Templates Based on Protocol

322

Web Service Monitoring

322

JSON

323

SOAP Monitor

324

Scripting Custom Component Monitors

328

Creating a Linux/Unix Script Monitor

329

Creating a Windows Script Monitor

334

Creating a Nagios Script Monitor

341

Creating a Windows PowerShell Monitor

344

Using Application Monitor Templates

347

Scanning Nodes for Applications

347

Manually Assign Application Monitors

349

Creating New Templates

351

Managing Templates

352

Multi-Edit Templates

354

Understanding Component Monitors and Application Monitor Templates

359

Requirements for Component Monitors and Templates that use WMI

361

Monitoring External Nodes

365

Custom Application Monitor Template Example: Creating a SolarWinds SAM Template

365
Web Service Monitoring

368

JMX Component Monitor Wizard

368

Available Data Transformations

369

Conversion Value
Chapter 14: Asset Inventory

371
373

Asset Inventory Requirements

374

Third Party Software Required for Asset Inventory Information

375

Asset Inventory Data Collection

375

Enabling the Asset Inventory Dashboard

376

Viewingthe Asset Inventory Dashboard

377

Custom Asset Information

378

Drivers

379

Firmware

380

Graphics and Audio

380

Hard Drives

381

Hosted Virtual Machines

382

Logical Volumes

382

Memory

383

Network Interfaces

384

Operating System Updates Applied

384

Out of Band Management

385

Peripherals

385

Ports and USB Controllers

386

Processors

386

Removable Media

387

Software Inventory

387

Storage Controllers

388

System Information

388

Windows Update Information

390

Chapter 15: AppInsight Applications

392

Template/Application Relationship

392

AppInsight for SQL

394

AppInsight for SQL Requirements and Permissions

395

AppInsight for SQL Licensing

397

Adding AppInsight for SQL to a Node

398

Adding a Named Instance

400

Editing the AppInsight for SQL Template

404

Understanding the AppInsight for SQL Details View

405

Navigating the AppInsight for SQL Details View

407

Monitoring Clusters with AppInsight for SQL

410

AppInsight for SQL Alerts

413

AppInsight for SQL Details View (Summary Tab)

414

AppInsight for SQL Details View (Queries Tab)

470

Database Details View

471

AppInsight for Exchange

508

AppInsight For Exchange Licensing

509

AppInsight for Exchange Requirements and Permissions

510

Quick Configuration and Navigation

512

Advanced Manual Configuration

521

Attachment Extensions

541

AppInsight for Exchange Alerts

542

AppInsight for Exchange Details View

543

AppInsight for Exchange Database Details View

600

AppInsight for Exchange Mailbox Details View

628

Troubleshooting AppInsight for Exchange

634

Troubleshooting Permissions

634

Troubleshooting Exchange Performance Counters

637

Troubleshooting Error Codes in AppInsight for Exchange

640

AppInsight for IIS

656

AppInsight for IISRequirements and Permissions

657

AppInsight For IIS Licensing

658

Understanding the AppInsight for IIS Details View

659

AppInsight for IIS Alerts

661

Quick Configuration and Navigation

665

Manually Configuring AppInsight for IIS

672

Set Execution Policy

675

AppInsight for IIS Application Details View

679

AppInsight for IIS Website Details View

699

AppInsight for IIS Application Pool Details View

716

Troubleshooting AppInsight for IIS

729

Performance Counter Details View

769

Average Site Response Time

769

Performance Counters

770

Performance Counter Details

771

History Chart

772

Chapter 16: The AppStack Environment

774

Introduction to the AppStack Environment View

774

AppStack Categories and Data

779

Understanding AppStack

791

Understanding Status and Colors

792

Understanding Quick Links

793

Understanding Categories

795

Understanding the Overview Bar:

796

Understanding Filtering Options

796

Understanding Filter Properties

797

Understanding Layouts

800

Understanding the AppStack Resource

802

Navigating AppStack

803

Using AppStack

804

Customizing the AppStack Environment View

806

Adding AppStack to a NOC View

808

Chapter 17: Agents

811

Agent Requirements

813

Agent-Initiated (Active) Communication

815

Orion Server-Initiated (Passive) Communication

816

Agent Discovery

817

Add Agent via the Add Node Wizard

818

Windows Core Agent Installation

821

Deploying an Agent

822

Deploying Agent Software via Orion Server Push

822

Deploying the Agent Manually

826

Mass Deploying an Agent:

828

Packaging the Orion Agent for Deployment with Patch Manager

833

Gold Master Image

843

Agent Deployment in the Cloud

845

Agent Settings

852

Managing Agents

855

Editing Agent Settings in the Control Panel

858

Agent Alerting

Understanding Alerts

883

Managing Alerts

884

Managing Actions

885

Introduction to the Alert Wizard

887

Available Alerts

896

Adding Alerts

901

Adding Alert Actions

905

Alert Details

922

Viewing Alerts in the SolarWinds Web Console

928

Acknowledging Alerts in the Web Console

930

Viewing Alerts from Mobile Devices

931

Understanding Condition Groups

932

SolarWinds SAM Alerts

933

Web Console Based Reports

963

Using Predefined Web Console Based Reports

964

Predefined Server & Application Monitor Web Console Based Reports

964

Creating and Editing Web Based Reports

975

Edit Report Screen

977

Creating a Scheduled Report

987

Adding a Custom Table to a Web-Based Report Column

992

Desktop Notification Tool

Chapter 19: Monitoring Quality of Experience

994
998

Introduction

1003

Aggregationwith access to application servers (SPAS)

1004

Aggregation per site

Aggregation per site with access to network (NPAS)

1005
1006

Aggregation per site with access to application servers (SPAS)

Aggregation per computer

1007
1008

Aggregation per computer with access to network (NPAS)

1009

Aggregation per computer with access to application servers (SPAS)

1010

Deploying a Network Sensor

1011

Deploying a Server Sensor

1012

Configuring Nodes and Applications to Monitor

1012

Monitoring QoE Applications

1013

Defining Custom HTTP Applications

1014

Advanced Sensor Configuration

1016

Configuring the Monitored Interface

1016

Configuring the Number of CPU Cores and Allocated Memory

1017

Packet Analysis Sensor Agents

1018

Quality of Experience Resources

1018

All Nodes with QoE Traffic

1018

Application Response Time (Time to First Byte)

1019

Application Response Time (Time to First Byte)

1020

Business Related vs. Social Traffic

1020

Changing an Application Productivity Rating

1021

Data Volume By Application

1021

Data Volume By Node

1022

Network Response Time (TCP Handshake) by Application

1023

Network Response Time (TCP Handshake) by Node

1024

QoE Applications/Nodes Exceeding Thresholds

1025

Quality of Experience Application Details

1026

Quality of Experience Application Stats

1027

Top XX Application Response Time

1028

Top XX Data Volume

1029

Top XX Network Response Time (TCP Handshake)

1030

Top XX Transactions

1031

Traffic By Category

1032

Traffic By Risk Level

1034

Transactions By Node
Chapter 20: Monitoring Hardware Health

1036
1037

Hardware Items Monitored by SAM

1038

Hardware Monitoring and VMware

1038

Accessing Hardware Monitoring Agent Software

1039

Adding Server Hardware Monitoring

1040

Hardware Details

1041

Current Hardware Health Status

1042

Hardware Health Overview Chart

1043

Changing Threshold Values

1044

Hardware Health Chart

1047

Customizing the Hardware Health Chart

1048

Chapter 21: Viewing Performance and Status

1051

Understanding the SAM Application Summary

1051

Understanding SAM Application Details

1053

Understanding SolarWinds SAM Component Details

1054

Understanding SolarWinds SAM Component Settings

1056

Showing SolarWinds SAM Data in Node Details

1056

Customizing SAM Application Summary Views

1057

Customizing Application Details Views

1060

Viewing Node and Application Data in Tooltips

1062

Monitoring Network Events in the Web Console

1063

Viewing Event Details in the Web Console

1063

Acknowledging Events in the Web Console

1064

Understanding Volume Details

1065

Volume Details Resource

1065

Volume Polling Details

1066

Total Disk IOPS

1066

Avg. Disk sec/Transfer

1067

Disk queue length

1069

Avg. Disk Space Used - Today

1070

Percent Disk Space Used - Today

1071

Volume Size

1072

Understanding Interface Details

1079

Interface Details Resource

1080

Percent Utilization

1080

Min/Max Average bps In/Out Chart

1081

Percent Utilization - Line Chart

1082

In/Out Errors and Discards

1084

Total Bytes Transferred

1085

Min/Max/Average Packets In/Out

1086

Chapter 22: Creating Account Limitations

Using the Account Limitation Builder

1089
1089

Creating an Account Limitation

1089

Deleting an Account Limitation

1090

Chapter 23: Managing Processes, Services, Tasks, and Events in Real Time
Real Time Process Explorer

1091
1091

Accessing the Real Time Process Explorer

1092

Monitoring Unmonitored Processes

1094

Using the Real Time Process Explorer

1094

Real Time Process Explorer Alerts

1097

Real Time Process Information in Top XX Alerts

1097

Service Control Manager

1100

Accessing the Service Control Manager

1100

Using the Service Control Manager

1102

Windows Scheduled Task Monitor

1104

Requirements for the Windows Scheduled Task Monitor

1104

Enabling the Windows Scheduled Task Monitor

1105

Accessing the Windows Scheduled Task Monitor

1107

Understanding the Windows Scheduled Task Monitor

1108

Alerting Using Windows Scheduled Task Monitor Macros

1109
1109

Windows Scheduled Task Monitor Returned Status Codes

1110

WTSM Status

1113

Real Time Event Viewer

1114

Accessing the Real Time Event Viewer

1115

Filtering Events

1116

Reading Events

1118

Monitoring Events

1141

Other Trap Variables

1142

Chapter 26: Managing the SolarWinds SAM Database

Using Database Manager

1143
1143

Adding a Server

1149

Database Maintenance

1151

Running Database Maintenance

1151

Migrating your Database

1152

Chapter 27: Creating Custom Properties

Creating a Custom Property

1160
1160

Removing a Custom Property

1162

Importing and Exporting Custom Property Data

1163

Editing Custom Properties

1165

Chapter 28: Additional Polling Engine and Web Console

Understanding How Polling Engines Work

1167
1167

SolarWinds SAM is Poller-Unaware By Default

1168

SolarWinds SAM Additional Polling Engines are Poller-Aware

1168

Requirements for Installing an Additional Polling Engine

1169

Installing an Additional Polling Engine

1170

Installing an Additional Web Console

1172

Chapter 29: Orion Variables and Examples

1174

Variable Construction

1174

Variable Modifiers

1175

Orion Alert Variables

1175

General Alert Variables

1176

Date Time

1177

Group Variables

1179

SQL Query

1181

Status Values

1199

Chapter 30: Status Icons and Identifiers

1200

Chapter 31: SolarWinds Variables and Examples

1202

Variable Modifiers

1202

95th Percentile Calculations

1203

Regular Expression Pattern Matching

1204

Alert Engine Variables

1211

General

1211

Date/Time

1212

Group Variables

1213

SQL Query

1215

Status Variables

1216

Node Variables

1236

Other Trap Variables

1236

Trap Date/Time Variables

1237

Script Macros

1239

Node Custom Property Macros

1240

Application Custom Property Macros

1240

Baseline Threshold Macros

1240

Chapter 31: Interface Variables and Errors

1241

Interfaces

1241

Interface Traffic

1242

Interface Errors

1244

Chapter 32: Network Atlas

1245

What is in a Map?

1250

Interpreting Map Links

1250

Using Anchor Points to Reshape Map Links

1251

Adding a Background

1251

Saving Maps

1264

Advanced Map Layouts

1265

Displaying Grid Guides

1265

Aligning Map Objects

1266

Distributing Map Objects

1266

Selecting Automatic Layout Styles

1267

Map Properties

1268

Network Atlas Settings

1269

Network Atlas Tooltip Variables

1270

Application Variables

1270

Application Component Monitor Variables

1271

Date and Time Variables

1272

General Variables

1273

Node Variables

1274

Volume Variables

1280

Wireless Variables

1281

Group Variables
Chapter 33: Configuring Automatic Login

1282
1284

Using Windows Pass-through Security

1284

Passing Login Information Using URL Parameters

1286

Using the DirectLink Account

1287

Chapter 34: Component Monitor Types

1288

DHCP User Experience Monitor

1289

Directory Size Monitor

1291

DNS Monitor - TCP

1293

DNS User Experience Monitor

1294

DNS Monitor - UDP

1296

Download Speed Monitor

1297

Exchange Web Services User Experience Monitor

1298

File Age Monitor

1300

File Count Monitor

1302

File Existence Monitor

1304

File Change Monitor

1305

File Size Monitor

1307

FTP User Experience Monitor

1308

FTP Monitor

1311

HTTP Form Login Monitor

1312

HTTP Monitor

1316

HTTPS Monitor

1319

IMAP4 Monitor

1323

IMAP4 User Experience Monitor

1324

JMX Monitor

1326

LDAP User Experience Monitor

1328

Linux/Unix Script Monitor

1330

MAPI User Experience Monitor

1332

Nagios Script Monitor

1335

NNTP Monitor

1337

ODBC User Experience Monitor

1338

Oracle User Experience Monitor

1341

Performance Counter Monitor

1346

POP3 Monitor

1349

POP3 User Experience Monitor

1351

Process Monitor - SNMP

1352

Process Monitor - WMI

1354

RADIUS User Experience Monitor

1356

Service Status SNMP

1357

SMTP Monitor

1358

SNMP Monitor

1360

SOAP Component Monitor

1361

SQL Server User Experience Monitor

1365

SSL Certificate Expiration Date Monitor

1367

TACACS+ User Experience Monitor

1369

TCP Port Monitor

1370

Tomcat Server Monitor

1371

VMware Performance Counter Monitor

1374

Web Link Monitor

1378

Windows Event Log Monitor

1380

Windows PowerShell Monitor

1384

Windows Script Monitor

1386

Windows Service Monitor

1389

WMI Monitor

1390

Chapter 35: Filter Syntax Reference

Filter Syntax

1393
1393

SWQL Filter Syntax Examples

1394

SQL Filter Syntax Examples

1395

SWQL Resource Matrix

1396

EOC Filters

1396

IVIM Filters

1406

SolarWinds SAM Filters

1408

Configuring and Integrating

1411

JMX

1411

JConsole

1412

Adding a JMX Component Monitor to SAM

1414

Configuring Java Applications Servers for JMX

1417

Configuring Java Virtual Machines for SNMP

1433

Enabling Java SNMP monitoring for Weblogic

1454

Installing the Basic Lite Oracle Client

1460

Adding an Oracle Database Server to SAM

1463

Monitoring an Oracle Database on an Existing Node

1470

Getting the Required Settings

1474

Troubleshooting

1477

PowerShell

1492

PowerShell and SAM: Configuration and Usage

1493

PowerShell Templates and Monitors

1500

PowerShell Code with SAM

1504

Remote Execution vs. Local Execution

1508

Execute Scripts Remotely via Secure WinRM

1510

PowerShell 2.0 Remoting Requirements

1511

PowerShell 2.0 Remoting Configuration

1512

Remoting Client/SAM Computer Configuration

1523

Communicate with Remoting Host

1530

Setup Windows PowerShell Monitor in SAM

1532

LDAP

1535

LDAP Key Terms and Components

1535

Basic LDAP Syntax

1536

The LDAP User Experience Monitor

1538

Integrating the LDAP User Experience Monitor

1539

How To...

1543

How To Add and Manage Resources in a Page View

1543

How To Change the Width and Number of Columns in a Page View

1545

How To Disable Asset Inventory Data Collection

1545

How to Handle Microsoft Server Clusters in AppInsight for SQL

1545

AppInsight for SQL: Create an alert trigger based on how much available space
1546
is occupied by actual data in the database.
How to Remove an Application Template from Multiple Nodes

1546

How to Monitor Multiple Instances of Sqlservr.exe

1546

How to Restart a Windows Service with an Alert Action

1547

How to Wrap a VBScript Around an Executable File

1548

How to Control Whether Alerts are Repeated or Suppressed if a Condition Still

Exists

1564

Verify Administrator Credentials

1567

Enable Remote Procedure Call (RPC)

1567

Configure Distributed Component Object Model (DCOM) and User Account Control (UAC)
1567
Enabling DCOM

1568

Enabling Account Privileges in WMI

1569

Disabling Remote User Account Control for Workgroups

1569

Add a Windows Firewall Exception for Remote WMI Connections

1570

Do You Need an Additional Polling Engine?

1570

Verify SAM Component Configuration

1571

Service reporting, "Invalid Class"

1571

WMI is Still Not Working. Now What?

1572

Troubleshooting Hardware Health

1573

Hardware Prerequisite Checklist

1573

Hardware Troubleshooting Flowchart

1575

Troubleshooting an SNMP Node

1576

Troubleshooting a WMI Node

1578

Troubleshooting a VMWare Node

1580

Troubleshooting AppInsight for Exchange

1582

Troubleshooting Permissions

1582

Troubleshooting Exchange Performance Counters

1585

Troubleshooting Error Codes in AppInsight for Exchange

1588

Troubleshooting AppInsight for IIS

1603

Troubleshooting Agents

1644

Here is a list of fundamental terms with which you should be familiar. A tree-like
map is also provided to visualize how SAM operates.

Chapter 1: Introduction

Component Monitor A component monitor is the fundamental element of an

application. Component monitors return the current status or value of a monitored
service or process. All component monitors return at least one value or one status
condition.
Node - A node is considered to be any endpoint of a given network. For example,
any server or computer on a network is considered a node. Sometimes a node is
referred to as a device.
Application - An application in SolarWinds SAM is a collection of component
monitors.
Template - A template is the blueprint for an application. It is a collection of
component monitors designed to monitor a server or application. You can
customize numerous templates using only the component monitors you need for a
specific environment.
The type of information returned by the component monitor is based upon the type
of monitor being utilized. For example, one type of monitor can report the up or
down status of a service or process, another monitor can return the percentage of

How Does SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor Work?

free space of a volume. Another type of component monitor can return up to ten
values. Each monitor type, along with its parameters and returned values and/or
states, is unique.
Each node, along with its applications and component monitors, can be viewed
from the SolarWinds SAM web console as shown in the diagram below. The view
can be customized to suit your needs.

How Does SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor Work?

Using UDP, TCP, SNMP, and WMI calls to your network framework and
application servers, SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor provides real time
feedback on your applications and trending through statistics stored in the Orion

Chapter 1: Introduction
database. Keeping with the SolarWinds common components infrastructure, there
are no agents installed on your servers and no remote software to maintain. All
calls are made in real time and displayed on a Web Console accessible from any
supported browser.
As a standalone product, SAM's operations can be visualized with the following
flowchart:

Installed as a module in your family of SolarWinds products, SAM can be

visualized with the following flowchart:

Application Availability and Status

On any given poll, an applications availability is either 100% or 0% based on the
status of the application.Availability is 100% if the application status is available,
warning, or critical. For any other status on that poll, SAM marks the availability at
0%.
The status of an application is determined by the worst status of the individual
component monitors for that application. For example, if one component for an
application is down, then the application is marked as down. If one component is
in a warning state and the rest of the components are up, then the application is
given a warning status.

Chapter 1: Introduction
With respect to how an applications availability is calculated over time, SAM
aggregates the availability values to Hourly/Daily tables during database
maintenance, which is how the average is calculated. Availability for component
monitors is calculated in the same way.

Chapter 2:
Requirements and Installation
Installing SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor (SolarWinds SAM) is a wizard
driven process. Resource and space requirements are reasonable, and most
deployments do not require hardware updates to your SolarWinds Server.
This chapter discusses:
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Requirements for SolarWinds SAM

FIPS Support
Server Sizing
SNMP Requirements for Monitored Devices
Upgrading SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor
Installing SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor
Activating Your License
Finishing SolarWinds SAM Installation
Excluding SolarWinds Data Directories from Anti-Virus Scanning
Running SolarWinds SAM
Internet Explorer Security Settings
Licensing

Requirements for SolarWinds SAM

SolarWinds recommends installing your SolarWinds product on one server, and
installing the Orion database on its own SQL Server. Installations of multiple
SolarWinds SAM servers using the same database are not supported.
Note: Solarwinds does not support installing SAM on domain controllers.
SolarWinds Server Software Requirements
The following table lists minimum software requirements and recommendations
for your SolarWinds server.
Software

Requirements

Chapter 2: Requirements and Installation

Operating
System

Windows Server 2003 R2 SP2, Windows Server 2008 R2, with

IIS in 32-bit mode, Windows 2012, Windows 2012 R2, or
Windows 2012 Datacenter edition. IIS must be installed.
SolarWinds recommends that SolarWinds administrators have
local administrator privileges to ensure full functionality of local
SolarWinds tools. Accounts limited to use of the SolarWinds
Web Console do not require administrator privileges.
Notes:
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Web
Server

SolarWinds does not support production installations of

SolarWinds products on Windows XP, Windows Vista, or
Windows 7 systems.
If you are installing SolarWinds SAM on Windows Server
2003, confirm that your full computer name is no longer
than 15 characters in length. Windows Server 2003 trims
any characters beyond the fifteenth, and this may prevent
SolarWinds services from properly identifying your
SolarWinds server.
For more information, see

Microsoft IIS, version 6.5 and higher, in 32-bit mode.

DNS specifications require that hostnames be composed of
alphanumeric characters (A-Z, 0-9), the minus sign (-), and
periods (.). Underscore characters (_) are not allowed. For more
information, see RFC 952.
Warning: The following Windows accounts, as configured by
IIS 6.5 on Windows Server 2003 R2 SP2 with their default
security settings, are required:
IUSR_<hostname>, as

a member of theGuestsgroup ONLY.

IWAM_<hostname>, as

a member of theIIS_WPG group ONLY.

Disabling these accounts or changing any default settings of

these accounts may negatively affect the operation of your
SolarWinds installation. SolarWinds strongly recommends
against altering these accounts or their settings.
Note: SolarWinds neither recommends nor supports the
installation of any SolarWinds SAM product on the same server

Requirements for SolarWinds SAM

or using the same database server as a Research in Motion

(RIM) Blackberry server.
.NET
.NET Framework versions 3.5 and 4.0 are required.
Framework
SNMP
Trap
Services
Web
Console
Browser

Windows operating system management and monitoring tools

component

Microsoft Internet Explorer version 8 or higher with Active

scripting;
Firefox version 35 or higher (Toolset Integration is not supported on Firefox);
Google Chrome version 39 or higher

SolarWinds Server Hardware Requirements

The following table lists minimum hardware requirements and recommendations
for your SolarWinds server.
Note: Hardware requirements are listed by SolarWinds license level.
Hardware

AL150 - AL500

AL700 AL1500

ALX

CPU
Speed

2.4 GHz

Dual Core 3.0 GHz

Quad Core 3.0 GHz

Note: Dual processor, dual core is recommended.

Hard Drive 4 GB
10 GB
25 GB
Space
Note: A RAID 1 drive for server operating system, SolarWinds
installation, and tempdb files is recommended. The SolarWinds
installer needs 1GB on the drive where temporary Windows
system or user variables are stored. Per Windows standards, some
common files may need to be installed on the same drive as your
server operating system.
Memory

4 GB

6 GB

8 GB

Application 161/SNMP and 443/SNMP. VMware ESX/ESXi Servers are polled

Ports
on 443.
17777/TCP open for SolarWinds module traffic

Chapter 2: Requirements and Installation

17778/ HTTPS open to access the SolarWinds Information Service

API

Requirements for Virtual Machines and Servers

SolarWinds installations on VMware Virtual Machines and Microsoft Virtual
Servers are fully supported if the following minimum configuration requirements
are met for each virtual machine.
Note: SolarWinds strongly recommends that you maintain your SQL Server
database on a separate physical server.
Virtual
SolarWinds Requirements by License Level
Machine
AL700 - AL1500
ALX
Configuration AL50 - AL500
CPU Speed

2.4 GHz

Dual Core 3.0 GHz

Quad Core 3.0

GHz

Allocated
Hard Drive
Space

4 GB

10 GB

25 GB

Memory

4 GB

Network
Interface

Each virtual machine on which SolarWinds is installed should

have its own, dedicated network interface card.

Note: Due to intense I/O requirements, SQL Server should be

hosted on a separate physical server configured as RAID 1+0.
RAID 5 is not recommended for the SQL Server hard drive.
6 GB

8 GB

Note: Since SolarWinds uses SNMP to monitor your network,

if you are unable to dedicate a network interface card to your
SolarWinds server, you may experience gaps in monitoring
data due to the low priority generally assigned to SNMP
traffic.

Requirements for the Orion database Server (SQL Server)

The following table lists software and hardware requirements for your Orion
database server. SolarWinds license levels are provided as a reference.

Requirements for SolarWinds SAM

Requirements AL50 AL500

SQL Server

AL700 AL1500

ALX

SolarWinds supports the following versions of SQLServer:

SQL Server 2008 without SP, with SP1, with SP2, or with
SP3
SQL Server 2008 R2 without SP, with SP1, or with SP2
SQL Server 2012 without SP or with SP1
SQL Server 2014
Notes:
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Due to latency effects, SolarWinds does not recommend

installing your SQL Server and your SolarWinds server
or additional polling engine in different locations across
a WAN. For more information, see SolarWinds Knowledge Base article, Can I install my SolarWinds server
or Additional Polling Engine and my Orion database
(SQL Server) in different locations across a WAN?
Either mixed-mode or SQL authentication must be supported.
If you are managing your Orion database, SolarWinds
recommends you install the SQL Server Management
Studio component.
Use the following database SQL statement to check
your SQL Server version, service pack or release level,
and edition:
select SERVERPROPERTY ('productversion'),
SERVERPROPERTY ('productlevel'), SERVERPROPERTY
('edition')

CPU Speed

2.4 GHz

Dual Core
3.0 GHz

Quad Core 3.0 GHz

Chapter 2: Requirements and Installation

Hard Drive
Space

4 GB

Memory

4 GB

10 GB

25 GB

Note: Due to intense I/O requirements, a RAID 1+0 drive is

strongly recommended the SQL Server database and
SolarWinds data and log files. RAID 5 is not recommended
for the SQL Server hard drive. The SolarWinds installer
needs at least 1GB on the drive where temporary Windows
system or user variables are stored. Per Windows standards,
some common files may need to be installed on drive as your
server operating system.
6 GB

8 GB

Note: SolarWinds recommends additional RAM for

SolarWinds SAM installations utilizing more than 1,000
monitors. For optimal performance in larger ALX
environments, we recommend 8GB of RAM or greater.
Additional memory will improve both performance and
reliability.
Memory and
Additional
Pollers

Each additional poller requires 8GB of additional RAM. For

example, SAM plus 2 additional pollers would require 24GB
of RAM. 3 additional pollers would require 32GB of RAM, and
so on.

PowerShell

SAM's PowerShell Script Monitor works with PowerShell

1.0 and higher for local execution.
Note: PowerShell 2.0 or higher is required for remote
execution.

The Configuration Wizard installs the following required x86 components if they
are not found on your Orion database server:
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Microsoft SQL Server Native Client

Microsoft SQL Server Management Objects

Agent Open Port Requirements:

FIPS Support
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17778 (Active mode):In Active mode, no ports need to be open on the host
where the agent is installed. However, TCP port 17778 must be open on the
Orion server or the additional poller with which the agent is associated. This
port must be opened on the Orion server (inbound) and allowed by the firewall. It is used on a continual basis once the agent has been deployed.
Communication is initiated outbound from the agent to the Orion server.
Important: This requirement is for Active agents only. If Passive agents are
used, no ports need to be opened on the firewall for the Orion server. For
more information, see Changing the Agent Port.
17790 (Passive mode): In Passive mode, port 17790 must be opened on
the host where the agent is installed and allowed by the firewall.

Additional SolarWinds SAM Requirements

Enterprise-level SolarWinds SAM deployments with the potential for more than
1,000 monitors may need additional computing resources above the standards
required for SolarWinds common components:
Component Monitors Additional Requirements
Up to 1,000

No additional requirements

More than 1,000

8+ GB RAM

FIPS Support
FIPS (Federal Information Processing Standard) defines security and
interoperability standards for computers used by the U.S. federal government.
To enable FIPS in the Local Security Policy on Windows:
1. Click Start > Control Panel > System and Security > Administrative Tools,
and then double-click Local Security Policy.
2. Expand the Local Policies category in the left pane, and then click Security
Options.
3. Right-click System Cryptography: Use FIPS compliant algorithms for
encryption, hashing, and signing.
4. In the context menu that is displayed, click Properties.
5. In the Local Security Setting tab, click Enabled and then click OK.
Notes:

Chapter 2: Requirements and Installation

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FIPS can also be enabled as part of Group Policy.

If using the FIPS Manager to enable/disable FIPS, you need to restart your
web browser to apply the new settings.

SolarWinds SAM installations on Windows Server 2008 R2 require a Microsoft

hotfix to realize the FIPS-compatibility features of this release. For more
information about this required Microsoft hotfix, see the article
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/981119. As noted in the KB article, you need to
enable FIPS first before applying the Microsoft hotfix.
If you use component monitors that have not passed FIPS testing, they may not
work properly when FIPS is enabled.
FIPS Manager
SolarWinds does provide a FIPS manager. The default location of this program is
C:\Program Files (x86)\SolarWinds\Orion\SolarWinds.FipsManager.exe.

The FIPS Manager allows you to switch between both Windows and SolarWinds
FIPS compatible mode. (FIPS mode in Windows needs to be disabled manually if
needed).
The following SolarWinds SAM component monitors have passed FIPS testing:
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DHCP User Experience Monitor

Directory Size Monitor
DNS Monitor - TCP
DNS Monitor - UDP
DNS User Experience Monitor
Download Speed Monitor
File Age Monitor
File Count Monitor
File Existence Monitor
File Size Monitor
FTP Monitor
HTTP Form Login Monitor
HTTP Monitor
HTTPS Monitor
IMAP4 Monitor
IMAP4 User Experience Monitor
LDAP User Experience Monitor
Linux/Unix Script Monitor
MAPI User Experience Monitor
NNTP Monitor

Server Sizing
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ODBC User Experience Monitor

Oracle User Experience Monitor
Performance Counter Monitor
POP3 Monitor
POP3 User Experience Monitor
Process Monitor - SNMP FIPS not supported when SNMP is SNMPv3 and
using MD5.
Process Monitor - WMI
SMTP Monitor
SNMP Monitor FIPS not supported when SNMP is SNMPv3 and using
MD5.
SQL Server User Experience Monitor
TCP Port Monitor
Tomcat Server Monitor
Web Link Monitor
Windows Event Log Monitor
Windows Script Monitor

Server Sizing
SolarWinds SAM is capable of monitoring networks of any size, ranging from
small corporate LANs to large enterprise and service provider networks. Most
SolarWinds SAM systems perform well on 3.0 GHz systems with 4 GB of RAM
using default polling engine settings. However, when monitoring larger networks,
you should give additional consideration to the hardware used and the system
configuration.
There are three primary variables that affect scalability. The most important
consideration is the number of monitored components. Monitoring more than
1,000 components may require fine tuning for optimal performance. The second
variable to consider is polling frequency. For instance, if you are collecting
statistics more frequently than the default, the system will have to work harder and
system requirements will increase. Finally, the number of simultaneous users
accessing SolarWinds SAM directly impacts system performance.
When planning a SolarWinds SAM installation, there are four main factors to keep
in mind with respect to polling capacity: CPU, memory, number of polling
engines, and polling engine settings. For minimum hardware recommendations,
see Requirements for SolarWinds SAM on page46. For more information about
polling engines, see Additional Polling Engine and Web Console on page 1167.

Chapter 2: Requirements and Installation

Installing SolarWinds SAM and SQL Server on different servers is highly
recommended, particularly if you are planning on having more that 1,000
component monitors. This scenario offers several performance advantages as the
SolarWinds SAM server does not perform any database processing and it does
not have to share resources with SQL Server.
If you plan to monitor 10,000 or more components, SolarWinds recommends that
you install additional polling engines on separate servers to help distribute the
work load. For more information about sizing SolarWinds SAM to your network,
contact the SolarWinds sales team or visit www.solarwinds.com. For more
information about configuring additional pollers, see Additional Polling Engine
and Web Console on page 1167.

Scalability
Stackable
Pollers Available?

Yes. For SAM6.2 and higher. Two polling engines can be

installed on a single server.

Poller Remotability Available?

Yes, for SAM versions 5.5 and higher

Note: Poller remotability is a feature that enables the local
storage, using MSMQ, of up to ~1 GB of polled data per
poller in the event that the connection between the polling
engine and the database is temporarily lost.

Primary Poller
Limits

~8-10k component monitors per polling engine.

Scalability
Options

One APE for every 8-10k component monitors.

25-50 concurrent Orion Web Console users.

Maximum of 150k component monitors per primary

SolarWinds SAM installation (i.e. 1 SAM server + 14 APEs).
For more information about licensing, see Why are you
licensing by monitors instead of by servers?

WAN and/or
Minimal monitoring traffic is sent between the primary SAM
Bandwidth
server and any APEs that are connected over a WAN. Most
Considerations traffic related to monitoring is between an APE and the
SolarWinds database. Bandwidth requirements depend on
the size of the relevant component monitor. Based on 67.5

SNMP Requirements for Monitored Devices

kB / WMI poll and a 5 minute polling frequency, the estimate

is 1.2 Mbps for 700 component monitors. For more
information, see How do SNMP and WMI polling compare?
Note: WMI is best suited for environments where latency is
< 100ms.
Other Considerations

WMI Security Blog

SNMP Requirements for Monitored Devices

SolarWinds SAM can monitor the performance of any SNMPv1-, SNMPv2c-, or
SNMPv3-enabled device on your network. Consult your device documentation or
a technical representative of your device manufacturer to acquire specific
instructions for configuring SNMP on your device.
Notes:
l To properly monitor devices on your network, you must enable SNMP on all
devices that are capable of SNMP communications.
l Unix based devices should use the configuration of Net-SNMP version 5.5
or higher that is specific to the type of Unix-based operating system in use.
l SolarWinds SAM is capable of monitoring VMware ESX and ESXi Servers
versions 3.5 and higher with VMware Tools installed. For more information
about enabling SNMP and VMware Tools on your VMware device, consult
your VMware documentation or technical representative.
l If SNMPv2c is enabled on a device you want to monitor, by default,
SolarWinds SAM will attempt to use SNMPv2c to poll the device for performance information. If you only want SolarWinds SAM to poll using
SNMPv1, you must disable SNMPv2c on the device to be polled.

Enabling Microsoft Internet Information Services

(IIS)
To host the SolarWinds Web Console, Microsoft Internet Information Services
(IIS) must be installed and enabled on your SolarWinds SAM server. Windows
Server 2003 requires IIS version 6 while Windows Server 2008 requires IIS
version 7, as detailed in the following sections:

Chapter 2: Requirements and Installation

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Enabling IIS on Windows Server 2003

Enabling IIS on Windows Server 2008
AppInsight for IISRequirements and Permissions

Enabling IIS on Windows Server 2003

The following procedure enables IIS on Windows Server 2003.
To enable IIS on Windows Server 2003:
1. Click Start> Control Panel> Add or Remove Programs.
2. Click Add/Remove Windows Components.
3. Confirm that Application Server is checked, and then click Details.

Enabling IIS on Windows Server 2003

4. Confirm that Internet Information Services (IIS) is checked, and then click
Details.

5. Confirm that World Wide Web Service is checked, and then click Details.

Chapter 2: Requirements and Installation

6. Confirm that World Wide Web Service is checked, and then click OK.

7. Click OK on the Internet Information Services (IIS) window, and then click
OK on the Application Server window.
8. Confirm Management and Monitoring Tools is checked and click Details.

Enabling IIS on Windows Server 2008

9. Confirm that both Simple Network Management Protocol and WMI SNMP
Provider are checked, and then click OK.

10. Click Next, and then click Finish when the wizard completes.
Note: You may be prompted to install additional components, to provide
your Windows Operating System media, or to restart your computer.

Enabling IIS on Windows Server 2008

IIS is enabled automatically after the SAM installation and prior to the start of the
Configuration Wizard. If the Configuration Wizard detects that IIS is not installed
on Windows 2008, it installs IIS. The following manual procedure is provided for
Windows Server 2008 in case problems occur with the automatic IIS installation.
To enable IIS on Windows Server 2008:
1. Click Start> All Programs> Administrative Tools> Server Manager.
2. Click Roles.

3. Click Add Roles.

Chapter 2: Requirements and Installation

4. Click Next to start the Add Roles Wizard, and then check Web Server (IIS).

5. If you are prompted to add features required for Web Server (IIS), click
Add Required Features.

Enabling IIS on Windows Server 2008

6. Click Next on the Select Server Roles window, and then click Next on the
Web Server (IIS) window.

7. Confirm that Common HTTP Features> Static Content is installed.

8. Check Application Development> ASP.NET.

9. Click Add Required Role Services.

Chapter 2: Requirements and Installation

10. Check both Security> Windows Authentication and Security> Basic
Authentication.

11. Check Management Tools> IIS 6 Management Compatibility.

12.
13.
14.
15.

Click Next on the Select Role Services window.

Click Install on the Confirm Installation Selections window.
Click Close on the Installation Results window.
If you are currently enabling IIS as part of a SolarWinds SAM installation, restart the SolarWinds SAM installer.

Upgrading SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor

Upgrading NPM and SolarWinds SAM on Your Current Server

SolarWinds recommends creating a backup of your database before starting any
SolarWinds upgrade or installation.
Upgrading NPM and SolarWinds SAM on Your Current Server
Notes:
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Upgrading from SAM 5.5 to 6.0 and greater is supported.

Always upgrade NPM first, then you can upgrade to SAM
If installed together on the same server, SAM and SolarWinds NPM share
the same database.
If installed on different servers, SAM and SolarWinds NPM each require
their own database. You cannot share one database between separate
SAM and SolarWinds NPM servers.

Upgrading NPM and SolarWinds SAM on Your Current Server

To upgrade both SolarWinds NPM and SolarWinds SAM on your current
SolarWinds server:

1. Upgrade SolarWinds NPM

Note: For compatablitiy between specific versions of SolarWinds software,
refer to the following KB article: http://knowledgebase.solarwinds.com/kb/questions/1888/Compatibility+of+SolarWinds+Orion+Products+
2. Install SAM as described in the section, Installing SolarWinds Server &
Application Monitor .
Important: Always upgrade NPM on all SolarWinds servers first. After that is
complete, you can successfully upgrade. Failure to upgrade in the correct order
will result in the Configuration Wizard generating a Database Configuration
Failure error.
For more information, see Installing SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor
in the SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor Administrator Guide.

Upgrading SAM to a New Server While Keeping NPM on Your Current Server
To upgrade SAM to a new server:
1. Back up your current SolarWinds Server.
2. Shutdown SolarWinds NPM and SAM on your current SolarWinds Server.
3. Have your Database Administrator clone your Orion database to a different
name.
Note: To clone your Orion database, use the appropriate version of

Chapter 2: Requirements and Installation

Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio for your database. You can
download this from the Microsoft website if it is not already installed.
4. Uninstall SAMfrom your original SolarWinds Server.
a. Use Add or Remove Programs in Control Panel to remove
SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor.
b. The Configuration Wizard should be run automatically as part of the
uninstallation. If it is not, execute it manually by clicking Start> All
Programs> SolarWinds Orion> Configuration andAutoDiscovery> Configuration Wizard.
c. In the Configuration Wizard, select all components to be modified:
Database, Website, and Services, and then configure them appropriately for your original SolarWinds Server.
d. Ensure that you specify the original database.
e. Delete the SAM folder in the
<drive>:\INETPUB\SOLARWINDS\ORION directory, where <drive>
is the drive letter for the SAM Website Root Directory, for example:
C.
5. Copy the security certificate from the original server to the new server.
6. Install SAM on its new server as described in the section Installing
SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor on page80, and in the Configuration Wizard specify the new cloned database.
For more information, see Installing SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor

Moving SolarWinds SAM to a different server

Migrating SolarWinds SAM to a different server is a process that can take as little
as 30 minutes or as long as several hours, depending on the size of your Orion
database. Consider scheduling an appropriate maintenance window in which to
perform your migration. The process involves deactivating the licenses of your
products, stopping the services, migrating the products, and then uninstalling your
previous installation.

General Requirements
Moving your SolarWinds SAM implementation to a new server requires the
following:
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Server hardware meeting minimum requirements for the new

SolarWindsSAM implementation.
Windows user account credentials that have been granted administrative
rights on both servers.

Database Requirements
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A license reset to register SolarWindsSAM on your new server. You will

need to install SolarWinds License Manager to manage the required license
migration.

Note: Maps and map objects created or edited in SolarWinds Network Atlas are
stored in the Orion database. If the database is successfully migrated, there is no
need to migrate any additional Network Atlas map files.

Database Requirements
Ensure that you comply with the following requirements before you attempt to
modify or back up your existing database:
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SolarWinds SAM version 6.0 and higher requires SQL Server 2008 or
higher.
Install your new database server. The following procedures assume you are
moving your database from one physical server to another and that the management tool (Enterprise Manager, SQL Server Management Studio
Express, or SQL Server Management Studio) is installed on the new database server.
If you want to use a Microsoft SQL Server Express database, recognize that
the database store is limited to 4GB.
Know the sa password to both your existing Orion database server and your
new database server.
Know the credentials to an account with administrator rights on both your
existing Orion database server and your new database server.
Have a maintenance window during which you can safely shutdown your
SolarWinds SAM services. You need to stop data collection to ensure that
your backup file matches your last active database state.

Stopping SAM Services

It is important to stop the SolarWinds SAM services that are currently writing to the
database. This ensures that you do not have data inconsistencies when you bring
your new database server online.
To stop SolarWinds SAM services:
1. Click Start> All Programs> SolarWinds Orion > Advanced Features>
Orion Service Manager.
2. Expand Services.
3. Click each service, except the SQL Server service, and then click Stop.
Notes:

Chapter 2: Requirements and Installation

If you have more than one Polling Engine, you will need to stop each
additional Polling Engine before continuing.
Do not stop the SQL Service. The SQL Service needs to be running in
order to make the necessary changes to the database.

4. Click File> Exit.

Creating a Database Backup File with Database Manager

Complete the following procedure if you want to use Database Manager.
To backup your Orion database using Database Manager:
1. Log on to the computer that hosts your current SolarWinds SAM server.
2. Click Start> All Programs> SolarWinds Orion> Advanced Features>
Database Manager.
3. If your SQL Server is not listed in the left pane, add your server, as
shown in the following steps:
a. Click Add Server.
b. Select the name of the SQL instance from the SQL Server list. If
your server is not listed, type the name or IP address.
c. Select the appropriate authentication type, and then click Connect
to Database Server.
4. Locate and right-click your database in the Database Manager tree in the
left pane, and then click Backup Database.
5. Type a Description of the database backup, and then specify a Backup
Filename, including the path.
Note: Click the ellipsis to directly select the Backup Filename.
6. Select either of the following options:
l If you want to attach your new database backup to the end of
the selected backup file, select Append to the end of the
Backup File.
l If you want to overwrite the selected backup file, select Overwrite Backup File.
7. Click OK.
8. If you are moving the SQL database to the new SolarWinds SAM
server, copy the new backup file to a folder on the new server.
9. Install SolarWinds SAM on the new server, but DO NOT run the Configuration Wizard yet. Reboot the server if prompted, and then register the
software.

Creating a Database Backup File with SQL Server Management Studio

10.
11.

12.
13.

14.

Note: A new license key is required, and you will need to install
SolarWinds License Manager to manage the required license migration.
On the new server, click Start> SolarWinds Orion> Advanced
Features> Database Manager.
If your SQL Server is not listed in the left pane, add your server, as
shown in the following steps:
1. Click Add Server.
2. Select the name of the SQL instance from the SQL Server list. If
your server is not listed, type the name or IP address.
3. Select the appropriate authentication type, and then click Connect
to Database Server.
Locate and right-click on your server in the Database Manager tree in the
left pane, and then click Connect to Server.
If you moved the SQL database to the new server, perform the following
steps:
Note: Database Manager cannot create new folders. Therefore, specify a
path that already exists.
a. Click Database> Restore Database.
b. Click the ellipsis to Select the Database file to Restore.
c. If you want to verify the validity of the selected database, click
Verify.
d. Confirm or edit the name of the restored database in the Restore Database as the following Database name field.
e. If you want to restore the database as .MDF or .LOG files, provide appropriate filenames in the Restore Database in the following MDF and
LOG files fields.
f. Click OK.
Run the Configuration Wizard and specify the existing (or newly restored)
database on the Database setup section of the wizard. When prompted,
click Yes to use the existing database.
Note: Do not skip tabs or deviate from the tab order. Click Start, and then
click Continue to complete the wizard in order. Completing tabs out of
order may adversely affect the install process.

Creating a Database Backup File with SQL Server Management Studio

Complete the following procedure if your new database server uses SQL Server
2008.

Chapter 2: Requirements and Installation

To backup your Orion database using SQL Server Management Studio:
1. Log on to the new database server using an administrator account.
2. Click Start > All Programs > Microsoft SQL Server 2008 > SQL Server
Management Studio.
3. Specify the server name of the current Orion database server on the Connect to Server window.
4. If you are using SQL Server Authentication, click SQL Server Authentication in the Authentication field, and then specify your credentials in the
User name and Password fields.
5. Click Connect.
6. In the pane on the left, expand the name of the server hosting the SQL
instance you are using for SolarWinds SAM, and then expand Databases.
7. Right-click the name of your Orion database, and then click Tasks > Back
Up.
8. In the Source area, select Full as the Backup type.
9. In the Backup set area, provide an appropriate Name and Description for
your database backup.
10. If there is not already an appropriate backup location listed in the Destination area, click Add, and then specify and remember the destination path
and file name you provide. This is the location where your backup is stored.
Note: Remember, if your database is on a remote server, as recommended,
this backup file is also created on the remote database server. It is not created locally.
11. Click Options in the Select a page pane on the left.
12. In the Reliability area, check Verify backup when finished.
13. Click OK.
14. Copy the .bak file from your current Orion database server to your new database server.

Restoring a Database Backup File for SQL Express Server

Complete the following procedure if you are restoring your Orion database
backup file to a database server running SQL Express Server.
Note: Remember that SQL Express has a 4GB data store limitation. If at all
possible, consider using a production version of SQL Server.

Restoring a Database Backup File for SQL Server 2008

To restore your database backup file on a server running SQL Express
Server:
1. Log on to the new database server using an administrator account.
2. Click Start > All Programs > Microsoft SQL Server 200X > SQL Server
Management Studio Express.
3. Click File > Connect Object Explorer.
4. Specify the name of the new Orion database server on the Connect to
Server window.
5. If you are using SQL Server Authentication, click SQL Server Authentication
in the Authentication field, and then specify your credentials in the User
name and Password fields.
6. Click Connect.
7. Click the name of your server to view an expanded list of objects associated
with your server.
8. Click Databases, and then click Restore Database.
9. Leave To database blank.
10. Click From device, and then browse () to the location of your .bak file.
11. Click Add, and then navigate to the .bak file and click OK.
12. Click OK on the Specify Backup window.
13. Check Restore.
14. Select the name of your database from the To database field. It will now be
populated with the correct name.
15. Click Options in the left Select a page pane, and then check Overwrite the
existing database.
16. Ensure you select a directory that already exists for the files listed in the
Restore As column.
17. Click OK.
18. Open and run the configuration wizard to update your SolarWinds SAM
installation.

Restoring a Database Backup File for SQL Server 2008

Complete the following procedure if you are restoring your Orion database
backup file to a database server running SQL Server 2008.
To restore your database backup file on a server running SQL Server 2008:
1. Log on to the new database server using an administrator account.
2. Click Start > All Programs > Microsoft SQL Server 2008 > SQL Server
Management Studio.
3. Click File > Connect Object Explorer.

Chapter 2: Requirements and Installation

4. Specify the name of the new Orion database server on the Connect to
Server window.
5. If you are using SQL Server Authentication, click SQL Server Authentication in the Authentication field, and then specify your credentials in the
User name and Password fields.
6. Click Connect.
7. Click the name of your server to view an expanded list of objects associated
with your server, and then right-click Databases.
8. Click Restore Database.
9. Leave To database blank.
10. Select From device, and then click Browse ().
11. Confirm that File is selected as the Backup media.
12. Click Add.
13. Navigate to the .bak file, select it, and then click OK.
14. Click OK on the Specify Backup window.
15. In the Destination for restore area, select the name of your database from
the To database field.
Note: The To database is now populated with the correct name.
16. Check Restore next to the database backup you are restoring.
17. Click Options in the left Select a page pane.
18. Check Overwrite the existing database (WITH REPLACE).
19. For each Original File Name listed, complete the following steps to ensure a
successful restoration:
Log on to the new database server using an administrator account.
20. Select Leave the database ready to use by rolling uncommitted transactions(RESTORE WITH RECOVERY), and then click OK.
21. Open and run the configuration wizard to update your SolarWinds SAM
installation.
Note: Due to the nature of security identifiers (SIDs) assigned to SQL
Server 2008 database accounts, SolarWinds recommends that you create
and use a new account for accessing your restored Orion database on the
Database Account window of the SolarWinds Configuration Wizard.

Updating SolarWinds SAM to Use the New Database Server

In general, SolarWinds recommends that you use SQL Server Authentication with
the sa login and password to ensure that SolarWinds SAM can always access
your SQL Server database, even when it is hosted remotely on a separate server.

Reassigning Nodes
To update SolarWinds SAM to use a new database:
1. Log on to your SolarWinds SAM server.
2. Click Start> All Programs> SolarWinds Orion> Configuration and
Auto-Discovery> Configuration Wizard.
3. Check Database, and then click Next.
4. Specify your new database server in the SQL Server field.
5. If you want to use SQL authentication, check Use SQL Server Authentication, and then provide the appropriate credentials.
Note: SolarWinds recommends that you use the sa login and password for
your database server to ensure that you are able to properly configure the
Orion database user account.
6. Click Next.
7. Select Use an existing database, select or type the Existing Database
name, and then click Next.
8. If you are prompted to use the existing database, click Yes.
9. Select Create a new account, and then provide a New Account name.
Notes:
l Creating a new account ensures that SolarWinds SAM has required
access to your migrated database.
l The New Account must be a member of the securityadmin server role.
l The sysadmin role and the sa user account are always members of
securityadmin.
10. Provide and confirm an account Password.
11. Click Next to start database configuration, and then click Finish to exit the
Configuration Wizard.

Reassigning Nodes
If a new name is used for the new SolarWindsSAM server, it is added to the
database as a new polling engine. All current nodes remain assigned to the old
polling engine name and must be reassigned to the new polling engine, as
shown in the following procedure.
To reassign items to the new polling engine:
1. Click Start> All Programs> SolarWinds Orion > Advanced Features>
Orion Service Manager.
2. Stop all SolarWinds services.
Notes:
l If you have more than one Polling Engine, you will need to stop each
additional Polling Engine before continuing.

Chapter 2: Requirements and Installation

Do not stop the SQL Service. The SQL Service needs to be running in
order to make the necessary changes to the database.
Click File> Exit
Click Start> SolarWinds Orion> Database Utilities> Database
Manager.
Expand your SQL Server in the tree.
Expand the Orion database.
Note: By default, this database is named NetPerfMon.
Right-click on the Engines table, and then click Query Table.
Click Refresh to display the table entries.
Select Read-Write (Results can be edited).
l

3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

10. Replace the value in the ServerName field for the old polling engine with
the server name of the new polling engine. In the previous graphic, the
OLD-SERVER is renamed NEW-SERVER.
Note: It is not necessary to update the IP field. The next time the service is
started, SolarWinds SAM discovers the new IP address, and the IP field is
updated automatically.
11. Delete the newly added engine from the table (EngineID: 2 in this example)
by clicking on the blank area to the left of the row to select it. Right-click any-

Moving SolarWinds SAM Security Certificates to a New Server

where in the selected row, and then click Delete Selected Rows.

12. Click Yes when prompted to confirm deleting the row.

Note: The final result will display the new server name with the IP address
of the old server. The next time the service starts, the IP field will be updated
with the IP address of the new server.
13. Close Database Manager.

Moving SolarWinds SAM Security Certificates to a New Server

SolarWinds SAM encrypts your sensitive data with a security certificate stored on
the original SolarWinds SAM server. To grant a new server access to this
encrypted data, you must copy the original security certificate to the new server.
Warning: If you do not replicate the original certificate, SolarWinds SAM on the
new server cannot access any credentials used by your component monitors, and
all of those component monitors will fail.
To replicate the original certificate:
1. Export the credential from the original server.
a. On the Start Menu, click Run, type MMC, and then click OK.
b. On the File menu, click Add/Remove Snapin, and then click Add.
c. Select Certificates and then click Add.
d. Select Computer account and then click Next.
e. Select Local computer and then click Finish.
f. Click Close.
g. Click OK.
h. Expand the Certificates (Local Computer)> Personal > Certificates
group.

Chapter 2: Requirements and Installation

i. Right-click SolarWinds Agent Provision (if present), and
SolarWinds-Orion, point to All Tasks on the shortcut menu, and then
click Export.
j. Click Next in the Certificate Export Wizard.
k. Select Yes, export the private key, click Next, and then click Next
again.
l. Type and confirm a password for this private key, and then click Next.
m. Specify the file name to which you want to save the certificate, click
Next, and then click Finishthe certificate is saved with a .pfx file
name extension.
2. Copy the .pfx certificate file to the new server.
3. Import the certificate to the new server.
a. On the Start Menu, click Run, type MMC, and then click OK.
b. On the File menu, click Add/Remove Snapin, and then click Add.
c. Select Certificates, and then click Add.
d. Select Computer account, and then click Next.
e. Select Local computer, and then click Finish.
f. Click Close.
g. Click OK.
h. Expand the Certificates (Local Computer) group.
i. Expand the Personal group.
j. Expand the Certificates group.
k. If there is a SolarWinds SAM Engine item in the list, right-click
SolarWinds Agent Provision and SolarWinds-Orion and select
Delete from the shortcut menu.
l. Right-click the CertificatesPersonalCertificates node, point to All
Tasks in the shortcut menu, and then click Import.
m. Click Next in the Certificate Import Wizard.
n. Specify the .pfx certificate file you copied to the server and then click
Next.
o. Enter the password for the private key, check Mark this key as exportable, and then click Next.
p. Select Place all certificates in the following store, and then select
Personal as the Certificate Store.
q. Click Next and then click Finish.

Activate and maintain your licenses

Before you begin:
l

SolarWinds License Manager must be installed on the same computer as the

products to be migrated.
Your computer must have access to the internet.

Install License Manager

Warning: You must install License Manager on a computer with the correct time. If the time
on the computer is even slightly off, in either direction, from Greenwich Mean Time (GMT),
you cannot reset licenses without contacting SolarWinds Customer Service. Time zone
settings neither affect nor cause this issue.

Install License Manager via SolarWinds user interface

1. Click Start > All Programs > SolarWinds > SolarWinds License Manager Setup.
2. Run the installation wizard as instructed.
To download and install the latest version of the LicensManager: Navigate to
http://solarwinds.s3.amazonaws.com/solarwinds/Release/LicenseManager/LicenseManag
er.zip.

Activate your licenses with the License Manager

1. Start the License Manager in your SolarWinds program folder.
2. Click Activate next to the appropriate SolarWinds product.
3. Select whether you have access to the Internet or whether you want to activate your
license offline.
Activate licenses online
1. Launch the Activation Wizard and complete the following steps:
2. Select, I have Internet access...
3. Find your activation key in the customer portal, and provide it in the Activation Key field.
a. Navigate to https://customerportal.solarwinds.com, and then log in
using your Customer ID and password, or your individual user
account information.
Note: If you do not know your SolarWinds Customer ID and password or individual profile details, contact Customer Support at
http://www.solarwinds.com/support/ticket/serviceticket.aspx.
b. Under Licensing Management, select License Management.
c. Navigate to the appropriate SolarWinds product, and then click [+]
next to the product to display your activation key.

d. Copy your unregistered activation key for the appropriate SolarWinds

product to the clipboard, and then paste it into the Activation Key field
on the Activate window.
4. Click Next and complete the Activation Wizard.
Activate licenses offline
1. From the Activate SAM screen, select, This server does not have Internet
access, and click Next.
2. From the Activate Product window, click Copy Unique Machine ID to finalize
your registration.
3. Paste the copied data into a new document in a text editor, and then save
the text document.
4. Transfer the document to a computer with Internet access. For example,
transfer the document to a shared location.
5. Log on to the SolarWinds customer portal and find your activation key:
a. Navigate to https://customerportal.solarwinds.com from a computer
with Internet access, and then log in using your Customer ID and password, or your individual user account information.
Note: If you do not know your SolarWinds Customer ID and password
or individual profile details, contact Customer Support at http://www.solarwinds.com/support/ticket/serviceticket.aspx.
b. Click License Management.
c. Browse to the appropriate SolarWinds product, and then click Manually Register License.
d. Provide the Unique Machine ID you transferred earlier, and then download your license key.
e. Transfer the license key to a shared location.
6. Return to the offline computer where you have been running the activation
wizard and browse to the shared License Key File location from the Activate
Product window, and then click Next.
4. Provide your customer data, and then complete the Activation Wizard, and then click
Next.
5. Click Finish when your license is activated.
6. Review and record the information provided on the License Status window, and then
click Close.

Additional Licensing Tasks

Deactivate a SolarWinds license and register it on another computer
1. Log on to the computer where the currently licensed SolarWinds product is installed.
2. Click Start > All Programs > SolarWinds > SolarWinds License Manager.
3. Select the products you want to deactivate on this computer, then click Deactivate, and
then confirm your decision.

Deactivated licenses are now available to activate on a new computer. If you have
deactivated a license on an offline computer, or if you do not have active maintenance,
contact Customer Support at [email protected] to be able to reuse the
available license.

Upgrade a currently installed license

1. Start the License Manager from the SolarWinds Program group.
2. Click Upgrade in the Action column next to the products for which you want to
upgrade the license on this computer.
3. Complete the Activation Wizard to upgrade your license.

Synchronize licenses
For most SAM licenses (Gen3 licenses), you can synchronize the data available on your
customer portal with the data in the License Manager.
Synchronizing might include:
l
l

Updating the maintenance end date

Registering the license anew, if it was reset

Synchronize a currently installed license with the SolarWinds Customer Portal:

1. Start the License Manager from the SolarWinds Program group.
2. Select the product whose license you want to synchronize, and then click Synchronize.
3. Click Synchronize again in the Synchronize Licenses window.

Migrate licenses with License Manager

You must run License Manager on the computer where the currently licensed SolarWinds
products are installed before you can migrate licenses to a new installation. The following
procedure deactivates currently installed licenses that can then be transferred to a new
installation.
Deactivate currently installed licenses:
1. Click Start> All Programs> SolarWinds> SolarWinds License Manager.
2. Check the products you want to deactivate on this computer, then click Deactivate.
3. Specify your SolarWinds Customer ID and password when prompted, and then click
Deactivate.
When you have successfully deactivated your products, log on to the computer on which
you want to install your products, and then begin installation. When asked to specify your
licenses, provide the appropriate information. The license you deactivated earlier is then
assigned to the new installation.

Chapter 2: Requirements and Installation

Upgrading SolarWinds APM when SolarWinds Failover Engine is

Installed
Prior to attempting this upgrade you should read the entire procedure.
On the primary/active server:
Note: If the secondary server is the active server, omit step 1 below.
1. Switch active server to secondary, shutdown Failover Engine on
primary server. Using the SolarWinds Orion Failover Manager, select the
secondary (passive) server and click Make Active. Wait for the secondary
server to become active. After that stop Stop Orion Failover Engine from context menu of tray icon.
2. Shutdown Orion Failover Engine on the secondary (active) server. Stop
Orion Failover Engine on the secondary (active) server leaving the protected applications running from context menu of tray icon.
On the secondary server:
1. Upgrade the desired SolarWinds product :
a. Install theSolarWinds Update by running the setup program.
b. If asked, reboot the server. After the reboot is complete, shutdown
the Failover Engine and proceed with the Configuration Wizard.
c. Verify that SolarWinds is operational.
2. If the upgrade procedure was successful, proceed to step 4.
3. If Upgrade on the secondary server fails:

Upgrading SolarWinds APM when SolarWinds Failover Engine is Installed

a. Research the cause of the upgrade failure.
b. If the issue can be resolved, then it is safe to proceed with the
upgrade procedure. Otherwise, you can revert to a previous version.
c. To revert to a previous version:
i. Uninstall the upgraded components.
ii. On the secondary server, launch the SolarWinds Failover
Engine.Configure the Server wizard and click on the
Machine tab. Change the Current role to Secondary/passive.
iii. Reboot the server.
iv. SolarWinds Failover Enginewill start andSolarWinds will be
stopped.
v. On the primary server, launch the SolarWinds Failover
Engine. Configure the Server wizard and click on the
Machine tab. Change the Current role to Primary/active.
vi. Restart SolarWinds Failover Engine on the primary server
and allow the system to synchronize.
vii. Start SolarWinds Failover Manager and check that the system completes the full system check.
Needs to be updated:
l
l

SQL is already updated, needs reverting.

SolarWinds is not able to uninstall/upgrade, needs repair of the previous
release.

4. Change the server role to Secondary/passive:

a. Start the Failover Engine in the context menu of the tray icon.
b. Stop the Failover Engine, including stopping all protected applications in the context menu of the tray icon.
c. Wait until all protected services are stopped.
d. Launch the Configure Server wizard and then click on the Machine
tab. Change the Current role to Secondary/passive.
e. Start the Failover Engine to enable the packet filter.
f. Shutdown Failover Engine.
On the primary Server (assuming a successful upgrade of secondary completed):
5. Perform upgrade on primary:
a. Disable Neverfail Packet Filter Driver on Public NIC

Chapter 2: Requirements and Installation

b.
c.
d.
e.

1. Open Properties of the Public Network Adapter.

l (e.g. in Network Connections window, accessible via
Control Panel, right click the Public Network Adapter
and select Properties)
2. Uncheck the Neverfail Packet Filter Driver item on the list
and close the window by clicking OK.
Install the SolarWinds Update by running the setup program.
If asked, reboot the server now. After the reboot is complete, shutdown Failover Engine and proceed with the Configuration Wizard.
Verify that SolarWinds is operational.
Enable the Neverfail Packet Filter Driver on Public NIC
1. Open Properties of the Public Network Adapter.
l (e.g. in Network Connections window, accessible via
Control Panel, right click the Public Network Adapter
and select Properties)
2. Check the Neverfail Packet Filter Driver item on the list and
close the window by clicking OK.

6. Resume the Failover Engine:

a. Start the Failover Engine on the Primary Server.
b. Launch the Failover Manager on the Primary Server and make the
Primary Server Active using the Make Active button.
c. Start Failover Engine on the Secondary server.
d. Start Replication using the Start Replication button in the Failover Manager.
7. License SolarWinds
a. If applicable, license the application(s) on the Active (Primary)
server.
8. IfSolarWinds fails to start on the secondary server, follow the steps below:
1. Shutdown the Failover Engine.
2. Launch the Configure Server wizard and set the secondary server role to
passive.
3. Startthe Failover Engineon the secondary server.
4. Start the Configure Server wizard on the primary server and set the server
role to active.
5. Startthe Failover Engineon the primary server.
6. Launch theSolarWinds Orion Failover Managerand verify that the system
completes the Full System Check.
7. Investigate the cause of the SolarWinds failure on the secondary server.

Installing SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor

SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor offers an intuitive wizard to guide you
through installing and configuring the product. If you are performing a clean install
of SolarWinds SAM and also want to install SolarWinds NPM, you should install
SolarWinds NPM version 10.2.2 or higher. For more information, see Installing
SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor in the SolarWinds Network
Performance Monitor Administrator Guide.
To install or upgrade SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor:
1. Using an account with local administrative privileges, log on to the
SolarWinds server on which you want to install SolarWinds SAM. To avoid
permissions issues, this account should not be a domain account, and
it should not be subject to any local or group policy restrictions.
2. If you downloaded the product from the SolarWinds website, complete
the following steps:
Using an account with local administrative privileges, log on to the
SolarWinds server on which you want to install SolarWinds SAM. To avoid
permissions issues, this account should not be a domain account, and
it should not be subject to any local or group policy restrictions.
3. If you are prompted to install any required components, such as
Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 or Microsoft ASP.NET 2.0 AJAX Extensions, click Install and then complete the component installation.
Note: Downloading and installing Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 may take
a long time, depending on your existing system configuration.

Chapter 2: Requirements and Installation

4. Review the Welcome text, and then click Next.

5. If the InstallShield Wizard detects that Microsoft Internet Information

Services (IIS) is not installed, suspend installation, quit setup, and then
install Internet Information Services (IIS).
6. If you had to install Internet Information Services (IIS), launch the
SolarWinds evaluation executable again.
7. Accept the terms of the license agreement, and then click Next.

Installing SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor

8. Accept the default install location, or navigate to a different location, and
then click Next.

9. Select either the Express Install Recommended option or the Advanced

Install option, and then click Next.
Important: The Express Install option is only available in the evaluation
version. The Full Install version does not include SQL server

Chapter 2: Requirements and Installation

10. Click Next to start copying files. Installation begins.

11. After files are copied and installed, configuring begins automatically.

12. Click Finish to exit the Configuration Wizard.

Uninstalling SAM

13. Type Admin in the User Name field, and then click LOGIN.

14. The Network Sonar Wizard is displayed. Click Cancel and then confirm that
you want to cancel the network discovery by clicking OK.
Note: The wizard can be used to discover a set of nodes in your network.
You will use it later in this guide.

Uninstalling SAM
The following procedure fully uninstalls SAM and deletes the SAM database.

Chapter 2: Requirements and Installation

Notes:
l

This is a general uninstall procedure, and it may differ slightly from version
to version.
This is the recommended procedure when installing daily builds for testing.

To fully uninstall SAM and remove the SAM database:

1. Click Start > Control Panel > Add or Remove Programs.
2. Click SolarWinds Orion Server and Application Monitor..., and then click
Remove.
3. Complete the SAM uninstall wizard.
4. In the Add or Remove Programs window, click SolarWinds Job
Engine..., and then click Remove.
5. Complete the uninstallation of the SolarWinds Job Engine.
6. In the Add or Remove Programs window, click SolarWinds Orion Information Service, and then click Remove.
7. Complete the uninstallation of the SolarWinds Orion Information Service.
8. Click Start > Run...
9. Type regedit, and then click OK.
10. Expand HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > Software.
11. Delete both the SolarWinds and the SolarWinds.net folders.
12. If you are uninstalling Orion SAM from a 64-bit computer, expand HKEY_
LOCAL_MACHINE > Software > Wow6432Node, and then delete both the
SolarWinds and the SolarWinds.net folders.
13. Delete the SolarWinds folder from the Program Files folder on your main
volume. Typically, the Program Files folder is located at C:\Program
Files\.

14. Delete the SolarWinds folder from the Program Files\Common Files folder
on your main volume. Typically, the Common Files folder is located at
C:\Program Files\Common Files\.

15. Delete the SolarWinds website directory. Typically, the SolarWinds website
directory is located in C:\Inetpub\.
16. Delete the SolarWinds folder from the All Users\Application Data\ directory. Typically, this SolarWinds folder is located in C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\.

17. Using your SQL Server tools, delete your Orion database. The Orion database is typically named NetPerfMon, and it can be found in the Databases
folder of your SQL Server management application.
18. Using your SQL Server tools, delete your Orion database user. The Orion
database user can be found by expanding Security > Logins in your SQL
Server management application.

Advanced Installation of SAM

SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor offers an intuitive wizard to guide you
through installing and configuring the product.
To install or upgrade SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor:
l

Using an account with local administrative privileges, log on to the

SolarWinds server on which you want to install SolarWinds SAM. To
avoid permissions issues, this account should not be a domain
account, and it should not be subject to any local or group policy
restrictions.
If you downloaded the product from the SolarWinds website, complete
the following steps:
a. Navigate to the location of your downloaded .zip file, and then
extract the evaluation package to an appropriate location.
b. Launch the SolarWinds SAM evaluation executable.
If you are prompted to install any required components, such as
Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 or Microsoft ASP.NET 2.0 AJAX Extensions, click Install and then complete the component installation.
Note: Downloading and installing Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 may take
a long time, depending on your existing system configuration.
Review the Welcome text, and then click Next.

Chapter 2: Requirements and Installation

If the InstallShield Wizard detects that Microsoft Internet Information

Services (IIS) is not installed, suspend installation, quit setup, and then
install Internet Information Services (IIS).
If you had to install Internet Information Services (IIS), launch the
SolarWinds evaluation executable again.

1. Accept the terms of the license agreement, and then click Next.

2. Accept the default install location, or navigate to a different location, and then
click Next.

Advanced Installation of SAM

3. Select the Advanced Install option, and then click Next.

4. SAM will begin installation, taking you through multiple installation screens.
Click Next as prompted to be taken to the Database Settings of the Configuration
Wizard,

Chapter 2: Requirements and Installation

5. Configure the database for your environment by selecting the appropriate SQL
Server database and Authentication information, and then click Next.

6. Select whether to Create a new database, or Use an existing database, and

then enter the information as needed, then click Next.

Advanced Installation of SAM

7. Select whether to Create a new account, or Use an existing account, and

then enter the account information, then click Next.

If the Website Settings page is displayed, configure the IP Address, Port,

and Website Root Directory as appropriate and select whether you want to
enable automatic login, then click Next.

Chapter 2: Requirements and Installation

8. Ensure that all the services displayed in the Service Settings page are
checked, and then click Next.

9. Review the Configuration wizard Summary page, and then click Next.
10. Click Finish to complete the Configuration Wizard.
Note: If you encounter any issues with the additional polling engine, rerun the
Configuration Wizard on the SolarWinds SAM server.

Activating Your License

To assign nodes to polling engines:
You can assign nodes to the polling engines by selecting the desired Polling
Engine in the Add Node wizard.
You can also perform Poller Load Balancing using the Monitor Polling Engines
tool to assign nodes to polling engines. Click Start> All Programs>
SolarWinds> AdvancedFeatures> Monitor Polling Engines. Then click
Servers > Poller Load Balancing to display a dialog where you can assign
nodes to particular polling engines. For more information, see Understanding
How Polling Engines Work" on page 1167.

Activating Your License

After installing the software through the setup wizard, you are prompted to enter
the license activation key for your product. If you do not have an activation key,
the product runs in a time-limited evaluation mode.
To evaluate the software without a license:
1. Click Continue Evaluation.
To license the software on a server with Internet access:
1. Click Enter Licensing Information.
2. Select I have internet access and an activation key.
3. Click the http://www.solarwinds.com/customerportal link to access the customer portal on the SolarWinds web site.
4. Log on to the portal using your SolarWinds customer ID and password.
5. Click License Management on the left navigation bar.
6. Navigate to your product, choose an activation key from the Unregistered
Licenses section, and then copy the activation key.
7. If you cannot find an activation key in the Unregistered Licenses section, contact SolarWinds customer support.
8. Return to the Activate SAM window, and then enter the activation key in the
Activation Key field.
9. If you access Internet web sites through a proxy server, click I access
the internet through a proxy server, and enter the proxy address and port.
10. Click Next.
11. Enter your email address and other registration information, and then click
Next.

Chapter 2: Requirements and Installation

To license the software on a server without Internet access:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

8.
9.
10.
11.
12.

Click Enter Licensing Information

Select This server does not have internet access, and then click Next.
Click Copy Unique Machine ID.
Paste the copied data into a text editor document.
Transfer the document to a computer with Internet access.
On the computer with Internet access, complete the following steps:
Browse to http://www.solarwinds.com/customerportal/licensemanagement.aspx and then log on to
the portal with your SolarWinds customer ID and password.
Navigate to your product, and then click Manually Register License.
If the Manually Register License option is not available for your product,
contact SolarWinds customer support.
Provide the Machine ID from Step 5, and then download your license key
file.
Transfer the license key file to the server.
Return to the Activate SAM window, browse to the license key file, and then
click Next.

Finishing SolarWinds SAM Installation

After activating your license, you are prompted to configure SolarWinds SAM.
Doing so configures the Orion database, web site, and services to work in your
specific environment.
Follow the directions in the SolarWinds Configuration Wizard:
Notes:
l Confirm that you have designated a SQL Server database instance for
SolarWinds SAM.
l Confirm that the Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager is not open
while the Configuration Wizard is running.
During configuration, the SolarWinds polling engine will shut down temporarily
with the result that, if you are actively polling, you may lose some polling data.
SolarWinds recommends that you perform upgrades during off-peak hours of
network usage to minimize the impact of this temporary polling stoppage.
To configure Server & Application Monitor:
1. If the Configuration Wizard has not loaded automatically, click Start>
All Programs> SolarWinds Orion> Configuration and AutoDiscovery> Configuration Wizard.

Finishing SolarWinds SAM Installation

2. Click Next on the Welcome window of the Configuration Wizard.
3. If you are prompted to stop services, click Yes.
Note: To ensure that all updates and changes are installed correctly, it is
imperative that you stop all services.
4. Specify the SQL Server instance you want to use to store network data.
5. Provide the credentials, if necessary, that are required to log into the selected instance.
Notes:
l If you are using an existing database, the user account needs only
to be in the db_owner database role for the existing database.
l If you are using an existing SQL account, the user account needs
only to be in the db_owner database role for the SolarWinds SAM
database.
The selected instance must support mixed mode or SQL authentication with
strong passwords. A strong password must meet at least three of the following
four criteria:
l
l
l
l

Contains at least one uppercase letter.

Contains at least one lowercase letter.
Contains at least one number.
Contains at least one non-alphanumeric character, e.g., #, %, or ^.

For more information about authentication with strong passwords, see

http://msdn.microsoft.com/ms143705.aspx.
If you are using SQL Express, specify your instance as (local) and use a
strong password. For more information about authentication with strong
passwords, see http://msdn.microsoft.com/ms143705.aspx. Due to its inherent limitations, SolarWinds recommends against the use of SQL Express in
production environments.
l If you are creating a new database, the user account must be a member of
the dbcreator server role. The sysadmin role and the sa user account are
always members of dbcreator.
l If you are creating a new SQL account for use with SolarWinds SAM, the
user account must be a member of the securityadmin server role.
Note: The sysadmin role and the sa user account are always members of
securityadmin.
6. Click Next.
7. If you are creating a new database, select Create a new database,
provide a name for the new database, and then click Next.
l

Chapter 2: Requirements and Installation

8.
9.

10.

11.

12.

13.
14.
15.

16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.

Note: SolarWinds recommends against using non-alphanumeric characters in database names.

If you are using an existing database, select Use an existing database,
type the database name or select it from the list, and then click Next.
If you want to create a new SQL account for the SolarWinds SAM
polling engine and web console to use for accessing the database,
select Create a new account, provide an account name and password,
confirm the account password, and then click Next.
If you want to use an existing SQL account for the SolarWinds SAM
polling engine and web console to use for accessing the database,
select the existing account, provide the appropriate password, and then
click Next.
If you need to specify a particular IP Address for the SolarWinds SAM
Web Console, provide the IP address of the host web server.
Note: SolarWinds recommends the default All Unassigned unless your
environment requires a specific IP address for your SolarWinds Web Console.
Specify both the port through which you want to access the web console
and the volume and folder in which you want to install the web console
files.
Note: If you specify any port other than 80, you must include that port in the
URL used to access the web console. For example, if you specify an IP
address of 192.168.0.3 and port 8080, the URL used to access the web
console is http://192.168.0.3:8080.
Click Next.
If you are prompted to create a new directory, click Yes.
If you are prompted to create a new website, click Yes.
Note: Choosing to overwrite the existing website will not result in the deletion of any custom SolarWinds SAM website settings you may have previously applied.
Confirm that all services you want to install are checked, and then click
Next.
Review the final configuration items, and then click Next.
Click Next on the Completing the SolarWinds Configuration Wizard dialog.
Click Finish when the SolarWinds Configuration Wizard completes.
Log in to the SolarWinds Web Console as an administrator.
Note: By default, you can log in with User Name Admin and no password.
If you have not discovered your network devices and added them to
the Orion database, the Network Discovery Wizard starts.

Excluding SolarWinds Data Directories from Anti-Virus Scanning

Excluding SolarWinds Data Directories from AntiVirus Scanning

Anti-virus programs may lock files used by the SolarWinds Job Engine v2 during
scanning. This can cause the SolarWinds Job Engine v2 services to stop and
restart, causing delayed polling and gaps in data for a poll cycle.
SolarWinds recommends that you exclude certain SolarWinds data directories
(depending on your Windows platform) from your anti-virus scanning to improve
performance and stability:
Exclude for Windows Server 2003:
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application
Data\SolarWinds

Exclude for Windows Server 2008:

C:\ProgramData\SolarWinds

Running SolarWinds SAM

To run SolarWinds SAM:
1. Click Start > All Programs > SolarWinds Orion> Orion Web Console.
The SolarWinds Web Console is displayed. You can login by default by entering
the User name Admin and no password. Then click Login.

Internet Explorer Security Settings

If you are using Internet Explorer, SolarWinds recommends that you add the URL
of your SolarWinds website (http://FullSolarWindsServerName/), the URL of
SolarWinds support (http://support.solarwinds.com), and about:blank to the list of
trusted sites.
If you do not add these URLs to the list of trusted sites, you may see Internet
Explorer dialogs that contain messages similar to the following regarding
blocking website content:
l

Content from the website listed below is being blocked by the Internet
Explorer Enhanced Security Configuration.
To add the specified URLs to your trusted sites list, click the Add button
in the Internet Explorer dialog.

Chapter 2: Requirements and Installation

For more information about adding sites to your trusted sites list, see the Microsoft
article, Working with Internet Explorer Security Settings.

Licensing
The SolarWinds SAM license you purchase is based on the number of allowed
assigned component monitors. A component monitor provides a statistic that you
want to monitor in SolarWinds SAM. You can have as many application templates
and assigned monitors as you need, as long as the number of assigned
component monitors does not exceed the license count.
If you have more assigned component monitors than allowed by your license, the
monitors that exceed your license limit are not activated, and their component
statuses are changed to "Not Licensed." You can either disable some assigned
component monitors to reduce your total assigned monitor count, or contact
SolarWinds about upgrading your SolarWinds SAM license.
How is SAM
licensed?

Available License
Tiers

Questions

Answers

By the
number of
Component
Monitors

AL150 (Up to 150

Component Monitors)

What is a
Component
Monitor?

The value
returned by a
component
monitor is a
measurement
of application
health and
availability
that needs to
be monitored.
It can be a
process, a
service, a
performance
counter, a
port, an URL,
a User
Experience
Monitor, a

AL300
AL700
AL1100
ALX (Unlimited
component monitors
with standard polling
throughput).

Licensing

Nagios script,
and so on.
An
application
typically
consumes
15-25
component
monitors.
The
Windows
Scheduled
Task Monitor
consumes
five (5)
component
monitors per
Windows
server.
AppInsight
for SQL
consumes 50
component
monitors per
database
instance.
AppInsight
for Exchange
consumes 50
component
monitors per
mailbox role
server.
AppInsight
for IIS
consumes 30

Chapter 2: Requirements and Installation

component
monitors per
monitored IIS
server.

Why Component
Monitors, and not
devices?

Monitorbased pricing
is flexible.
Monitorbased pricing
provides a
good
correlation of
price to
value.

Is it always on
component
monitors?

Technically,
it is based on
highest
number of
Nodes,
Volumes,
and
Component
Monitors
(refer to NPM
licensing for
Node &
Volume
definition),
but in almost
every case,
Component
Monitors is

Licensing

the highest
factor. There
may be some
instances
where
Volumes or
Nodes would
be the
highest
factor.
Asset Inventory data collection
Asset Inventory data collection does not count against your SAM component
monitor license.
Windows Scheduled Task Monitor
The WSTM consumes five (5) license units per node.
Agents
Agent software is free. You remain bound by the limits of the license you own
regardless of how you poll information, either via an agent or another protocol.
AppInsight for SQL
When usingAppInsight for SQL, 50 component monitors will count against your
licensed number of component monitors,per SQL instance.
AppInsight for Exchange
When using AppInsight for Exchange, 50 component monitors will count against
your licensed number of component monitors, per Exchange Server.
AppInsight for IIS
When usingAppInsight for IIS, 30 component monitors will count against your
licensed number of component monitors,per monitored IISserver
Important: The example below illustrates a situation where you would have 40
available component monitors available, but have surpassed your allowed
number of 300 monitors by 60. The discrepancy is caused by AppInsight
application implementations. AppInsight applications are licensed as 50 monitors
per application and cannot be partially licensed, as is the case with typical
applications.

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Chapter 2: Requirements and Installation

Note: SolarWinds SAM licenses do not have to mirror the license count of any
other installed SolarWinds product. For example, you can install SolarWinds
SAM with a 150 component license on a SolarWinds NPM server with an
unlimited node license.
To see the available component monitors remaining in your license:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Log on to the SolarWinds Web Console with an administrator account.

Click Applications.
Click SAM Settings.
Click SAM License Summary.
Note: As an alternative to the previous procedure, you can also click
License Details in the Settings page to view the used and available component monitors.

Licensing Information:
l

When using your Customer ID and password, you can use your individual
profile information.
You can get your license information from the customer portal using the customer portal link: https://customerportal.solarwinds.com/ instead of support.solarwinds.com
If you do not know your CustomerID and/or password, navigate to
http://www.solarwinds.com/support/ticket/serviceticket.aspx and request the
desired information.
To get your activation key, navigate to the Customer Portal and click
License Management, then click the plus sign [+].

Deactivation

101

Licensing
If you have deactivation information, you should step through the deactivation
process a second time. You no longer need your Customer ID and password and
will prompted multiple times to confirm that you are sure you want to deactivate
your product.
License Paths
The License Manager will only work for people under active maintenance and
can be downloaded from the customer portal. You can activate or deactivate your
products using the License Manager, as well as see all products you have
installed on that computer.

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Chapter 3:
Common Tasks with SolarWinds
SAM
The features and flexibility provided by Server & Application Monitor give highly
detailed insight into the performance quality of applications on your network. The
tasks presented in this chapter illustrate the value of Server & Application Monitor,
and how it can immediately offer you a significant return on your investment:
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l

Monitoring Web Site Performance

Monitoring Microsoft Windows Performance
Monitoring IIS Application Pools
Scanning for Applications Worth Monitoring
Monitoring VMware Performance Counters
Monitoring and Restarting Stopped Windows Services
Creating a Custom Component Availability Report
Creating a Windows PowerShell Monitor
Monitoring Large Directories

Monitoring Web Site Performance

You are the website administrator for your company. You are responsible for the
Intranet web site accessed by the employees and the corporate web site
accessed by the customers. You want to make sure both your employees and
customers are able to access your web sites and that you are alerted to any
problems that would prevent them from doing so.

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Chapter 3: Common Tasks with SolarWinds SAM

Deciding What to Monitor

The Intranet server is in your server room. To make sure only employees can
access the Intranet web site, the web site is secured using basic HTTP
authentication (htpasswd) that requires them to log on using a user name and
password. You decide to monitor this server using the HTTP template and the
valid credentials: user name "admin" and password "password.
The corporate web server is hosted and managed by a web hosting company.
You can monitor the web site with the HTTP Template, but because you do not
have direct control over the server hardware, you will add the server to the Orion
database as an external node.
Monitoring the Intranet Home Page
We need to add the Intranet web server to the Orion database, and then assign
the SolarWinds SAM HTTP template to the web server.
1. Log on to the SolarWinds Web Console.
2. Click Applications if not already selected.
3. Add the Intranet web server to the Orion database.
a. Click Add a Node.
b. Type the Hostname or IP Address of the Intranet web server.
c. Check the ICMP (Ping only) check box, select the appropriate
Polling Engine (if applicable), and then click Next.
d. In the Add Application Monitors page, click Next.
Note: If you wish to add an Application Monitor to the node, you
may do so either here or from the Application Settings as described
elsewhere in this guide.
e. In the Change Properties page, click OK, Add Node.

104

Monitoring Web Site Performance

Assign the HTTP template to the Intranet web server node.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
i.
j.
k.
l.
m.
n.

Click Applications if not already selected.

Click SAM Settings.
Click Manually Assign Application Monitors.
Select Web Server in the Show only list.
Select HTTP, and then click Next.
Expand the categories and locate your Intranet web server node, select
it, and then click Next.
Select <New Credential> in the Choose Credential list.
Type Intranet Admin in the Credential Name field.
Type admin in the User Name field.
Type password in the Password and Confirm Password fields.
Click Test.
If the test fails, see Troubleshooting the HTTP Template.
Click Assign Application Monitors.
Click Done.

Monitoring the Corporate Home Page

We need to add the corporate web server to the Orion database as an external
node, and then assign the HTTP template to the web server.
1. Log on to the SolarWinds Web Console.
2. Click Applications if not already selected.
3. Add the corporate web server to the Orion database as an external node.
a. Click Add a Node.
b. Type the Hostname or IP Address of the corporate web server.
c. Check the External check box, select the appropriate Polling Engine
(if applicable), and then click Next.
4. Assign the HTTP template to the corporate web server node.
a. Select Web Server in the Show only list.
b. Select HTTP.
c. Select Inherit credentials from template and then click Test.
d. If the test fails, see Troubleshooting the HTTP Template.
e. Click Next.
f. Enter the Name for your corporate web server.
g. Click OK, Add Node.
Troubleshooting the HTTP Template
If the web site requires a user name and password, verify that you are entering a
working user name and password.

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Chapter 3: Common Tasks with SolarWinds SAM

If the SolarWinds SAM server must connect to the Internet through a web proxy:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Click Assign Application Monitors even though the test failed.

Click Edit.
Click [+] to expand the HTTP Monitor component.
Click Override Template next to Use Proxy.
Check the Use Proxy check box.
Click Override Template next to Proxy Address.
Type the proxy address in the Proxy Address field using the syntax http://proxyaddress
8. Click Test All.
9. Click Submit.
10. Click Done.

Monitoring IIS Application Pools

You maintain a web server that hosts five different web sites through Internet
Information Services (IIS) 6.0 using application pools to separate each web site.
Everything was fine at first, but the average load time for the web pages has
doubled as business has grown, and you suspect it may be time to move at least
one of the web sites to a new server.

106

Monitoring IIS Application Pools

Deciding What to Monitor
Internet Information Services 6.0 runs each application pool in a new instance of
wp3w.exe. Monitoring the five w3wp.exe instances individually will let you see
which web site is using the most system resources. You can then make a more
informed decision as to which web site you should move to the new server.
Note: w3wp.exe is running only if there are HTTP requests made to a server. To
keep w3wp.exe running if no HTTP requests are made to that server, add an
HTTP Monitor to the same application. The HTTP Monitor will then check the
same website and generate HTTP requests, thereby keeping w3wp.exe running.
What needs to be monitored:
Five instances of w3wp.exe, differentiated by application pool. SolarWinds SAM
can monitor them separately if you specify the application pool names in the
component monitors.
1. Log on to the SolarWinds Web Console.
2. Click Applications if not already selected.
3. Add the web server to the Orion database.
a. Click Add a Node.
b. Type the hostname or IP address of the Intranet web server.
c. Check the ICMP (Ping only) check box and then click Next.
d. In the Add Application Monitors page, click Next.
e. In the Change Properties page, Click OK, Add Node.
4. Find the wp3w.exe process on the web server.
a. Click Applications if not already selected.
b. Click SAM Settings.
c. Click Component Monitor Wizard.
d. Select Process Monitor WMI as the monitor type, and then click
Next.
e. Click Browse, select the web server, and then click Select.
f. Enter WebServerAdmin in the Credential Name field.
g. Enter your administrator user name in the User Name field.
h. Enter your password in the Password and Confirm Password fields.
i. Click Next.
j. Wait for the process list to load.
k. Click the last page button to view the last page.
l. Check the check box next to w3wp.exe, and then click Next.
m. Change Monitor Name to Webpool1.
n. Enter webpool1 in the Command Line Filter field.
o. Change the CPU Warning Threshold to greater than 40.

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Chapter 3: Common Tasks with SolarWinds SAM

p. Change the CPU Critical Threshold to greater than 50.
q. Click Add Another Component.
r. Repeat steps d through q, changing the Monitor Name and Command
Line Filter fields appropriately for the four remaining webpool filters.
s. After creating the monitors for all five w3wp.exe instances, click Next.
t. Select New Application Monitor.
u. Type Web Server Application Pools as the Application Monitor
Name, and then click Next.
v. Select the web server node, and then click Next.
w. Review the list of component monitors to create, and then click OK,
Create.

Scanning for Applications Worth Monitoring

You already use SolarWinds SAM for monitoring applications critical to your own
job functions. Now, you want to discover and monitor other applications that are
hosted in your organization's network.

What needs to be monitored:

You decide to scan for Windows and IIS because you have the Windows
administrator password to access many computers on the network and you have
a hunch at least a few of them are running IIS.
All the computers in your network are already in the Orion database, so there is
no need to add them.
The administrator user name and passwords are:
User Name: WAREHOUSE\Administrator
Password: H0merSamps0n

108

Monitoring a Specific URL

User Name: IT\Administrator
Password: FourLights
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

8.
9.
10.
11.

Log on to the SolarWinds Web Console.

Click Applications if not already selected.
Click SAM Settings.
Click Scan Nodes for Applications.
Select nodes:
a. Click [+] to expand the node groups.
b. Select the nodes you want to scan, and then click Next.
Select applications to find.
a. Uncheck all applications except:
l Internet Information Services
l Windows Server 2003-2008.
b. Click Next.
Enter the credentials for the servers you are scanning:
a. Click Add Credential.
b. Type Warehouse Admin in the Credential Name field.
c. Type WAREHOUSE\Administrator in the User Name field.
d. Type H0merSamps0n in both the Password and Confirm Password
fields.
e. Click Submit.
f. Click Add Credential.
g. Type IT Admin in the Credential Name field.
h. Type IT\Administrator in the User Name field.
i. Type FourLights in the both the Password and Confirm Password
fields.
j. Click Submit.
k. Click Next.
Click Start Scan.
Click View SAM Summary Page.
Click View results (near the top of the page) after the SAM scan is complete.
Review the results of the scan.

Monitoring a Specific URL

To monitor a specific URL, follow the step outlined below:
1. Login to the Web Console and navigate to Settings.
2. Click Manage Nodes and then click Add Node.

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Chapter 3: Common Tasks with SolarWinds SAM

3. Enter the URL you want to monitor (eg: www.google.com) and select No
Status: External Node, as highlighted below:

4. Click Next and then select Web Pages from the drop-down menu.

5. Check Web Link and select Inherit credentials from Template. Click Test
and then click Next.

110

Monitoring VMware Performance Counters

6. On the Change Properties page, review properties you wish to change and
then click, OK, Add Node.
7. Navigate to the Node Details page to review the results. To do this, click the
Home tab then drill down to your specific node in the All Nodes resource.

Monitoring VMware Performance Counters

You want to ensure the health of your VMware environment.
What needs to be monitored:
You want to create an Application Monitor that uses VMware performance
counters provided by the VMware wizard to monitor the health of various aspects
of your VMware environment.
To create a new Application Monitor using the browsing method to select
the desired VMware performance counters:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Log on to your SolarWinds Web Console with an Administrator account.

Click the Applications tab.
Click SAM Settings.
Click Component Monitor Wizard underneath Getting Started with SAM.
Select one of the following component monitor types, depending on
whether you want to browse for ESX or vCenter performance counters:

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Chapter 3: Common Tasks with SolarWinds SAM

VMware ESX Performance Counter MonitorVMware vCenter Performance Counter Monitor
6. Click Next.
7. Type the IP address of the VMware node you want to browse, or click
Browse, select the node from the list, and click SELECT.
8. If suitable credentials already exist, choose the credential from the
Choose Credential list.
9. If suitable credentials do not exist, choose <New Credential> from the
Choose Credential list, and then add the new credential by filling out the
credential details.
10. Click Next.
11. Select whether you want to monitor A single system or Multiple systems.
12. Choosing A single system will provide specific counters that apply to the
target system only.
Note: This option provides all available performance counters with
instances for the specified Entity Type. Since the performance counters
selected may contain instances, the Application Monitor or template created based on them cannot be considered as generic, and may only be
assigned to the specific target node you specified in step 7 above.
Choosing Multiple systems will provide more generic counters that can
be applied to multiple systems.
Note: This option provides only aggregate performance counters (without
instances). Therefore the Application Monitor or template created based on
them can be considered as generic and assigned to different ESX/vCenter
target hosts. In this case, monitors in the application or template created
will contain the special ${VMWARE_ENTITY_NAME} variable in the
Entity Name field of the monitor. When the monitor runs, this variable will
be resolved to the first available Entity on a target host with the desired
Entity Type (for example, the first Host System).
13. Select the desired VMware Entity Type to monitor:
l Cluster Compute Resource (only available if the VMware vCenter Performance Counter Monitor type is selected in step 5) Data object that
aggregates the computation resources of its associated Host System
objects into one single computation resource for use by virtual machines.
The cluster services such as HA (High Availability), DRS (Distributed
Resource Scheduling), and EVC (Enhanced vMotion Compatibility),
enhance the usefulness of this single computation resource. This Entity
Type is specific to vCenter systems.
l Host System Managed object type that provides access to a virtualization
host platform.

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Monitoring VMware Performance Counters

Resource Pool Represents a set of physical resources which may be a
single host, a subset of a host's resources, or resources spanning multiple
hosts. You can subdivide Resource pools by creating child resource pools.
In order to run, a virtual machine must be associated as a child of a resource
pool. In a parent/child hierarchy of resource pools and virtual machines, the
root resource pool is the single resource pool that has no parent pool.
l Virtual Machine Managed object type for manipulating virtual machines,
including templates that can be repeatedly deployed as new virtual
machines. This object type provides methods for configuring and controlling
a virtual machine.
14. If you selected the A single system option in step 11, select the desired
VMware Entity to monitor.
15. Select the desired Performance Object (group) to monitor. For example, if
you want to monitor CPU counters, select CPU.
16. Select the check boxes next to the counters to monitor for the selected Performance Object.
Note: To select all the counters listed, select the check box next to
Counter.
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The selected counters are listed in the Selected items list with a red X
next to each one. To delete an item, click the red X next to the item and it
will be removed from the list.
17. If you want to select counters from an additional Performance Object,
select the next Performance object and then add the desired counters for it.
18. When you are finished selecting counters, click Next.
19. If you selected the A single system option in step 12, select the desired
counter instances to monitor:
a. Use the Group By drop down to display the counters for a particular Performance Object, or select All Counters.
b. Click the name of the desired counter to choose its instances.
c. Select the check box(es) next to the desired instance(s) to monitor.
Note: To select all the instances listed, select the check box next to
Instance Name.
The selected instances are then displayed in the Selected items list
with a red X next to each one. To delete an item, click the red X next to
the item and it will be removed from the list.
d. When you are finished selecting counter instances, click Next.
20. The Edit Properties page is displayed with the component monitors that
have been created for each of your selected counters or counters/instances.
Here you can modify settings such as the Monitor Name, which defaults to
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the counter name that was selected. This is only a descriptive label, and
can be modified as desired.
If you chose the Multiple systems option in step 11, you can see the
special ${VMWARE_ENTITY_NAME} variable in the Entity Name field of
the monitor. When the monitor runs, this variable will be resolved to the first
available Entity on a target host with the desired Entity Type (for example,
the first Host System).
You also need to configure your warning and critical thresholds for
response time and statistic.
21. When you are finished editing monitor properties, click Next.
22. The Add to Application Monitor or Template page is displayed with the
Component list collapsed. Click [+] next to Component list to expand the
list of counters or counters/instances to be added.
23. Select New Application Monitor. Then enter a name for the new Application Monitor, for example: VMware Disk and CPU Monitor.
You can change the name of the Application Monitor up to and including
step 26.
24. If you selected the Multiple systems option in step 11, expand the list of
nodes and select the nodes to monitor. Only VMware ESX and vCenter
nodes are displayed.
25. Click Next.
26. Click OK, Create.
27. Click View SAM Summary Page.
28. Your new VMware monitor appears in the tree view for the All Applications
resource. The polling results for the new monitor are updated after a few
minutes.

Monitoring and Restarting Stopped Windows Services

You want to ensure the health of your Windows server by monitoring the services
that are running. If any services are stopped, they should be restarted.
What needs to be monitored:
You want to create an Application Monitor that monitors Windows services. You
also want to create an alert that attempts to restart any services that are stopped
and sends an email.

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Monitoring and Restarting Stopped Windows Services

To create a new Application Monitor template using the browsing method to
select the desired Windows services and then assign it to the desired
nodes:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

10.
11.
12.
13.
14.

15.
16.
17.

Log on to your SolarWinds Web Console with an Administrator account.

Click the Applications tab.
Click SAM Settings.
Click Component Monitor Wizard underneath Getting Started with SAM.
Select the following component monitor type:
Windows Service Monitor
Click Next.
Type the IP address of the Windows node you want to browse, or click
Browse, select the node from the list, and click SELECT.
If suitable credentials already exist, choose the credential from the
Choose Credential list.
If suitable credentials do not exist, choose <New Credential> from the
Choose Credential list, and then add the new credential by filling out the
credential details.
Click Next.
Browse the list of services and check the boxes for the services to monitor.
Adjust thresholds as desired.
Click Next.
Ensure that New Application Monitor Template Name is selected and
then enter a name for your new template, for example CustomWindowsServices.
Click Next.
Select the boxes for the desired nodes to monitor and click Next.
Click OK, Create to create the assigned Application Monitor.

To create an alert that restarts any stopped Windows services and sends an
email:
1. Click Start > All Programs > SolarWinds Orion > Alerting, Reporting,
and Mapping > Advanced Alert Manager.
2. Click Configure Alerts.
3. Scroll to the bottom of the list in the Manage Alerts dialog, and check the
box for Restart a service.
4. If you would also like to send an e-mail notification for the service
restart:
a. Highlight Restart a service and click Edit.
b. Select the Trigger Actions tab and then click Add New Action.
c. Select Send an E-Mail / Page and click OK.

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d. Complete the e-mail info and click OK.
e. Click OK.
5. Click Done.
For more information about restarting Windows services with an alert action, see
Restarting Windows Services with an Alert Action on page 1.

Monitoring Large Directories

You already use the Directory Size monitor in SolarWinds SAM for monitoring
small and medium-sized directories. Now you need to monitor a very large
directory.
You discover the Directory Size monitor has problems monitoring the very large
directory, which contains hundreds or even thousands of files, because the
monitor timeout may lapse before the target computer can finish computing the file
sizes and sending the response.
In order to work around this issue, you decide to use the Windows Script monitor
instead to execute a Visual Basic script that uses the Scripting.FileSystemObject
to calculate the directory size.
What needs to be monitored:
You decide to monitor the very large directory using the Windows Script monitor,
because this method should be as fast as if you view the folder properties in
Windows Explorer to get the size and avoid the timeout issues.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Log on to your SolarWinds Web Console with an Administrator account.

Click the Applications tab.
Click SAM Settings.
Click Create a New Template underneath Application Monitor Templates.
Type a name for your template in the Template Name field, for example
Large Directory Monitor.
6. If you want to turn on extended debug information to assist Customer
Support, expand Advanced and then set Debug logging On and specify
the Number of log files to keep.
Here you can also select either 32bit or 64bit from the drop down list
entitled, Platform to run polling job on.
Note: Do not turn on Debug logging unless directed by Customer Support.

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Monitoring Large Directories

7. Click Add Component Monitor.
8. Expand the Custom Component Monitors group, and then check Windows Script Monitor.
9. Click Submit.
10. Select credentials with appropriate permissions to run the script on the
SolarWinds SAM server, and that also has appropriate permissions to do
whatever else the script requires.
11. Copy the following Visual Basic script to get the directory size into the
Script Body field:
Dim folderPath
folderPath = WScript.Arguments(0)
Set fs=WScript.CreateObject ("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
Set folder= fs.GetFolder(folderPath)
WScript.Echo "Message: Folder " &folderPath & " is " & folder.Size
& " bytes large"
WScript.Echo "Statistic: " & folder.Size

The VB code does the following:

a. Reads the first argument passed to the script (the UNC pathname for
the directory to monitor) and stores it in folderPath.
b. Creates the Scripting.FileSystemObject and stores it in fs.
c. Gets the folder name from the saved command line argument and
stores it in folder.
d. Displays the message with the folder name and the folder size.
e. Displays the statistic (folder size in bytes).
Note: The script does no error checking, such as handling the case if
the folder does not exist.
12. Type the UNC pathname for the directory name to monitor into the Script
Arguments field.
You can use the token ${IP} and the IP address will be filled in with the IP
address of the target node to which the monitor is assigned when the Windows
Script monitor runs.
For example, if you type the following UNC pathname for the directory name in
the Script Arguments:
\\${IP}\c$\my_large_directory

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the VBscript will get the size of the directory c:\my_large_directory on the node
to which the Windows Script monitor is assigned.
13. Specify the critical and warning thresholds appropriately based on the
desired directory size.
14. Click Submit.
15. Create an assigned Application Monitor by assigning the Large Directory
Monitor template to the desired node to monitor.
a. Click the Applications tab.
b. Click SAM Settings.
c. Click Manually Assign Application Monitors underneath Getting Started with SAM.
d. Select All in the Show only list.
e. Click Large Directory Monitor and then Next.
f. Click Manually Assign Application Monitors underneath Getting Started with SAM.
g. Select All in the Show only list.
h. Click Large Directory Monitor and then click Next.
i. Browse to the desired node to monitor, select it, and then click Next.
j. Enter itadmin in the Credential Name field.
k. Enter your administrator user name in the User Name field.
l. Enter your password in the Password and Confirm Password fields.
m. Click Test.
n. If the test fails, see Troubleshooting the Windows 2003-2008 Template..
o. Click Assign Application Monitors, and then click Done.
Troubleshooting the Large Directory Monitor
Verify that you are entering the user name and password of an administrator-level
account. If you think you have entered an incorrect credential, correct the mistake
and then retest.
If you made a mistake with the spelling of the directory name, correct it and then
retest.

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Managing the Web Console
The SAM Web Console is an integral part of the SolarWinds family of products
that can be configured for viewing from virtually any computer connected to the
Internet. You can also customize the web console for multiple users and store
individually customized views as user profiles. Administrator functions are
accessed by clicking Settings in the top right of all SolarWinds Web Console
views.
The SolarWinds Web Console administrator manages the SolarWinds Website
using the commands listed in the various categories on the Settings page.
You can manage SolarWinds SAM nodes, groups, accounts, alerts, views, and
settings. You can also manage the navigation and look of SolarWinds SAM and
view information about available product updates. This guide is designed to
mirror the SAM interface, as shown below.
Note: If links appear not to work or misdirect you, clear your web cache which can
be done by clicking the Clear Web Cache button at the top right of the Settings
page, or by going through your browser's Options menu.

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To manage the SolarWinds Web Console, navigate to the Settings page:

1. Log on to your SolarWinds Web Console with an Administrator account.
Note: Initially, Admin is the default administrator user ID with a blank password. You can change the password later using the Account Manager. For
more information, see Managing Accounts.
2. Click Settings near the top right of the SolarWinds Web Console to display
the Settings page.

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Refer to the sections that follow for details about the administrative commands available in each category:
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Getting Started with SolarWinds

Discovery Central
Network Sonar Discovery
Add a Node
Node & Group Management
Manage Nodes
Virtualization Settings
Manage Dependencies
Manage Groups
Accounts
Manage Accounts
Account List
Customize
Customize Menu Bars
Color Scheme
External Websites
Manage Alerts
Manage Advanced Alerts
Product Updates
Available Product Updates
SolarWinds Product Team Blog
Views
Manage Views
Add New View
Views by Device Type
Views by Application Type
Settings
Web Console Settings
Polling Settings
SAM Settings
SolarWinds Thresholds
Virtualization Thresholds
Details
Database Details
Polling Engines
Orion Core Details
License Details

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Agents
Agent Settings

Discovery Central
Click Discovery Central on the Settings page to view a centralized overview of
the types and number of network objects you are monitoring with your currently
installed SolarWinds products.
Refer to Discovering and Adding Nodes on a Network.
Network Sonar Discovery
Click Network Sonar Discovery on the Settings page to discover a range of
nodes in your SolarWinds SAM.
For more information, refer to Network Sonar Discovery.
Add a Node
Click Add a Node on the Settings page to add a single device to your
SolarWinds SAM.
For more information, see "Adding Nodes for Monitoring".

Node & Group Management

The Node & Group Management category gives you access to the commands for
managing nodes, groups, and dependencies.
Refer to the following sections for more information:
Click Manage Nodes on the Settings page to add, view, and manage all
nodes and resources managed or monitored by your SolarWinds SAM
installation.
l Virtualization Settings
l Click Manage Dependencies on the Settings page to manage dependencies for your SolarWinds SAM.
l Click Manage Groups on the Settings page to manage groups for your
SolarWinds SAM.
Manage Nodes
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Click Manage Nodes on the Settings page to add, view, and manage all nodes
and resources managed or monitored by your SolarWinds SAM installation.

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Virtualization Settings

Virtualization Settings
Click Virtualization Settings on the Settings page to open the Virtualization
Settings view. Here you can view a list of currently monitored VMware ESX
Servers, VMware credentials, as well as Hyper-V information.
For more information, refer to Virtualization.
Manage Dependencies
Click Manage Dependencies on the Settings page to manage dependencies for
your SolarWinds SAM.
For more information, see "Managing Groups and Dependencies".
Manage Groups
Click Manage Groups on the Settings page to manage groups for your
SolarWinds SAM.
For more information, see "Managing Groups and Dependencies".

Accounts
The Accounts category gives you access to the commands for managing
accounts, permissions, and views.
Refer to the following sections for more information:
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Manage Accounts
Account List

Manage Accounts
Click Manage Accounts on the Settings page to manage user accounts,
permissions, and views.
For more information, see "Managing Accounts".

Account List
Click Account List on the Settings page to open the SolarWinds Website
Accounts view, providing an immediate overview of web console user account
settings.
You may use this view to make changes to multiple accounts simultaneously and
immediately by clicking to check or clear options. Clicking an Account user
name opens the Account Manager for the selected account.
For more information, see "Managing Accounts".

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Customize
The Customize category provides commands to customize the navigation and
appearance of your SolarWinds Web Console.
Refer to the following sections for more information:
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Customize Menu Bars

Color Scheme
External Websites
Customized SAM Tabbed Sub-Views

Customize Menu Bars

Click Customize Menu Bars on the Settings page to configure the menu bars
seen by individual users.

Color Scheme
Click Color Scheme on the Settings page to select a default color scheme for
resource title bars.
For more information, see "Changing the Web Console Color Scheme".

External Websites
Click External Websites on the Settings page to designate any external website
as a SolarWinds Web Console view, appearing in the Views toolbar.
For more information, see "Creating and Editing External Website Views".

Customized SAM Tabbed Sub-Views

Sam allows you to add vertical tabs on any page in the web console, allowing
you to customize the data you view.
To enable SAM Sub-Views:
1. From the web console, click Customize Page in the upper-right hand
corner of the screen.
2. Check Enable Left Navigation.
3. The following screen appears:

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Manage Alerts

4. To add a tab, click Add tab.

At this point, you can customize each sub-view tab with its own resources just as
you would for any other view.
For more information see, "Editing Views".

Manage Alerts
The Manage Alerts category gives you access to the commands that allow you to
edit, disable, enable, or delete currently configured advanced alerts.
Refer to the following section for more information:
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Alerting and Reporting

Views
The Views category gives you access to the commands that allow you to manage
individual web console views as well as views for device and application types.
Refer to the following section for more information:
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Manage Views
Add New View
Views by Device Type
Views by Application Type
Customizing Views

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Chapter 4: Managing the Web Console

Manage Views
Click Manage Views on the Settings page to add, edit, copy, or remove individual
web console views.
For more information see Customizing Views".

Add New View

Click Add New View on the Settings page to add a custom view with the
information you want to view.
For more information see Customizing Views".

Views by Device Type

Click Views by Device Type on the Settings page to designate default views for
network nodes.
For more information, see "Views by Device Type".

Views by Application Type

Click Views by Application Type on the Settings page to specify a custom or a
default application details view for each application type.
For information, see Views by Application Type.

Settings
The Settings category gives you access to the commands that allow you to
manage configuration settings for the Web Console, polling, SAM, and
thresholds.
Refer to the following sections for more information:
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Web Console Settings

Polling Settings
SolarWinds Thresholds
SolarWinds Thresholds

Web Console Settings

Click Web Console Settings on the Settings page to customize the function and
appearance of both the SolarWinds Web Console and the charts that are
displayed as resources in SolarWinds Web Console views.
For more information, see "Customizing Charts in the SolarWinds Web Console".

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Polling Settings

Polling Settings
Click Polling Settings on the Settings page to define the configuration of polling
intervals, timeouts, statistics calculations, and database retention settings for your
SolarWinds SAM polling engine.
For more information, see "SolarWinds Polling Settings".

SAM Settings
Click SAM Settings on the Settings page to configure SolarWinds SAM and its
templates and component monitors.
For more information refer to SolarWinds SAM Settings.

SolarWinds Thresholds
Click SolarWinds Thresholds on the Settings page to configure SolarWinds
SAM threshold settings.
For more information, see "SolarWinds General Thresholds".

Virtualization Thresholds
Click Virtualization Thresholds on the Settings page to configure SolarWinds
SAM virtual threshold settings for VMware and Hyper-V objects.
For more information, see "SolarWinds General Thresholds".

Details
The Details category gives you access to the commands that allow you to view
configuration details for the database, polling engines, licenses, and modules.
Refer to the following sections for more information:
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Database Details
Polling Engines
Orion Core Details
License Details

Database Details
Click Database Details on the Settings page to display details about the SQL
Server database currently used. For more information, see "Data and Database
Settings".

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Polling Engines
Click Polling Engines on the Settings page to show the status and selected
configuration information for each currently operational polling engine. For more
information, see "Managing SolarWinds SAM Polling Engines".

Orion Core Details

Click Orion Core Details on the Settings page to display an information-only
page that displays details about your installation of the common components and
resources that all SolarWinds products share, including information about your
SolarWinds server, monitored object counts, and the version numbers of the
executables and DLLs required by any and all installed SolarWinds products.

License Details
Click License Details on the Settings page to display details about both your
SolarWinds SAM license and your monitored network.
This page also shows the version of the applications that you are running and the
versions of associated DLLs.

Navigating the SolarWinds Web Console

The SolarWinds Web Console offers two primary methods of navigation: top-level
web console tabs and view-level breadcrumbs. The following sections describe
how these navigation methods are used:
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Using Web Console Tabs

Using and Disabling Web Console Breadcrumbs

Using Web Console Tabs

In the case of a basic SolarWinds SAM installation, the SolarWinds Web Console
displays the following tabs:
Home
The Home tab provides a menu bar of links to views aiding you in general
network management and monitoring. Information, like events and Top 10
lists, and technologies, like alerts, used to generate the views linked from
the Home menu are generally available to all SolarWinds modules. By
default, the SolarWinds Summary Home view displays when you click
Home from any view in the web console.

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Using and Disabling Web Console Breadcrumbs

Applications
If you are viewing the SolarWinds Web Console on a server on which
SolarWinds SAM is installed, the Applications tab opens a menu of default
views for some of the many different types of applications SolarWinds SAM
can monitor. The SAM Summary Home view displays by default when you
click Home from any web console view.
Virtualization
The Virtualization tab provides access to specific views and resources that
are tailored for monitoring virtual devices.

Using and Disabling Web Console Breadcrumbs

As you navigate web console views, your location is recorded as a series of links,
or breadcrumbs, to the views you have opened. Each breadcrumb offers the
following navigation options:
Clicking a breadcrumb opens the corresponding view directly.
Clicking > next to a breadcrumb opens a clickable list of all other views at the
same navigation level in the web console. For example, if you are on a Node
Details view, clicking > displays a list of other monitored nodes.
Note: Only the first 50 monitored nodes, listed in alphanumeric order by IP
address, are displayed.
To customize the items in a breadcrumb drop down:
1. Click > at an appropriate level in a breadcrumb to open the drop down.
2. Click Customize this list.
3. Select a criterion from the menu, and then click Submit.
Note: All items in the customized list will be identical for the selected criterion.
Disabling Web Console Breadcrumbs
To ensure access is appropriately restricted for account-limited users, you may
want to disable breadcrumbs, as indicated in the following procedure.

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To disable web console breadcrumb navigation:
1. Log on to your SolarWinds server using an account with administrative
access.
2. Open web.config (default location C:\Inetpub\SolarWinds\) for editing.
3. In the <appsettings> section, locate the following setting:
<add key=DisableBreadCrumbs value=false/>

4. Change false to true, as follows:

5. Save web.config.
Note: If you run the Configuration Wizard after editing this setting, your
changes may be overwritten.

Managing Nodes from the Web Console

The SolarWinds Web Console administrator manages the SolarWinds Website
using the commands listed in the various categories on the Settings page. From
the Web Console, the administrator can manage nodes, groups, accounts, alerts,
views, and settings. The administrator can also manage the look and feel of
SolarWinds SAM and view information about available product updates.
To manage the SolarWinds Web Console, navigate to the Settings page:
1. Log on to your SolarWinds Web Console with an Administrator account.
Note: Initially, Admin is the default administrator user ID with a blank password. You can change the password later using the Account Manager. For
more information, refer to Managing Accounts".
2. Click Settings at the top right of the SolarWinds Web Console to display the
Settings page.
Note: The Node Management feature is accessible by clicking Manage
Nodes either in the header of any All Nodes resource or in the Node &
Group Management grouping of the Website Administration page. The All
Nodes resource is included on the SolarWinds Summary Home view by
default, but you can include it on any other web console view as well. Confirm that the All Nodes resource is available on an appropriate Web Console view before continuing. For more information about adding resources
to SolarWinds Web Console views, see Editing Views.
Refer to the following sections for more information:
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Unmanaging Nodes
Adding Nodes for Monitoring

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Unmanaging Nodes
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Deleting Nodes from Monitoring

Viewing Node Data in Tooltips
Editing Node Properties
Promoting a Node from ICMP to SNMP Monitoring
Viewing Node Resources
Setting Node Management States
Unscheduled Node Polling and Rediscovery
Monitoring Windows Server Memory
Scheduling a Node Maintenance Mode Time Period
Agents

Unmanaging Nodes
If you need to deactivate nodes for a period of time, you can do so by unmanaging
them. Changes you make to the managed or unmanaged status of a node takes
affect after the next polling cycle.
To unmanage a node:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Log on to your SolarWinds Web Console with an Administrator account.

Click the Home tab.
Click Settings.
Click Manage Nodes.
Check the nodes you want to unmanage.
Click Unmanage and follow the prompts as needed.

Adding Nodes for Monitoring

The following procedure details the steps required to add a device for monitoring
in the SolarWinds Web Console.
To add a device for monitoring in the SolarWinds Web Console:
1. Log in to the SolarWinds Web Console as an administrator.
2. Click Settings in the top right of the web console.
3. Click Manage Nodes in the Node & Group Management grouping of the
SolarWinds Website Administration page.
4. Click Add Node on the Node Management toolbar.
5. Provide the hostname or IP Address of the node you want to add in the
Hostname or IP Address field.
6. If the IP address of the node you are adding is dynamically assigned,
check Dynamic IP Address.

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7. If you only want to use ICMP to monitor node status, response time,
or packet loss for the added node, check ICMP (Ping only).
8. If you want to add an External node to monitor a hosted application
with SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor, select No Status:
External Node.
Note: The External status is reserved for nodes hosting applications that
are to be monitored with SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor.
SolarWinds SAM will not collect or monitor any data about a node itself, if it
is marked as External.
9. If you want to monitor Windows Servers using WMI and ICMP, select Windows Servers: WMI and ICMP.
10. If you want to monitor Windows Servers using an agent, select Windows
Servers: Agent.
11. If you are adding a VMware device, check Poll for VMware to ensure
that SolarWinds SAM acquires any data the VMware device provides to
SNMP polling requests, and then complete the following steps to provide
required vCenter or ESX Server credentials. For more information, see Virtualization" on page 273.
a. Select an appropriate vCenter or ESX credential.
Notes:
l If you are creating a new credential, select <New Credential>.
l If you are editing an existing credential, select the credential
you want to edit.
l SolarWinds recommends against using non-alphanumeric characters in VMware credential names.
b. If you are creating a new credential, provide a Credential name.
c. Provide an appropriate User name and a Password, and then provide
the password again in the Confirm password field.
d. Click Test to confirm the VMware credentials you have provided.
11. If you want to use SNMP and ICMP to monitor the added node, complete the following steps:
a. Select the Most Devices and the SNMP Version for the added node.
Notes:
l SolarWinds uses SNMPv2c by default. If the device you are
adding supports or requires the enhanced security features of
SNMPv3, select SNMPv3.
l If SNMPv2c is enabled on a device you want SolarWinds SAM to
monitor, by default, SolarWinds SAM will attempt to use
SNMPv2c to poll for performance information. If you only want

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Adding Nodes for Monitoring

12.

13.

14.
15.
16.

17.
18.

SolarWinds SAM to poll using SNMPv1, you must disable

SNMPv2c on the device to be polled.
b. If you have installed multiple polling engines, select the Polling
Engine you want to use to collect statistics from the added node.
Note: This option may not be available if you are only using one polling
engine to collect information from your network.
c. If the SNMP port on the added node is not the SolarWinds default
of 161, provide the actual port number in the SNMP Port field.
d. If the added node supports 64bit counters and you want to use
them, check Allow 64bit counters.
Note: SolarWinds fully supports the use of 64-bit counters; however,
these high capacity counters can exhibit erratic behavior depending on
manufacturer implementation. If you notice peculiar results when using
these counters, use the Node Details view to disable the use of 64-bit
counters for the device and contact the hardware manufacturer.
If you want SolarWinds to use SNMPv2c to monitor the added node,
provide valid community strings for the added node.
Note: The Read/Write Community String is optional, but SolarWinds does
require the public Community String at a minimum, for node monitoring. If
you want to use read/write SNMPv3 credentials, complete the following
steps in the Read / Write SNMPv3 Credentials area.
If you want SolarWinds to use SNMPv3 to monitor the added node,
provide the following SNMP Credentials, Authentication, and Privacy/Encryption settings:
SNMPv3 Username, Context, Authentication Method, and Password.
Note: If this password is a key, check Password is a key.
SNMPv3 Privacy/Encryption Method and Password.
Note: If this password is a key, check Password is a key.
If you want to save the provided credentials as a Credential Set in the
Credential Set Library, provide a Name, and then click Save.
If you want to delete a currently saved credential set, select the set to
delete, and then click Save.
If you are using SNMP to communicate with your added node, click
Validate SNMP after entering all credentials to confirm your SNMP settings.
Click Next.
Check the objects for the added node that you want SolarWinds to monitor
or manage. The following options are available in the Selection toolbar:
l Clicking All selects all listed devices for monitoring.
l Clicking None clears any checked devices.

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Clicking All Volumes selects all listed volumes for monitoring.
After you have selected objects for monitoring, click Next.
If you want to edit the SNMP settings you provided earlier, change the
appropriate values in the SNMP area of the Change Properties page, and
then click Validate SNMP to confirm your new settings.
If you want to edit the default polling settings for your added node,
change the Node Status Polling or Collect Statistics Every values in the
Polling area of the Change Properties page, as appropriate.
Note: The Node Status Polling value refers to the number of seconds,
between the node status checks that SolarWinds performs on the added
node. The Collect Statistics Every value refers to the period of time
between updates SolarWinds makes to display statistics for the added
node.
If you have defined any custom properties for a monitored node,
provide appropriate values for the added node in the Custom Properties
area of the Change Properties page.
Note: The Custom Properties area is empty if you have not defined any
custom properties for monitored network objects.
Click OK, Add Node when you have completed properties configuration.
If you have successfully added the node, click OK on the dialog.
l

19.
20.

21.

22.

23.
24.

Deleting Nodes from Monitoring

The following procedure allows you to delete nodes from monitoring.
Warning: Deleting nodes from monitoring in the web console automatically stops
monitoring of all applications and volumes on the deleted nodes.
To delete a node from monitoring in the SolarWinds Web Console:
1. Log in to the SolarWinds Web Console as an administrator.
2. Click Settings in the top right of the web console.
3. Click Manage Nodes in the Node & Group Management area of the
SolarWinds Website Administration page.
4. Locate the node to delete using either of the following methods:
l Use the search tool above the node list to search your Orion database
for the node you want to delete.
l Select an appropriate Group by: criterion, and then click the appropriate group including the node to delete.
5. Check the node to delete in the list, and then click Delete on the toolbar.

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Deleting Applications or Volumes from Monitoring

You can select multiple applications on different nodes for simultaneous deletion.
The search tool above the node list can aid you in finding the proper device to
delete.
1. If you want to delete a monitored application or volume, use the following steps:
a. Locate the application to delete using either of the following methods:
l Use the search above the node list to search your Orion database
either for the object to delete or for its parent object to delete.
l Select a Group by: criteria, and then click the appropriate group
including the parent node of the object to delete.
b. If you have a list of node results, click [+] to expand the parent node
of the object you want to delete.
c. Check the object to delete, and then click Delete on the toolbar.
2. Click OK to confirm deletion.

Viewing Node Data in Tooltips

Node tooltips in SolarWinds SAM provide immediate status overviews of
monitored nodes. To get a quick overview of any monitored node in the web
console, hover over the device name. The information in the following tables
displays immediately.
Node Data
Node Status

Current status of the node. (Up, Down, Warning,

Unmanaged, or Unreachable)

IP Address

The IP address currently assigned to the selected node

Machine Type

The vendor icon and vendor description of the selected

node

Average
Response Time

The measured average response time of the selected node

as of the last node poll

Packet Loss

The percent of all transmitted packets that are lost by the

selected node as of the last node poll

CPU Load

The percent of available processing capacity on the

selected node that is currently used as of the last node poll

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Memory Used

The percent of available memory on the selected node that

is currently used as of the last node poll

Editing Node Properties

The following procedure provides the steps required to edit monitored object
properties using the Node Management utility of the SolarWinds Web Console.
To edit object properties in the SolarWinds Web Console:
1. Log in to the SolarWinds Web Console as an administrator.
2. Click Settings at the top right of the web console, and then click Manage
Nodes in the Node & Group Management grouping.
3. Locate the object to edit using either of the following methods:
l Use the search tool above the node list to search your Orion database for either the object you want to edit or the parent node of the
volume you want to edit.
l Select an appropriate Group by criteria, and then click the appropriate group including either the node to edit or the parent of the
object to edit.
4. If you want to edit the properties of a monitored node, check the node
you want to edit, and then click Edit Properties.
5. If you want to edit the properties of a monitored object, click [+] next to
the parent node of the object you want to edit, check the object you want to
edit, and then click Edit Properties.
6. If you are editing the SNMP properties of a node, click Test after providing new settings to confirm they are valid for the edited node.
7. If the selected node is a VMware ESX Server and you want to poll it for
data using the VMware API, confirm that Poll for VMware is checked.
8. If you want to poll for ESX data using an existing ESX credential,
select the appropriate credential from the VMware credentials drop down
menu.
9. If you want to poll for ESX data using a new ESX credential, complete
the following steps:
a. Select <New Credential> in the Choose Credential drop down menu,
and then provide a new credential name in the Credential Name field.
Note: SolarWinds recommends against using non-alphanumeric characters in VMware credential names.
b. Add the credential User name and Password, as necessary.
c. Confirm the password and then click Validate VMware to confirm the
credentials you have provided are valid for the edited node.

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Promoting a Node from ICMP to SNMP Monitoring

10. Edit additional device properties as needed, and then click Submit.

Promoting a Node from ICMP to SNMP Monitoring

After adding a node to the Orion database as an ICMP only node, you may need
to promote the node to SNMP to start collecting additional statistics. The Node
Management utility of the SolarWinds Web Console can easily promote your
node to SNMP without any loss of historical data.
Note: Once you promote a node from SNMP to WMI, you cannot go back to
polling via ICMP.
To promote an ICMP only node to SNMP:
1. Log in to the SolarWinds Web Console as an administrator.
2. Click Settings in the top right of the web console and then click Manage
Nodes in the Node & Group Management grouping of the SolarWinds
Website Administration page.
3. Locate the device to promote using either of the following methods:
l Use the search tool above the node list to search your Orion database for the node you want to promote.
l Select an appropriate Group by criteria, and then click the appropriate group including the node to promote.
4. Click Edit Properties, and then select Most Devices: SNMP and ICMP.
5. In the SNMP area, select the SNMP Version for the promoted node.
Note: SolarWinds uses SNMPv2c by default. If the promoted device supports or requires the enhanced security features of SNMPv3, select
SNMPv3.
6. If you have installed multiple polling engines, select the Polling Engine
you want to use to collect statistics from the added node.
Note: This option may not be available if you are only using one polling
engine to collect information from your network.
7. If the SNMP port on the added node is not the SolarWinds default of
161, provide the actual port number in the SNMP Port field.
8. If the added node supports 64 bit counters and you want to use them,
check Allow 64 bit counters.
Note: SolarWinds fully supports the use of 64-bit counters; however, these
high capacity counters can exhibit erratic behavior depending how they
are used. If you notice peculiar results when using these counters, use the
Edit Properties view to disable the use of 64-bit counters on the device in
question, and then contact the hardware manufacturer.

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9. If you want to use SNMPv2c to monitor the promoted node, provide
valid community strings for the added node.
Note: The Read/Write Community String is optional, but SolarWinds
does require the public Community String, at minimum, for node monitoring.
10. If you want to use SNMPv3 to monitor the promoted node, provide the
following SNMPv3 credential settings:
l SNMPv3 User name and Context
l SNMPv3 Authentication Method and Password/Key
l SNMPv3 Privacy/Encryption Method and Password/Key
Note: Read/Write SNMPv3 Credentials are optional, but the public
Community String is required, at a minimum, for node monitoring.
11. If you want to edit an existing SNMPv3 credential set, select the name
of your set from the Saved Credential Sets list, and then edit the stored
settings.
12. If you want save the provided SNMPv3 credentials as a credential set,
provide a Name for your new credential set, and then click Save.
13. Click Validate SNMP after entering all required credentials to confirm your
SNMP settings.
14. If you want to change the default polling settings for your promoted
node, edit the Node Status Polling or Collect Statistics Every values in
the Polling area, as appropriate.
Note: The Node Status Polling value refers to the period of time, in
seconds, between the node status checks SolarWinds performs on the promoted node. The Collect Statistics Every value refers to the period of
time between updates SolarWinds makes to displayed statistics for the promoted node.
15. If you have defined any custom properties for monitored nodes,
provide appropriate values for the promoted node in the Custom Properties.
16. Click Submit when you have completed properties configuration for your
promoted node.
17. If you have successfully added the node, click OK on the dialog.

Promoting a Node to WMI Monitoring

After adding a node to the Orion database as an ICMP or SNMP node, you may
need to promote the node to WMI to start collecting additional statistics. The Node
Management utility of the SolarWinds Web Console can easily promote your
node to WMI without any loss of historical data.

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Viewing Node Resources

Note: Once you promote a node to WMI, you cannot go back to polling via ICMP.
Also, this option is only available in SAM 5.0 and above.
To promote a node to WMI:
1. Log in to the SolarWinds Web Console as an administrator.
2. Click Settings in the top right of the web console and then click Manage
Nodes in the Node & Group Management grouping of the SolarWinds Website Administration page.
3. Locate the device to promote using either of the following methods:
4.
l Use the search tool above the node list to search your Orion database
for the node you want to promote.
l Select an appropriate Group by criteria, and then click the appropriate
group including the node to promote.
5. Click Edit Properties, and then select, Windows Servers: WMI and ICMP.
6. Select existing WMI credentials, or create new credentials.
7. Optionally, you can click the Test button for verification.
8. If you want to change the default polling settings for your promoted
node, edit the Node Status Polling or Collect Statistics Every values in
the Polling area, as appropriate.
Note: The Node Status Polling value refers to the period of time, in
seconds, between the node status checks SolarWinds performs on the promoted node. The Collect Statistics Every value refers to the period of time
between updates SolarWinds makes to displayed statistics for the promoted
node.
9. If you have defined any custom properties for monitored nodes,
provide appropriate values for the promoted node in the Custom Properties.
10. Click Submit when you have completed properties configuration for your
promoted node.
11. If you have successfully added the node, click OK on the dialog.

Viewing Node Resources

The List Resources feature of the SolarWinds Web Console Node Management
utility allows you to immediately see all monitored volumes and charts on a
selected node, as shown in the following procedure.
To view a list of all resources present on a node:
1. Log in to the SolarWinds Web Console as an administrator.
2. Click Settings in the top right of the web console.

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3. Click Manage Nodes in the Node & Group Management grouping of the
SolarWinds Website Administration page.
4. Locate the node to view using either of the following methods:
l Use the search tool above the node list to search your Orion database
for the node you want to view.
l Select an appropriate Group by criteria, and then click the appropriate
group including the node to view.
5. Check the node you want to view from the list, and then click List
Resources on the Node Management toolbar.

Setting Node Management States

Monitored devices are regularly polled for operational status. Collected statistics
are displayed in the SolarWinds Web Console. Using the Node Management
feature of the SolarWinds Web Console, the management status of monitored
nodes, is easily set or changed, allowing you to either temporarily suspend data
collection or resume polling and statistics collection, as necessary. The following
procedure sets or changes management states for monitored nodes in the
SolarWinds Web Console.
Note: Setting a node to an unmanaged state automatically suspends the
management on the selected node.
To set or change the management state of a node:
1. Log in to the SolarWinds Web Console as an administrator.
2. Click Settings in the top right of the web console.
3. Click Manage Nodes in the Node & Group Management grouping of the
SolarWinds Website Administration page.
4. Locate the node to manage using either of the following methods:
l Use the search tool above the node list to search your Orion database
for the device you want to manage.
l Select an appropriate Group by criteria, and then click the appropriate
group including the node to manage.
5. Check the node to change, and then click Unmanage or Remanage, as
appropriate, for the selected node.
6. If you have selected Unmanage, provide start and end times and dates for
your management suspension, and then click OK.

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Unscheduled Node Polling and Rediscovery

SolarWinds SAM polls devices for statistics and status regularly, according to the
polling settings available for configuration on the Polling Settings view in the
SolarWinds Web Console. For more information, see SolarWinds Polling
Settings. Sometimes, however, it may be necessary to conduct an unscheduled
poll or rediscovery of a monitored device. The Node Management utility gives you
this ability, as shown in the following procedure.
To perform an unscheduled poll or rediscovery:
1. Log in to the SolarWinds Web Console as an administrator.
2. Click Settings in the top right of the web console.
3. Click Manage Nodes in the Node & Group Management grouping of the
SolarWinds Website Administration page.
4. Locate and check the node you want to poll or locate and check the node to
rediscover, using either of the following methods:
l Use the search tool above the node list to search your Orion database.
l Select an appropriate Group by criteria, and then click the appropriate
group including the node you want to poll or the node you want to
rediscover.
5. If you want to poll the selected node, click More Actions> Poll Now.
6. If you want to rediscover the selected node, click More Actions> Rediscover.
Note: When you click Poll Now, this reschedules a job to run "now" in the
job scheduler, meaning, if the job scheduler is already full, the job may not
executeimmediately, but it will execute sooner than the next scheduled poll
cycle.
Depending upon how many components are in a given template, and the type of
component monitors that make up a template, it is not unusual for polling to take
several minutes for the process to fully complete. To see this behavior, click Edit
Application Monitor on the Application Details page and then clickTest All.

Unmanage Scheduling Utility

Starting and stopping nodes, applications, and interfaces on a schedule is a task
best suited for the Unmanage Scheduling Utility. This can be found at Start >
SolarWinds Orion > Advanced Features > Unmanage Scheduling Utility.

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To schedule tasks to be stopped:

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

Select either New Task or open an existing task by clicking Edit Task.
Click Add Items.
Click on the Web tab.
Select the items you want to schedule to be stopped by checking the check
box next to the item name.
Click Add.
Select the length of time you would like the selected item to be stopped.
Click OK.
Optionally, you can click Save Task to save your selections for future use.

To view the details of a selected item's schedule, simply check its box and its
details will appear in the Task Item Properties pane on the right.

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Monitoring Windows Server Memory

From this view, you can change the settings of the item's schedule by selecting
an item and clicking Set Duration. Additionally, you can delete an item from the
unmanage schedule by selecting it and clicking Delete Checked Items.
Note: It is possible to create a conflict of schedules if you choose the same item
to be stopped using both the web console and the Unmanage Scheduling Utility
with different durations.

Monitoring Windows Server Memory

When SolarWinds SAM polls a Windows server for CPU load and memory
utilization, it pulls the amount of physical memory to define the 100% level, and
then it totals the amount of memory in use by each allocation to compute what
percentage of the physical memory is in use. This can result in memory utilization
readings over 100%, as many applications pre-allocate memory and swap before
it is actually needed. To work around this, you can also add physical memory as a
volume for these servers within SolarWinds. When monitored as a volume, the
values will be more in line with your expectations.

Scheduling a Node Maintenance Mode Time Period

When you need to perform maintenance on a node or its components, such as
upgrading firmware, installing new software, or updating security, you may want
to discontinue polling while the device is down for maintenance. Disabling
polling, or setting a node status as Unmanaged, while performing node
maintenance, maintains the accuracy of your data and prevents unnecessary alert
messages. For more information about disabling node polling to perform node
maintenance, see Setting Node Management States on page140.

Administrative Functions of the SolarWinds Web

Console
The following sections describe the primary administrative functions performed by
a SolarWinds Web Console administrator.
l
l
l

Changing an Account Password

Viewing Secure Data on the Web
Handling Counter Rollovers

Changing an Account Password

SolarWinds Web Console administrators may change user account passwords at
any time, as shown in the following procedure.

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Note: In environments where security is a priority, SolarWinds recommends
against providing a view where users may change their own web console
account passwords.
To change an account password:
1. Log in to the web console as an administrator.
2. Click Settings in the top right corner of the web console.
3. Click Manage Accounts in the Accounts grouping of the SolarWinds Website Administration page.
4. Select the user account with the password you want to change, and then
click Change Password.
5. Complete the New Password and Confirm Password fields, and then click
Change Password.
6. Click Continue when the password is successfully changed.

Viewing Secure Data on the Web

In the interest of security, sensitive network information, such as community
strings, logins, and passwords, is not viewable in the web console. However, if
you have secured your network, you may check Allow Secure Data On Web
(advanced) in the Calculations & Thresholds area of the SolarWinds Polling
Settings page to allow the passage of community strings through the web
console.
Note: This setting does not affect the display of custom reports that you export to
the web. For more information see Creating and Viewing Reports on page1.

Handling Counter Rollovers

The Counter Rollover setting configures SolarWinds SAM to properly handle
counter rollovers. SolarWinds SAM is capable of handling either 32-bit or 64-bit
counters, but, by default, SolarWinds SAM assumes counters are 32-bit. 32-bit
counters have a maximum value of 232, or 4,294,967,296, and 64-bit counters, if
they are supported by your network devices, have a maximum value of 264, or
18,446,744,073,709,551,616.
Note: The 32-bit counters option is designated as Method 1 in the Counter
Rollover field on the SolarWinds Polling Settings page.
The following procedure designates the type of counter used by SolarWinds
SAM.

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To designate the type of counter used by SolarWinds SAM:
1. Log in to the web console as an administrator.
2. Click Settings in the top right of the web console, and then click Polling Settings in the Settings grouping of the SolarWinds Website Administration
page.
3. If you are using 64bit counters, select Method 2 in the Counter Rollover
field in the Calculations & Thresholds area.
Notes:
l If Method 2 is selected, SolarWinds SAM will intentionally skip a poll if
a polled value is less than the previous polled value to permit counting
to 264.
l SolarWinds fully supports the use of 64-bit counters; however, these
64-bit counters can exhibit erratic behavior in some implementations.
If you notice peculiar results when using these counters, disable the
use of 64-bit counters for the problem device and contact the device
manufacturer.
4. If you are using of 32bit counters, select Method 1 in the Counter
Rollover field in the Calculations & Thresholds area.
Note: If Method 1 is selected, when a rollover is detected, the time between
polls is calculated as (232 Last Polled Value) + Current Polled Value.

SolarWinds General Thresholds

Many of the resources available in the SolarWinds Web Console are capable of
displaying error and warning conditions for the devices on your network. Errors
and warnings display in the SolarWinds Web Console. SolarWinds SAM uses the
values provided on the thresholds pages to determine when and how to display
errors and warnings in the SolarWinds Web Console. The following sections
provide more information about threshold types and configuration:
l
l

SolarWinds General Threshold Types

Setting SolarWinds General Thresholds

SolarWinds General Threshold Types

The following device conditions may be configured as SolarWinds General
Thresholds:
CPU Load
Monitored network devices experiencing CPU loads higher than the value
set for the High Level display in High CPU Load reports and resources.

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Gauges for these devices also display as bold red. Monitored network
devices experiencing a CPU load higher than the value set for the Warning
Level, but lower than the value set for the High Level, display as red in
High CPU Load reports and resources. Gauges for these devices also
display as red.
Disk Usage
Monitored network devices experiencing a disk usage higher than the value
set for the High Level display as bold red in Disk Usage reports and
resources. Monitored network devices experiencing a disk usage higher
than the value set for the Warning Level, but lower than the value set for the
High Level, display as red in High Disk Usage reports and resources.
Percent Memory Used
Monitored network devices experiencing a percent memory usage higher
than the value set for the Error Level display in High Percent Utilization
reports and resources. Gauges for these devices also display as bold red.
Monitored network devices experiencing a percent memory usage higher
than the value set for the Warning Level, but lower than the value set for the
Error Level, display in High Percent Utilization reports and resources.
Gauges for these devices also display as red.
Percent Packet Loss
Monitored network devices experiencing a percent packet loss higher than
the value set for the Error Level display in High Percent Loss reports and
resources. Gauges for these devices also display as bold red. Monitored
network devices experiencing a percent packet loss higher than the value
set for the Warning Level, but lower than the value set for the Error Level,
display in High Percent Loss reports and resources. Gauges for these
devices also display as red.
SolarWinds SAM calculates percent packet loss using ICMP ping requests
made on the Default Poll Interval. SolarWinds pings monitored devices and
records the results of the ten most recent ping attempts. Percent packet loss
is expressed as the number of failed ping requests, X, divided by the
number of ping requests, 10. For more information about the Default Poll
Interval, see SolarWinds Polling Settings on page266.
For example, if, at a given point in time, the last ten ping requests made of a
selected device resulted in 2 failures and 8 successes, the percent packet
loss for the selected device at the given time is reported as 2/10, or 20%.

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Setting SolarWinds General Thresholds

Response Time
Monitored devices experiencing response times longer than the value set
for the Error Level display in High Response Time reports and resources.
Gauges for these devices also display as bold red. Devices experiencing
response times longer than the value set for the Warning Level, but shorter
than the value set for the Error Level, also display in High Response Time
reports and resources. Gauges for these devices also display as red.
SolarWinds SAM calculates response time using ICMP ping requests made
on the Default Node Poll Interval. SolarWinds pings monitored devices and
records the results of the ten most recent ping attempts. Average Response
Time is expressed as the average response time of these last 10 ping
requests. If SolarWinds SAM does not receive a ping response within the
Default Poll Interval, SolarWinds SAM will attempt to ping the
nonresponsive device once every 10 seconds for the period designated as
the Warning Interval. For more information, see SolarWinds Polling
Settings on page266.

Setting SolarWinds General Thresholds

The following procedure configures SolarWinds General Thresholds.
To set SolarWinds SAM thresholds:
1. Log in to the SolarWinds Web Console as an administrator.
2. Click Settings in the top right of the web console.
3. Click SolarWinds Thresholds in the Settings group of the SolarWinds Website Administration page.
Note: For more information about SolarWinds General Thresholds, see
SolarWinds General Threshold Types.
4. Provide appropriate values for Error Level, High Level, or Warning Level
for selected thresholds.

Customizing Views
SolarWinds Web Console views are configurable presentations of network
information that can include maps, charts, summary lists, reports, events, and
links to other resources. Customized views can then be assigned to menu bars.
Note: In environments where security is a priority, SolarWinds recommends
against providing a view where users may change their own web console
account passwords.

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Refer to the following sections for more information:
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l

Creating New Views

Editing Views
Configuring View Limitations
Copying Views
Deleting Views
Views by Device Type
Resource Configuration Examples
Customizing Web Console Menu Bars
Changing the Web Console Color Scheme
Changing the Web Console Site Logo
Configuring the Available Product Updates View
Updating your SolarWinds Installation
Customizing Charts in the SolarWinds Web Console
Custom Node Charts
Custom Volume Charts
Custom Chart View

Creating New Views

You can customize the SolarWinds Web Console for individual users by logging
in as an administrator and creating new views as shown in the following
procedure.
Note: In environments where security is a priority, SolarWinds recommends
against providing a view where users may change their own web console
account passwords.
To create a new view:
1. Click Settings in the top right of the web console.
2. Click Manage Views in the Views group of the SolarWinds Website Administration page.
3. Click Add.
4. Enter the Name of New View.
5. Select the Type of View.
Note: The Type of View selection affects how the view is made accessible
to users, and your choice may not be changed later. For more information,
see Views by Device Type.
6. Click Submit.

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Editing Views
After you have created a new view, the Customize Your View page opens. For
more information, see Editing Views.

Editing Views
The SolarWinds Web Console allows administrators to configure views for
individual users. The following steps are required to configure an existing view.
To edit an existing view:
1. Click Settings in the top right of the web console.
2. Click Manage Views in the Views group of the SolarWinds Website Administration page.
3. Select the view you want to customize from the list, and then click Edit.
4. If you want to change the column layout of your view, complete the following steps.
a. Click Edit to the right of the column widths.
b. Select the number of columns under Layout.
e. Provide the width, in pixels, of each column in the appropriate fields,
and then click Submit.
5. If you want to add a resource, repeat the following steps for
each resource:
a. Click [+] next to the column in which you want to add a resource.
b. Click [+] next to a resource group on the Add Resources page to
expand the resource group, displaying available resources.
c. Check all resources you want to add.
d. If you have completed the addition of resources to the selected
view, click Submit.
Notes:
l Resources already in your view will not be checked on this page
listing all web console resources. It is, therefore, possible to pick
duplicates of resources you are already viewing.
l Some resources may require additional configuration. For more
information, see Resource Configuration Examples on
page152.
l Several options on the Add Resources page are added to the list
of resources for a page, but the actual configuration of a given
map, link, or code is not added until the page is previewed.
6. If you want to delete a resource from a column, select the resource, and
then click X next to the resource column to delete the selected resource.
7. If you want to copy a resource in a column, select the resource, and
then click next to the resource column to delete the selected resource.
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8. If you want to rearrange the order in which resources appear in your
view, select resources, and then use the arrow keys to rearrange them.
9. If you have finished configuring your view, click Preview.
Note: A preview of your custom web console displays in a new window. A
message may display in the place of some resources if information for the
resource has not been polled yet. For more information, see Resource
Configuration Examples on page152.
10. Close the preview window.
11. When done, click Done.
Notes:
l For more information about adding a customized view to menu bars
as a custom item, see Customizing Web Console Menu Bars on
page160.
l For more information about assigning your customized view as the
default view for a user, see Editing User Accounts on page253.

Configuring View Limitations

As a security feature, the web console gives administrators the ability to apply
device-based view limitations. The following views and limitations are available:
Managed Views that
Support Limitations

Available Limitations

SAM Application Details

Single Network Node

System Contact Pattern

SAM Component Details

Group of Nodes

Single Machine Type

SAM Summary

Node Name Pattern

Single Hardware
Manufacturer

Cluster Details

System Name Pattern IP Address Pattern

Current Top 10 Lists

Group of Machine
Types

Group of Volumes

Custom Summary

Machine Type
Pattern

Single Group

Datacenter Details

Hardware
Manufacturer

Group of Groups

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Copying Views

ESX Host Details

Device Status

Group Name Pattern

Group Details

System Location

Application Name Pattern

Group Summary

System Location
Pattern

Group of Application
Names

Node Details

System Contact

Specific Applications

SolarWinds Summary
Home
Customize Problem
Areas
Virtual Center Details
Virtualization summary
Volume Details

The following procedure configures a view limitation:

To enable a view limitation:
1. Click Settings in the top right of the web console, and then click Manage
Views in the Views group of the SolarWinds Website Administration page.
2. Select the view to which you want to add a limitation, and the click Edit.
3. In the View Limitation area of the Customize View page, click Edit.
4. Select the type of view limitation you want to apply, and then click
Continue.
5. Provide or check appropriate strings or options to define the device types to
include or exclude from the selected view, and then click Submit.
Note: The asterisk (*) is a valid wildcard. Pattern limitations restrict views to
devices for which the corresponding fields include the provided string.

Copying Views
When you want to create multiple views based on the same device type, copying
views allows you to create one view, and then use that view as a template to
create other new views. The following steps copy an existing view.

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To copy a view:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Click Settings in the top right of the web console.

Click Manage Views in the Views group.
Select the view you want to copy, and then click Copy.
If you want to edit a copied view, follow the procedure in Editing Views.

Deleting Views
The following steps delete an existing view.
To delete an existing view:
1. Click Settings in the top right of the web console.
2. Click Manage Views in the Views grouping of the SolarWinds Website
Administration page.
3. Select the view you want to delete, and then click Delete.

Views by Device Type

There are vast differences among network objects and the statistics they report,
but the SolarWinds Web Console can make it easier to view network data by
displaying object details by device type, giving you the ability to have a different
view for each unique type of device you have on your network, including routers,
firewalls, and servers. The following steps assign a view by any available device
type.
To assign a view by device type:
1. Click Settings in the top right of the web console, and then click Views by
Device Type in the Views group of the SolarWinds Website Administration
page.
2. Select available Web Views for the different types of devices that
SolarWinds is currently monitoring or managing on your network.
3. Click Submit.

Resource Configuration Examples

Several resources that may be selected from the Add Resources page require
additional configuration. Included in this section are examples of these resources
and the steps that are required for their proper configuration.

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Selecting a Network Map
Network maps created with SolarWinds Network Atlas can give a quick overview
of your network, right from the main web console view.
Note: Clicking the resource title in the title bar menu displays the resource by
itself in a browser window.
The following procedure adds a network map to the SolarWinds Web Console.
To add a network map to the web console:
1. Create a new view or edit an existing view.
Note: For more information, see Customizing Views.
2. Select the view to which you want to add the map, and then click Edit.
3. Click [+] next to the view column in which you want to display the new map.
4. Click [+] next to Network Maps, check Network Map, and then click Submit.
5. Click Preview on the Customize Your View page.
6. Click Edit in the Network Map resource title bar.
7. If you do not want to use the default title provided, enter a new Title for
the title bar of the added map.
8. If you want a subtitle, enter a new Subtitle for the added map.
Note: Titles and subtitles may be entered as either text or HTML.
9. Select from the list of available maps.
10. Select the Scale at which you want to display the map.
Note: If you leave the Scale field blank, the map will display at full scale,
based on the size of the column in which the map displays.
11. Click Submit.
Displaying a List of Objects on a Network Map
When your web console view includes a network map, it can be helpful to
maintain a list of network objects that appear on the map. The following
procedure enables a resource listing network map objects.
Note: Clicking the resource title displays the resource in a new browser window.
To display a list of network map objects:
1. Create a new view or edit an existing view.
Note: For more information, see Customizing Views on page147.
2. Select the view to display the list of network map objects, and then click
Edit.

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3. Click [+] next to the view column in which you want to display the new list of
network map objects.
4. Click [+] next to Network Maps, check List of Objects on Network Map,
and then click Submit.
5. Click Preview on the Customize Your View page.
6. Click Edit in the title bar of the List of Objects on Network Map resource.
7. If you do not want to use the default title provided, enter a new Title for
the header of the objects list.
8. If you want a subtitle, enter a new Subtitle for the added objects list.
Note: Titles and subtitles may be entered as either text or HTML.
9. Select from the list of available maps for the objects that you want to populate your list, and then click Submit.
Displaying a Custom List of Maps
The web console allows you to populate a custom view with a list of available
network maps. Each map in your custom list, when clicked, opens in a new
window. The following procedure enables a custom network maps list resource.
Note: Clicking the resource title displays the resource in its own browser window.
To display a custom list of maps:
1. Create a new view or edit an existing view.
Note: For more information, see Customizing Views on page147.
2. Select the view to which you want to add the custom list of network maps,
and then click Edit.
3. Click [+] next to the view column in which you want to display the custom
list of network maps.
4. Click [+] next to Network Maps.
5. Check Custom List of Maps, and then click Submit.
6. Click Preview on the Customize Your View page, and then click Edit in the
title bar of the Custom List of Maps resource.
7. If you do not want to use the default title provided, enter a new Title for
the header of the maps list.
8. If you want a subtitle, enter a new Subtitle for the custom list of maps.
Note: Titles and subtitles may be entered as either text or HTML.
9. Check the maps you want to include in your maps list.
10. Click Submit.

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Displaying an Event Summary - Custom Period of Time
You may want your web console view to display an event summary for a specified
period of time. The following procedure details the steps to include an event
summary in your web console.
Note: Clicking the resource title in the title bar menu displays the resource by
itself in a browser window.
To display an event summary:
1. Create a new view or edit an existing view.
Note: For more information about creating a new view or editing an existing
view, see Customizing Views on page147.
2. Select the view to include the event summary, and then click Edit.
3. Click [+] next to the view column that will display the event summary.
4. Click [+] next to Events.
5. Check Event SummaryCustom Time Period, and then click Submit.
6. Click Preview on the Customize Your View page.
7. Click Edit in the title bar of the Event Summary resource.
8. If you do not want to use the default title provided, enter a new Title for
the header of the event summary.
Note: Titles may be entered as either text or HTML.
9. Select the time period for displaying events from Display Events for the following Time Period.
10. Click Submit.
Specifying User-Defined Links
The User-Defined Links option may be used to create quick access to external
websites or customized views. URLs of your customized views can be copied
from their preview pages and pasted in a User-Defined Links field. The following
steps enable user-defined links from within your web console.
Note: Clicking the resource title in the title bar menu displays the resource by
itself in a browser window.
To enable a user-defined links resource:
1. Create a new view or edit an existing view.
Note: For more information, see Customizing Views.
2. Select the view to which you want to add the user-defined links resource.
3. Click Edit.
4. Click [+] next to the view column to display the user-defined links resource.

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5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Click [+] next to Miscellaneous

Check User Defined Links.
Click Submit.
Click Preview on the Customize Your View page.
Click Edit in the title bar of the User Defined Links resource.
If you do not want to use the default title provided, enter a new Title for
the links list.
11. If you want a subtitle, enter a new Subtitle for the links list.
Note: Titles and subtitles may be entered as either text or HTML.
12. Enter the following information for each link you want to define:
Create a new view or edit an existing view.
Note: For more information, see Customizing Views.
13. Click Submit.
Specifying Custom HTML or Text
In situations where you have static information that you want to provide in the web
console, use the Custom HTML or Text option. The Custom HTML or Text
option may also be used to create quick access to your customized views. The
following procedure will create a static content area within your web console for
displaying text or HTML content.
Note: Clicking the resource title displays the resource in a new browser window.
To specify custom HTML or text:
1. Create a new view or edit an existing view.
Note: For more information, see Customizing Views.
2. Select the view to include the custom HTML or text.
3. Click Edit.
4. Click [+] next to the column to display the custom HTML or text.
5. Click [+] next to Miscellaneous, and then check Custom HTML or Text.
6. Click Submit.
7. Click Preview on the Customize Your View page.
8. Click Edit in the title bar of the Custom HTML or Text resource.
9. If you do not want to use the default title provided, enter a new Title for
the specified content area.
10. If you want a subtitle, enter a new Subtitle for the specified content area.
Note: Titles and subtitles may be entered as either text or HTML.
11. Enter content as either text or HTML into the Raw HTML field.
12. Click Submit.

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Specifying a SolarWinds Report
The web console is able to incorporate reports that you have created in
SolarWinds Report Writer into any view. The following procedure will take a
report that you have created with Report Writer and include it within a web
console view.
Note: Clicking the resource title in the title bar menu displays the resource by
itself in a browser window.
To include a SolarWinds report:
1. Create a new view or edit an existing view.
Note: For more information, see Customizing Views.
2. Select the view to which you want to add the report.
3. Click Edit.
4. Click [+] next to the view column in which you want to display the report.
5. Click [+] next to Report Writer.
6. Check Report from SolarWinds Report Writer.
7. Click Submit.
8. Click Preview on the Customize Your View page.
9. Click Edit in the title bar of the Report from SolarWinds Report Writer
resource.
10. If you do not want to use the default title provided, enter a new Title for
the included report.
11. If you want a subtitle, enter a new Subtitle for the included report.
Note: Titles and subtitles may be entered as either text or HTML.
12. Select a Report to include.
13. If you want to add a filter to the included report, enter an appropriate
query in the Filter Nodes field.
Note: Filter Nodes is an optional, advanced, web console feature that
requires some knowledge of SQL queries. Click [+] next to Show Filter
Examples to view a few example filters.
14. Click Submit.
Displaying a Custom List of Reports
The web console allows you to populate a custom view with a custom reports list.
When clicked from the list, each report opens in a new window. The following
procedure details the steps required to enable a custom list of network reports.
Note: Clicking the resource title displays the resource in a new browser window.

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To display a custom list of reports:
1. Create a new view or edit an existing view. For more information, see Customizing Views.
2. Select the view to which you want to add the custom list of reports, and then
click Edit.
3. Click [+] next to the column to display the custom list of reports.
4. Click [+] next to Report Writer.
5. Check Custom List of Reports, and then click Submit.
6. Click Preview on the Customize Your View page, and then click Edit in the
title bar of the Report from SolarWinds Report Writer resource.
7. If you do not want to use the default title provided, enter a new Title for
the header of the reports list.
8. If you want a subtitle, enter a new Subtitle for the custom list of reports.
Note: Titles and subtitles may be entered as either text or HTML.
9. Check the reports that you want to include in your custom list of reports.
10. Click Submit.
Filtering Nodes
Your SolarWinds Web Console can maintain a customizable node list for your
network. Node lists may be configured for specific views using SQL query filters.
The following steps set up node filtering for node lists included in web console
views.
Note: Clicking the resource title displays the resource in a new browser window.
To enable filtering on a node list:
1. Create a new view or edit an existing view.
Note: For more information, see Customizing Views.
2. Select the view to which you want to add the node list
3. Click Edit.
4. Click [+] next to the view column in which you want to display the node list.
5. Click [+] next to Node Lists.
6. Check All NodesTable, and then click Submit.
7. Click Preview on the Customize YourView page, and then
8. Click Edit in the title bar of the All NodesTable resource.
9. If you do not want to use the default title provided, enter a new Title for
the node list.
10. If you want a subtitle, enter a new Subtitle for the node list.
Note: Titles and subtitles may be entered as either text or HTML.
11. If you want to filter your node list by text or IP address range,

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12. provide the text or IP address range by which you want to filter your node list
in the Filter Text field, as shown in the following examples:
l Type Home in the Filter Text field to list all nodes with Home in the
node name or as a location.
l Type 192.168.1.* in the Filter Text field to list all nodes in the
192.168.1.0-255 IP address range.
13. Select the property that is appropriate to the filter text provided above, as
shown in the following examples:
l If you typed Home in the Filter Text area, select Node Name or
Location to list nodes with Home in the node name or as a location.
l If you typed 192.168.1.*in the Filter Text area, select IP Address to
list only nodes in the 192.168.1.0-255 IP address range.
l If you want to apply a SQL filter to the node list, enter an appropriate query in the Filter Nodes (SQL) field.
Notes:
l Filter Nodes (SQL) is an optional, advanced, web console feature that requires some knowledge of SQL queries. Click [+] next
to Show Filter Examples to view a few example filters.
l By default, node list resources are designed to sort nodes alphabetically by node caption. This configuration cannot be overwritten using a SQL filter, so order by clauses included in SQL
filters are redundant and will result in Custom SQL filter formatting errors.
14. Click Submit.
Grouping Nodes
Your SolarWinds Web Console can maintain a customizable node list for your
network. Node lists may be configured for specific views with node grouping. The
following steps set up node grouping for node lists included in web console
views.
Note: Clicking the resource title in the title bar menu displays the resource by
itself in a browser window.
To enable grouping on a node list:
1. Create a new view or edit an existing view.
Note: For more information, see Customizing Views.
2. Select the view to which you want to add the node list, and then click Edit.
3. Click [+] next to the view column in which you want to display the node list.
4. Click [+] next to Node Lists.

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5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.

12.

Check an appropriate node list, and then click Submit.

Click Preview on the Customize YourView page.
Click Edit in the title bar of the All NodesTree (AJAX) resource.
If you do not want to use the default title provided, enter a new Title for
the node list.
If you want a subtitle, enter a new Subtitle for the node list.
Note: Titles and subtitles may be entered as either text or HTML.
Select up to three criteria, in specified levels, for Grouping Nodes within
your web console view.
If you want to apply a SQL filter to the node list, enter an appropriate
query in the Filter Nodes field.
Notes:
l Filter Nodes (SQL) is an optional, advanced, web console feature
that requires some knowledge of SQL queries. Click [+] next to Show
Filter Examples to view a few example filters.
l By default, node list resources are designed to sort nodes alphabetically by node caption. This configuration cannot be overwritten
using a SQL filter, so order by clauses included in SQL filters are
redundant and will result in Custom SQL filter formatting errors.
Click Submit.

Customizing Web Console Menu Bars

The menu bars displayed at the top of every page may be configured to display
various menu items. You can also define menu items and add them to custom
menu bars. For more information about customizing menu bars for individual
accounts, see Editing User Accounts on page253.
The following procedure customizes a web console menu bar:
To customize web console menu bars:
1. Click Settings in the top right of the web console.
2. Click Customize Menu Bars in the Customize grouping of the SolarWinds
Website Administration page.
3. If you want to modify an existing menu, click Edit beneath the menu bar
you want to modify, and then click and drag items between the Available
items list on the left and the Selected items list on the right until the Selected items list includes all the items you want to include in your edited
menu.
Note: Hover over any view title to read a description. Selected items dis-

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8.
9.

play from left to right in the edited menu bar as they are listed from top to
bottom.
If you want to create a new menu bar, complete the following steps:
a. Click New Menu Bar, and then provide a Name for the New Menu
Bar.
b. Click and drag the buttons you want to include in your new menu bar
from the Available items list on the left to their correct relative locations
in the Selected items list on the right.
Note: Hover over any view title to read a view description. Selected
items display from left to right in the new menu bar as they are listed
from top to bottom.
If you want to add menu items, complete the following steps:
a. Click Edit under the menu bar to which you are adding the new item.
b. Click and drag the items you want to include in your new menu from the
Available items list on the left to their correct relative locations in the
Selected items list on the right.
Notes:
l Hover over any view title to read a view description. Selected
items display from left to right in the new menu bar as they are listed from top to bottom.
l If you check Reports from the Select Menu Items page, you must
also enable reports for the accounts that use the menu bar. For
more information, see Configuring an Account Report Folder on
page261.
If you want to add a custom menu item, complete the following steps:
a. Click Edit under the menu bar to which you are adding the custom item.
b. Click Add.
c. Provide the Name, URL, and Description of your custom menu
item.
d. If you want the menu option to open in a new window, check
Open in a New Window.
e. Click OK.
If you want to delete a menu item, click and drag the item to delete from
the Selected items list on the right to the Available items list on the left.
Warning: Do not delete the Admin option from the Admin menu bar.
If you want to change the location of an item in your menu, click and
drag items to move them up and down in the Selected items list.
If you have finished editing your menu bar, click Submit.

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Changing the Web Console Color Scheme

The overall color scheme of the SolarWinds Web Console may be changed to
any of several color schemes that are viewable by all users, as shown in the
following procedure.
To change the web console color scheme:
1. Click Settings in the top right of the web console.
2. Click Color Scheme in the Customize grouping.
3. Select the desired color scheme, and then click Submit.

Changing the Web Console Site Logo

The SolarWinds Web Console can be configured to display your logo instead of
the default SolarWinds banner across the top of every web console page. The
following steps change the default SolarWinds web console banner.
To change the web console banner:
1. Create an appropriately sized graphic to replace the SolarWinds logo.
Notes:
l The SolarWinds banner file is 271x48 pixels at 200 pixels/inch.
l The SolarWinds.com End User License Agreement prohibits the
modification, elimination, or replacement of either the SolarWinds.com logo and link on the menu bar or the SolarWinds copyright
line at the bottom of the page.
2. Place your graphic in the images directory.
Note: By default, it is in C:\Inetpub\SolarWinds\NetPerfMon\.
3. Log in to the web console as an administrator.
4. Click Settings in the top right of the web console.
5. Click Web Console Settings in the Settings grouping of the SolarWinds
Website Administration page.
6. Type the new logo image name as a replacement for
SolarWinds.Logo.jpg in the Site Logo URL field.

Configuring the Available Product Updates View

The SolarWinds Web Console can automatically check for the availability of any
updates to your currently installed SolarWinds products. By default, the web
console regularly checks for product updates automatically, as indicated by the
dates and times reported as Last Check and Next Check, but you can click
Check Now at any time to see an up-to-the-minute update. If updates are

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available, a note is posted in the web console notification bar and updates are
listed in this view, where you can then select and download them as needed.
Note: For more information about downloading listed product updates, see
Updating your SolarWinds Installation.
To configure product updates:
1. Log in to the web console as an administrator, and then click Settings in the
top right corner of the web console.
2. Click Available Product Updates in the Product Updates grouping.
3. If you want to disable the automatic check for product updates, clear
Check for product updates, and then click Save Settings.
4. If you want to ensure that updates are listed for all currently installed
SolarWinds products, including SolarWinds NPM, SolarWinds SAM,
and all SolarWinds modules, check Show all updates.
5. Click Save Settings.

Updating your SolarWinds Installation

If your Product Updates view is configured to list SolarWinds updates, you can
download them directly from the Product Updates view.
To update your SolarWinds installation:
1. Log in to the web console as an administrator, and then click Settings in the
top right corner of the web console.
2. Click Available Product Updates in the Product Updates grouping.
3. Click Check Now to refresh the updates list.
4. If there are any updates you want to ignore, check the updates to ignore,
and then click Ignore Selected.
5. Check the updates you want to apply, and then click Download Selected.
6. Save and then execute downloaded installers. For more information, see
either the readme.txt file packaged with the downloaded update or review
related documentation available at www.solarwinds.com.

NOCView
SAMoffers a Network Operations Center (NOC) view that hides console tools
while automatically rotating through custom views. NOC view mode enables you
to customize views for optimal display on large network operations center
screens. Once you click on an object in NOC view mode, you will be taken out of
NOCview mode and then taken to that object's details page.

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You can quickly turn on the NOCview from the web console by the link provided
in the upper right-hand corner of the web console, as shown:

While in the NOCview you can easily exit and edit the NOC view from the web
console by the menu provided in the upper right-hand corner of the web console,
as shown:

For more information, refer to the following sections:

l
l
l
l
l

Enabling NOC
Adding NOCviews
Editing NOCviews
Disabling NOCviews
Adding AppStack to a NOC View

Enabling NOC
NOC view mode enables you to customize web console views for optimal display
on large network operations center screens.
To enable NOC view mode for an existing view:
1. Click Customize Page in the top right of the view for which you want to
enable NOC view mode.
2. Check Enable NOC view mode.
3. Click Done.
Adding NOCviews

Adding a NOCview:

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Enabling NOC
1. From the web console, click Customize Page in the upper right-hand
corner.
2. If not already done so, check Enable Left Navigation.

3. Click Add Tab.

4. Add a name for the tab in the field provided, then click Update. The new tab
appears in the column to the left.
5. If not already done so, check Enable NOCview mode.

6. Add the resources you want to each column by clicking the green [+], then
selecting resources from the pop-up dialog, as shown:

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7. When done, click Add Selected Resources.

8. Click Done & Go To NOC to save and view the newly created NOC view.
9. The newly added NOCview appears. The dots correspond to the different
tabs/screens created earlier in Step 3.

Adding AppStack to a NOC View

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Adding AppStack to a NOC View

1. From the web console, click Customize Page in the upper right-hand
corner.
2. If not already done so, check Enable Left Navigation.
3. Click Add Tab.
4. Add a name for the tab in the field provided, then click Update. The new tab
appears in the column to the left.

5. Add the AppStack Environment resource to a column by clicking the

green [+], then selecting AppStack Environment from the pop-up dialog,
as shown:

6. Click Add Selected Resources.

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7. If not already done so, check Enable NOCview mode, then click Done.

8. Navigate to Home >Environment.

9. Filter your AppStack Environment according to you needs. When done,

click Apply Filter.
10. Save the Layout as AppStack Environment, which was added in Step 5.

11. View the NOCby navigating to Home >Show in NOC Mode.

For more information, see NOCView.
Editing NOCviews
To Edit a NOCview:
1. From the web console, navigate to Settings >Created NOCViews, as
shown:

168

Adding AppStack to a NOC View

2. Check the view you want to edit, and then click Edit.

3. Make your changes, and then click Done & Go to NOC.

Disabling NOCviews
To Disable a NOCview:
1. From the web console, navigate to Settings >Created NOCViews, as
shown:

2. Check the view you want to edit, and then click Disable NOC.

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3. Confirm the dialog to have your view removed from the list.

Customizing Charts in the SolarWinds Web Console

Clicking any chart opens the Custom Chart view in a new window, displaying the
selected chart with additional chart customization options. For more information
about the Custom Chart view, see Custom Chart View.
You can also configure any custom chart resource in the SolarWinds Web
Console directly from the resource title bar either by selecting from the drop down
menu of options or by clicking Edit to display the Edit Chart Title view, as
described in the following sections.
Chart Information:
l

If SAM is upgraded to version 6.0 or higher, legacy charts already assigned

to views will be upgraded.
Charts from earlier versions of SAM will be renamed to have the prefix
"Legacy" and must be added manually.

Custom Chart Resource Title Bar Options

The title bar menu of the custom chart resource provides the following options for
viewing chart data:
l
l

l
l

View chart data over the Last 7 Days or over the Last 30 Days
Select Edit Chart to view and modify chart settings.
Note: This is the same as clicking Edit in the title bar.
View Chart Data as an HTML format document
View Chart Data in Excel to see chart data in an Excel-compatible format

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Customizing Charts in the SolarWinds Web Console

Edit Chart Title View
Click Edit in the title bar of a custom chart resource to display the Edit Chart Title
view. This view provides the following options to configure your chart resource:
Select a Chart allows you to change the chart type displayed in the current
resource. Chart options are determined in accordance with the type of view
displaying the resource you are currently editing. For more information about
available node charts, see Custom Node Charts on page201. For more
information about available volume charts, see Custom Volume Charts.
The Time Period for the selected chart may be any of the following:
Last Hour

Last 2 Hours

Last 24 Hours Today

Yesterday

Last 7 Days

This Month

Last 30 Days Last 3 Months This Year

Last Month
Last 12 Months

The Sample Interval for the selected chart may be any of the following:
Every Minute

Every 5 Minutes Every 10 Minutes Every 15 Minutes

Every 30 Minutes Every Hour

Every 2 Hours

Every 12 Hours

Every 7 Days

One a Day

Every 6 Hours

Notes:
l Each sample interval is represented on a chart by a single point or bar. Data
within a selected sample interval is summarized automatically.
l Due to limits of memory allocation, some combinations of time periods and
sample intervals require too many system resources to display, due to the
large number of polled data points. As a result, charts may not display if the
time period is too long or if the sample interval is too small.
The Trend Line option allows you to enable the trend line feature of SolarWinds
SAM charts. By enabling trend lines on SolarWinds SAM charts, you can see
potential future results as they are extrapolated from collected historical data.
Note: Due to the broad array of factors that can affect the performance of devices
on your network, trend lines provided on SolarWinds SAM charts are intended as
approximate predictions of future data only. For more information, see "95th
Percentile Calculations" on page 1203.

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Exporting Views to PDF

Many views in the SolarWinds Web Console may be exported directly to portable
document format (.pdf). Views that may be exported display Export to PDF in the
top right corner of the exportable view.
Note: The Export to PDF feature requires IIS Anonymous Access. Confirm that
the IUSR_SERVERNAME user is in the local Users group on your SolarWinds
server.
To export a view to PDF:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Open the web console view to export.

Click Export to PDF in the top right corner of the view.
If you are prompted to save the .pdf file, click Save.
Navigate to an appropriate location, provide an appropriate file name, and
then click Save.

Creating a Custom Summary View

The SolarWinds Custom Summary View enables you to create a fully customized
object-based view composed solely of resources you have selected. The
following procedure creates a custom summary view in the web console.
To create or edit a custom summary view in the web console:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Click Home> Custom Summary.

Click Edit in any Custom Object Resource.
Provide a Title and Subtitle for the selected Custom Object Resource.
Click Select SolarWinds Object.
On the Select a network object window, use the Show only and Group by
selection fields, as appropriate, to filter the list of monitored objects.
6. Select the SolarWinds object on which you want to base the selected Custom Object resource, and then click Select SolarWinds object.
7. Select the type of information you want the custom resource to display
about the selected object, and then customize the resource, as indicated in
the following steps:
a. If you have selected an alerts resource, indicate whether or not you
want to display acknowledged alerts by checking or clearing Show
Acknowledged Alerts, as appropriate.
b. If you have selected a resource to which SQL filters may be
applied, edit available SQL filters as appropriate. For more information,
see Using Node Filters on page182.

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Creating and Editing External Website Views

c. If you have selected a resource with an AutoHide option, select
Yes or No to enable or to disable the Auto-Hide feature, respectively. If
enabled, the resource is automatically hidden if and when related data
is not present in the Orion database.
d. If you have selected a sortable list resource, in the Sort By field select
the property by which you want the list sorted.
e. If you have selected a gaugestyle resource, select a gauge Style
and provide a Gauge Size.
f. If you have selected a chartstyle resource, select an appropriate
Time Period and Sample Interval, and then indicate whether or not
you want to show a Trend Line.
g. If you have selected a Universal Device Poller resource, select the
Universal Device Poller and Chart Format, and then configure all
other options as required for similar resource types.
8. Click Submit.
Note: For more information about customizing available resource types,
click Help in the header of any resource on the Custom Summary view,
and then click the corresponding resource type.

Creating and Editing External Website Views

With the external website view feature, any SolarWinds SAM administrator can
select any external website and designate it as a SolarWinds Web Console view,
as shown in the following procedure.
To create or edit an external website view in the web console:
1. Click Settings in the top right of the web console.
2. Click External Websites in the Customize grouping of the SolarWinds
Website Administration page.
3. If you want to delete an existing external website, click Delete next to
the website you want to delete, and then click OK to confirm the deletion.
4. If you want to add a new external website, click Add.
5. If you want to edit an existing external website, click Edit next to the
name of the website you want to edit.
6. Provide a Menu Title for the external website to display in the Views toolbar.
7. If you want to include a heading within the view, provide an optional
Page Title to display within the view.
8. Provide the URL of the external website, in http://domain_name format.

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9. Select the Menu Bar to which you want to add the new external website
link.
Note: For more information about customizing menu bars, see Customizing Web Console Menu Bars on page160.
10. Click OK.
11. Click Preview to view the external website as the web console will display
it.

Custom Object Resources in the SolarWinds Web

Console
The SolarWinds Web Console provides a Custom Object resource that enables
you to configure any of a wide array of resources to display performance data for
any specific monitored objects. The following sections provide more information
about editing a Custom Object resource, selecting monitored objects, and
configuring the data displayed in a Custom Object resource:
l
l
l

Editing a Custom Object Resource

Selecting Custom Objects and Resources
Available Custom Resources

Editing a Custom Object Resource

The following procedure edits a Custom Object resource.
To edit a Custom Object resource:
1. Click Edit in the header of a Custom Object resource.
2. Edit the resource Title and Subtitle as appropriate.
3. Click Select SolarWinds Object to select an appropriate monitored object.
For more information, see Selecting Custom Objects and Resources.
4. If you have completed your edits, click Submit.

Selecting Custom Objects and Resources

The following procedure selects a network object for a selected Custom Object
resource.
To select a custom monitored object for a Custom Object resource:
1. Click Edit in the header of a Custom Object resource.
2. Click Select SolarWinds Object.
3. In the Show only: field, select the type of object you want to monitor in the
Custom Object resource.

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Available Custom Resources

4. In the Group by: field, select an appropriate object grouping criterion.
Note: Defined custom properties are listed for all grouping types.
5. Click the object to monitor in the list on the left, and then select it in the
main pane grouping criterion.
6. Click Select SolarWinds Object.
7. Select the desired resource type in the Select object resource field, and
then configure options as required. For more information about available
resources, see Available Custom Resources.

Available Custom Resources

A Custom Object resource may be configured to provide the same data as any of
a number of SolarWinds Web Console resources for a selected network object:
Notes:
l Resource availability is dependent on the SolarWinds products installed.
l For more information about any available custom resource, click Help in
the resource title to view the corresponding help topic.

Integrating SolarWinds Engineers Toolset

When you are browsing the SolarWinds Web Console from a computer that
already has a SolarWinds Toolset installed, SolarWinds SAM allows you to
launch Toolset tools directly from your web browser. Right-clicking any monitored
object listed in a SolarWinds Web Console running the Toolset Integration
displays a menu of available Toolset tools and functions. The following sections
detail the configuration of the available Toolset integration.
Note: For more information about the SolarWinds Engineers Toolset tools, see
www.solarwinds.com.
Refer to the following sections for more information:
l
l

Configuring a Toolset Integration

Adding Programs to a Toolset Integration Menu

Configuring a Toolset Integration

The following procedure configures SolarWinds Toolset for integration within the
SolarWinds Web Console.
Note: The first time the Toolset tools are accessed, a security warning may be
displayed. Click Yes to allow the Toolset integration.

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To configure SolarWinds Toolset integration settings:
1. Right-click any monitored object displayed within the SolarWinds Web
Console.
2. Click Settings.
3. Click SNMP Community String.
Note: The first time you launch a tool requiring an SNMP community string
from the right-click menu, the SNMP Community String window displays.
4. If you want to delete any or all saved community strings, select the
strings that you want to delete, and then click Remove, or click Remove
All.
5. Click Menu Options, and then configure the right-click menu as follows:
a. If you want either to add menu items to the right-click menu or to
remove menu items from the right-click menu, move menu items
between the list of Available Menu Options on the left and Selected
Menu Options on the right by selecting items in either column and clicking the right and left arrows, as appropriate.
b. If you want to change the order of menu items, select items and then
click the up and down arrows next to the Selected Menu Options list.
c. If you want to add a separator between items, move the -----------menu option from the Available list to the Selected list, and then move
it to your preferred location within the Selected Menu Options list.
6. Click Automatic Menu Items.
7. Check either or both, if available, of the following options:
Automatically add sub-menu items to the MIB Browser (Query MIB)
menu option from the MIB Browers Bookmarks.Automatically add
sub-menu items to the Real Time Interface Monitor menu option
from the Real Time Interface Monitor saved report types.
Note: These options expand the list of available menu items by incorporating menu links to MIB browser bookmarks and Real Time Interface
Monitor saved reports, respectively.

Adding Programs to a Toolset Integration Menu

The following procedure provides the steps required to add any external scripts or
applications to the SolarWinds Toolset integration menu.
To add a program to the SolarWinds Toolset Integration menu:
1. If you want to add an external script to the Toolset Integration menu,
save the script in an appropriate location on the install volume of your
SolarWinds server (e.g. <InstallVolume>:\\Scripts\).

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Web Console Configuration

2. If you want to add an external application to the Toolset Integration
menu, install the application in an appropriate location on the install
volume of your SolarWinds server (e.g. <InstallVolume>:\\Application\).
3. Open SWToolset.MenuOptions, the Toolset Integration menu configuration file, in a text editor.
Note: By default, SWToolset.MenuOptions is located in the following
folder: <InstallVolume>:\\Program Files\SolarWinds\Common\.
4. Save a copy of SWToolset.MenuOptions as SWToolset_Old.MenuOptions.
5. Add the following line between the <MenuOptions></MenuOptions> tags
of the SWToolset.MenuOptions file:
<MenuOption Visible="TRUE" Title="ApplicationName" BeginGroupp="FALSE" HasSubMenu="FALSE" ExecStringg="<InstallVolume>:\\Application\ExecutableFile" Icon="" Extra=""
Parent="" Required="4"/>

Note: The string supplied for Title is the name for the added script or
application that will display in the menu. The string supplied for the
ExecString is the path to the script or application executable file.
6. Save the new SWToolset.MenuOptions to automatically update the Toolset Integration menu.

Web Console Configuration

SolarWinds SAM has the ability to create, restore and clear your web console
configuration
Refer to the following sections for more information:
l
l

Creating a Web Console Configuration Backup

Restoring a Web Console Configuration Backup

Creating a Web Console Configuration Backup

The following procedure uses the SolarWinds Web Configuration
Backup/Restore utility to create a backup of your SolarWinds Web Console
configuration.
Note: The SolarWinds Web Configuration Backup/Restore utility does not create
a backup of the Orion database. As a result, configuration backups do not retain
any of the network device data or statistics for any monitored network objects.

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To create a SolarWinds Web Console configuration backup:
1. Locate and run the OrionWebBackup.exe utility, typically located at C:\Program Files (x86)\SolarWinds\Orion.
2. Click Create Backup.
3. Name your backup and click Save.

Restoring a Web Console Configuration Backup

The following procedure uses the SolarWinds Web Configuration
Backup/Restore utility to restore a saved backup of your SolarWinds Web
Console configuration.
Warning: Do not restore web console configurations from any version of
SolarWinds SAM prior to the version currently installed.
To restore a SolarWinds Web Console configuration backup:
1. Locate and run the OrionWebBackup.exe utility, typically located at C:\Program Files (x86)\SolarWinds\Orion.
2. Select a Backup file from the list.
3. Choose either Merge or Overwrite for the restoration process.
4. Click Restore Backup.

Clearing a Web Console Configuration

The following procedure clears an existing SolarWinds Web Console
configuration.
Warning: Clearing a web console configuration deletes all existing user
accounts, account and view settings, and menu bar customizations. SolarWinds
recommends you create a backup of your current SolarWinds Web Console
configuration before you clear it to confirm that no issues arise as a result of the
deletion of your web console customizations.
To clear your SolarWinds Web Console configuration:
1. Locate and run the OrionWebBackup.exe utility, typically located at C:\Program Files (x86)\SolarWinds\Orion.
2. Click File > Clear Web Configuration.
3. Click Yes to confirm the deletion of your current web console configuration.

178

Logging in for the First Time as an Administrator

When you launch the SolarWinds Web Console, you are presented with a login
view requiring both a User Name and a Password.
To log in to the SolarWinds Web Console:
1. Launch the SolarWinds Web Console
l Click Start> All Programs> SolarWinds > Orion Web Console.
l Or launch a browser on your SolarWinds server and enter http://ip_
address or http://hostname, where ip_address is the IP address of
your SolarWinds host server, or where hostname is the domain name
of your SolarWinds server.
2. Enter Admin as your User Name, and then click Login.
Notes: Until you set a password, you can log in as Admin with no Password. After your first login, you may want to change the Admin password.
For more information, see Changing an Account Password.

Windows Authentication with Active Directory

As of SolarWinds Core version 2010.2, the SolarWinds Web Console can
authenticate Active Directory users and users who are members of Active
Directory security groups.
To enable Active Directory Windows authentication to the web console:
1. Install and configure Active Directory on your local network.
Notes:
l For more information about installing Active Directory on Windows
Server 2003, see the Microsoft Support article, How To Create an
Active Directory Server in Windows Server 2003.
l For more information about Active Directory on Windows Server
2008, see the Microsoft TechNet article, Active Directory Services.
2. If you want to enable automatic login for web console accounts using Windows Authentication, configure the SolarWinds Web Console as shown in
the following steps:
a. Click Start> All Programs> SolarWinds Orion> Configuration and
Auto-Discovery> Configuration Wizard.
b. Check Website, and then click Next.
c. After providing the appropriate IP Address, Port, and Website Root
Directory, select Yes Enable automatic login using Windows

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Authentication.
d. Click Next, and then complete the Configuration Wizard.
3. Log in to the web console using the appropriate domain and user, providing Domain\Username or Username@Domain as the web console User
name.

Using the Web Console Notification Bar

Below the web console menu bar, the SolarWinds notification bar provides
informational messages related to the following SolarWinds SAM features:
l

If you have configured the SolarWinds Web Console to check for product
updates, an announcement displays in the notification bar when an update,
including any upgrade, service pack, or hotfix, to SolarWinds SAM or any
other SolarWinds modules you currently have installed becomes available.
For more information about SolarWinds Product Updates, see Product
Updates.
If you have configured the SolarWinds Web Console to store blog posts,
new and unread posts to the SolarWinds Product Team Blog are
announced in the notification bar. For more information about SolarWinds
Product Updates, see Product Updates.
If you have currently configured a scheduled discovery, results display in
the notification bar when the discovery completes. For more information
about Scheduled Discovery, see Discovery Central."
If you are currently using SolarWinds SAM to monitor any VMware ESX or
ESXi Servers, the notification bar can display messages communicating the
number of ESX nodes found during any discovery, and, if any discovered
ESX nodes require credentials, the notification bar tells you. For more
information about managing ESX Servers, see Virtualization.
For more information about any displayed notification bar message, click
More Details and a web console view relevant to the displayed message
opens.
To delete a posted message, either click Dismiss Message next to the displayed message, or properly address the situation mentioned in the posted
notification.
To remove the notification bar from your web console, click Close (X) at the
right end of the notification bar.

180

Using the SolarWinds Web Console Message Center

Using the SolarWinds Web Console Message

Center
The Message Center provides a single, customizable view in the web console
where, in a single table, you can review all events, alerts, traps and Syslog
messages on your network.
To view and configure the Message Center:
1. Click Home> Message Center.
2. If you only want to see messages for specific devices, select appropriate device properties in the Filter Devices area.
3. In the Filter Messages area, select the Time period for the messages you
want to review, and then provide the number of messages you want to
show.
4. If you want to show all messages, Including messages that have been
acknowledged, check Show acknowledged in the Filter Messages area.
5. If you only want to see certain types of messages, filter messages as
shown in the following steps:
a. If you want to view alerts, confirm that Show triggered alerts is
checked, and then select the type of alerts to display.
b. If you want to view event messages, confirm that Show event messages is checked, and then select the type of events to display.
c. If you want to view Syslog messages, confirm that Show syslog
messages is checked, and then select the Severity and Facility of the
Syslog messages you want to display.
d. If you want to view received traps, confirm that Show received traps
is checked, and then select the Trap type and Community String of
the traps you want to display.
e. If you want to view Audit Events, confirm that Show Audit Events is
checked, and then select the Action Type of the User you want to display.
6. Click Refresh to update the list of displayed messages.

Suppressing Events
There is no option within SAM to suppress event types from the web console;
however, suppression can be accomplished by modifying the database directly.
You can suppress specific events based on the event type. In order to do this,
refer to the following screenshot and steps:

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Suppressing Events:
1. Open Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio.
2. Modify the dbo.Event types table.
3. Change the number in the Record column from 1 to 0 to suppress a specific
event.
Note: SAM supports event suppression for every SAM event type (event
types from 500 to 532):

Using Node Filters

When you are managing or monitoring large numbers of network devices, node
list resources can easily become very large and difficult to navigate. Filters are
optional SQL queries that are used to limit node list displays for easier resource
navigation. SQL queries can be made on any predefined or custom properties.
For more information about defining custom properties, see Creating a Custom
Property".
To apply a node filter:
1. Click Edit in any node list resource.
2. Provide an appropriate SQL query in the Filter Nodes (SQL) field, and then
click Submit.
The following are a few example filters with associated SQL queries.

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Accessing Nodes Using HTTP, SSH, and Telnet

Note: By default, node list resources are designed to sort nodes alphabetically by
node caption. This configuration cannot be overwritten using a SQL filter, so order
by clauses included in SQL filters are redundant and will result in Custom SQL
filter formatting errors.
Filter the results to only show nodes that are not Up:
Status<>1
The following are valid status levels:
0 = Unknown (current up/down status of the node is unknown)
1 = Up (The node is responding to PINGs)
2 = Down (The node is not responding)
3 = Warning (The node may be responding, but the connection from the server to
the Node is dropping packets)
Only show Cisco devices: Vendor = 'Cisco'
Only show devices in Atlanta. (using a custom property named City):
City = 'Atlanta'
Only show devices beginning with "AX3-": Caption Like 'AX3-*'
Only show Nortel devices that are Down:
Vendor Like 'Nortel*' AND Status=2
Only show devices ending in '-TX': Vendor Like '*-TX'

Accessing Nodes Using HTTP, SSH, and Telnet

The SolarWinds Web Console supports the use of HTTP, SSH, and Telnet
protocols for remote device access if associated applications like PuTTy and
FiSSH on your SolarWinds server are properly registered. For more information,
see the MSDN article, Registering an Application to a URL Protocol. Launch
remote access applications from any Details view as follows:
l
l
l

To browse directly to the viewed device using a web browser, click

To open a secure shell (SSH) to a monitored device, click .
To open a Telnet session with a monitored device, click .

Using Integrated Remote Desktop

Sometimes it is necessary to console into a remote server to troubleshoot an
issue. This can be accomplished within the SolarWinds Web Console as follows:

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Note: Press Ctrl+Alt+Break to enter/exit full screen mode.
To launch Integrated Remote Desktop:
1. Open the Node Details view for the server you want to view remotely.
Note: The easiest way to open the Node Details view is to click the remote
server you want to view in any All Nodes resource.
2. Click , located at the of the Node Details view.
Note: Depending on the security settings of your browser, you may be
asked to install an ActiveX control for remote desktop viewing. Follow all
prompts to install this required control.
3. Verify the Server IP address or hostname, select an appropriate Screen
Size, and then click Connect.

Using Audit Events

SAM offers the ability to audit itself. For example, you may want to know who
added a node to SAM and when. The Last XX Audit Events resource provides
this ability.
Note: This resource is only available for users with administrative rights.

The fields for this view are:

l
l
l

Date/Time: Displays the date and time of the listed event.

User: Displays the user who performed the event.
Action: Displays the action that was taken by the listed user.

184

Filtering Audit Events

From this view, you can click on either the user or the node which is linked to
more information about that particular item. Clicking All Audit Events will allow
you to select the audit events you want displayed, in addition to other selfexplanatory options.
Adding the Audit Events resource:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Click Customize Page in the top right corner of the web console.
Click the [+] in either column.
Search for "Audit."
Select the resource you want, and then click Add Selected Resources.
Click Done.

For more information, see Filtering Audit Events.

Filtering Audit Events

SAM allows you to filter Audit Events based on device, time, and message.
To Filter Audit Events:
1. Click All Audit Events.
2. Select the filters you want to apply by checking the appropriate boxes and
items from the drop down menus, as highlighted below.

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3. Click Apply.

Complete SAMAudit Event List:

l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l

All action types

User login
User logout
User account added
User account deleted
Alert acknowledged
Alert note changed
View added
View deleted
View edited
Custom property added
Custom property deleted
Custom property edited
List resources added

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Filtering Audit Events

l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
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l
l
l
l
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l

List resources deleted

List resources edited
Orion settings edited
Orion web settings edited
Group added
Group deleted
Group edited
Group member definition added
Group member definition deleted
Group member definition changed
Node added
Node deleted
Node managed
Node unmanaged
Node polling engine changed
Node edited
Interface added
Interface deleted
Interface managed
Interface unmanaged
Process terminated
Service state changed
Node rebooted
Application added
Application deleted
Application modified
Application managed
Application unmanaged
Application template added
Application template deleted
Application template modified
Credentials added
Credentials deleted
Credentials modified

Editing Audit Events:

Clicking Edit will allow you to choose what audit events you want displayed in
addition to selecting the time period for the events, as well as the number of
events to display.

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1. Click Edit.
2. Check the events you want to be displayed in the resource.
3. Click Submit.

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Chapter 5:
SolarWinds SAMCharts and
Resources
Following is a list of the available charts within SAM:
l
l
l
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l
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Application Availability Chart

Custom Area Chart
Custom Bar Chart
Custom Chart View
Custom Line Chart
Custom Node Charts
Custom Volume Charts
Custom Table
Custom Query Resource
Event Log Message Details
Min/Max Average Chart
Multiple Object Chart
Multiple Statistic Chart
Multi Chart

Application Availability Chart

This chart lets you visualize the amount of time an application was in a particular
state of availability. This chart is interactive. Hovering over any part of the chart
will provide detailed information.

The tooltip indicates the number of times the application was in a certain state.
For example, in the previous illustration, an application was polled 12 times in
one hour (every five minutes) and was deemed available (up) 10 times, in a
Critical state once, and in a Warning state once.

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Chapter 5: SolarWinds SAMCharts and Resources

Zooming
You can have the chart show a predetermined time period of data by clicking on
any one of the three Zoom buttons; 1 hour, 12 hours, or 24 hours. Alternatively,
you can have the chart show a specific time range by dragging the mouse over a
small area of the chart, or by adjusting the sliders in the smaller chart below the
main chart.
Once you have a time period selected, the lower chart will zoom to the starting
and ending values of the selected time period. With the lower chart you can zoom
in further by fine tuning the view with the sliders. The main view of the chart will
display the selected time period between the two sliders of the lower chart.
Note: The Export button will open the Custom Chart allowing you to export this
data to both MS Excel and HTML.

Custom Chart
The Custom Chart resource allows you to easily view data based on your needs.
To customize it, simply click Edit in the upper right-hand corner of the resource.

190

Custom Chart

From the Edit page, you can define the titles, datasource, time period, labels,
units displayed, the type of chart to be used, and an optional sum of the data.
To customize your chart:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

After adding this resource to a page, click Edit.

Enter a Title and optional Subtitle.
Select a datasource by clicking, Select Datasource.
Select a time period for the data from the Time Period drop down list.
Enter a label for the left Y axis.
Select the units to be displayed from the Units Displayed drop down list.
Select the type of chart to be displayed from the Chart Type drop down list.

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8. Optionally choose to display the sum of the data by checking, Show the
sum of all data.
9. Clicking More will allow you to customize further by optionally changing the
Display Name, Color, showing the 95th percentile, and trend line.
10. Optionally repeat Steps 5 - 9 for the Y axis on the right side of the chart.
11. Select a Sample Interval from the drop down list.
12. Optionally filter the results from the options provided.
13. When done, click Submit.

192

Custom Area Chart

The Custom Area Chart resource allows you to easily view data as shown in
percentage format. To customize it, simply click Edit in the upper right-hand
corner of the resource.

Use the check box in the legend as a toggle to show/hide data on the chart.
Clicking Export will allow you to export the data to either an HTML or Excel file.
Zooming
You can have the chart show a predetermined time period of data by clicking on
any one of the three Zoom buttons in the head of the Zoom column. Alternatively,
you can have the chart show a specific date range by dragging the mouse over an
area of the chart. The time and date displayed at the top of the resource shows
the amount of data currently loaded into the chart. This can be changed by
clicking Edit from within the resource.

Custom Bar Chart

The Custom Bar Chart resource allows you to easily view data as shown in
percentage format. To customize it, simply click Edit in the upper right-hand
corner of the resource.

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Chapter 5: SolarWinds SAMCharts and Resources

Component Availability Chart

The Component Availability Chart is a straightforward bar chart that provides a
visual representation of the percentage of availability of a selected component.

194

Component Availability Chart

Clicking the Edit button will provide a menu of components to choose from to
have represented on the chart, as the following illustration depicts:

Note: This option is only available on the Application Details page and not the
Component Details page. Clicking the chart itself, as opposed to the Edit button,
will bring up additional, self-explanatory options.
Zooming
You can have the chart show a predetermined time period of data by clicking on
any one of the three Zoom buttons; 1 hour, 12 hours, or 24 hours. Alternatively,
you can have the chart show a specific time range by dragging the mouse over a

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small area of the chart, or by adjusting the sliders in the smaller chart below the
main chart.
Once you have a time period selected, the lower chart will zoom to the starting
and ending values of the selected time period. With the lower chart you can zoom
in further by fine tuning the view with the sliders. The main view of the chart will
display the selected time period between the two sliders of the lower chart.
Note: The Export button will allow you to export this data to both MS Excel and
HTML.

Custom Chart View

Charts in the SolarWinds Web Console are easily customizable. Clicking a chart
opens the Custom Chart view in a new window. The following sections describe
options that are available on the Custom Chart page to modify the presentation of
a selected chart.
Note: Click Refresh at any time to review changes you have made.
Printing Options
To print your customized chart, click Printable Version and a
printable version of your customized chart displays in the browser.
Chart Titles
Chart Titles are displayed at the top center of a generated chart. The
Chart Titles area allows you to modify the Title and Subtitles of your
generated chart.
Note: SolarWinds may provide default chart titles and subtitles. If you
edit any of the Chart Titles fields on the Custom Chart page, you can
restore the default titles and subtitles by clearing the respective fields,
and then clicking Submit.
Time Period
Predefined and custom time periods are available for generated
charts. You may designate the time period for a chart by either of the
following methods:
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Select a predefined period from the Select a Time Period:

menu.

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Custom Chart View

Provide custom Beginning and Ending Dates/Times in the

appropriate fields in the Time Period area.

Sample Interval
The sample interval dictates the precision of a given chart. A single
point or bar is plotted for each sample interval. If a sample interval
spans multiple polls, data is automatically summarized and plotted as
a single point or bar on the chart.
Note: Due to limits of memory allocation and the large number of
polled data points, some combinations of time periods and sample
intervals may require too many system resources to display. As a
result, charts may not display if the time period is too long or if the
sample interval is too small.
Chart Size
Chart Size options configure the width and height, in pixels, of the
chart. You can maintain the same width/height aspect ratio, or scale
the chart in size, by entering a width in the Width field and then
entering 0 for the Height.
Font Size
Font sizes for generated charts are variable. The Font Size option
allows you to select a Small, Medium, or Large size font for your chart
labels and text.
Note: Font Size selections are maintained in the printable version of
your chart.
Data Export Options
The Display Data from Chart area provides the following options to
export chart data as either Excel-compatible Raw Data or as
HTML-formatted Chart Data:
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To view chart data in an Excel-compatible format, click Raw

Data, and then follow the prompts, if provided, to open or save
the resulting raw data file.
To view HTML-formatted chart data in a new browser, click
Chart Data.

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Custom Line Chart

The Custom Line Chart resource allows you to easily view data as shown in
percentage format. To customize it, simply click Edit in the upper right-hand
corner of the resource.

Custom Query Resource

The Custom Query resource allows you to create a custom resource based on a
SolarWinds Query Language (SWQL) query. The query provided in this resource

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Custom Table
is run against your SolarWinds database, and the results are displayed in an
appropriate grid.
Clicking Edit allows you to configure your Custom Query resource, as indicated
in the following procedure.
To configure a Custom Query resource:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Click Edit in the Custom Query resource.

Provide an appropriate Title.
Provide an appropriate Subtitle.
Enter your custom SWQL query in the Custom SWQL Query field.
Notes:
l For more information about creating valid custom SWQL queries, see
"Using SWQL (Semantic Web Query Language)".
l Do not end your custom SWQL query with a comment. Closing your
query with a comment may comment out required query clauses that
are automatically appended to your custom query to ensure full
resource functionality in the web console.
5. Designate the Number of Rows Per Page in the resource.
Note: If your query returns a large number of objects, you can decrease the
load on your SolarWinds server by breaking your results into pages. This
setting indicates the number of objects the web console should display in
the resource at any given time.
6. Click Submit.

Custom Table
The Custom Table resource allows you to easily view data that can be
customized to suit your needs. To customize it, simply click Edit in the upper
right-hand corner of the resource.

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Editing the Custom Table resource:
Once in Edit mode, You can select and adjust the following options for this
resource:
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Title and subtitle: Used to change the labels of the Title and Subtitle.
Datasource: This will allow you to create queries and add conditions.
When you add a condition, you will be given the option to add a field or use
pre-existing fields. Your choices will be reflected in the Custom Table
resource once it has been updated.
Time Period: Select the time period for data to be displayed in the resource.
Table Layout: Once a Datasource is selected, you can add columns and
then arrange them by dragging them into position. Clicking [X] will delete
the column from view.
Sort Results: Allows you to choose how the data will be sorted and displayed.
Group Results: Allows you to choose how the data will be grouped.
Filter Results: Allows you to choose how many records will be displayed
based on either a set number or a percentage.

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Custom Node Charts

The following node-related charts, grouped by type, are available as resources
within the SolarWinds Web Console. To add any of these charts to a web console
view dealing with monitored nodes, add the Custom Node Chart resource to the
Node Details view. For more information about adding resources to SolarWinds
Web Console views, see Customizing Views on page147.
Availability
The following charts are available to display node availability information over
custom time periods for nodes monitored by SolarWinds.
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Availability
AvailabilityAutoscale
Availability and Response Time

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CPU Load
The following charts display CPU loading information over specified periods of
time for nodes monitored by SolarWinds.
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Average CPU Load

Min/Max/Average CPU Load

Memory Usage
The following charts present memory usage information over custom time periods
for nodes monitored by SolarWinds.
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Average Memory Usage

Memory/Buffer Failures
Min/Max/Average Memory Usage
Percent Memory Used

Packet Loss and Response Time

The following charts are available to display historical statistics about packet loss
and response time for nodes monitored by SolarWinds.
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Availability and Response Time

Average Response Time
Average Response Time and Packet Loss
Min/Max/Average Response Time
Min/Max/Average Response Time and Packet Loss
Percent LossBar Chart
Percent LossLine Chart

Custom Volume Charts

The following volume-related charts, grouped by type, are available as resources
within the SolarWinds Web Console. To add any of these charts to a web console
view dealing with monitored volumes, add the Custom Volume Chart resource to
the Volume Details view. For more information about adding resources to
SolarWinds Web Console views, see Customizing Views on page147.
Allocation Failures
Shows the number of disk allocation failures that have occurred on the
selected volume.
Min/Max/Average Disk Usage

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Event Log Message Details

Shows both the total disk space available and the average amount of disk
space used on the selected volume. Bars are also included to show
minimum and maximum levels of disk usage.
Percent Disk Usage
Shows the total available disk space and the average amount of disk space
used, as a percentage of the total available, on the selected volume.
Volume Size
Shows the total disk space available on the selected volume.

Event Log Message Details

The Event Log Message Details resource allows you to read each message of
the event log in its entirety. This resource is found on the Component Details
page and can return the following information:
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Number of events matching the criteria as defined by the user

Event type / Level (Error, Warning, Information, and so on).
Event code / Event ID
Log file (Application, Security, and so on).
Time generated
Computer name
User
Message

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Clicking on Show More will expand the resource to fill a separate screen.
Clicking on any message in this resource will bring up the entire message that
was created in the event log, as shown below:

Alerts with this resource can be used with the complete message text of events.
For more information see, "Other Syslog Variables" on page 1131.
This collection of detailed data is enabled by default. To disable this, navigate to
the event log monitor component, as shown below:

Min/Max Average Chart

The Min/Max Average Chart has been updated from previous releases to show
more information and provide more flexibility. These charts can be found by
navigating to the Component Details page or the Application Details page.
Adding the Chart:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Navigate to the Component Details page or the Application Details page.

Click Customize Page in the top right corner of the web console.
Click the [+] in either column.
Select a category to group items by from the Group by drop down menu:
Note: The Classic category reflects the tree views found in previous versions of SAM for this resource.

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Min/Max Average Chart

5. Select the charts you want, and then click Add Selected Resources.
6. Click Done.
Customizing the Chart
This chart can be customized to view the following data by clicking the Edit button
at the top-right of the chart. The available data to this chart are as follows:
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CPU Load
Physical Memory
Virtual Memory
Response Time
Statistic Data

Clicking Edit also reveals several self-explanatory options. Clicking Export will
allow you to export the data to both Excel and HTML formats.
This resource is made up of three sections: the toolbar, the main chart, and the
lower chart. This allows you to visualize the selected data by viewing the
minimums, maximums, and averages of the data for a selected time period.

Zooming
You can have the chart show a predetermined time period of data by clicking on
any one of the three Zoom buttons; 1 Day, 1 Week, or 1 Month, as highlighted in
the above illustration. Alternatively, you can have the chart show a specific date

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range by dragging the mouse over a small area of the chart, or by typing in
specific dates in the From and To fields, also highlighted.
Once you have a time period selected, the lower chart will zoom to the starting
and ending values of the selected time period. With the lower chart you can zoom
in further by fine tuning the view with the sliders, highlighted above. The main
view of the chart will display the selected time period between the two sliders of
the lower chart.
Moving the mouse over the main chart will reveal a tooltip with more detailed
information about the specific time period the mouse is hovering over.
By default, all statistics are shown in the main chart. You can add or remove any
statistic from the chart by checking and unchecking any statistic from the legend
at the lower left of the resource.

Multiple Object Chart

The Multiple Object Chart resource allows you to simultaneously view data for
multiple objects on the same chart. Objects may be on the same node or on
different nodes.

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Multiple Object Chart

Clicking Edit allows you to configure the characteristics of a selected multiple objects chart:

To add the Multiple Object Chart to your home page:

1.
2.
3.
4.

Click the Home tab to get to the Summary view.

Click Customize Page on the top right of the page.
Click the green [+] to the right of where you want to add this chart.
From Add Resources to SolarWinds Home Summary page, select and
expand Multiple Series Charts.
5. Check Multiple Object Chart, and then click Submit, and then click Done.
To configure the Multiple Object Chart:
1. Once the chart is on your Home Summary page, click Edit at the top right
of the chart.
2. From this page, you can have multiple options to choose from, including:
i. Title: This allows you to change the title of your chart.
ii. Subtitle: This allows you to add a subtitle to your chart.
iii. Choose Objects: This allows you to choose the type of objects to display from the drop down menu provided. You can remove an object
from the list by clicking the red X to its right.

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iv. Select a Chart: This allows you to chart various aspects of what you
intend to monitor.
v. Choose Objects: Click the Select SolarWinds Object button to choose
which objects you want charted based on your selection in step iii.
vi. Limit Series: Checking this box and setting the number of series will
limit the number of items displayed on the chart to the specified amount.
vii. Show Sum in Data Series: This allows you to chart the total of the other
objects graphed and is represented by its own plot line.
viii. Time Period: This allows you to set the range displayed on the chart.
ix. Sample Interval: This allows you to set the interval that this chart is
updated.

Multiple Statistic Chart

This chart provides the ability to graphically visualize multiple statistics
simultaneously, as well as view the statistics in the table below. The advantage of
this view is that you can easily determine how certain processes and services are
performing in relation to others. For example, you may notice that a spike in RAM
usage results in higher CPU usage. This charted information allows you to get a
quick overview of what is being monitored and may answer why certain
unexpected events are occurring.
Zooming
You can have the chart show a predetermined time period of data by clicking on
any one of the three Zoom buttons at the top of the chart. Alternatively, you can
have the chart show a specific time range by dragging the mouse over a small
area of the chart, or by adjusting the sliders in the smaller chart below the main
chart.
Once you have a time period selected, the lower chart will zoom to the starting
and ending values of the selected time period. With the lower chart you can zoom
in further by fine tuning the view with the sliders. The main view of the chart will
display the selected time period between the two sliders of the lower chart.

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Multiple Statistic Chart

The Multiple Statistic Chart can be added to either the Application Details
page or the SAM Component Details page.
To add the Multiple Statistic Chart to either page, take the following steps:
1. Drill down to either the Application Details page or the SAM Component
Details page.
2. Click Customize Page on the far top right of the page.
3. Click the green [+] to the right of the column in which you want to add this
chart.
4. Select and expand SAM Charts - Historical charts for SAM.
5. Check Multiple Statistic Chart, and then click Submit, then click Done.
To configure the Multiple Statistic Chart, take the following steps:
1. Once the chart is on your Details page, click Edit at the top right of the
chart.
2. From this page, you can have several options to choose from, including:
i. Title: This allows you to change the title of your chart.
ii. Select a Time Period: This allows you provide a range for your chart.
iii. Select a Sample Interval: This allows you to select how often the chart
is updated.

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iv. Chart All or Selected Statistics: This allows you to chart certain or all
aspects of what you intend to monitor.
For more information, see Creating a Windows Script Monitor

Multi Chart
This chart provides the ability to graphically visualize multiple statistics
simultaneously at the application level without the need to drill down into each
component monitor.
The advantage of this view is that you can easily determine how certain
processes are performing in relation to others. For example, you may notice that a
spike in RAM usage results in higher CPU usage. This charted information allows
you to get a quick overview of what is being monitored and may answer why
certain unexpected events are occurring.

Zooming
You can have the chart show a predetermined time period of data by clicking on
any one of the three Zoom buttons at the top of the chart. Alternatively, you can
have the chart show a specific time range by dragging the mouse over a small
area of the chart, or by adjusting the sliders in the smaller chart below the main
chart.
The Multi Chart can be added from the Application Details page.

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Multi Chart
To add the Multi Chart to the Application Details page, take the following
steps:
1. Drill down to the Application Details page.
2. Click Customize Page on the far top right of the page.
3. Click the green [+] to the right of the column in which you want to add this
chart.
4. Search for "Multi Chart."
5. Check Multi Chart, and then click Add Selected Resources, then click
Done.
To configure the Multi Chart, take the following steps:
1. Once the chart is on your Application Details page, click either Edit, Select a
chart, or Configure this resource.

2. From this page, you have several options to choose from, including:
i) Title: This allows you to change the title of your chart.
ii) Subtitle: This allows you to change the subtitle of your chart.

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Chapter 5: SolarWinds SAMCharts and Resources

iii) Select components:

iv) Show Thresholds: This allows Warning and Critical Thresholds to

be displayed as yellow and red bands, respectively.
v) Default zoom range: Allows you to choose the time period of data
to be displayed.
vi) Amount of historical data to load: Allows you to select the
amount of historical data to be displayed.
vii) Sample interval: Allows you to set the polling time for the
components in this chart.

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Chapter 6:
SolarWinds SAM Settings
You can configure Applications, Templates, and Component Monitors through the
SolarWinds Web Console by using the SAM Settings page.

To configure SolarWinds SAM:

1. Log on to your SolarWinds Web Console with an Administrator account.
Note: Initially, Admin is the default administrator user ID with a blank password.
2. Click the Applications tab.
3. Click SAM Settings.
Refer to the sections that follow for details about the administrative commands
available in each category:
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Getting Started with SAM

Scan Nodes for Applications
Manually Assign Application Monitors
Component Monitor Wizard
Application Monitors
Manage Application Monitors
Application Monitor Templates
Manage Templates
Create a New Template
Component Monitors
Component Monitor Library

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Manage Assigned Component Monitors

Manage Component Monitors within Templates
Application Detail Views
Views by Application Type
SAM Settings
Credentials Library
Data and Database Settings
License Summary
SAM License Summary
thwack Community
Shared thwack Templates
SAM thwack Forum

Getting Started with SAM

The Getting Started with SAM category gives you access to the commands that
allow you to start monitoring your applications or add new Application Monitors.
Refer to the following sections for more information:
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Scan Nodes for Applications

Manually Assign Application Monitors
Understanding the Credentials Library

Scan Nodes for Applications

Click Scan Nodes for Applications on the SAM Settings page to scan nodes
and automatically add Application Monitors.
For more information, see Scanning Nodes for Applications on page347.

Manually Assign Application Monitors

Click Manually Assign Application Monitors on the SAM Settings page to
assign Application Monitors to server nodes.
For more information, see Manually Assign Application Monitors on page214.

Component Monitor Wizard

Click Component Monitor Wizard on the SAM Settings page to pick the
processes, services, and performance counters you want from a list to create a
new template.
For more information, see Creating New Templates Using the Browsing Method:
on page351.

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Application Monitors

Application Monitors
The Application Monitors category gives you access to the commands that allow
you to actively monitor nodes using a collection of component monitors to
determine the overall health of applications.
For more information, see Managing Assigned Application Monitors on
page299.

Manage Application Monitors

Click Manage Application Monitors on the SAM Settings page to view, edit, and
delete assigned Application Monitors and their component monitors.
For more information, see Managing Assigned Application Monitors on
page299.

Application Monitor Templates

The Application Monitor Templates category gives you access to the commands
that allow you to edit, copy, export, import, delete, and create new templates.
For more information, see Managing Templates on page352.

Manage Templates
Click Manage Templates on the SAM Settings page to edit, copy, export, import,
and delete templates.
For more information, see Managing Templates on page352.

Create a New Template

Click Create a New Template on the SAM Settings page to create a new
application template and its component monitors.
For more information, see Creating New Templates on page351.

Component Monitors
Component monitors are the building blocks of SolarWinds SAM. This category
gives you access to the commands that allow you to monitor the status and
performance of different aspects of an application.
Refer to the following sections for more information:

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Component Monitor Library

Manage Assigned Component Monitors
Manage Component Monitors within Templates

Component Monitor Library

Click Component Monitor Library on the SAM Settings page to view the
component monitors that are provided in the library for monitoring the status and
performance of different aspects of an application.
For more information, see Viewing the Component Monitor Library on page316.

Manage Assigned Component Monitors

Click Manage Assigned Component Monitors on the SAM Settings page to
view and manage assigned component monitors.
For more information, see Managing Assigned Component Monitors on
page316.

Manage Component Monitors within Templates

Click Manage Component Monitors within Templates on the SAM Settings
page to view and manage component monitors that are inside the Application
Monitor templates.
For more information, see Managing Templates on page352.

Application Detail Views

The Application Detail Views category gives you access to the command that
allows you to customize application detail views.

Views by Application Type

Click Views by Application Type on the SAM Settings page to customize
application detail views by application (template) type. You can choose between
displaying a generic view or a custom view for each application (template) type.

SAM Settings
The SAM Settings category gives you access to the commands that allow you to
view and manage the SAM Settings for credentials and data access.
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For more information, see "SolarWinds SAM Settings"

For more information, see Understanding the Credentials Library

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Credentials Library
For more information, see "Data and Database Settings"

Credentials Library
Click Credentials Library on the SAM Settings page to create, edit, and delete
the credential sets component monitors use to access protected system
resources.
For more information, see Understanding the Credentials Library on page295.

Data and Database Settings

Click Data and Database Settings on the SAM Settings page to set the
database maintenance interval:
The four options are as follows:
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Detail Statistics Retention

Hourly Statistics Retention
Daily Statistics Retention
Event Log Message Retention
Baseline Data Collection Duration

Database Maintenance
The amount of data collected in the database is dependent upon the size of the
data collected as well as the number of applications and component monitors you
define.
Due to the volume of data collected, detailed statistics are stored in hourly
averages after a specified time period (7 days, by default). Hourly statistics are
compressed into daily statistics after a number of days (30 days, by default).
Detailed statistics retention is based on the individual polling intervals for each
component monitor. These settings allow you to set a length of time after which
SolarWinds SAM purges data from the database.
Note: Before modifying your database settings, consider noting your database
size and amount of data collection for a week. When the week is complete,
recheck your database size. This should help you forecast and plan for an
appropriate data compression and retention period.
To set the three Statistic Retention Intervals:
1. Log on to your SolarWinds Web Console with an Administrator account.
Note: Initially, Admin is the default administrator user ID with a blank password.

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Chapter 6: SolarWinds SAM Settings

2.
3.
4.
5.

Click the Applications tab.

Click SAM Settings.
Click Data and Database Settings.
Specify the appropriate values for the SolarWinds SAM data retention settings.

Polling Engine Mode

Note: The option to change Polling Engine Modes has been removed for SAM
5.5 and higher. For more information, see
http://knowledgebase.solarwinds.com/kb/questions/4429/
The polling engine mode specifies the behavior of both the main polling engine
and any additional ones you may have.
To set the Polling Engine Mode (v5.2 and earlier):
1. Log on to your SolarWinds Web Console with an Administrator account.
Note: Initially, Admin is the default administrator user ID with a blank password.
2. Click the Applications tab.
3. Click SAM Settings.
4. Click Data and Database Settings.
For more information, see "Managing the SolarWinds SAM Database" on page
1143.

License Summary
The License Summary category gives you access to the command that allows
you to view the license information summary.
For more information, see "SAM License Summary" on page 218.

SAM License Summary

Click SAM License Summary on the SAM Settings page to see a comparison
between the number of active component monitors and the limit allowed by your
SolarWinds SAM license.

thwack Community
The thwack Community category gives you access to the commands that allow
you to view and download useful information from the thwack community for

For more information, see Adding Nodes for Monitoring.
Network Sonar Discovery

This chapter describes the process of discovering network devices and then
adding them to the Orion database via Network Sonar Discovery.
The method recommended largely depends on the number of nodes to be added.
To discover and add a larger number of nodes across your enterprise, the
Network Sonar Discovery and Network Sonar Results wizards are available,
respectively. This chapter provides instructions for quickly populating your
SolarWinds SAM database with the nodes you want to monitor and manage with
SAM. The Web Console also provides an easy to use Web Node Management
wizard suited to discovering and adding individual nodes.
Refer to the following sections for more information:
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Discovery Central
Network Sonar Discovery
Using the Network Sonar Results Wizard
Managing Scheduled Discovery Results
Using the Discovery Ignore List

Discovery Central
Discovery Central provides a centralized overview of the types and number of
nodes you are monitoring. You can also access Network Discovery and
Virtualization Discovery from within Discovery Central.

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To access Discovery Central:
1. Click Settings at the top right of the SolarWinds Web Console.
2. Click Discovery Central in the Getting Started with SolarWinds category.
Note: Clicking Go to SolarWinds Home opens the SolarWinds Summary
Home view for your entire monitored network.
Refer to the following sections for more information:
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Virtualization Discovery
Application Discovery

Virtualization Discovery
The Virtualization Discovery category displays information for both VMware and
Hyper-V infrastructures on your network. To use virtualization discovery, click
Network Sonar Discovery to discover multiple nodes or click Add A Single
Device to add a single node. For more information, see Polling for VMware
nodes Using the Network Sonar Wizard on page 282.

Application Discovery
SolarWinds SAM can scan nodes and automatically assign the Application
Monitors it deems suitable for each scanned node. You control the nodes to be
scanned, the application templates used in the scan, and the scanning
parameters that determine a match. For more information, see "Application
Discovery" on page 232.

Network Sonar Discovery

SolarWinds SAM employs the easy to use Network Sonar Wizard in order to aid
in the discovery of nodes on your network. Before using the Network Sonar
Wizard, consider the following points about network discovery in SAM:
l

The Network Sonar Wizard recognizes network devices that are already in
your Orion database and prevents you from importing duplicate devices.
CPU and Memory Utilization charts are automatically enabled for your Windows, Cisco Systems, VMware, and Foundry Networks devices.
The community strings you provide in the Network Sonar Wizard are only
used for SNMP GET requests, so read-only strings are sufficient.

The following procedure steps you through the discovery of devices on your
network using the Network Sonar Wizard, automatically followed by the Network
Sonar Results Wizard:

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Network Sonar Discovery

Discovering devices on your network from Discovery Central:
1. From the web console, navigate to Settings> NetworkSonar Discovery.

2. If you want to create a new discovery, click Add New Discovery.

3. If you have already defined a network discovery, a number of options
are available on the Network Sonar Discovery tab. Select one of the following:
l If you want to edit an existing discovery before using it, select
the discovery you want to edit, and then click Edit.
l If you want to use an existing discovery to rediscover your network, select the discovery you want to use, click Discover Now,
and then complete the Network Sonar Results Wizard after discovery completes. For more information about network discovery
results, see Using the Network Sonar Results Wizard.
l If you want to import some or all devices found in a defined discovery that you may not have already imported for monitoring,
select a currently defined discovery, and then click Import All Results. For more information about network discovery results, see
Using the Network Sonar Results Wizard on page228.
l If you want to import any newly enabled devices matching a
defined discovery profile, select a currently defined discovery, and
then click Import New Results. For more information about network
discovery results, see Using the Network Sonar Results Wizard
l If you want to delete an existing discovery profile, select a currently defined discovery and then click Delete.
5. If the devices on your network do not require community strings
other than the default strings public and private provided, click Next
on the SNMP Credentials view.
6. If any of your network devices require community strings other than
public and private or if you want to use an SNMPv3 credential, complete the following steps to add the required SNMP credential.
Note: Repeat the following procedure for each new community string. To
speed up discovery, highlight the most commonly used community strings
on your network, and then use the arrows to move them to the top of the
list.

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a. Click Add New Credential, and then select the SNMP Version of your
new credential.
b. If you are adding an SNMPv1 or SNMPv2c credential, provide the
new SNMP Community String.
c. If you are adding an SNMPv3 credential, provide the following information for the new credential:
l User Name, Context, and Authentication Method
l Authentication Password/Key, Privacy/Encryption Method
and Password/Key, if required.
d. Click Add.
7. Click Next on the SNMP Credentials view.

8. Tc Check all existing nodes polling with agents for node changes and
updates, check the box provided. when done, click Next.

9. If you want to discover any VMware VCenter or ESX Servers on your

network, confirm that Poll for VMware is checked, and then complete the
following steps to add or edit required VMware credentials.
Note: Repeat the following procedure for each new credential. To speed
up discovery, use the up arrow to move the most commonly used credentials on your network to the top of the list.

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Network Sonar Discovery

a. Click Add vCenter or ESX Credential.
b. If you are using an existing VMware credential, select the appropriate credential from the Choose Credential drop down menu.
c. If you are adding a new VMware credential, select <New Credential> in the Choose Credential drop down menu, and then provide
a new credential name in the Credential Name field.
Note: SolarWinds recommends against using non-alphanumeric characters in VMware credential names.
d. Add or edit the credential User Name and Password, as necessary.
e. Confirm the password, and then click Add.
9. Click Next on the Local vCenter or ESX Credentials for VMware view.

10. If you want to discover devices located on your network within a specific range of IP addresses, complete the following procedure.

Note: Only one selection method may be used per defined discovery.
a. Click IP Ranges in the Selection Method menu, and then, for each IP
range, provide both a Start address and an End address.
Note: Scheduled discovery profiles should not use IP address ranges
that include nodes with dynamically assigned IP addresses (DHCP).
b. If you want to add another range, click Add More, and then repeat
the previous step.
Note: If you have multiple ranges, click X to delete an incorrect range.
c. If you have added all the IP ranges you want to poll, click Next.

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11. If you want to discover devices connected to a specific router or on a
specific subnet of your network, complete the following procedure:
Note: Only one selection method may be used per defined discovery.
a. Click Subnets in the Selection Method menu.
b. If you want to discover on a specific subnet, click Add a New Subnet, provide both a Subnet Address and a Subnet Mask for the
desired subnet, and then click Add.
Note: Repeat this step for each additional subnet you want to poll.
c. If you want to discover devices using a seed router, click Add a
Seed Router, provide the IP address of the Router, and then click
Add.
Notes:
l Repeat this step for each additional seed router you want to use.
l Network Sonar reads the routing table of the designated router
and offers to discover nodes on the Class A network (255.0.0.0
mask) containing the seed router and, if you are discovering
devices for a SolarWinds SAM installation, the Class C networks
(255.255.255.0 mask) containing all interfaces on the seed router,
using the SNMP version chosen previously on the SNMP Credentials page.
l Networks connected through the seed router are NOT automatically selected for discovery.
d. Confirm that all networks on which you want to conduct your network
discovery are checked, and then click Next.
12. If you already know the IP addresses or hostnames of the devices
you want to discover and include in the Orion database, complete the
following procedure:
a. Click Specific Nodes in the Selection Method menu.
b. Type the IPv4 or IPv6 addresses or hostnames of the devices you want
to discover for monitoring into the provided field.
Note: Type only one address or hostname per line.
c. Click Validate to confirm that the provided addresses and hostnames
are assigned to SNMP-enabled devices.
d. If you have provided all the addresses and hostnames you want to
discover, click Next.
13. Configure the options on the Discovery Settings view, as detailed in the following steps:

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Network Sonar Discovery

a. Provide a Name and Description to distinguish the current discovery
profile from other profiles you may use to discover other network areas.

Note: This Description displays next to the Name in the list

of available network discovery configurations on the
Network Sonar view.
b. Position the slider or type a value, in ms, to set the SNMP Timeout.
Note: If you are encountering numerous SNMP timeouts during Network Discovery, increase the value for this setting. The SNMP Timeout
should be at least a little more than double the time it takes a packet to
travel the longest route between devices on your network.
c. Position the slider or type a value, in ms, to set the Search Timeout.
Note: The Search Timeout is the amount of time Network Sonar Discovery waits to determine if a given IP address has a network device
assigned to it.
d. Position the slider or type a value to set the number of SNMP Retries.
Note: This value is the number of times Network Sonar Discovery will
retry a failed SNMP request, defined as any SNMP request that does
not receive a response within the SNMP Timeout defined above.
e. Position the slider or type a value to set the Hop Count.
Note: If the Hop Count is greater than zero, Network Sonar Discovery
searches for devices connected to any discovered device. Each connection to a discovered device counts as a hop.
f. Position the slider or type a value to set the Discovery Timeout.
Note: The Discovery Timeout is the amount of time, in minutes,

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14.

15.
16.
17.

Network Sonar Discovery is allowed to complete a network discovery. If

a discovery takes longer than the Discovery Timeout value provided,
the discovery is terminated.
If you only want to use SNMP to discover devices on your network,
check Use SNMP only.
Note: By default, Network Sonar uses ICMP ping requests to locate
devices. Most information about monitored network objects is obtained
using SNMP queries.
If multiple SolarWinds polling engines are available in your environment, select the Polling Engine you want to use for this discovery.
Click Next.
If you want the discovery you are currently defining to run on a regular schedule, select either Custom or Daily as the discovery
Frequency, as shown in the following steps:
Notes:
l Scheduled discovery profiles should not use IP address ranges that
include nodes with dynamically assigned IP addresses (DHCP).
l Default Discovery Scheduling settings execute a single discovery of
your network that starts immediately, once you click Discover.
l Results of scheduled discoveries are maintained on the Scheduled
Discovery Results tab of Network Discovery. For more information
about managing scheduled discovery results, see Managing Scheduled Discovery Results on page229.
a. If you want to define a custom discovery schedule to perform the
currently defined discovery repeatedly in the future, select Custom
and then provide the period of time, in hours, between discoveries.
b. If you want your scheduled discovery to run once daily, select
Daily, and then provide the time at which you want your discovery to
run every day, using the format HH:MM AM/PM.
18. If you do not want to run your network discovery at this time,
select No, dont run now, and then click Save or Schedule,
depending on whether you have configured the discovery to run
once or on a schedule, respectively.
19. If you want your Network Sonar discovery to run now, click Discover to start your network discovery.

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Using the Network Sonar Results Wizard

Note: Because some devices may serve as both routers and

switches, the total number of nodes discovered may be less than
the sum of reported routers discovered plus reported switches discovered.

Using the Network Sonar Results Wizard

The Network Sonar Results Wizard directs you through the selection of nodes for
monitoring opens whenever discovery results are requested. This will happen
either when the Network Sonar Wizard completes or when Import All Results or
Import New Results is clicked for a selected discovery.
The following steps detail the selection of discovered nodes for monitoring in
SolarWinds SAM.
To select the results of a network discovery for monitoring in SAM:
1. On the Device Types to Import page, check the device types you want to
monitor, and then click Next.
Note: If you are not sure if you want to monitor a specific device type, check
the device type in question. Later, you can delete the device using Web
Node Management.
2. On the Volume Types to Import page, check the volume types you want to
monitor, and then click Next.
Note: If you are not sure you want to monitor a specific volume type, check
the volume type in question. Later, you can delete the volume of the selected type using Web Node Management.
3. If you want to import nodes, even when they are already known to be
polled by another polling engine, check the option in the Allow Duplicate

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Nodes section. For more information about working with multiple polling
engines, see Managing SolarWinds SAM Polling Engines.
4. If there are any devices on the Import Preview that you do not ever
want to import, check the device to ignore, and then click Ignore. Selected
nodes are added to the Discovery Ignore List. For more information, see
Using the Discovery Ignore List.
5. Confirm that the network objects you want to monitor are checked on the
Import Preview page, and then click Import.
Note: Imported devices display in the All Nodes resource.

Managing Scheduled Discovery Results

The Scheduled Discovery Results tab of Network Discovery provides a list of all
recently discovered, changed, or imported devices on your monitored network.
Results are compared between discoveries and results are listed on this tab. The
following procedure provides guidelines for managing discovery results.
To manage scheduled discovery results:
1. Click Start> All Programs> SolarWinds > Configuration and AutoDiscovery> NetworkDiscovery.
2. Click Scheduled Discovery Results.
3. Select the type of devices you want to view from the Status menu in the left
pane. The following options are available:
o Select Found to view all devices discovered by a scheduled discovery.
o Select Changed to view all devices that have changed between
recent scheduled discoveries. Changes include the addition of
device configuration changes.
o Select Imported to view all devices you have recently imported to
your Orion database. For more information about importing devices,
see Using the Network Sonar Results Wizard on page228.
o Select Ignored to view all devices you have added to your Discovery Ignore List. For more information about the Discovery Ignore
List, see Using the Discovery Ignore List on page230.
o Select Found and Changed to view a combined list of all devices
found or changed as described above.
o Select All except Ignored to view all discovered, changed or imported devices you have not already designated as Ignored, as
detailed above.

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Using the Discovery Ignore List

4. If you want to apply a grouping criterion to organize your listed results, select an appropriate criterion from the Group by menu in the left
pane.
5. If there are changed or discovered nodes in the results list that you
want to add to your Orion database, check them and then click Import
Nodes.
6. If there are devices you want SolarWinds SAM to ignore in future discoveries, regardless of discovered updates or changes, check the
nodes to ignore, and then click Add to Ignore List. For more information
about the Discovery Ignore List, see Using the Discovery Ignore List on
page230.

Using the Discovery Ignore List

Often, devices are found during a network discovery that you never intend to
monitor with SolarWinds SAM. The Discovery Ignore List is a record of all such
devices on your network. By placing a device on the Discovery Ignore List you
can minimize the SNMP processing load associated with discovering devices
that you never intend to monitor.
To manage devices on the Discovery Ignore List:
1. Click Start> All Programs> SolarWinds> Configuration and AutoDiscovery> NetworkDiscovery.
2. If you want to view the current Discovery Ignore List, click Discovery
Ignore List.
3. If you want to add devices to the Discovery Ignore List, complete the
following procedure:
a. Click Scheduled Discovery Results.
b. Check devices you want to ignore, and then click Add to Ignore List.
4. If you want to remove devices from the Discovery Ignore List, complete the following procedure:
a. Click Scheduled Discovery Results, and then
b. Check the devices you want to remove from the list.
c. Click Remove from Ignore List.
d. Confirm that you want to stop ignoring the selected items by clicking
OK.
After the Network Sonar Wizard completes the node discovery and imports the
results, you are taken directly to the Application Discovery Wizard to discover
applications to monitor on the nodes.

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For more information, see Application Discovery.

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Chapter 8:
Application Discovery
SolarWinds SAM can scan nodes and automatically assign the Application
Monitors it deems suitable for each scanned node. You control the nodes to be
scanned, the application templates used in the scan, and the scanning
parameters that determine a match.
To Access Application Discovery:
1. Click Settings at the top right of the SolarWinds Web Console.
2. Now click Discovery Central in the Getting Started with SolarWinds category.
3. In the Application Discovery category, click Discover Applications to
begin using the wizard-like interface.
For more information, see Add Application Monitors.
Select Nodes
1. Click [+] in the list to expand the node groups and to select the nodes you
want to scan.
2. When you are finished selecting nodes, click Next.
Select Applications
To keep the scanning time to a minimum, we recommend you initially
scan for a limited number of application templates. To see more
application templates, select a different template group from the Show
Only list.
To adjust the template assignment criteria, expand Advanced Scan
Settings and move the slider to the desired setting:
Exact Match
All the components must match to assign the template.
Strong Match
Most of the components must match to assign the template.

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Partial Match
Some of the components must match to assign the template.
Minimal Match
At least one component must match to assign the template.
When you are finished selecting applications, click Next.
Enter Credentials
Some application templates require credentials either to access
restricted resources, or to run within the context of a specific user. To
scan for these templates, add the necessary credentials to the list. If a
template you are scanning for requires credentials, the credentials in
this list are tried in the order in which they appear.
Warning: Credentials are tried several times over the course of a
scan, so an incorrect password is likely to lock out an account. To
avoid potential account lockouts that affect actual users, we
recommend you create and use service accounts. A service account is
an account created specifically for the purpose of providing
credentials to use for SolarWinds monitoring. With service accounts,
no actual user is affected by an account lockout if a password should
be entered incorrectly.
If you have domains sharing user names with different passwords, we
recommend you run separate application discoveries for each domain.
When you are finished entering credentials, click Next.
Review and Start Scan
Review the summary for the scan. If the automatic discovery matches
templates that are already assigned to the node, by default the
template is not assigned a second time. If you want to assign duplicate
templates, select Yes, Assign Anyway from the Do you want to
assign duplicates list.
Click Start Scan to begin the scan. The scan runs in the background.
If you like, click View progress near the light bulb icon toward the top
of the page to view the progress of the scan. You are notified by a
message near the top of the window when scanning is completed.
Click View Results to see the results of the scan. Click View SAM

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Add Application Monitors

Summary Page (or > SAM Application Summary) to display the
SAM summary page.
Add UX Monitors
You cannot scan for user experience (UX) monitors, but you can
assign them to nodes manually. Adding monitors from this page does
not affect your scan.

Add Application Monitors

After adding individual nodes, you are prompted by the Add Application
Monitors page to add applications for monitoring the desired application(s) on
the new node as described below.
To add Application Monitors on the Add Application Monitors page:
1. Use the Show Only list to select the desired category for the Application
Monitors you want to add.
2. Check the check box next to the Application Monitor(s) you want to assign.
3. The selected Application Monitor(s) are added to the list of Selected applications.
4. If you change your mind and want to delete an application, click the red
X next to the name of the application in the Selected applications list.
5. If suitable credentials already exist, choose the credential from the
Choose Credential list.
6. If suitable credentials do not exist, choose <New Credential> from the
Choose Credential list, and then add the new credential by filling out the
credential details.
7. Click Test to test the credentials and component monitors against the test
node.
8. If the test fails, troubleshoot the problem based on the error messages, and
then retest the node.
9. Click Next.
10. On the Change Properties page, modify any of the information as needed,
such as the Node Status Polling interval (in seconds) and the Collect Statistics Every frequency (in minutes).
11. Click OK, Add Node.

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Reading the Application Summary

The SAM Application Summary is the first view displayed after launching Server
& Application Monitor. This view provides insight into application health and
performance conditions over your entire network. The resources listed in this
section are the default views included in the SAM Application Summary.

Active Application Alerts

This resource provides the current application-specific alerts, including the time
the alert fired, the name of the application that caused the alert, and the alert
message. Click the Network Node to see the SolarWinds Node Details view.
Click the Application Name to see the SAM Application Details view.

Application Health Overview

This resource provides a status overview of all your assigned application
monitors. Click a status to list the assigned application monitors in that status.

The following statuses are depicted on the Application Health Overview:

Application Up
Assigned application monitors with all component monitors responding and
operating within their thresholds.
Application Critical

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Applications with Problems

Assigned application monitors with at least one component monitor
operating past the critical threshold.
Application Down
Assigned application monitors with at least one unresponsive component
monitor.
Application Warning
Assigned application monitors with at least one component monitor
operating past the warning threshold.
Other
Assigned application monitors that are suspended due to licensing
restrictions.
Unknown
Assigned application monitors with status that cannot yet be determined.

Applications with Problems

This resource lists the assigned application monitors reporting any status other
than up.

Last 25 Application Events

This resource provides a list of application-centric events from the time period you
specify. The default time period shows the last 25 application events. Clicking
Edit allows you to change the time period, limiting the events displayed in the
resource.

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Chapter 8: Application Discovery

Thwack Latest Application Templates

This resource lists the newest application monitor templates that have been
added to the Thwack community web site. Click a template to open its download
web page.

Top 10 Components Monitored by Response Time

This resource provides a list of the component monitors with the slowest
response time.

Top 10 Processes Monitored by CPU Load

This resource provides a list of the component monitors consuming the most
CPU.

Top 10 Processes Monitored by Physical Memory

This resource provides a list of the component monitors consuming the most
physical memory.

237

Top 10 Processes Monitored by Virtual Memory

This resource provides a list of the component monitors consuming the most
virtual memory.

Top XX Monitored Processes by I/O Reads/Sec

This resource displays the total number of I/O Read operations per second.

Fields:
l

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Chapter 8: Application Discovery

Network Node: Displays the name of the listed node that contains the listed application and process. Clicking a node in the list will take you to the
Node Details page for that node.
IO Reads: Displays the current rate of Input/Output reads.

Note: Clicking Edit will allow you to change the Title, Sub-Title, and Maximum
Number of Monitors to Display.
Hovering the mouse over any part of this resource will reveal a tooltip with
detailed information about the item listed.
For more information, see the following:
l
l

Top XX Monitored Processes by I/O Writes/Sec

Top XX Monitored Processes by I/O Total Operations/Sec

Top XX Monitored Processes by I/O Writes/Sec

This resource displays the total number of I/O Write operations per second.

Fields:
l

Process Name: Displays the name of the listed process. Clicking a process in the list will take you to the Component Details page for that process.
Application Name: Displays the name of the listed application that contains the listed process. Clicking an application in the list will take you to
the Application Details page for that application.
Network Node: Displays the name of the listed node that contains the listed application and process. Clicking a node in the list will take you to the
Node Details page for that node.
IO Writes: Displays the current rate of Input/Output writes.

239

Top XX Monitored Processes by I/O Total Operations/Sec

Top XX Monitored Processes by I/O Reads/Sec

Top XX Monitored Processes by I/O Total Operations/Sec

This resource displays the total number of I/O operations per second.

Fields:
l

Process Name: Displays the name of the listed process. Clicking a process in the list will take you to the Component Details page for that process.
Application Name: Displays the name of the listed application that contains the listed process. Clicking an application in the list will take you to
the Application Details page for that application.
Network Node: Displays the name of the listed node that contains the listed application and process. Clicking a node in the list will take you to the
Node Details page for that node.
Total IOPS: Displays the current rate of Input/Output.

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l
l

Top XX Monitored Processes by I/O Reads/Sec

Top XX Monitored Processes by I/O Writes/Sec

Server Warranty Summary

This resource displays warranties currently expired and set to expire on the
current node. This is done by SAM periodically checking the status of each
server's warranty against Dell, HP, and IBM's online warranty validation servers.
Clicking a node in the summary list will take you the Node Details view for that
node. You can expand and collapse the tree views by clicking [+] and [-]
respectively.
You can visually see warranties nearing their expiration dates by examining the
dates in the Expiration Date column. Also, if a warranty expiration date crosses a
Warning or Critical threshold, progress bars will appear as yellow and red,
respectively. Clicking Edit will allow you to customize threshold values as well as
filter the warranties you want displayed.

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Server Warranty Summary

l
l

Expired Warranties: Lists the nodes that currently have expired warranties.
Warranties Due to Expire: Lists the nodes that have warranties nearing
their expiration date.
Next 5 Warranties Set to Expire: Lists the top five warranties nearing their
expiration date.

Clicking Edit will allow you to fine tune the information displayed in this resource,
as shown below:

Server Warranty Summary Alerts

One alert is included with Server Warranty Summary:
1. Alert me when a node warranty expires in 30 days - Disabled by default

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Chapter 9:
Managing Groups and Dependencies
Groups and dependencies enable you to more effectively manage your network.
Groups give you the ability to logically organize monitored objects, regardless of
device type or location, and dependencies allow you to more faithfully represent
what can actually be known about the nodes of your network, eliminating false
positive alert triggers and providing more accurate insight into the state of your
nodes.
Groups contain SolarWinds objects that report a status such as nodes, volumes,
applications, and even other groups. You create, delete, and modify groups from
the Manage Groups page.
Note: Nesting a group within another does not create a strict parent/child
relationship. You can include any group as a member in any number of other
groups.
To access the Manage Groups page:
1. Log on to the SolarWinds Web Console.
2. Click Settings in the top right of the web console.
3. Click Manage Groups in the Node & Group Management grouping of the
SolarWinds Website Administration page.
The following sections provide more information about creating and managing
groups in SAM:
l
l

Creating Groups
Managing the Display of Group Status

Creating Groups
Creating a group is a straightforward process of selecting the SolarWinds objects
you want the group to contain. At creation time, you can also decide how you
want SolarWinds to roll up the status of the group members.

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It is also possible to specify group members on the basis of shared properties by
adding them with a dynamic query. SolarWinds objects added through dynamic
queries are automatically added or removed from the group.
Refer to the following sections for more information:
l
l
l
l

Editing Groups
Managing Group Members
Deleting Groups
Managing the Display of Group Status

To create a new group:

1. Click Start> All Programs> SolarWinds> Orion Web Console.
2. Click Settings in the top right of the web console.
3. Click Manage Groups in the Node & Group Management grouping of the
SolarWinds Website Administration page.
4. Click Add New Group.
5. Enter a name for the group in the Name field, and then expand Advanced.
6. If you want the group to roll up the worst status of the group
members, select Show Worst Status.
7. If you want the group to roll up the best status of the group members,
select Show Best Status.
8. If you want the group to display a warning status if the group members have a mixture of different statuses, select Mixed Status shows
warning.
9. Click Next.
10. If you want to individually select group members, follow these steps:
a. In the Show Only list, select the type of SolarWinds object you want to
add as a group member.
b. Check the check box of the SolarWinds object and then click Add to
Group.
11. If you want to dynamically select group members based on shared
properties, follow these steps:
a. Click Add dynamic query.
b. Type a name for the query in the Dynamic query object name
field.
c. Select a SolarWinds object type in the SolarWinds Object is
list.
d. Click Add Condition to specify further selection properties.
Note: Use the question mark (?) character as a multiple

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Editing Groups
character wildcard. Use the underscore (_) character as a
single character wildcard.
e. Click Preview to verify that the dynamic query is selecting your
intended objects.
f. Click Save.
12. Continue adding individual SolarWinds objects or dynamic queries until
you have finished building your group.
13. Click Create Group.

Editing Groups
You can edit the properties of an existing group or add and remove objects.
These are separate editing tasks.
To edit properties of an existing group:
1. Click Start> All Programs> SolarWinds > Orion Web Console.
2. Click Settings in the top right of the web console.
3. Click Manage Groups in the Node & Group Management grouping of the
SolarWinds Website Administration page.
4. Check the group you want to edit, and then click Edit Properties.
5. Edit the Name and Description of the selected group, as appropriate.
6. If you want to manage the members of the selected group, click Add &
Remove Objects. For more information about managing group members,
see Managing Group Members.
Note: Expand the Contains summary for the selected group to see all member objects in the group.
7. If you want to configure the calculation of displayed group status or
the frequency with which group status is refreshed, expand Advanced,
select a Status rollup mode, and then provide a Refresh frequency.
Note: For more information about status rollup for groups, see Managing the
Display of Group Status.
8. Click Submit.

Managing Group Members

The following procedure manages the objects included within a defined group.

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To add and remove the objects of an existing group:
1. Click Start> All Programs> SolarWinds > Orion Web Console.
2. Click Settings in the top right of the web console, and then click Manage
Groups in the Node & Group Management grouping of the SolarWinds
Website Administration page.
3. Check the group you want to edit, and then click Add & Remove Objects.

Deleting Groups
Deleting an existing dependency is a straightforward process, as shown in the
following procedure.
To delete a group:
1. Click Start> All Programs> SolarWinds > Orion Web Console.
2. Click Settings in the top right of the web console, and then click Manage
Groups in the Node & Group Management grouping of the SolarWinds
Website Administration page.
3. Check the group you want to delete, and then click Delete.

Managing the Display of Group Status

The status of any particular group is determined by the status of the members of
the group. There are three methods for determining the status displayed for a
selected group of monitored objects:
Note: For more information about object states in SolarWinds, see Status Icons
and Identifiers.
Show Best Status is most useful for displaying groups that are defined as
collections of redundant or backup devices. The following table indicates how
the Show Best Status option operates:
Note: Compare Group Status results under the Show Best Status option with
results for the same groups of objects under the Show Worst Status option.
Object States
(Up, Warning, Down)
(Warning, Up)
(Warning, Down, Unknown)

Group Status
(Up)
(Up)
(Warning)

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Managing the Display of Group Status

Show Worst Status ensures that the worst status in a group of objects is
displayed for the whole group. The following table indicates how the Show Worst
Status option operates:
Object States

Group Status

(Up, Warning, Down)

(Down)

(Warning, Down)

(Warning)

(Warning, Down, Unknown)

(Down)

Mixed Status shows Warning ensures that the status of a group displays the
worst warning-type state in the group. If there are no warning-type states, but the
group contains a mix of up and down states, then a Mixed Availability ( ) warning
status is displayed for the whole group. The following table indicates how the
Mixed Status shows Warning option operates:
Object States Group Status
(Critical)
(Critical)
(Mixed Availability)
The following procedure configures the method used to determine group status.
To configure the method used to determine the status of a selected group:
1. Click Start> All Programs> SolarWinds > SolarWinds Web Console.
2. Settings in the top right of the web console, and then click Manage
Groups in the Node & Group Management grouping of the SolarWinds
Website Administration page.
3. Check the group you want to edit, and then click Edit Properties.
4. Expand Advanced, and then select a Status rollup mode, as follows:
a. If you want the group to roll up the worst status of the group members, select Show Worst Status.
b. If you want the group to roll up the best status of the group members, select Show Best Status.
c. If you want the group to display a warning status if the group members have a mixture of different statuses, select Mixed Status
shows warning.

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5. Click Submit.

Managing Dependencies
Dependencies in SolarWinds allow you to account for topological constraints on
your network. These constraints may be either the result of the design of a
specific device, or the result of the physical architecture of your network itself.
SolarWinds offers an Unreachable status to account for the case when a device
may appear to be down when its status is actually indeterminate, due to another
device being down or unresponsive.
Likewise, SolarWinds also makes it possible to define dependencies among
distinct devices, as in the case of a subnet of devices on your network that
depends on a single WAN link to connect with the rest of your network. In this
case, if you have defined a group consisting of the devices in this dependent
subnet, you can then define a dependency where the dependent subnet is a child
group to the parent router that is serving as the WAN link to the rest of your
network. For more information about groups, see Managing Groups and
Dependencies.
The power of dependencies becomes evident when considering alerts. If you
have an alert configured to trigger when a monitored object is down, you only
want that alert to trigger if a monitored objects is positively down. In other words,
you do not want an down object alert to trigger for an object that is not actually
down. Without dependencies, all monitored objects on a monitored node that is
unresponsive to ICMP queries will also report as down. With dependencies in
use, these child objects will instead display as Unreachable, saving you the
hassle of sorting through numerous false alerts resulting from the failure of a
single node to respond promptly to a status query.
Refer to the following sections for more information:
l
l
l
l

Creating a Dependency
Editing a Dependency
Deleting a Dependency
Viewing Alerts on Child Objects

Creating a Dependency
Creating a new dependency is a straightforward process of selecting the parent
and children objects, as shown in the following procedure.

248

Creating a Dependency
To create a dependency:
1. Click Start> All Programs> SolarWinds > SolarWinds Web Console.
2. Click Settings in the top right of the web console, and then click Manage
Dependencies in the Node & Group Management grouping of the
SolarWinds Website Administration page.
3. Click Add new dependency.
4. On the Select Parent page, complete the following steps:
a. Use the Show only: and Group by: selection fields to customize the
list of displayed objects and groups.
Note: The properties listed in the Group by selection field are
dynamic.
b. Select the parent object or group in the main pane, and then click Next.
Note: If you want to define a dependency so that the reported states of
child objects are dependent on the status of multiple parent objects, create a group including all parent objects, and then select it on this view.
For more information, see Creating Groups on page243.
5. On the Choose Child page, complete the following steps:
a. Edit the Dependency name, as appropriate.
b. Use the Show only: and Group by: selection fields to customize the
list of displayed objects and groups.
Note: Properties listed in the Group by: selection field are dynamically
dependent on the selection in the Show only: field.
c. Select the child object or group in the main pane, and then click Next.
Note: If you want to define a dependency so that the reported states of
multiple child objects are dependent on the status one or more parent
objects, create a group including all child objects, and then select it on
this view. For more information, see Creating Groups on page243.
6. On the Review Dependency view, review the current settings for the configured dependency.
Notes:
l If any advanced alerts are configured on parent or child objects,
they will be listed on this view. Click [+] to expand alert details.
l In the event that a parent object is down, all alerts configured on any
child objects in a dependency on the down parent object are automatically suppressed.
7. Click Submit to accept the dependency definition.

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Editing a Dependency
Editing an existing dependency is a straightforward process, as shown in the
following procedure.
To edit an existing dependency:
1. Click Start> All Programs> SolarWinds> SolarWinds Web Console.
2. Click Settings in the top right of the web console, and then click Manage
Dependencies in the Node & Group Management grouping of the
SolarWinds Website Administration page.
3. Check the dependency you want to edit, and then click Edit.
4. On the Select Parent page, complete the following steps:
a. Use the Show only: and Group by: selection fields to customize the
list of displayed objects and groups.
Note: Properties listed in the Group by: selection field are dynamically
dependent on the selection in the Show only: field.
b. Select the parent object or group in the main pane, and then click Next.
Note: If you want to define a dependency so that the reported states of
child objects are dependent on the status of multiple parent objects, create a group including all parent objects, and then select it on this view.
For more information, see Creating Groups on page243.
5. On the Choose Child page, complete the following steps:
a. Edit the Dependency name, as appropriate.
b. Use the Show only: and Group by: selection fields to customize the
list of displayed objects and groups.
Note: Properties listed in the Group by: selection field are dynamically
dependent on the selection in the Show only: field.
c. Select the child object or group in the main pane, and then click Next.
Note: If you want to define a dependency so that the reported states of
multiple child objects are dependent on the status one or more parent
objects, create a group including all child objects, and then select it on
this view. For more information, see Creating Groups on page243.
6. On the Review Dependency view, review the current settings for the configured dependency.
Notes:
l If any advanced alerts are configured on parent or child objects, they
will be listed on this view. Click [+] to expand alert details.
l If a parent object is down, all alerts configured on any child objects in
a dependency on the down parent object are automatically suppressed.

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Deleting a Dependency
7. Click Submit to accept the dependency definition.

Deleting a Dependency
Deleting an existing dependency is a straightforward process, as shown in the
following procedure.
To delete an existing dependency:
1. Click Start> All Programs> SolarWinds> SolarWinds Web Console.
2. Click Settings in the top right of the web console, and then click Manage
Dependencies in the Node & Group Management grouping of the
SolarWinds Website Administration page.
3. Check the dependency you want to delete, and then click Delete.
4. Click Yes to confirm deletion of the selected dependency.

Viewing Alerts on Child Objects

In the event that a parent object is down, all advanced alerts configured on any
child objects in a dependency on the down parent object are automatically
suppressed. The following procedure displays all advanced alerts currently
configured on any child objects in a selected dependency.
To view alerts on child objects in a selected dependency:
1. Click Start> All Programs> SolarWinds > SolarWinds Web Console.
2. Click Settings in the top right of the web console.
3. Click Manage Dependencies in the Node & Group Management grouping of the SolarWinds Website Administration page.
4. Check the dependency that includes the child object on which the alerts you
want to view are configured, and then click Alerts on Child.

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Chapter 10:
Managing Accounts
SolarWinds Web Console user accounts, permissions, and views are established
and maintained with the SolarWinds Account Manager. When Advanced
Customization is enabled on the SolarWinds Website Settings page, you can use
Account Manager to customize menu bars and views for different users. For more
information, see Customizing Views.
Notes:
l This guide assumes that Advanced Customization has been enabled. If it
has not been enabled, the range of options available on the pages referenced in the following sections is much more limited. For more information, see Setting Account Limitations.
l To prevent issues with web console accounts, your SQL Server should not
be configured with the no count connection option enabled. The no count
option is set in the Default connection options area of the Server
Properties> Connections window of SQL Server Management Studio
Refer to the following sections for more information:
l
l

Creating Accounts
Editing User Accounts

Creating Accounts
New SolarWinds Web Console user accounts may be created by any web
console administrator. The following procedure creates a new web console user
account.
To create a new user account:
1. Log in to the SolarWinds Web Console as an administrator.
2. Click Settings in the top right of the web console.
3. Click Manage Account in the Accounts grouping of the SolarWinds Website Administration page.
4. Click Add New Account.

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5. Select the type of account you want to add, and then click Next.
6. If you selected SolarWinds individual account, complete the following
steps:
a. Provide a User Name and a Password for the SolarWinds individual
account.
b. Confirm the password, and then click Next.
c. Define user settings and privileges, as appropriate. For more information, see Editing User Accounts.
7. If you selected Windows individual account, complete the following
steps:
a. Provide the User Name and Password for a user that has administrative access to your Active Directory or local domain.
b. In the Search for Account area, enter the User name of the Active Directory or local domain user for whom you want to create a new web console account, and then click Search.
c. In the Add Users area, select the users for whom you want to create
new web console accounts, and then click Next.
8. If you selected Windows group account, complete the following steps:
a. Provide the User Name and Password for a user that has administrative access to your Active Directory or local domain.
b. In the Search for Account area, enter the Group name of the Active Directory or local domain group for which you want to create a new web
console account, and then click Search.
c. In the Add Users area, select the users for whom you want to create
new web console accounts, and then click Next.
When the new account is created, the Edit User Account view displays, showing
all configurable account options. For more information about editing account
settings, see Editing User Accounts.

Editing User Accounts

The Edit User Account page provides options for configuring web console user
accounts. On the Edit User Account page, administrators can disable an account,
set an account expiration date, grant administrator and node management rights,
set user view limitations, define a default menu bar, and set several other defaults
defining how a user account views and uses the SolarWinds Web Console.

253

User Account Access Settings

The following sections and procedures detail the configuration of user accounts.
Note: To reset a password, click Change Password at the bottom of the page.
l
l
l
l
l
l

User Account Access Settings

Setting Account Limitations
Defining Pattern Limitations
Setting Default Account Menu Bars and Views
Configuring an Account Report Folder
Configuring Audible Web Alerts

User Account Access Settings

The following procedure is a guide to setting user account access.

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To edit a user account:
1. Log in to the SolarWinds Web Console as an administrator.
2. Click Settings in the top right of the web console.
3. Click Manage Accounts in the Accounts grouping of the SolarWinds Website Administration page.
4. Select the account that you want to edit, and then click Edit.
5. Set Account Enabled to Yes or No, as appropriate.
Note: Accounts are enabled by default, and disabling an account does not
delete it. Account definitions and details are stored in the Orion database
in the event that the account is enabled at a later time.
6. If you want the account to expire on a certain date, click Browse ()
next to the Account Expires field, and then select the account expiration
date using the calendar tool.
Note: By default, accounts are set to Never expire. Dates may be entered
in any format, and they will conform to the local settings on your computer.
7. If you want to allow the user to remain logged-in indefinitely, select
Yes for the Disable Session Timeout option.
Note: By default, for added security, new user accounts are configured to
timeout automatically.
8. If you want to grant administrator rights to the selected account, set
Allow Administrator Rights to Yes.
Notes:
l Granting administrator rights does not also assign the Admin menu
bar to a user. If the user requires access to Admin options, they must
be assigned the Admin view. For more information, see Setting
Default Account Menu Bars and Views on page259.
l Administrator rights are not granted by default, but they are required
to create, delete, and edit accounts. User accounts without administrator rights cannot access Admin page information.
9. If you want to allow the user to manage nodes directly from the
SolarWinds Web Console, set Allow Node Management Rights to Yes.
Note: By default, node management rights are not granted.
10. If you want to allow the user to customize views, set Allow Account to
Customize Views to Yes.
Note: By default, customized view creation is not allowed. Changes made
to a view are seen by all other users that have been assigned the same
view.
11. Designate whether or not to Allow Account to Clear Events and
Acknowledge Alerts.

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Configuring Audible Web Alerts

12. Select whether or not to Allow Browser Integration.
Note: Browser integration can provide additional functionality, including
access to right-click menu options, depending on client browser capabilities.
13. If you want to enable audible alerts through the client browser, select
a sound from the Alert Sound list.
Note: By default, sounds are stored in the Sounds directory, located at
C:\Inetpub\SolarWinds\NetPerfMon\Sounds. Sounds in .wav format that
are added to this directory become available as soon as the Edit User
Account page refreshes.
14. Provide the maximum Number of items in the breadcrumb list.
Note: If this value is set to 0, all available items are shown in breadcrumb
drop down lists.

Configuring Audible Web Alerts

When browsing the SolarWinds Web Console, audible alerts can be sounded
whenever new alerts are generated. When enabled, you will receive an audible
alert the first time, after login, that an alert is displayed on the page. This alert may
come from either an alert resource or the Alerts view. You will not receive audible
alerts if the Alerts view or the alert resource you are viewing is empty.

Following the initial alert sound, you will receive an audible alert every time an
alert is encountered that was triggered later than the latest alert that has already
been viewed.
For example, a user logs in and sees a group of alerts with trigger times ranging
from 9:01AM to 9:25AM, and the user receives an audible alert. If the user
browses to a new page or allows the current page to auto-refresh, a new alert
sounds if and only if an alert triggered later than 9:25AM is then displayed.

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To enable audible web alerts:
1. Log in to the SolarWinds Web Console as an administrator.
2. Click Settings in the top right of the web console.
3. Click Manage Accounts in the Accounts grouping of the SolarWinds Website Administration page.
4. Select the account you want to configure.
5. Click Edit.
6. Select the sound file you want to play when new alerts arrive from the Alert
Sound list.
Note: By default, sounds are stored in the Sounds directory, located at
C:\Inetpub\SolarWinds\NetPerfMon\Sounds. Sounds in .wav format that
are added to this directory become available as soon as the Edit User
Account page refreshes.
7. Click Submit.

Setting Account Limitations

Account limitations may be used to restrict user access to designated network
areas or to withhold certain types of information from designated users. The
following procedure sets user account limitations.

To set user account limitations:

1. Log in to the SolarWinds Web Console as an administrator.
2. Click Settings in the top right of the web console, and then click Manage
Accounts in the Accounts group of the SolarWinds Website Administration page.
3. If you want to limit an individual user account, complete the following
steps:
a. On the Individual Accounts tab, check the account you want to limit.
b. Click Edit.
c. Click Add Limitation in the Account Limitations section.
d. Select the type of limitation to apply, and then click Continue.
Notes:
l Because SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer (NTA) initially
caches account limitations, it may take up to a minute for

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Setting Account Limitations

account limitations related to SolarWinds NTA to take effect in
SolarWinds NTA.
l Account limitations defined using the Account Limitation Builder
display as options on the Select Limitation page. Account limitations can be defined and set using almost any custom properties. For more information, see Creating Account Limitations.
e. Define the limitation as directed on the Configure Limitation page that
follows. For more information about defining pattern-type limitations,
see Defining Pattern Limitations.
4. If you want to limit a group account, complete the following steps:
Note: Limitations applied to a selected group account only apply to the
group account and not, by extension, to the accounts of members of the
group.
a. On the Groups tab, check the group account you want to limit.
b. Click Edit.
c. Click Add Limitation in the Account Limitations section.
d. Select the type of limitation to apply, and then click Continue.
Notes:
l Because SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer (NTA) initially
caches account limitations, it may take up to a minute for
account limitations related to SolarWinds NTA to take effect in
SolarWinds NTA.
l Account limitations defined using the Account Limitation Builder
display as options on the Select Limitation page. Account limitations can be defined and set using almost any custom properties. For more information, see Creating Account Limitations.
e. Define the limitation as directed on the Configure Limitation page that
follows. For more information about defining pattern-type limitations,
see Defining Pattern Limitations.
5. Click Add Limitation in the Account Limitations section.
6. Select the type of limitation to apply from the list, and then click Continue.
Notes:
l Account limitations defined using the Account Limitation Builder display as options on the Select Limitation page. Account limitations
can be defined and set using almost any custom properties. For
more information, see Creating Account Limitations on page1089.
l Because SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer (NTA) initially
caches account limitations, it may take up to a minute for account
limitations related to SolarWinds NTA to take effect in SolarWinds
NTA.

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Chapter 10: Managing Accounts

7. Define the limitation as directed on the Configure Limitation page that follows. For more information about defining pattern-type limitations, see
Defining Pattern Limitations.

Defining Pattern Limitations

Pattern limitations may be defined using OR, AND, EXCEPT, and NOT operators
with _ and * as wildcard characters. The following examples show how to use
available operators and wildcard characters:
Note: Patterns are not case sensitive.
foo matches only objects named "foo.
foo_ matches all objects with names consisting of the string "foo" followed by
only one additional character, like foot or food, but not seafood or football.
foo* matches all objects with names starting with the string "foo, like football or
food, but not seafood.
*foo* matches all objects with names containing the string "foo, like seafood or
Bigfoot.
*foo* OR *soc* matches all objects containing either the string "foo" or the string
"soc, including football, socks, soccer, and food.
*foo* AND *ball* matches all objects containing both the string "foo" and the
string "ball, including football but excluding food.
*foo* NOT *ball* matches all objects containing the string "foo" that do not also
contain the string "ball, including food but excluding football.
*foo* EXCEPT *ball* matches all objects containing the string "foo" that do not
also contain the string "ball, including food but excluding football.
You may also group operators using parentheses, as in the following example.
(*foo* EXCEPT *b*) AND (*all* OR *sea*) matches seafood and footfall, but not
football or Bigfoot.

Setting Default Account Menu Bars and Views

The Default Menu Bar and Views section provides several options for configuring
the default menu bar and views for your user account. The following procedure is
a guide to setting these options.

259

Setting Default Account Menu Bars and Views

To set default menu bar and view options:

1. Log in to the SolarWinds Web Console as an administrator.
2. Click Settings in the top right of the web console, and then click Manage
Accounts in the Accounts grouping of the SolarWinds Website Administration page.
3. Select the account that you want to configure, and then click Edit.
4. Scroll down to Default Menu Bar and Views.
5. Select a Home Tab Menu Bar from the available list.
Note: This is the default menu bar displayed when you click Home in the
SolarWinds Web Console. If you are editing a user account that must have
administrator privileges, set the Home Tab Menu Bar to Admin.
6. Select an Application Tab Menu Bar from the available list.
Note: This is the default menu bar displayed when you click Applications
in the SolarWinds Web Console. If you are editing a user account that must
have administrator privileges, select Admin.
7. Select a Virtualization Tab Menu Bar from the available list.
Note: This is the default menu bar displayed when you click Virtualization
in the SolarWinds Web Console. If you are editing a user account that must
have administrator privileges, select Admin.
8. If you have installed any additional SolarWinds modules, select a
SolarWinds Module Tab Menu Bar from each available list.
Note: This step configures the default menu bar displayed when you click
the tab corresponding to an installed module in the SolarWinds Web

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10.

11.
12.

13.

14.

15.

Console. If you are editing an account that must have administrator privileges, select Admin.
Select a Home Page View.
Note: If no Home Page View is specified, the default is designated to be
the same as the page that is specified in the Default Summary View field
below.
If the Home Page View you have selected refers to a specific network
device, select a Default Network Device by clicking Edit and selecting
from the list of available devices on the next page.
Note: If the Home Page View you have selected does not require a specific
network device, SolarWinds will select a device to display, automatically.
Select a Default Summary View for the account.
Note: This is typically the same as the Home Page View.
If you want all reports to be available for the account, select \Reports
from the Report folder list in the Default Menu Bars and Views area.
Note: If you are creating a new user, you must designate the Report Folder
the new account is to use to access SolarWinds reports. By default, no
report folder is configured for new users. The Reports directory is located in
the SolarWinds SAM installation directory:
C:\ProgramFiles\SolarWinds\Orion\.
If you want to designate default Node, Volume, and Group Details
Views for this account, expand SolarWinds General Settings, and then
select appropriate Node Detail, Volume Detail, and Group Detail Views.
If you want to designate default Virtualization Summary Manager,
Cluster Details, and Datacenter Details Views for this account, expand
Integrated Virtual Infrastructure Monitor Settings, and then select appropriate default views.
Click Submit.

Configuring an Account Report Folder

Reports may be assigned to an account by creating sub-directories within the
Reports directory. Desired reports are included within the sub-directory, and the
sub-directories are then made available for assignment to an account. This
provides a level of security when reports are included in a view or added as
custom menu items. For more information, see Creating and Editing External
Website Views on page173.

261

Server & Application Monitor Settings

To configure an account report folder:
1. Log in to the SolarWinds Web Console as an administrator.
2. Click Settings in the top right of the web console, and then click Manage
Accounts in the Accounts group of the SolarWinds Website Administration
page.
3. Select the account you want to configure, and then click Edit.
4. If you want all reports to be available for the account, select \Reports
from the Report folder list in the Default Menu Bars and Views area.
Note: If you are creating a new user, you must designate the Report Folder
the new account is to use to access SolarWinds reports. Bydefault, no report
folder is configured for new users. The Reports directory is located in the
SolarWinds SAM installation directory:
C:\ProgramFiles\SolarWinds\Orion\.
5. Click Submit.

Server & Application Monitor Settings

From here, you can select the SAM defaults for the following, as shown in the
illustration below.
To navigate to this page, take the following steps:
1. From the web console, navigate to Settings >Manage Accounts.
2. Select an account to edit by checking its box. when done, click Edit.
3. The following options appear. Select the options you want, when done, click
Submit.

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Orion General Settings

From here, you can select the Orion defaults for the following, as shown in the
illustration below:

Node Details View: This view is used when details about a single Network
Node are displayed.
Volume Details View: This view is used when details about a single physical or logical Volume are displayed.
Group Details View: This view is used when details about a single Group
are displayed.

263

Integrated Virtual Infrastructure Monitor Settings

From here, you can select the Integrated Virtual Infrastructure defaults for the
following, as shown in the illustration below:

Virtualization Manager Summary View: This view is the target of the

"VMware Summary" link in the page header.
Cluster Details View: This view is used when details about a single Cluster
are displayed.
Datacenter Details View: This view is used when details about a single
Data Center are displayed

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Chapter 11:
Managing SolarWinds SAM Polling
Engines
To ensure that your polling engines are optimized to run at peak performance,
you will need to occasionally tune them. If you use more than one polling engine,
you will need to balance the load so that each engine can perform optimally.
Refer to the following sections for more information:
l
l
l
l
l
l
l

Viewing Polling Engine Status

Configuring Polling Engine Settings
SolarWinds Polling Settings
Calculating Node Availability
Using the Polling Engine Load Balancer
Setting the Node Warning Level
Managing Packet Loss Reporting

Viewing Polling Engine Status

The SolarWinds Web Console provides the Polling Engines view, giving you
immediate insight into the performance of all polling engines in your SolarWinds
installation.
To display the Polling Engine view:
1. Log in to the SolarWinds Web Console as an administrator.
2. Click Settings in the top right of the web console.
3. Click Polling Engines in the Details group.
For more information about configuring the settings on this view in addition to
configuring all other available polling engine variables, see Configuring Polling
Engine Settings.

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Configuring Polling Engine Settings

Settings for your SolarWinds SAM polling engine are configured on the
SolarWinds Polling Settings view within the SolarWinds Web Console.
To open the SolarWinds Polling Settings view:
1. Log in to the SolarWinds Web Console as an administrator.
2. Click Settings in the top right of the web console.
3. Click Polling Settings in the Settings group.

SolarWinds Polling Settings

The following poller settings are configurable on the SolarWinds Polling Settings
view.
Refer to the following sections for more information:
l
l
l
l

Polling Intervals
Polling Statistics Intervals
Network
Calculations & Thresholds

Polling Intervals
The following settings configure default polling intervals. To apply poller settings,
click ReApply Polling Intervals.
Default Node Poll Interval
Devices are regularly polled to determine status and response time on this
designated interval. By default, this interval is 120 seconds.
Default Volume Poll Interval
Volumes are regularly polled to determine status and response time on this
designated interval. By default, this interval is 120 seconds.
Default Rediscovery Interval
Your entire network is polled on this interval to detect any re-indexed
devices. Monitored network devices are also checked for IOS upgrades
permitting EnergyWise support. By default, this interval is 30 minutes.
Lock custom values

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Polling Statistics Intervals

This option is enabled by default. Enabling this option automatically saves
any polling customizations made on the SolarWinds Polling Settings view.

Polling Statistics Intervals

The following settings configure default polling intervals for device statistics. To
apply poller settings, click ReApply Polling Statistic Intervals.
Default Node Statistics Poll Interval
Device performance statistics are regularly polled on this interval. By
default, this interval is 10 minutes.
Default Volume Statistics Poll Interval
Volume performance statistics are regularly polled on this interval. By
default, this interval is 15 minutes.

Network
The following settings configure ICMP and SNMP requests.
ICMP Timeout
All ICMP (ping) requests made by the SolarWinds poller time out if a
response is not received within the period designated. By default, this
period is 2500ms.
ICMP Data
This string is included within all ICMP packets sent by SolarWinds.
SNMP Timeout
All SNMP requests made by the SolarWinds poller time out if a response is
not received within the period designated. By default, this period is 2500ms.
SNMP Retries
If a response to an SNMP poll request made by the SolarWinds poller is not
received within the configured SNMP Timeout, the SolarWinds poller will
conduct as many retries as designated by this value. By default, this value is
2.

Calculations & Thresholds

The following settings designate methods for calculating availability and
transmission rate baselines, select the SolarWinds SAM node warning level and

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counter type, and indicate security preferences for community strings and other
potentially sensitive information in the web console.
Availability Calculation (advanced)
This setting designates the type of calculation SolarWinds SAM performs to
determine device availability. For more information, see Calculating Node
Availability on page268.
Baseline Calculation (advanced)
Upon startup, SolarWinds can calculate a baseline for the transmission
rates of the various elements of your network. This baseline is used as a
starting point for any comparison statistics. For more information, see
Calculating a Baseline on page269.
Allow Secure Data on Web (advanced)
In the interest of security, sensitive information about your network is not
viewable in the SolarWinds Web Console. However, if your network is
properly secured, you may check this option to allow the viewing of
community strings and other potentially sensitive information within the web
console.
Note: This setting does not affect the display of custom reports that you
export to the web. For more information see Creating and Viewing Reports
on page1.
Node Warning Level
Devices that do not respond to polling within this designated period of time
display as Down in the web console. By default, this value is 120 seconds.
Counter Rollover
This option sets the type of counter SolarWinds SAM is to use. For more
information, see Handling Counter Rollovers on page144.

Calculating Node Availability

The Availability Calculation setting on the SolarWinds Polling Settings view
provides a choice between the following two methods for determining device
availability.

268

Calculating a Baseline
Node Status:
The default method is based upon the historical up or down status of the selected
node. The selected node is polled for status on the Default Node Poll Interval
defined on the SolarWinds Polling Settings view. For more information, see
SolarWinds Polling Settings.
If the selected node responds to a ping within the default interval, the node is
considered up, and a value of 100 is recorded in the Response Time table of the
Orion database. If the node does not respond to a ping within the default interval,
the node is considered down and a value of 0 is recorded in the Response Time
table of the Orion database. To calculate node availability over a selected time
period, the sum of all Response Time table records for the selected node over the
selected time period is divided by the selected time period, providing an average
availability over the selected time period.
Percent Packet Loss:
The second method is a more complicated calculation that effectively bases the
availability of a selected node on its packet loss percentage. As in the Node
Status method, the selected node is polled for status. If it responds within the
Default Node Poll Interval defined on the SolarWinds Polling Settings view, a
value of 100 is averaged with the previous 10 availability records. For more
information, see SolarWinds Polling Settings.
The result of the Percent Packet Loss calculation is a sliding-window average. To
calculate node availability over a selected time period, the sum of all results in the
Response Time table for the selected node over the selected time period is
divided by the selected time period, providing an average availability over time.
Note: The Percent Packet Loss method introduces a historical dependency into
each availability node record. In general, it is best to leave calculations based on
Node Status unless you specifically need node availability based on packet loss.

Calculating a Baseline
Much of the raw data that SolarWinds SAM polls from nodes is provided initially
as counter values. If you do not need statistics immediately, or if you do not want
SolarWinds SAM to calculate a baseline at startup, disable baseline calculation
at startup by setting the Baseline Calculation option on the SolarWinds Polling
Settings view to False. For more information, see Configuring Polling Engine
Settings.

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Note: Baseline calculation requires significant data gathering and processing.
Until baseline calculation is completed, both SolarWinds SAM server
performance and the CPU performance of some of network routers may be
adversely affected.

Using the Polling Engine Load Balancer

The Polling Engine Load Balancer is a useful tool for reassigning nodes to a new
polling engine, deleting an unused polling engine, and performing load balancing
between multiple polling engines. The tool is available within the Monitor Polling
Engines application, which is an advanced feature of SolarWinds SAM.
Reassigning nodes to new polling engines may be required in the following
situations:
l
l

Moving or renaming your SolarWinds SAM server

Merging two or more SolarWinds servers

If these or any other conditions present the need for reassignment, complete the
following procedure to reassign nodes to a new polling engine.
To reassign nodes to a different polling engine:
1. Click Start> All Programs> SolarWinds > Advanced Features>
SolarWinds Service Manager.
2. Click Shutdown Everything.
Note: Confirm that you stop the SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor
Service on all polling engines.
3. Click Start> All Programs> SolarWinds > Advanced Features> Monitor Polling Engines.
4. Click Servers> Poller Load Balancing.
5. Select the nodes you want to reassign.
Note: Use Shift+click to highlight multiple consecutive rows, and use
Ctrl+click to highlight multiple non-consecutive rows.
6. Click Polling Engines> Move Selected Nodes to *, substituting the target
polling engine for *. The node is reassigned, and it reflects the name of the
polling engine in the polling engine column.
7. Click Start> All Programs> SolarWinds > Advanced Features>
SolarWinds Service Manager to restart SolarWinds services.

270

Setting the Node Warning Level

A device may drop packets or fail to respond to a poll for many reasons. Should
the device fail to respond, the device status is changed from Up to Warning. On
the SolarWinds Polling Settings view, you can specify the Node Warning Level,
which is the length of time a device is allowed to remain in the Warning status
before it is marked as Down. During the interval specified, the service performs
"fast polling" (ICMP) to continually check the node status.
Note: You may see events or receive alerts for down nodes that are not actually
down. This can be caused by intermittent packet loss on the network. Set the
Node Warning Interval to a higher value to avoid these false notifications. For
more information about packet loss reporting, see Managing Packet Loss
Reporting on page271.
To set the Node Warning Level:
1. Log in to the SolarWinds Web Console using an account with administrative
rights.
2. Click Settings in the upper right of the web console, and then click Polling
Settings in the Settings group of the SolarWinds Website Administration
view.
3. In the Calculations and Thresholds group, set the Node Warning Level to an
appropriate interval, in seconds.
Note: The default Node Warning Level interval is 120 seconds.
4. Click Submit.

Managing Packet Loss Reporting

To manage the amount of network-wide packet loss reported by SolarWinds,
configure the Response Time Retry Count for your polling engine. This setting
designates the number of times SolarWinds retries ICMP pings on a monitored
device before packet loss is reported.
Note: This configuration change requires an insertion into your Orion database. If
possible in your environment, SolarWinds recommends installing and using the
SQL Server Management Studio to perform this insertion.
To configure the Response Time Retry Count for your polling engine:
1. Create a full backup of your Orion database.
2. On your SolarWinds server, click Start> All Programs> SolarWinds >
Advanced Features> SolarWinds Service Manager.

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3. Click Shutdown Everything.
4. On your Orion database server, click Start> All Programs> Microsoft
SQL Server> SQL Server Management Studio.
5. Select your Orion database Server name.
6. Select an appropriate Authentication type, provide any required credentials, and then click Connect.
7. Expand Databases> SolarWindsDatabaseName> Tables.
8. Click New Query.
9. Type the following query into the empty SQL query field:
Note: Specify your own custom values for Maximum, CurrentValue, and
DefaultValue.INSERT INTO [SolarWindsDatabaseName].[dbo].[Settings] (SettingID, Name, Description, Units, Minimum, Maximum, CurrentValue, DefaultValue) VALUES (SWNetPerfMon-Settings-Response
Time Retry Count, Response Time Retry Count, Number of times
SolarWinds retries ICMP pings on a monitored device before reporting
packet loss, , 1, Maximum, CurrentValue, DefaultValue)
10. Click Execute.
11. Close SQL Server Management Studio.
12. On your SolarWinds server, click Start > Run, type regedit, and then click
OK.
13. Expand HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > SOFTWARE> SolarWinds.Net>
SWNetPerfMon.
14. Right-click Settings, and then click New> String Value.
15. Enter Response Time Retry Count as the New Value.
16. Right-click Response Time Retry Count, and then click Modify.
17. In the Value data field, enter the CurrentValue provided in the query above,
and then click OK.
18. Close the Registry Editor.
19. Click Start> All Programs> SolarWinds > Advanced Features>
SolarWinds Service Manager.
20. Click Start Everything.

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Virtualization
SolarWinds Integrated Virtual Infrastructure Monitoring (IVIM) built into
SolarWinds SAM lets you monitor today's modern network fabric of virtual
networks, virtualized data centers, and private clouds. The deep visibility into your
virtualized environments helps you ensure that network performance helps and
not hinders your virtualization projects
SAM is capable of monitoring VMware ESXi and ESX Servers versions 3.5 and
higher as well as Microsoft's Hyper-V up to and including Hyper-V 2012 R2.

Note: A node can either be a VMware ESX/vCenter server or Hyper-V server, not
both.

VMware Monitoring
Monitor your entire VMware virtual infrastructure from the highest to the lowest
level: vCenter datacenter cluster ESX hosts individual virtual

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machines. Track availability and performance metrics including CPU, memory,
storage, and network bandwidth utilization
Virtual Machine Auto-Summary
Automatically discover identify and monitor new virtual machines added to any
VMware host server or updated during vMotion.
Virtualization Alerting and Reporting
SolarWinds' native alerting and reporting capabilities extend seamlessly to your
virtual infrastructure.
Refer to the following sections for more information:
l
l
l
l
l
l

Requirements for Monitoring ESXi and ESX Servers

Managing VMware Credentials in the Web Console
Adding Virtual Servers for Monitoring
Virtualization Summary
Viewing ESX Host Details
Changing Polling Orders for ESX Servers

Requirements for Monitoring ESXi and ESX Servers

The following table provides minimal requirements for effectively using
SolarWinds SAM to monitor your VMware ESXi and ESX Servers.
Note: SolarWinds SAM uses the VMware API to poll most performance data from
devices running ESX Server versions 3.5 and 4.0. Before SAM can start polling
ESX Servers, you must ensure that you have created credentials on your ESX
Servers for the SAM polling engines. Information on how to do this can be found
here: KB Article 2177.
Credentials created for the SAM polling engines must have read-only rights, at
minimum.
Requirement

Description

SNMP

SolarWinds SAM uses SNMP to

monitor all ESXi and ESX Servers. For
more information about enabling
SNMP, refer to the following sections:
l

Enabling SNMP on VMware

ESXi

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Requirements for Monitoring ESXi and ESX Servers

Enabling SNMP on ESX Server

Version 3.5
Enabling SNMP on ESX Server
Version 4.0
Creating ESX Server Credentials
for SolarWinds SAM

VMware API

SolarWinds SAM uses the VMware

API to poll most performance data from
devices running ESXi and ESX Server
versions 3.5 and 4.0. For more
information about creating required
credentials, see Creating ESX Server
Credentials for SolarWinds SAM on
page281.

VMware Tools

VMware Tools must be installed on all

ESXi and ESX Servers you intend to
monitor. VMware Tools is not required
on virtual machines running on
monitored ESXi and ESX servers, but
additional information, including IP
addresses, are made available when
VMware Tools is installed on virtual
machines hosted by monitored ESXi
and ESX Servers.

The following table provides a summary of the methods used by SolarWinds SAM
to monitor VMware ESX Servers.
Notes:
l

Both SAM and NPM share the same VIM module, so their monitoring methods are identical.
VIM gathers Network utilization information via VMware API, but not individual interfaces (e.g. Interfaces under List Resources) or interface status
(Up/Down). Interface status is only available via SNMP, which is part of
NPM.

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3.5

Detection as ESX Server VMware API

Volumes

SNMP N/A SNMP N/A

SNMP

Interfaces

SNMP N/A SNMP SNMP (partial) SNMP

CPU

SNMP N/A SNMP SNMP

Memory

SNMP N/A SNMP SNMP

Total Memory

VMware API

Guest VM List

VMware API

Enabling SNMP on VMware ESXi and ESX Servers

SolarWinds SAM uses SNMP to poll performance data from VMware ESXi and
ESX Servers. In order to make this performance data available to SolarWinds
SAM, you must enable SNMP on your VMware ESXi and ESX Servers, as
described in the following sections:
Note: VMware only makes a limited amount of information available to SNMP
queries for VMware ESXi and ESX Servers version 4.0 and higher. To access
additional information on these versions, SolarWinds SAM utilizes the VMware
API.

Enabling SNMP on VMware ESXi

The following procedure enables SNMP on VMware ESXi:
Note: The following procedure to enable SNMP requires the vSphere command
line interface (CLI). The vSphere CLI is not packaged with your ESXi Server by
default, so you will need to download it from VMware, as indicated.
To enable SNMP on VMware ESXi:
1. Download and install the VMware vSphere command line interface from the
VMware Download Center (http://downloads.vmware.com/d/).
2. Use the vSphere CLI to view your ESXi server SNMP settings, as indicated
in the following procedure:

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Enabling SNMP on VMware ESXi

a. In the Perl\bin directory of your vSphere installation, execute the following script:
perl ..\..\bin\vicfg-snmp.pl --server ip_address s
Notes:
C:\Program Files\VMware\VMware vSphere CLI\Perl\bin is
the default location of the vSphere Perl\bin directory.
l Replace ip_address with the IP address of your ESXi server,
and replace cstring with the community string you are adding.
For most environments, the community string public should be
sufficient.
b. Enter an appropriate user name at the prompt.
l

Note: For most environments, root should be sufficient.

c. Enter the associated password at the prompt.
3. Use the vSphere CLI to enable SNMP on your ESXi server, as indicated in
the following procedure:
a. In the Perl\bin directory of your vSphere installation, execute the following script to add an appropriate community string:
perl ..\..\bin\vicfg-snmp.pl --server ip_address -c cstring
Note: Replace ip_address with the IP address of your ESXi server,
and replace cstring with the community string you are adding. For
most environments, the community string public should be sufficient.
b. Enter an appropriate user name at the prompt.
Note: For most environments, root should be sufficient.
c. Enter the associated password at the prompt.
d. In the Perl\bin directory of your vSphere installation, execute the following script to enable SNMP:
perl ..\..\bin\vicfg-snmp.pl --server ip_address E
Note: Replace ip_address with the IP address of your ESXi server.
e. Enter an appropriate user name at the prompt.
Note: For most environments, root should be sufficient.
f. Enter the associated password at the prompt.
4. Reboot your ESXi server to allow settings to take effect.

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Enabling SNMP on ESX Server Version 3.5

The following procedure enables SNMP on ESX Server version 3.5.
Note: For more information about ESX Server 3.5 and ESX Server MIBs, see the
VMware document, Basic System Administration - ESX Server 3.5, ESX Server
3i version 3.5, VirtualCenter 2.5.
To enable SNMP on ESX Server version 3.5:
1. Log in to your ESX Server using an account with administrative privileges.
2. Open snmpd.conf in a text editor.
Notes:
l

The default location for snmpd.conf is

root/etc/snmp/snmpd.conf.
To use the default text editor, nano, in a default ESX Server version
3.5 environment, enter nano /etc/snmp/snmpd.conf at the prompt.

3. Locate the rocommunity setting and replace the default community string
public with an appropriate read-only community string for your
environment.
Note: Use commas to separate multiple community strings.
4. Save snmpd.conf, and then close your editor.
Note: If you are using nano, press Ctrl+X to close nano, and then enter Y
to save snmpd.conf.
5. Enter chkconfig snmpd on to enable SNMP when you reboot your ESX
Server.
6. Enter esxcfg-firewall -e snmpd to allow SNMP through the ESX Server
firewall.
7. Enter service snmpd start to start the SNMP service.
8. Confirm that SNMP polling is enabled on your ESX Server by entering the
following command:
snmpwalk -v1 -c cstring localhost .1.3.6.1.4.1.6876 | grep 6876.1
Note: Replace cstring with the community string you provided above.
9. After entering the snmpwalk command, your ESX Server should return
information similar to the following:

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Enabling SNMP on ESX Server Version 4.0

SNMPv2-SMI::enterprises.6876.1.1.0 = STRING: "VMware ESX Server"
SNMPv2-SMI::enterprises.6876.1.2.0 = STRING: "3.5.0"
SNMPv2-SMI::enterprises.6876.1.3.0 = OID: SNMPv2SMI::enterprises.6876.60.1.3.5.0
SNMPv2-SMI::enterprises.6876.1.4.0 = STRING: "153875"
Note: The MIB OID SNMPv2-SMI::enterprises.6876.1.4.0 returns the
build number for your product, so it may not be the same as the build
number displayed above.

Enabling SNMP on ESX Server Version 4.0

The following procedure enables both the system default SNMP daemon snmpd
and the proprietary VMware SNMP daemon vmware-hostd on VMware ESX
Server version 4.0:
Note: For more information about ESX Server 4.0 and ESX Server MIBs, see the
VMware document, vSphere Basic System Administration - Update 1, ESX 4.0,
ESXi 4.0, vCenter Server 4.0.
To enable SNMP on ESX Server version 4.0:
1. Log in to your ESX Server using an account with administrative privileges.
2. Open snmp.xml in a text editor.
Notes:
l
l

The default location for snmp.xml is root/etc/vmware/snmp.xml.

To use the default text editor, nano, in a default ESX Server version
4 environment, enter nano /etc/vmware/snmp.xml at the prompt.

3. Locate the communities tag, and then replace the default community
string public with an appropriate read-only community string for your
environment.
Note: Use commas to separate multiple community strings.
4. Locate the enable tag, and then confirm it is set to true.
5. Locate the port tag and confirm it is set to 171.
6. Locate the targets tag and confirm it is set to 127.0.0.1@162/cstring.
Note: Replace cstring with the community string you provided above.
7. Save snmp.xml, and then close your editor.

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Note: If you are using nano, press Ctrl+X to close nano, and then enter Y
to save snmp.xml.
8. Enter service snmpd stop to confirm that the SNMP service is stopped.
9. Open snmpd.conf in a text editor.
Notes:
l

The default location for snmpd.conf is

root/etc/snmp/snmpd.conf.
To use the default text editor, nano, in a default ESX Server version
4 environment, enter nano /etc/snmp/snmpd.conf at the prompt.

Edit snmpd.conf to include the following two lines:

10. view systemview included .1.3.6.1.4.1.6876
proxy -v 1 -c cstring 127.0.0.1:171 .1.3.6.1.4.1.6876
Note: Replace cstring with the community string you provided above.
11. Save snmpd.conf, and then close your editor.
Note: If you are using nano, press Ctrl+X to close nano, and then enter Y
to save snmpd.conf.
12. Enter service mgmt-vmware restart to restart the mgmt-vmware service.
13. Enter service snmpd start to start the SNMP service.
14. Enter chkconfig snmpd on to enable SNMP when you reboot your ESX
Server.
15. Enter esxcfg-firewall -e snmpd to allow SNMP through the ESX Server
firewall.
16. Confirm that SNMP polling is enabled on your ESX Server by entering the
following command:
snmpwalk -v1 -c cstring localhost .1.3.6.1.4.1.6876 | grep 6876.1
Note: Replace cstring with the community string you provided above.
17. After entering the snmpwalk command, your ESX Server should return
information similar to the following:
SNMPv2-SMI::enterprises.6876.1.1.0 = STRING: "VMware ESX"
SNMPv2-SMI::enterprises.6876.1.2.0 = STRING: "4.0.0"
SNMPv2-SMI::enterprises.6876.1.4.0 = STRING: "208167"

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Creating ESX Server Credentials for SolarWinds SAM

Note: The OID SNMPv2-SMI::enterprises.6876.1.4.0 returns your product
build number, so it may not be the same as the build number above.

Creating ESX Server Credentials for SolarWinds SAM

SolarWinds SAM uses the VMware API to poll most of its performance data from
devices running ESX Server versions 3.5 and 4.0. You must create credentials on
your ESX Servers for the SolarWinds SAM polling engine, as shown in the
following procedure:
Note: Credentials created for the SolarWinds SAM polling engine must have
read-only rights as a minimum.
To create ESX Server credentials for SolarWinds SAM:
1. Log in to your ESX Server using an account with administrative privileges.
Note: Typically, the root user name and password is sufficient.
2. If you are prompted with an untrusted SSL certificate warning, click
Ignore to continue using the current SSL certificate.
3. Open the Users & Groups tab, and then click Users.
4. Right-click the Users view, and then click Add.
5. On the Add New user window, complete the following procedure:
Note: The User Name and Password provided in this step must be
provided either in your initial network discovery or whenever you use Web
Node Management to add the current ESX Server to SolarWinds SAM for
monitoring.

6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.

a. Provide both a Login and a User Name for the SolarWinds SAM
polling engine.
b. Enter and confirm a Password.
c. Click OK.
Open the Permissions tab.
Right-click the Permissions view, and then click Add Permission.
On the Assign Permissions window, click Add.
Select the user you just created, and then click Add.
Click OK on the Select Users and Groups window.
Select an appropriate role in the Assigned Role area, and then click OK on
the Assign Permissions window.

The credential you have created is now available to use for monitoring your ESX
Server. For more information about adding your ESX Server to the Orion
database for monitoring, see Managing VMware Credentials in the Web Console.

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Managing VMware Credentials in the Web Console

If you have to update the user name or password of a VMware credential, you can
do so from the VMware Credentials Library tab.
To update a VMware credential:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Log in to the web console.

Click Settings.
Click Virtualization Settings in the Node & Group Management section.
Click the VMware Credentials Library tab.
Check the credential you need to update, and then click Edit Credential.
Make the necessary updates, and then click OK.

Adding Virtual Servers for Monitoring

VMware Vcenter, ESX servers, and Hyper-V virtual machines are added to the
Orion database in the same ways other devices are added for monitoring in the
SolarWinds Web Console
Polling for VMware nodes Using the Network Sonar Wizard
The Network Sonar Wizard is the recommended method for adding VM Servers
for monitoring in the SolarWinds Web Console. With Network Sonar Discovery,
you can define all required credentials at once on the Local ESX Credentials for
Vmware view. For more information, see "Virtualization Discovery" on page 221.
Adding VMs from the Virtualization Assets Resource
1. Log in to the web console.
2. Point to the Virtualization tab and then click Virtualization Summary.
3. Click the [+] next to any ESX or Vcenter server listed in the Virtualization
Assets resource to expand the list of virtual machines.
4. Click a virtual machine that is not currently managed by SolarWinds.
Unmanaged VMs are listed in italic type.
5. Click Yes, Manage this Node.
6. If the VM is not running, manually enter the IP address of the VM in the
Hostname or IP Address field.
7. Check any additional options required to monitor the VM, and then click
Next.
8. Follow the remainder of the Add Node wizard to completion, and then click
OK, Add Node.

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Virtualization Summary

Virtualization Summary
The Virtualization Summary view shows the overall status of your virtualized
infrastructure.
To view the Virtualization Summary:
1. Log in to the SolarWinds Web Console.
2. Point to the Virtualization tab and then click Virtualization Summary.
The Virtualization Summary view is pre-configured to display the following
resources:
Top XX Hosts by CPU Load

Top XX Hosts by Number of Running

VMs

Top XX Hosts by Percent Memory

Used

Top XX Hosts by Network Utilization

VMware Assets

VMware Asset Summary

Hyper-V Assets

Hyper-V Asset Summary

To change the properties or contents of any resource, click Edit in the resource
box.

Viewing ESX Host Details

The ESX Host Details page is displayed when you click an ESX Host server in
the Virtualization Summary. This page is pre-configured to display the following
resources:
Active Alerts on this Node

Availability Statistics

Average Response Time & Packet

Loss Graph

Average Response Time & Packet

Loss Gauge

CPU Load & Memory Utilization Gauge Disk Volumes

ESX Host Details

Event Summary

List of Virtual Machines

Min/Max AverageCPU Load Graph

Node Details

Polling Details

Virtual Machine CPU Consumption

Virtual Machine Memory Consumption

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Virtual Machine Network Traffic

To change the properties or contents of any resource, click Edit in the resource
box.

Changing Polling Orders for ESX Servers

If your VMware ESX hosts are controlled by VMware vCenter servers,
SolarWinds obtains the status of the ESX hosts from the vCenter server instead of
polling the ESX hosts directly.
To poll the ESX servers directly you must change the Poll Through setting of the
ESX host from the Virtualization Settings page. From this page, you can also
disable and enable polling for ESX hosts and vCenter servers.
To poll a vCenter-managed ESX Host from the SolarWinds server:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Log in to the web console.

Click Settings.
Click Virtualization Settings in the Node & Group Management section.
Point to any column heading, click the upside-down triangle, and then click
Columns > Polling Through.
5. Select the ESX hosts you want to poll directly.
6. Click Poll Through > Poll ESX server directly.

Troubleshooting ESX Hardware Monitoring

When an ESX server returns the message, Unable to connect to remote server,
check the following:
l

Ensure CIM is enabled on the ESX server. To enable CIM on ESX/ESXi,

refer to the following section: "Hardware Monitoring and VMware" on page
1038.
Ensure port 5989 is opened on the firewall

If the ESX server returns the message, Unable to establish session with all
provided credentials, check the following:
l
l

Verify the VMware credentials in the VIM are correct

Verify the account belongs to the root user group

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Hyper-V Monitoring

Hyper-V Monitoring
SAM natively supports monitoring of Microsoft's Hyper-V server and its guests.
By default, the statistic collection interval is set to ten minutes.
Note: A node can either be a VMware ESX/vCenter server or Hyper-V server, not
both.

Requirements for Monitoring Hyper-V Servers

The following table provides minimal requirements for effectively using
SolarWinds SAM to monitor your Hyper-V Servers:
Requirement

Description

Hyper-V version

All versions of Hyper-V are

supported, up to and
including Hyper-V 2012 R2.

WMI

SolarWinds SAM uses WMI

to monitor all Hyper-V
Servers. SNMP is not
supported when monitoring
Hyper-V servers. For more
information about enabling
WMI, refer to the following
section: Testing Local WMI
Services on page 1561.
Note: If switching from SNMP
to WMI to monitor a Hyper-V
server, certain previously
monitored data will be lost as
a result of the protocol
change.
For example: If you have
NPM installed and are
monitoring an interface via

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SNMP, switching to WMI to

monitor Hyper-V will cause
the interface's historical data
to be lost. You can either
monitor Hyper-V via WMI or
an interface via SNMP, not
both.
Number of Virtual
Machines

SolarWinds recommends
fewer than 1,000 virtual
machines running on any one
Hyper-V server.

Configuring Hyper-V Servers for Discovery

For data collection and inspection of Microsoft Windows Hyper-V hosts through
Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI), each server running Hyper-V
requires:
1. A user account with elevated credentials
2. Changes to the firewall
The following table lists the discovery requirements in detail.
Item

Need

User
Account

Depending on your implementation, supply one of the following as

credentials for the credentials database:
l

For domain-based authentication, a domain account with

membership in the Administrators group on the monitored
application server.
For workgroup authentication, a built-in administrator
account on the monitored application server
For workgroup authentication, a local user account with membership in the Administrators group and the User Account
Control (UAC) setting "Run all administrators in Admin
Approval Mode" disabled on the monitored application
server.

Windows Ensure that core networking, Windows Management

Firewall
Instrumentation (WMI), and RPC traffic can traverse the firewall.

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Configuring Hyper-V Servers for Discovery

Modifying the Windows Firewall
You must allow core networking, WMI, and RPC traffic through the firewall of the
monitored server. The following procedure walks you through allowing this traffic
through the Windows Firewall on Windows 2008 R2.
Notes:
l

If you have restricted the range of dynamic RPC ports, you must ensure that
each host is able to access that port range.
If you are connecting to Hyper-V hosts through a DMZ or hardware firewall,
you must open the corresponding rules and ports on the hardware.

To allow the correct traffic through the Windows firewall, you must perform the
following steps:
1. Ensure the core networking rules are enabled
2. Enable the Windows Management Instrumentation (DCOM-In) rule
3. Create a new rule to open the RPC ports
Ensure the Core Networking rules are enabled
You must ensure that the core networking rules are enabled to collect information
successfully from Hyper-V hosts.
Note: If the rule has a green icon with a checkmark in front of it, the rule is
enabled.
To allow core networking traffic through the Windows Firewall on Windows
2008 R2:
1. Log on to the computer you want to monitor with an administrator account.
2. Navigate to Start> Administrative Tools>Windows Firewall with
Advanced Security.
3. Click Inbound Rules in the left navigation pane.
4. Ensure that all Core Networking rules are enabled. If not, select the disabled rule and then click Enable Rule in the Action menu.
Enable the Windows Management Instrumentation (DCOM-In) rule
You must ensure that the Windows Management Instrumentation (DCOM-In)
rule is enabled to collect information successfully from Hyper-V hosts.
Note: After enabling the Windows Management Instrumentation (DCOM-In) rule,
common WMI checks indicate that WMI is not enabled. This is expected behavior.

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To allow WMI traffic through the Windows Firewall on Windows 2008 R2:
1. Log on to the computer you want to monitor with an administrator account.
2. Navigate to Start> Administrative Tools>Windows Firewall with
Advanced Security.
3. Click Inbound Rules in the left navigation pane.
4. Click Windows Management Instrumentation (DCOM-In), and then click
Enable Rule in the Action menu.
Create a new firewall rule to open the RPC ports
You must open the RPC ports to collect information successfully from Hyper-V
hosts. This is best done by creating a new firewall rule.
To open the RPC ports on Windows 2008 R2:
1. Log on to the computer you want to monitor with an administrator account.
2. Navigate to Start> Administrative Tools> Windows Firewall with
Advanced Security.
3. Click Inbound Rules in the left navigation pane.
4. Click Actions > New Rule
5. In Rule Type, select Custom and click Next.
6. Select This program path and enter %SystemRoot%\System32\dllhost.exe in the text box.
7. In Services, click Customize to ensure that Apply to all programs and services is selected, and click OK.
8. Click Next
9. In Protocol type, select TCP.
10. In Local port, select RPC Dynamic Ports.
11. In Remote port, select All Ports.
12. Click Next.
13. Apply to any local and remote IP addresses and click Next.
14. In Action, ensure that Allow the connection is selected and click Next.
15. Select all profiles (Domain, Private, and Public) and click next.
16. Enter a name, such as SAM WMI Dynamic Ports.
17. Click Finish
The new rule will now appear in the list of inbound rules.

Enabling and Disabling Hyper-V Monitoring

Hyper-V monitoring is automatically enabled on WMI nodes after a Network
Sonar Discovery is run. For information on enabling WMI, see "Testing Local WMI

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Enabling and Disabling Hyper-V Monitoring

Services" on page 1561.
There are two ways to toggle Hyper-V monitoring; via the Manage Nodes page,
and through the Virtualization Summary resource.
Warning: If Hyper-V polling is disabled, all historical data will be lost. To retain
historical data, use the Virtualization Summary method and select Unmanage.
List Resources Method:
1. From the web console, click Settings in the upper right-hand corner of the
screen.
2. In the Node & Group Management resource, click Manage Nodes.
3. Select the desired node by checking it, and then click List Resources.
4. Check or uncheck Hyper-V, if available.

Virtualization Summary Method:

Warning: If Hyper-V polling is disabled, historical data will be lost. To retain
historical data, select Unmanage. When you choose to remanage the node, all
historical data will be available.
1. In the web console, click the Virtualization tab.

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Chapter 12: Virtualization

2. In the Virtualization Assets resource. Click Virtualization Settings.

3. In Virtualization Settings, click the Hyper-V tab.

4. Click List Resources.

Note: You can temporarily enable/disable polling of Hyper-V by selecting a

node from the list and clicking either Disable Hyper-V Polling or Enable
Hyper-V Polling. If you check a disabled node, the Enable Polling button
will become enabled. The converse is also true.
5. Check or uncheck Hyper-V and then click Submit.

Accessing Hyper-V Details

Hyper-V is incorporated into multiple resources found in SAM's web console on
the Virtualization tab. Following is just one example:

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Accessing Hyper-V Details

Virtualization Assets:
With Hyper-V being native to SAM, you can drill down to the Node Details page
from this view. If the node in this view is not managed, you will be prompted to go
to the Add Node wizard to have this node managed.
Clicking Edit will allow you to filter the vendors that are shown in this view.

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Building Component Monitors and
Templates
The following diagram illustrates the work flow involved in creating an application
to be monitored by SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor.

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Refer to the following sections for more information:

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Understanding Component Monitors and Application Monitor Templates

Choosing Component Monitors and Templates Based on Protocol
Requirements for Component Monitors and Templates that use WMI
Monitoring External Nodes
Understanding the Credentials Library

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Certificate Credentials Library

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Using Application Monitor Templates

Managing Assigned Application Monitors
Working with Component Monitors
Scripting Custom Component Monitors
Custom Application Monitor Template Example: Creating a SolarWinds
SAM Template
Conversion Value
Available Data Transformations
Certificate Credentials Library

Certificate Credentials Library

The Certificate Credentials Library allows you to import and store certificates for
use at a later time.
Typically, you need to associate credentials with component monitors and
templates to enable them to retrieve application data. For added security, SAM
offers the ability to store certificates in the Certificate Credentials Library.
Certificates can be used for authentication with Linux devices monitored in SAM.
Linux, Unix, and Nagios script monitors also support certificate based
authentication.
The PEM format (OpenSSH) is supported.

Adding a Certificate to the Library

To add a certificate to the library:
1. From the Web Console, navigate to Settings > SAM Settings > Certificate
Credentials Library.
2. Click Add New Credential.
3. Enter a name in the Credential Name field.
4. Enter a User Name in the User Name field.
5. Click Browse to load a private key from a file.
6. Enter a password in the Private key content password field.
7. Select the Private key type: either RSA or DSA.
8. Click Submit to save the certificate credential to the library.

Assigning Certificate Credentials

There are two ways to assign Certificate Credentials; when assigning a template
to a node, and when editing a template directly.
Which method should I use?

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If every node uses unique private keys, then editing the application after it
has been assigned is the best option. Use method A.
If most or all of your nodes use the same private key, then you should edit
the credentials directly in the template. Use method B.

A.) When Assigning a Template to a Node:

1. Assign a template to a node.
2. When asked to choose credentials, select the Inherit credentials from template option.
3. Click Assign Application Monitors.
4. Edit the template by clicking Edit next to the name of the template, as
shown below.

5. From here, you can select one or more Linux/Unix/Nagios script component
monitors to edit by checking the boxes to the left of each monitor and then
clicking Multi-Edit.
6. Check the Authentication Type box and select Username and PrivateKey
from the drop down menu.
7. Check the Credential for Monitoring box and select the credentials you
want to use from the drop down menu, and then click Save.
B.) Editing a Template Directly:
1. Select the template you want to edit.
2. Change the Authentication Type option to Username and PrivateKey for
each component monitor that should use this authentication type.
3. From the Credential for Monitoring field drop down menu, select the credentials you want to use with your monitors, and then click Submit.

Understanding the Credentials Library

You typically need to associate credentials with component monitors to enable
them to retrieve application data. For example, to use a WMI monitor, you must
provide valid domain or computer credentials. Or, if your web server requires

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Understanding the Credentials Library

credentials, you must provide the appropriate credentials to access the protected
sections of your site.
You can work with credentials by:
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Adding credentials to the Credentials Library for use later. See the section
Adding Credentials to the Credentials Library.
Creating credentials on the spot (Quick Credentials) when editing templates
and component monitors. See the section Using Quick Credentials.
Editing credentials. See the section Editing Credentials in the Credentials
Library.
Deleting credentials. See the section Deleting Credentials from the Credentials Library.

To set up a user account on a SQL server

1. Open Enterprise Manager.
2. In the console tree, double-click Microsoft SQL Servers, click SQL Server
Group, and then SQLComputerName (WindowsNT).
3. Double-click Databases, and then double-click your database of choice.
4. Right-click Users, and then click the New Database User menu.
5. Next to Login name, type:
domain\username
6. Next to User name, type your user name.
7. Select the Public check box, and then select all of the following objects:
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db_owner
db_accessadmin
db_securityadmin
db_ddladmin
db_datareader
db_datawriter
db_backupoperator

Important:
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Do not select db_denydatareader or db_denydatawriter. These objects

allow members to deny Read or Write permissions to data in the database.

For more information, see http://technet.microsoft.com/enus/library/cc787483%28v=ws.10%29.aspx

Notes:

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SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor uses the same SNMP credentials
that you entered during node discovery. There is no need to specify additional credentials for SNMP operations.
SolarWinds SAM stores credentials encrypted in the database.
The ability to Inherit Windows credentials from node is available in the
drop down list.

Adding Credentials to the Credentials Library

Perform the following to add credentials for later use.
To add credentials from the Credential Library page:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Log on to your SolarWinds Web Console with an Administrator account.

Click the Applications tab.
Click SAM Settings.
Click Credentials Library.
Click Add New Credential.
Provide a friendly name for the credential set. SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor displays this name in the Credential for Monitoring field of
monitors that accept credentials.
7. Provide the user name and password, and then confirm the password and
click Submit. If you are providing windows credentials for accessing and
harvesting information through WMI, ensure you provide the account name
in the following syntax: domainOrComputerName\userName for domain
level authentication or userName for workgroup level authentication.
You can assign credentials to all the associated components of a template or
Application Monitor.

Editing Credentials in the Credentials Library

Perform the following to edit credentials for later use.
To edit an existing credential from the Credential Library page:
1. Click Edit for the desired credential.
2. Modify the information as needed.
3. Then click Submit.

Deleting Credentials from the Credentials Library

Perform the following to delete credentials from the Credentials Library.

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Using Quick Credentials

To delete an existing credential from the Credential Library page:
1. Navigate to the Credentials Library: Admin > Settings > SAM Settings >
Credentials Library.
2. Click Delete for the desired credential.
3. Click OK to confirm the deletion.

Using Quick Credentials

Perform the following to use Quick Credentials:
To create and assign credentials using Quick Credentials when editing a
template or Application Monitor:
1. If the credential you want to assign does not exist, create it by following
these instructions:
a. Select <New Credential> in the Choose Credential field.
b. Type a name for the new credential in the Credential Name field.
c. Type the user name for the credential in the User Name field.
d. Type the password in the Password field, and type it again in the Confirm Password field.
2. If you want to assign an existing credential, select the credential from
the Choose Credential field.
3. Click Set Component Credentials to set this credential as the credential
for all the components in the Application Monitor or template.
Note: The ability to Inherit Windows credentials from node is available in
the drop down list. Anywhere you have the option to specify credentials for
an application template or component monitor, you also have the the
option to utilize the existing WMI credentials already used to manage the
host.

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Managing Assigned Application Monitors

You can manage Assigned Application Monitors by referring to the following
sections:
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Application Discovery
Add Application Monitors
Editing an Assigned Application Monitor
Unmanaging Assigned Application Monitors
Remanaging Assigned Application Monitors
Deleting Assigned Application Monitors

Editing an Assigned Application Monitor

You can override the template inheritance relationship by editing the components
of an assigned Application Monitor. Any modifications you make to an
applications components or component properties are independent from the
template, including: adding new components and removing existing components
New components that you add to the application are not governed by the original
template used to create the application. Modified component properties override
the original template settings.
To edit an individual application:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Log on to your SolarWinds Web Console with an Administrator account.

Click the Applications tab.
Click SAM Settings.
Click Manage Application Monitors.
Click the group containing the application you want to edit.
Check the application you want to edit, and then click Edit Properties.
If you want to turn on extended debug information to assist Customer
Support, expand Advanced, set Debug logging On, and specify the Number of log files to keep.
Here you can also select either 32bit or 64bit from the drop down list
entitled, Platform to run polling job on.
Note: Do not turn on Debug logging unless directed by Customer Support.
8. Click Override Template for each polling setting and specify the new
value.
9. Expand the component you want to modify, and then click Override Template and specify new values.

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Unmanaging Assigned Application Monitors

10. If you want to add components unique to this specific application,
click Add Component Monitor.
Note: You can select multiple component monitors of the same type to be
added by entering a number in the field next to the check box for the component monitor and then checking the check box.
11. Click Submit to apply your changes.
Note: Custom Properties on Assigned Applications can be defined when
editing the Assigned Application, as shown below:

Unmanaging Assigned Application Monitors

If you need to deactivate assigned application monitors for a period of time, you
can do so by unmanaging them. Changes you make to the managed or
unmanaged status of an application take affect after the next polling cycle.
To unmanage assigned Application Monitors:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Log on to your SolarWinds Web Console with an Administrator account.

Click the Applications tab.
Click SAM Settings.
Click Manage Application Monitors.
Click the group containing the application you want to unmanage.
Check the application(s) you want to unmanage, and then click Unmanage.
Specify the date / time when you want to begin the period when the application is unmanaged.
8. Specify the date / time when you want to end the period when the application is unmanaged.
9. Then click OK.
-or-

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1. Log on to your SolarWinds Web Console with an Administrator account.
2. Click the Applications tab.
3. Click an assigned Application Monitor in any resource to view its SAM
Application Details View page.
4. Click Unmanage in the Application Details section.
5. Set the duration of the unmanaged state, and then click OK.
Note: Unmanaging a node in SolarWinds SAM automatically unmanages
its assigned SolarWinds SAM applications for the same duration.

Remanaging Assigned Application Monitors

Remanage an assigned Application Monitor in order to immediately resume
monitoring an unmanaged application.
To remanage assigned Application Monitors:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Log on to your SolarWinds Web Console with an Administrator account.

Click the Applications tab.
Click SAM Settings.
Click Manage Application Monitors.
Click the group containing the application you want to remanage.
Check the application(s) you want to remanage, and then click Remanage.

-or1. Log on to your SolarWinds Web Console with an Administrator account.

2. Click the Applications tab.
3. Click an assigned Application Monitor in any resource to view its SAM
Application Details view page.
4. Click Remanage in the Application Details section.

Deleting Assigned Application Monitors

Delete an assigned Application Monitor if you have no further need of it.
To delete assigned Application Monitors:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Log on to your SolarWinds Web Console with an Administrator account.

Click the Applications tab.
Click SAM Settings.
Click Manage Application Monitors.
Click the group containing the application you want to delete.
Check the application(s) you want to delete, and then click Delete.
You are prompted whether you want to delete the selected Application Monitors. Click Yes to perform the delete operation.

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Application Monitor Thresholds

In general, thresholds are markers that indicate certain levels have been reached.
Many component monitors used in SAM applications have thresholds that can be
adjusted and set.
Once set, thresholds can act as trigger points. For example, if you are monitoring
CPU usage, having a Critical threshold set at 90% would be typical. You can then
use this threshold as a trigger to send an email alert to inform you of the Critical
status once that threshold has been breached.
Normally, an administrator would need to monitor his applications for several
weeks in order to collect enough data to be used as a baseline. Once a baseline
has been established, the administrator can then make an educated guess as to
how he should set his Warning and Critical thresholds for his component
monitors. With this is mind, if thresholds are set too low, the administrator would
be getting alerts all the time. If set too high, problems can occur without the
administrator's knowledge.
Baseline data, as well as Warning and Critical thresholds for application
monitors, can be gathered and calculated automatically. The option to enter
thresholds manually remains available.
Note: By default, I/O thresholds of Windows Service Monitors are not set.
For more information, refer to the following sections:
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Inheriting Thresholds
Automatic Calculation of Baseline Data
Applying Baseline Thresholds at the Template Level
Applying Baseline Thresholds at the Application Level
Latest Baseline Details
Understanding Latest Baseline Details
Understanding Sustained Thresholds

Inheriting Thresholds
Thresholds can be adjusted at the template level or on the individual component
monitor level of an application.

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Threshold Adjustments at the Template Level
If adjusting thresholds on the template level, either manually entered or calculated
using baseline data, any changes made will trickle down to the component
monitor level for applications based on this template. This means the component
monitors within the application inherit the changes made in the template.

Threshold Adjustments at the Component Monitor Level

If you change thresholds at the component monitor level, only thresholds of the
individual component monitor will be affected. Thresholds on the parent template,
or other applications based on that parent template, will not be affected.

Automatic Calculation of Baseline Data

In general, baseline data is calculated on demand; however, seven days of data
is the recommended minimum amount of data needed for baseline calculations to
be considered accurate.

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Multi-value Scripts and Thresholds

Baseline data for macros, such as ${USE_BASELINE}, are automatically calculated
during nightly database maintenance.
Once thresholds are calculated and applied to component monitors, the
thresholds remain static until manually re-applied. This is not a moving baseline
that is calculated nightly based on the last seven days of data. A moving baseline
would mask data spikes and other anomalies that need to be highlighted.
Note: Thresholds set manually may yield more desirable results if you are
familiar with the nuances of your environment.
To Change the Amount of Data Used in Baseline Calculations:
1. From the web console, navigate to Settings > SAM Settings > Data &
Database Settings.

2. Enter a number of days, and then click Submit.

Note: The value for the Baseline Data Collection Duration field cannot exceed
the value defined for the Detail Statistics Retention field (located at the top of the
Data & Database Settings section).
For more information, see:
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Baseline Threshold Macros .

Understanding Sustained Thresholds.

Multi-value Scripts and Thresholds

The format for using the Threshold macros with multi-value scripts is as follows:
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${Threshold.Warning.DisplayName}
${Threshold.Critical.DisplayName}

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Applying Baseline Thresholds at the Template Level

Applying and editing thresholds at the template level will affect any and all
applications that are based on that template.
To Edit and Apply Baseline Thresholds for a Template:
1. From the web console, navigate to Settings > SAM Settings > Manage
Templates.
2. Check a template and click Edit from the toolbar.

3. If selecting only one component monitor, click [+] to expand the monitor
details.
a. Click Use Latest Baseline Thresholds, as shown:

Note: Once this box is checked, the Warning and Critical fields will
automatically populate with the macro, ${USE_BASELINE}.
b. Select the options for sustained thresholds, if desired:
Note: For more information, see Understanding Sustained
Thresholds.

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4. If selecting more than one component monitor, select the monitors you
want by checking the boxes next to their names.
a. Click Multi-Edit.
Note: Multi-Edit will only become available when the selected component monitors are of the same type.

b. Check the Statistic Threshold check box on the pop-up window,

then check the Use thresholds calculated from baseline data
check box.
Note: The Use thresholds calculated from baseline data check
box will not become available until the Statistic Threshold check
box has been checked.

Note: Once the Use thresholds calculated from baseline data

box is checked, the Warning and Critical fields will automatically
populate with the macro, ${USE_BASELINE}.
c. Click Save.
5. When done, click Submit.

Applying Baseline Thresholds at the Application Level

Applying and editing thresholds at the application level will only affect the
component monitors of the current application.

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Applying Baseline Thresholds at the Application Level

To Edit and Apply Baseline Thresholds for an Application:
1. From the web console, click the Applications tab.
2. In the All Applications resource, expand the tree and then click an application.
3. From the Application Details resource, click Edit Application Monitor.

4. If selecting only one Component Monitor, click [+] to expand the monitor
details.
a. Click Override Template.
Note: The current values for the thresholds will appear in the Warning and Critical fields
b. Click Use Latest Baseline Thresholds, as shown:

c. When applied, the values will change and a blue icon will appear
indicating that baseline thresholds are being used.

5. If selecting more than one component monitor, use the check boxes to
select the monitors you want to edit, and then click Multi-Edit.
a. Click Multi-Edit.
Note: Multi-Edit will only become available when the selected

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component monitors are of the same type.

b. Check the Statistic Threshold check box on the pop-up window,

then check the Use thresholds calculated from baseline data
check box.

Note: Once the second box is checked, the Warning and Critical
fields will automatically populate with the macro, ${USE_BASELINE}.
For more information, see "Understanding Latest Baseline Details"
on page 310.
c. Click Save.
6. When done, click Submit.
For more information, see Understanding Sustained Thresholds.

Latest Baseline Details

Details about how baseline data, as well as Warning and Critical thresholds are
calculated, can be found on the Latest Baseline Details page. This page details
the data collection and calculation process using several graphs and tables.
To View the Latest Baseline Details Page:
1. From the web console, click the Applications tab.
2. In the All Applications resource, expand the tree and then click an application.

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Understanding Latest Baseline Details

3. From the Application Details resource, click Edit Application Monitor.

4. Find a component monitor in the list and click [+] to expand the monitor
details.
5. Click Override Template.
6. Click Latest Baseline Details.

Understanding Latest Baseline Details

The two tabbed charts and table below them detail how baseline statistics and
thresholds are calculated for individual component monitors based on the
collected data.

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Note: Clicking Use Recommended Thresholds will not affect the chart.
Understanding the Occurrences Chart
The horizontal (X) axis displays the range of values collected by the current
component monitor during the data collection period. The vertical (Y) axis
displays the frequency of each value collected during the data collection period.
The three colors of the chart show the values of the component monitor during
different time periods: Day, Night, and All Hours. You can show or hide these
time periods by checking and un-checking their respective boxes in the legend.
You can have the chart show a specific time range by dragging the mouse over a
small area of the chart. Hovering over any area of the chart will provide a tooltip
with detailed information about that area of the chart.

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Understanding Latest Baseline Details

If you zoom in, a Reset Zoom button will appear.

The yellow and red shading of the chart indicates the recommended Warning and
Critical thresholds, respectively. These shaded areas are taken from the values
recorded in the Latest Baseline Statistics table.
Note: The ability to check and un-check the boxes in the legend is for visual
purposes only and will not affect the values generated for calculated thresholds.
Understanding the Metric Over Time Chart
The horizontal (X) axis displays the time period for when the values were
collected for the current component monitor. The vertical (Y) axis displays the
range of all the values collected during the charted time.
In other words, the light blue bars show the range of values for the statistics
collected during the charted time period. The bottom of the bars indicates the
lowest statistic collected, or the minimum. The top of the bars indicates the
highest statistic collected, or the maximum. The blue line of the chart shows the
average values of the component monitor through time.
Using the legend, you can show or hide these statistics by checking and unchecking their respective boxes.
You can have the chart show a specific time range by dragging the mouse over a
small area of the chart or by using the sliders located at the bottom of the chart.
Hovering over any area of the chart will provide a tooltip with detailed information
about that area of the chart.

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The yellow and red of the chart indicates the recommended Warning and Critical
thresholds, respectively. These shaded areas are taken from the values recorded
in the Latest Baseline Statistics table.
Note: The ability to check and un-check the boxes in the legend is for visual
purposes only and will not affect the values generated for calculated thresholds.
Understanding the Latest Baseline Statistics Table
Along with the minimum and maximum values displayed, the Latest Baseline
Statistics table at the bottom of the display shows the average baseline statistics
surrounded by three levels of standard deviation for both day and night data. This
table highlights the recommended Warning and Critical thresholds in yellow and
red, respectively.

In addition to using the recommended threshold values, you can hover the mouse
over any value in the table to bring up a tooltip dialog. The tooltip dialog allows
you to visualize, but not change, the value for the Warning or Critical threshold to
the value you are hovering over by simply clicking either link in the dialog.
Visualizing a value in this way will affect the chart above the table by
repositioning the shading indicating the Warning and Critical threshold areas.

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Understanding Sustained Thresholds

Understanding Baseline Details and Setting Thresholds
The right column of this view provides information about the data's calculation
and usage and allows you to set thresholds.

In the Current Thresholds Settings area, you can manually change the values for
both the Warning and Critical thresholds, or use the recommended values by
clicking Use Recommended Thresholds.
Additionally, you can add logic for these thresholds by selecting an operator from
the drop down list such as Greater Than, Less Than, Equal To, and so on. The
logical operator selected will apply to both the Warning and Critical thresholds
and cannot be separated. For example, if you select the Greater Than or Equal
to operator with a Warning threshold value of 80 and a Critical threshold of 90,
the thresholds will be considered met if the returned value for the current
performance counter meets or exceeds 80 for Warning or 90 for Critical.

Understanding Sustained Thresholds

The highlighted fields in the following illustration are available for configuring
sustained thresholds:

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The following two tables demonstrate possible sustained threshold conditions

based on the illustration above and how the Warning and Critical conditions are
met:

Working with Component Monitors

Component monitors are the building blocks of SolarWinds SAM. Each monitors
the status and performance of a different aspect of an application.

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Viewing the Component Monitor Library

You can perform the following activities to manage components using the
commands on the SAM Settings page:
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Viewing the Component Monitor Library

Managing Assigned Component Monitors
Managing Component Monitors within Templates

Viewing the Component Monitor Library

The component monitors in the library are grouped by monitor type in the tree
view display. For each component monitor, two numbers are displayed.
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The first number represents the number of Application Monitor templates

that contain the specified component monitor.
The second number represents the number of Application Monitors that contain the specified component monitor.

Expanding a component monitor shows two categories:

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Application Monitors that contain the specified component monitor

Expanding a category displays the names of the templates or Application

Monitors for the category, respectively. Clicking the name of a template or
Application Monitor takes you to a page where you can edit that item.

Managing Assigned Component Monitors

You can manage individual component monitors that have been assigned to
collect data on a single object such as a process, port, or performance counter.
Management operations are described in the following sections:
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Creating a New Template with Assigned Component Monitors

Assigning Component Monitors to a Node
Copying Assigned Component Monitors to an Assigned Application Monitor
Copying Assigned Component Monitors to an Application Monitor Template
Editing Assigned Application Monitors
Deleting Assigned Application Monitors

Creating a New Template with Assigned Component Monitors

To quickly create a new template with assigned component monitors:
1. Log on to your SolarWinds Web Console with an Administrator account.
2. Click the Applications tab.
3. Click SAM Settings.

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4. Click Manage Assigned Component Monitors.
5. Select the desired component type or assigned Application Monitor whose
component monitors you want to list.
6. Select the desired component monitor(s) to add to the new template.
7. Click Create New Template, specify the information for the new template,
and then click Submit.
Refer to the section Creating New Templates on page351 for details
about specifying the template information.
8. To add additional component monitor(s) to add to the new template, click
Add Component Monitor.
9. Expand the component groups and check all the additional component
monitors you want to add.
Note: You can select multiple component monitors of the same type to be
added by entering a number in the field next to the check box for the component monitor and then checking the check box.
10. Click Submit.
11. Configure the component monitor settings, and then click Submit.
The new template is added to the list of all Application Monitor Templates.
Assigning Component Monitors to a Node
To quickly assign component monitors to a node:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

Log on to your SolarWinds Web Console with an Administrator account.

Click the Applications tab.
Click SAM Settings.
Click Manage Assigned Component Monitors.
Select the desired component type or assigned Application Monitor whose
component monitors you want to list.
Select the desired component monitor(s) to assign to a node.
Click Assign to Node.
Enter the name for the application, polling frequency, and polling timeout.
If you want to turn on extended debug information to assist Customer
Support, expand Advanced, set Debug logging On, and specify the Number of log files to keep. Here you can also select either 32bit or 64bit from
the drop down list entitled, Platform to run polling job on.
Note: Do not turn on Debug logging unless directed by Customer
Support.

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Managing Assigned Component Monitors

10. Click Next.
11. Select the nodes to which you want to assign the Application Monitor, and
then click Next.
12. If suitable credentials already exist, choose the credential from the
Choose Credential list.
13. If suitable credentials do not exist, choose <New Credential> from the
Choose Credential list, and then add the new credential by filling out the
credential details.
14. Click Test to test the credentials and component monitors against the test
node.
15. If the test fails, troubleshoot the problem based on the error messages,
and then retest the node.
16. If the test passes, click Assign Application Monitors.
Copying Assigned Component Monitors to an Assigned Application Monitor
To quickly copy component monitors to an assigned Application Monitor:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

Log on to your SolarWinds Web Console with an Administrator account.

Copying Assigned Component Monitors to an Application Monitor Template

To quickly copy component monitors to an Application Monitor template:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Log on to your SolarWinds Web Console with an Administrator account.

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Chapter 13: Building Component Monitors and Templates

7. Click Copy to Application Monitor Template.
8. Select the desired template(s) to copy to and click Submit.
9. Click OK to acknowledge the successful copy.
Editing Assigned Application Monitors
To edit the assigned Application Monitor for a component monitor:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Log on to your SolarWinds Web Console with an Administrator account.

Click the Applications tab.
Click SAM Settings.
Click Manage Assigned Component Monitors.
Select the desired component type or assigned Application Monitor whose
component monitors you want to edit.
6. Select the desired component monitor whose assigned Application Monitor you want to edit.
7. Click Edit Assigned Application Monitor.
8. Edit the desired settings and then click Submit. The edited Application
Monitor is displayed in the list of Assigned Application Monitors.
Deleting Assigned Application Monitors
To delete an assigned component monitor:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Log on to your SolarWinds Web Console with an Administrator account.

Click the Applications tab.
Click SAM Settings.
Click Manage Assigned Component Monitors.
Select the desired component type or assigned Application Monitor whose
component monitor(s) you want to delete.
6. Select the desired component monitor(s) that you want to delete.
7. Click Delete.
8. Click Yes to confirm the deletion of the component monitor(s).

Managing Component Monitors within Templates

You can manipulate and manage the component monitors that are inside the
Application Monitor templates in several ways:
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Listing the Component Monitors Defined in a Template

Creating a New Template from Existing Component Monitors
Creating Assigned Application Monitors from Existing Component Monitors
Copying a Component Monitor

319

Managing Component Monitors within Templates

Listing the Component Monitors Defined in a Template
To quickly see the different component monitors within your templates:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Log on to your SolarWinds Web Console with an Administrator account.

Click the Applications tab.
Click SAM Settings.
Click Manage Templates.
Click Manage Component Monitors (within Templates), near the top right
corner of the window.
6. Select Template in the Group by list.
7. Select the desired template whose component monitors you want to list.
Creating a New Template from Existing Component Monitors
To create a new template that contains copies of existing component monitors:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Log on to your SolarWinds Web Console with an Administrator account.

Click the Applications tab.
Click SAM Settings.
Click Manage Templates.
Click Manage Component Monitors (within Templates), near the top right
corner of the window.
6. Check the check box next to the component monitors you want in the new
template.
7. Click Create New Template, specify the information for the new template,
and then click Submit.
Refer to the section Creating New Templates on page351 for details about
specifying the template information.
Creating Assigned Application Monitors from Existing Component Monitors
To create assigned Application Monitors from existing component monitors:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Log on to your SolarWinds Web Console with an Administrator account.

Click the Applications tab.
Click SAM Settings.
Click Manage Templates.
Click Manage Component Monitors (within Templates), near the top right
corner of the window.

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6. Check the check box next to the component monitors you want in the
assigned Application Monitors.
7. Click Assign to Node.
8. Specify the name for the application, polling frequency, and polling timeout.
9. If you want to turn on extended debug information to assist Customer
Support, expand Advanced, set Debug logging On, and specify the Number of log files to keep. Here you can also select either 32bit or 64bit from
the drop down list entitled, Platform to run polling job on.
Note: Do not turn on Debug logging unless directed by Customer Support.
10. Click Next.
11. Select the nodes for which you want to create the assigned Application Monitors, and then click Next.
12. If suitable credentials already exist, choose the credential from the
Choose Credential list.
13. If suitable credentials do not exist, choose <New Credential> from the
Choose Credential list, and then add the new credential by filling out the
credential details.
14. Click Test to test the credentials and component monitors against the test
node.
15. If the test fails, troubleshoot the problem based on the error messages, and
then retest the node.
16. If the test passes, click Assign Application Monitors.
Copying a Component Monitor
To copy a component monitor to a template or an assigned Application Monitor:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

Log on to your SolarWinds Web Console with an Administrator account.

Click the Applications tab.
Click SAM Settings.
Click Manage Templates.
Click Manage Component Monitors (within Templates), near the top right
corner of the window.
Check the check box next to the component monitors you want to copy.
Click Copy to.
If you want to copy to an assigned Application Monitor, click Copy to
Assigned Application Monitor.
If you want to copy to a template, click Copy to Application Monitor
Template.

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Choosing Component Monitors and Templates Based on Protocol

10. Check the check boxes next to the template or assigned Application Monitors to which you wish to copy the component monitors, and then click Submit.

Choosing Component Monitors and Templates

Based on Protocol
If you have a choice between components or templates that return the needed
value using different protocols, consider the following guidelines for making your
choice, based on the protocol:
1. SNMP is the best protocol to use from the reliability and speed perspective.
It is much faster and more reliable than both Performance counters and
WMI, and it has lowest impact on system performance.
2. WMI calls can sometimes take a relatively long time, and they have a significant overhead.
RPC vs. WMI
The reason some SAM templates only use RPC is primarily customer demand.
RPC is generally considered more reliable. It also uses less overheard making it
faster than WMI and it is firewall friendly. There are distinct advantages and
disadvantages to both RPC and WMI, which is why SAM utilizes both methods
forretrievinginformation.
For more information, see Agents.

Web Service Monitoring

For custom web services that need to be monitored, SAMoffers the ability to
utilize the following technologies:
l

JSON: JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) is an open standard format that

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web services that need to be monitored.
Note: Currently, the SOAPmonitor within SAMcan return a status of either
Up or Down, or return a status of Warning or Critical based on response
time thresholds. This monitor also has the ability to search for the presence
of a string.
For more information, see:
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Component Monitor Types

SOAP Monitor
HTTP Monitor
HTTPS Monitor
JSON

JSON
JSONis accepted in the HTTPmonitor and HTTPS monitor, as shown below.
Following is an example of JSONcode:
{
"firstname": "Kate"
"lastname": "Asaff"
"age" : 29
"city" : "Austin"
}

Notes:
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Inserted JSONcontent cannot exceed 1MB in size.

SolarWinds Technical Support does not provide support for custom scripts.

For more information, see:

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HTTP Monitor
HTTPS Monitor

323

SOAP Monitor

SOAP Monitor
This page provides general information concerning the SOAPmonitor and how it
works. For information concerning the individual fields of the SOAPmonitor, see
SOAP Component Monitor.
Note: Currently, the SOAPmonitor within SAMcan return a status of either Up or
Down, or return a status of Warning or Critical based on response time
thresholds. This monitor also has the ability to search for the presence of a string.
Definitions:
l

SOAP: (Simple Object Access Protocol) is a protocol used for exchanging

information in the implementation of web services in computer networks. It
relies on XML for its message format, and usually relies on other application
layer protocols, most notably Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP).
WSDL: (Web Services Description Language). The Web Services Description Language is an XML-based interface description language that is used
for describing the functionality offered by a web service.
XML: Extensible Markup Language is a markup language that defines a set
of rules for encoding documents in a format that is both human-readable
and machine-readable.

About the SOAPMonitor

Currently, the SOAPmonitor within SAMcan return a status of either Up or Down,
or return a status of Warning or Critical based on response time thresholds. This
monitor also has the ability to search for the presence of a string. You can test the
SOAP monitor in Edit mode. If the test poll throws a web exception (indicating
that there was a problem on the target) the response content is extracted and you
will be able to view the message to help identify the issue.
For more information, see Configuring the SOAP Monitor.

Configuring the SOAP Monitor

The are two ways to configure the SOAPmonitor:
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Loading a WSDL file.

Manually entering XML.

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Loading WSDLFiles
The SOAPmonitor within SAM currently supports the WSDL schema, which must
be exposed on a URL. Once the WSDL file is successfully loaded, the file will be
parsed automatically and the fields, highlighted below, will populate.
Once the WSDLfile has been successfully loaded, you can specify values for the
available arguments. There are two types of arguments, simple, and complex.
A simple argument is one where you can define the value directly. A
complex.argument (e.g. structures, classes, list, and so on) must be user-defined
in the XML format. It is recommended that complex arguments be used only by
experienced users.
Note:The Advanced Settings are read-only and displays additional information.
Because the SOAP envelope is based on the WSDL schema, the Advanced
Settings values should not be changed.
The SOAP XML field contains the SOAP envelope which is generated by the
WSDL and dynamically changes as you make changes to the SOAP settings. In
this field you can check what will be sent to the web service.
Important: If changes are made to any of the base SOAP settings, the content of
the SOAP XML will be re-generated and your changes will be lost.

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SOAP Monitor

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Manually Entering XML
The following is an example of a Complex argument and would be placed in the
Parameters field. SAMwill automatically take the code and place it where it
belongs in the envelope:
<tempPhoneNumber xmlns:ns2="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/encoding/" xsi:type="ns2:Array"
ns2:arrayType="ns1:TemporaryPhoneNumber[3]">
<item xsi:type="ns1:TemporaryPhoneNumber">
<startDate xsi:type="xsd:int">37060</startDate>
<endDate xsi:type="xsd:int">37064</endDate>
<phoneNumber xsi:type="xsd:string">+1-212-5551234</phoneNumber>
</item>
<item xsi:type="ns1:TemporaryPhoneNumber">
<startDate xsi:type="xsd:int">37074</startDate>
<endDate xsi:type="xsd:int">37078</endDate>
<phoneNumber xsi:type="xsd:string">+1-212-5554321</phoneNumber>
</item>
<item xsi:type="ns1:TemporaryPhoneNumber">
<startDate xsi:type="xsd:int">37088</startDate>
<endDate xsi:type="xsd:int">37092</endDate>
<phoneNumber xsi:type="xsd:string">+1-212-5557890</phoneNumber>
</item>
</tempPhoneNumber>

XML can also be entered manually by typing or pasting XML.

327

Scripting Custom Component Monitors

For more information, see:

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Web Service Monitoring

SOAP Component Monitor

Scripting Custom Component Monitors

Ten output pairs can be returned when using script monitors. This new ability
greatly improves flexibility in the way information is returned.
A usage example using the PowerShell script monitor might go something like
this:
Imagine you have an Exchange PowerShell script. With multiple values returned,
you can get a mail traffic report broken down by day, hour, message size, and
number of recipients.
Note: If you exceed the maximum number of allowed output pairs of ten, the
remainder above the tenth output pair will simply be ignored.
The following sections provide information and guidance to help you create some
of the more complicated types of component monitors.
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Creating a Linux/Unix Script Monitor

Creating a Windows Script Monitor

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Chapter 13: Building Component Monitors and Templates

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Creating a Nagios Script Monitor

Creating a Windows PowerShell Monitor

For general information about the settings for each component monitor, click the
More Information help link in the SolarWinds SAM component monitor
description.
Note: SolarWinds fully supports scripts written and provided by the company;
however, we do not provide customer support for custom scripts written by outside
sources. SolarWinds does provide sample scripts that we do support located at:
C:\Program Files\SolarWinds\Orion\APM\Sample-Script Monitors.
For information on using Data Transformations, refer to the following sections:
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Conversion Value
Available Data Transformations

Creating a Linux/Unix Script Monitor

Linux/Unix Script component monitors allow you to execute a command line
script that can return statistical data. When collecting information for this monitor,
Server & Application Monitor runs the script with the credentials you define with
the Credential Library.
Note: A maximum of 10 output pairs can be returned. If you exceed the maximum
allowed, remove the excess output pairs or they will simply be ignored.
To adapt an existing Perl script to a Linux/Unix Script component monitor in
a new template:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Log on to your SolarWinds Web Console with an Administrator account.

Click the Applications tab.
Click SAM Settings.
Click Create a new template underneath Application Monitor Templates.
Type a name for your template in the Template Name field.
If you want to turn on extended debug information to assist Customer
Support, expand Advanced, set Debug logging On, and specify the Number of log files to keep.
Here you can also select either 32bit or 64bit from the drop down list
entitled, Platform to run polling job on.
Note: Do not turn on Debug logging unless directed by Customer Support.
7. Click Add Component Monitor.
8. Expand the Custom Component Monitors group, and then check
Linux/Unix Script Monitor.

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Creating a Linux/Unix Script Monitor

9. Click Submit.
10. Select credentials with SSH permissions in the Credential for Monitoring
field.
11. Type a valid working directory in the Script Working Directory field
12. Click Edit to open the script dialog and enter your script into the Script
Body field.
13. Type the Linux command that runs the script in the Command Line field. It
should be similar to the following: perl ${SCRIPT} arg1 arg2.
Note: {SCRIPT} is replaced by the actual file name of the script after
its deployed to the target node. (A temporary file is created in temp
directory for the script).
14. Click Get Script Output. SAM will then test the script by executing it and
parse its output, then return the values.
15. Click Save.
16. Specify the critical and warning thresholds.
17. Click Submit.
Here is a sample Perl script using the Linux/Unix component monitor returning
multiple output pairs, in this case, two: Note: The code in red shows where the
output pairs are defined.
#!/usr/bin/perl
if (@ARGV[0] =~ /\bhelp\b/)
{
print "MemoryUsage.pl SNMPver community hostname\n";
print "SNMPver - version of SNMP protocol\n";
print "community - community name of SNMP protocol\n";
print "hostname - Target host\n"; exit 1;
}
# Get hostname and trim newline
$localhost = `hostname`;
$localhost =~ s/\s*$//g;
$hostname = shift || $localhost;
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Chapter 13: Building Component Monitors and Templates

$community = shift || "public";
$version = shift || "v1";
$results = "";
$MIB_TotalMemory = "UCD-SNMP-MIB::memTotalReal.0";
#$MIB_TotalMemory = "UCD-SNMP-MIB::memTotalReal.0";
$outres = "snmpget -$version -c $community $hostname $MIB_
TotalMemory |";
open(OUTMEM,$outres) || die "Unable read pipe\n";
while ($line = <OUTMEM>) {
if ($line =~ /\bINTEGER\b/) {
$indval = index($line,"=");
$indval=inde($line,":",$indval);
$val = substr($line,$indval+1,length($line) - $indval);
$val =~ s/[a-zA-Z\/\n ]//
print "Message.1: Available memory at host \"$hostname\": $val
in kB\n";
print "Statistic.1: $val\n";
print "Message.2: Again, the available memory at host \"$hostname\": $val in kB\n";
print "Statistic.2: $val \n";
exit 0;
}
}
print "Statistic: 0\n";
exit 1;
Below is the output from this script:

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Creating a Linux/Unix Script Monitor

Linux/Unix Scripts
Linux/Unix scripts are uploaded by SSH and then run on the target node using
the string from the Command Line field.
You can use the following variable in the command line field:
${SCRIPT}
Replaced with the script body.
You can use the following variables in the script body field:
${IP}
Replaced with the target nodes IP address.
${USER}
Replaced with the user name from the credential.
${PASSWORD}
Replaced with the password from the credential.
Example Scripts
There are several sample scripts installed with SolarWinds SAM you can use to
create Linux/Unix script component monitors. These sample scripts are installed
on your SolarWinds SAM server, in the folder:
C:\ProgramFiles\SolarWinds\Orion\APM\SampleScriptMonitors\LinuxScript
s
Scripts Must Report Status Through Exit Codes
Scripts must report their status by exiting with the appropriate exit code:
Exit Code

Meaning

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Chapter 13: Building Component Monitors and Templates

Down

Warning

Critical

Any other value Unknown

For example, if you want to inform SolarWinds SAM that a Script reports Up
status, you would exit the script using code similar to the following, where 0
reports Up:
Wscript.quit(0)
Scripts with Text Output
Scripts report additional details by sending text to the scripts standard output.
In APM 4.0.2 and earlier, each line of output contained a single detail in the
following format:
DetailType:Value
# Script output comment
Message: The directory contains too many files.
Statistic: 5
While this is still true, SAM now supports multiple values returned by a script
using the following format.
Statistic.Name1: xMessage.Name1: abc
Statistic.Name2: yMessage.Name2: abc
Detail
Type

Required Meaning

Statistic

Yes

A numeric value used to determine how the monitor

compares to its set thresholds. This must be an integer
value, (negative numbers are supported).
Statistic.Name1: 123Statistic.Name2: 456

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Creating a Windows Script Monitor

Message No

An error or information message to be displayed in the

monitor status details. Note: Multi-line messages are
supported. To use this functionality print each line using
a separate command. For example:
Message.Name1: abc
Message.Name2: def

There is a limit of ten Statistic and Message pairs for the script. These can
be placed anywhere in the script output. The Statistic and Message names
you give must contain valid letters and/or numbers.
Note: A maximum of 10 output pairs can be returned. If you have exceeded the
maximum allowed, remove the excess output pairs or they will simply be ignored.
Sample output:
# Script comment: This shows two pairs. Ten pairs are possible.
Statistic.CPU: 31.08
Message.CPU: svchost.exe cpu usage
Statistic.RAM: 1234.56
Message.RAM: svchost.exe ram usage
For information on creating a Nagios Script Monitor, see " Creating a Nagios
Script Monitor" on page 341.

Creating a Windows Script Monitor

This component monitor runs a Windows script on the SolarWinds SAM server
and then processes the script's exit code and text output. This monitor has the
ability to return up to ten pairs, i.e.: 10 statistic values + 10 [optional] messages.
This is best used in conjunction with the "Multiple Statistic Chart."
Note: A maximum of 10 output pairs can be returned. If you exceed the maximum
allowed, remove the excess output pairs or they will simply be ignored.
Statistic
The statistic for this component monitor is the value returned by the script.
Script Monitor Formatting:

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At least one message and statistic is required. The statistic must be a
valid integer and be able to be converted to double, otherwise it is
handled as Not as Number (NaN)There is no maximum length for the
message; however, only alphanumeric characters and the underscore
are allowed.
Field Descriptions
Description
This field provides a default description of the monitor. You have the ability
to override the default description by adding to or replacing the text, which
will then be automatically saved. The variable to access this field is
${UserDescription}. For more information, see Configuring SolarWinds
SAM Alerts"
Component Type
This describes the type of monitor you are using.
Enable Component
This option determines whether or not the component is enabled. Disabling
this component leaves it in the application as deactivated and does not
influence application availability or status.
Credential for Monitoring
Select a Windows credential that is both a user who can log on to the
SolarWinds SAM server, and has sufficient rights on the target node (which
may be the SAM server itself, depending upon your application) to do
whatever the script needs to do. For example, if the script does something
with WMI, the credentials also need WMI rights on the target node. If the
credential you need is not already present in the credentials list, use the
Quick Credentials section to add a new credential.
Script Engine
This field allows you to specify the scripting language to be used. The
default value is vbscript. Below is a list of scripting engines that the
Windows Script Host supports:
Name

File Extensions Availability

VBScript

.vbs

Installed by default

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Creating a Windows Script Monitor

JScript

.js

Installed by default

PerlScript

.pls

Freeware

ooRexxScript

.rxs

Freeware

PythonScript

.pys

Freeware

TclScript

.tcls

Freeware

ActivePHPScript

.phps

Freeware

RubyScript

.rbs

Freeware

Object Rexx engine

Commercial

Delphi scripting engine

Commercial

Note: VBscript runs locally on the SAM server only. PowerShell uses
WINRM that runs over TCP ports5985 and 5986. All Linux, Unix, and
Nagios script monitors use SSH over TCP Port 22.
Roll-Up
This option allows you to choose how you would like the monitor to report
the returned results based on the output provided by the script. With the
ability to have multiple values returned, selecting how your scripts report
back to you offers more flexibility. The default selection is Show worst
status. For more information, see Managing the Display of Group Status on
page 246.
Script
This field allows you to enter the script you want to run on the target node.
To enter your script, click the Edit button that reveals the script editing
window.
Script Arguments
This field is in the script editing window and allows you to specify
arguments to pass to the script. You may include the variables ${IP},
${USER}, and ${PASSWORD}, which are replaced respectively by the IP
address of the target node, the credential user name, and the credential
password.
Body

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Chapter 13: Building Component Monitors and Templates

This field is in the script editing window and allows you to enter your script
via typing or pasting.
User Notes
This field allows you to add notes for easy reference. You can access this
field by using the variable, ${UserNotes}. For more information, see
Configuring SolarWinds SAM Alerts"
Creating a Windows Script Monitor
You can create a Windows Script monitor to have SolarWinds SAM run a script
using Windows Script Host. Windows Script Host comes with VBScript and
Jscript, but can be extended with other scripting languages.
Scripts run on the SolarWinds SAM server and use the credentials you specify.
The script must both return an exit code and output a text string containing a
statistic value conforming to the specifications described later in this section.
Note: Format the Statistic value to use the same decimal separator as the
SolarWinds SAM server. The SolarWinds SAM server uses the decimal separator
set by its Microsoft Windows regional settings.
To adapt an existing Visual Basic script to a Windows Script Monitor in a
new template:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Log on to your SolarWinds Web Console with an Administrator account.

Click the Applications tab.
Click SAM Settings.
Click Create a New Template underneath Application Monitor Templates.
Type a name for your template in the Template Name field.
If you want to turn on extended debug information to assist Customer
Support, expand Advanced and then set Debug loggingOn and specify
the Number of log files to keep. Here you can also select either 32bit or
64bit from the drop down list entitled, Platform to run polling job on.
Note: Do not turn on Debug logging unless directed by Customer
Support.

7. Click Add Component Monitor.

8. Expand the Custom Component Monitors group, and then check WindowsScript Monitor.
9. Click Submit.

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Creating a Windows Script Monitor

10. Select credentials with the appropriate permissions to run the script on the
SolarWinds SAM server, and that also has appropriate permissions to do
whatever else the script requires.
11. Copy the Visual Basic script into the Script Body field.
12. Type any script arguments into the Script Arguments field.
13. Specify the critical and warning thresholds.
14. Click Submit.
Macros for Script Arguments
Specify script arguments in the Script Arguments field if needed. You can use the
following variables as script arguments:
${IP}
This is replaced with the target nodes IP Address.
${USER}
This is replaced with the user name from the credential set.
${PASSWORD}
This is replaced with the password from the credential set.
Scripts Must Report Status Through Exit Codes
Scripts must report their status by exiting with the appropriate exit code:
Exit Code

Meaning

Down

Warning

Critical

Any other value Unknown

For example, if you want to inform SolarWinds SAM that a VBScript reports Up
status, you would exit the script using code similar to the following, where 0
reports Up:
Wscript.quit(0)

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Chapter 13: Building Component Monitors and Templates

Scripts with Text Output
Scripts report additional details by sending text to the scripts standard output.
SAM supports multiple values returned by a script using the following format.
Statistic.Name1: xMessage.Name1: abc
Statistic.Name2: yMessage.Name2: abc
Detail
Type

Required Meaning

Statistic

Yes

Message No

A numeric value used to determine how the monitor

compares to its set thresholds. This must be an integer
value, (negative numbers are supported).
Statistic.Name1: 123Statistic.Name2: 456
An error or information message to be displayed in the
monitor status details. Note: Multi-line messages are
supported. To use this functionality print each line using
a separate command. For example:
Message.Name1: abc
Message.Name2: def

There is a limit of ten Statistic and Message pairs for the script. These can be
placed anywhere in the script output. The Statistic and Message names you give
must contain valid letters and/or numbers.
Sample output:
# Script comment: This shows two pairs. Ten pairs are possible.
Statistic.CPU: 31.08Message.CPU: svchost.exe cpu usage
Statistic.RAM: 1234.56Message.RAM: svchost.exe ram usage
Example Scripts
Below is a sample vbscript that returns two values; the total number of files in a
folder, and twice the total number of files in the same folder. The code that
represents these two values are bold, To use this script, copy and paste the

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Creating a Windows Script Monitor

following code into the Script Body field. In the Scripts Arguments field, type in
C:\Windows, or any other folder you want to monitor.
Option Explicit
On Error Resume Next
Dim lstArgs, path, fso, objDir, objFiles, objFiles2
Set lstArgs = WScript.Arguments
If lstArgs.Count = 1 Then
path = Trim(lstArgs(0 ))
Else
WScript.Echo "Message: Usage: wscript.exe filelist.vbs [pathToFiles]"
&vbCRLF &"[pathToFiles] Local or UNC Path"
WScript.Echo "Statistic: 0"
WScript.Echo "Message: Usage: wscript.exe filelist.vbs [pathToFiles]"
&vbCRLF &"[pathToFiles] Local or UNC Path"
WScript.Echo "Statistic: 0"
WScript.Quit(1 )
End If
Set fso = Wscript.CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject" )
If fso.FolderExists(path ) Then
Set objDir = fso.GetFolder(path )
If(IsEmpty(objDir ) = True ) Then
WScript.Echo "Message: Object Not Initialized"
WScript.Echo "Statistic: 0"

WScript.Quit(1 )

End If
Set objFiles = objDir.Files
If(IsEmpty(objFiles ) = true) Then
WScript.Echo "Message: Object Not Initialized"
WScript.Echo "Statistic: 0"
WScript.Quit(1 )
End If

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WScript.Echo "Message.Total: " & CInt(objFiles.Count ) & " files in this
folder."
WScript.Echo "Statistic.Total: " & CInt(objFiles.Count )
WScript.Echo "Message.Twice: " & CInt(objFiles.Count*2 ) & " = twice the
number of files in this folder."
WScript.Echo "Statistic.Twice: " & CInt(objFiles.Count*2 )
WScript.Quit(0 )
Else
WScript.Echo("Message: Folder Not Found" )
WScript.Echo "Statistic: 0"
WScript.Quit(1 )
End If
There are several examples of Windows Script component monitors included in
templates. These include: File Count, File Modified, LDAP Connection Monitor,
Run 3rd Party Application, and Windows Event Log Count.
Sample scripts are installed on your SolarWinds SAM server, in the folder:
C:\ProgramFiles\
SolarWinds\Orion\APM\SampleScriptMonitors\WindowsScripts
For another example of a Windows Script component monitor, see Monitoring
Large Directories on page 116.

Creating a Nagios Script Monitor

This component uses SSH to upload a Nagios script to a Linux/Unix server, runs
the Nagios script on the server and then processes the script's exit code and text
output. This monitor has the ability to return multiple values.
Note: A maximum of 10 output pairs can be returned. If you exceed the maximum
allowed, remove the excess output pairs or they will simply be ignored.
Return Codes
Nagios determines the status of a host or service by evaluating the return code.
The following table shows a list of valid return codes, along with their
corresponding service or host states.

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Creating a Nagios Script Monitor

Return Code Service State Host State

Warning

Up or Down/Unreachable

Critical

Down/Unreachable

Unknown

Down/Unreachable

___________________
If the Use Aggressive Host Checking option is enabled, return codes of 1 will result in a host

state of DOWN, otherwise return codes of 1 will result in a host state of UP.

Your Nagios script must exit with a valid return code and a line of text output. The
exit code determines the status of the component. If the exit code is 0 (OK), the
component status may be further modified by thresholds from the optional
statistics. To return up to ten optional statistics, separate the statistics from the
status message with the pipe (|) symbol using the following syntax:
statusMessage [|'statisticName'=value]
Below is an example of valid output with a status message and two statistics:
The script ran. | 'CPU%'=75.2 'MemoryRemainingInKB'=600784
Statistic
The statistic for this component monitor is the value returned by the script. For
more information, see http://nagios.sourceforge.net/docs/3_0/pluginapi.html.
Field Descriptions
Description
This field provides a default description of the monitor. You have the ability
to override the default description by adding to or replacing the text, which
will then be automatically saved. The variable to access this field is
${UserDescription}. For more information, see Configuring SolarWinds
SAM Alerts"
Component Type
This describes the type of monitor you are using.
Enable Component

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This option determines whether or not the component is enabled. Disabling
this component leaves it in the application as deactivated and does not
influence application availability or status.
Authentication Type
Select Username and Password or Username and Private Key. For more
information, see "Certificate Credentials Library" on page 294.
Credential for Monitoring
Select a credential that can access the Linux or Unix server over SSH and that
has sufficient rights to run scripts. If the credential you need is not already present
in the credentials list, use the Quick Credentials section to add a new credential.
Certificates are also supported. For more information, see "Certificate Credentials
Library" on page 294.
Port Number
This field allows you to specify the port number used for the SSH
connection. The default value is 22.
Script Working Directory
This field allows you to specify the working directory of the script process.
Check Type
This determines how the return code is evaluated.
Status Roll-Up
This option allows you to choose how you would like the monitor to report
based on the output provided by the script. The default selection is Show
worst status. For more information, see Managing the Display of Group
Status" on page 246.
Command Line
This field is in the script editing window and allows you to specify the shell
command run after the SSH connection is established. The default
command line value perl ${SCRIPT} arg1 arg2 attempts to run in a Perl
interpreter the script defined in the Body field using the parameters arg1
arg2.
Note: The length of the Command Line field is limited to 266 characters for
Solaris systems, minus the length of the ${SCRIPT} variable after being
resolved to a file name such as the following: APM_937467589.pl. Since
the length of the file name will typically be around 16 characters, this means

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Creating a Windows PowerShell Monitor

that the actual user Command Line input cannot be longer than 266 16, or
250 characters (not including the length of the 9 characters for the
${SCRIPT} variable itself). If you need to pass a longer command line to
the target node, you can create a shell script on the target node (for
example: myscript.sh) that contains the long command line and place the
call to this script in the Command Line field, for example: /opt/sw/myscript.sh
Body
This field is in the script editing window and allows you to enter your script
via typing or pasting.
User Notes
This field allows you to add notes for easy reference. You can access this
field by using the variable, ${UserNotes}. For more information, see
Configuring SolarWinds SAM Alerts"

Creating a Windows PowerShell Monitor

With this, you can create a monitor that runs a Windows PowerShell script to
monitor specific performance information for troubleshooting a Windows process
that may be having issues.
Note: A maximum of 10 output pairs can be returned. If you exceed the maximum
allowed, remove the excess output pairs or they will simply be ignored.
What needs to be monitored:
The process you want to monitor is lsass.exe, which enforces security on the
system for users who are logging on, changing passwords, and so forth. In
particular, you want to monitor the average number of read operations performed
to check for spikes.
You decide to use the Windows PowerShell monitor to run a PowerShell script
that uses the Get-WmiObject call to measure the average ReadOperationCount
for the lsass.exe process and monitor its value.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Log on to your SolarWinds Web Console with an Administrator account.

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7.
8.
9.
10.

11.

12.

the Number of log files to keep.

Here you can also select either 32bit or 64bit from the drop down list
entitled, Platform to run polling job on.
Note: Do not turn on Debug logging unless directed by Customer Support.
Click Add Component Monitor.
Expand the Custom Component Monitors group, and then check Windows PowerShell Monitor.
Click Add..
Select the Credential for Monitoring with appropriate permissions to run
the script on the SolarWinds SAM server, and that also has appropriate permissions to do whatever else the script requires (in our case, to get the
average number of read operations performed on the target node).
Select the Execution Mode to use:
l Local Host can run scripts only locally, that is, on the SolarWinds
SAM server.
l Remote Host can execute scripts remotely (on the remote target
node to which the Windows PowerShell monitor is assigned) using
the Windows Remote Management (WRM) system component. WRM
should be configured separately to get it working with the Windows
PowerShell monitor.
Copy the following PowerShell script, which uses the Get-WmiObject call
to measure the average ReadOperationCount for the lsass.exe process,
into the Script Body field:
$avg = Get-WmiObject win32_process -ComputerName '${IP}' Credential '${CREDENTIAL}' |Where-Object {$_.Name -eq
"lsass.exe" } | Measure-Object -property ReadOperationCount Average;
Write-Host 'Statistic: ' $avg.Averageexit(0)
The PowerShell code does the following:
a. Reads the average ReadOperationCount information for the process
lsass.exe from the computer whose IP address is specified by the variable ${IP}using the credential specified by the variable
${CREDENTIAL}.
Note: The user name from the Credential for Monitoring that is
specified is stored automatically in the ${CREDENTIAL} variable by
the monitor. Therefore the ${CREDENTIAL} variable should not be

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Creating a Windows PowerShell Monitor

placed in the Script Arguments field, since it is set automatically.
When the script is run by powershell, since no password has been
provided, it prompts for a password and the password from the
Credential for Monitoring that is specified is provided automatically by
the Windows Powershell monitor.
b. Writes the statistic information gathered by the script.
c. Exits the script.
Note: The script does no error checking.
13. Enter the following Script Arguments:
Use the token ${IP}and the IP address will be filled in with the IP address
of the target node. You can then access the value in the script body using
the variable ${IP}.
For example, if you type the following for Script Arguments:
${IP}
the PowerShell script will be able to access the IP address for the target
node using the variable ${IP} in the script body.
14. Select Run the script under specified account to enable impersonation
with the component's credentials. (This works only in local script execution
mode.)
15. Select Count Statistic as Difference to change the statistic to be the difference in query values between polling cycles.
16. Change the Statistic Warning Threshold to greater than 800.
17. Change the Statistic Critical Threshold to greater than 1000.
18. Click Set test node.
19. Browse the tree view, select the desired target node for the PowerShell
script, and then click Select.
20. Click Test.
21. If the test fails, see Troubleshooting the Lsass.exe PowerShell Monitor.
22. If the test passes, click Submit.
23. Click All in the Select tag to filter by list.
24. Locate the Lsass.exe PowerShell Monitor. Beneath the listed templates,
locate the Page control. Click the right arrow twice to scroll to page 3.
25. Click the check box next to Lsass.exe PowerShell Monitor.
26. Click Assign to Node.
27. Expand the tree view and select the target node which you tested the script
with in step 18.
28. Click Next.

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29. Since you already assigned credentials and tested them in the template,
check the check box next to Inherit credentials from template.
30. Click Test to confirm the credentials and component monitor against the
test node.
31. Click Assign Application Monitors.
32. Click Done.
Troubleshooting the Lsass.exe PowerShell Monitor
Verify that you are entering the user name and password of an administrator-level
account. If you think you have entered an incorrect credential, correct the mistake
and then retest.
Make sure that the RPC server is available and that the Windows PowerShell
execution policy is not set to Restricted (the default setting). You can check the
execution policy by entering the following command at the PowerShell command
prompt:
Get-ExecutionPolicy
If you are having trouble using the Windows PowerShell Monitor, see the
following KB article for some useful tips:
http://knowledgebase.solarwinds.com/kb/questions/2203

Using Application Monitor Templates

This section discusses the many operations you can perform in SolarWinds SAM
regarding the use and management of Application Monitor templates. The topics
include:
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l

Scanning Nodes for Applications

Manually Assign Application Monitors
Creating New Templates
Copying Templates
Exporting and Importing Templates Locally or Using Thwack
Deleting Templates
Managing Component Monitors within Templates
Tagging Templates

Scanning Nodes for Applications

SolarWinds SAM can scan nodes for you and automatically assign the
Application Monitors it deems suitable for each scanned node. You control the

347

Scanning Nodes for Applications

nodes to be scanned, the application templates used in the scan, and the
scanning parameters that determine a match.
To use the application discovery:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

Log on to your SolarWinds Web Console with an Administrator account.

Click the Applications tab.
Click SAM Settings.
Click Scan Nodes for Applications.
Follow the instructions in the Select Nodes Wizard.
Follow the instructions in the Select Applications Wizard.
Follow the instructions in the Enter Credentials Wizard.
Follow the instructions in the Review & Start Scan Wizard.
Follow the instructions in the Add UX Monitors Wizard.

Select Nodes
Click [+] in the list to expand the node groups and to select the nodes you want to
scan.
Select Applications
To keep the time it takes to scan to a minimum, we recommend you initially scan
for only a limited number of application templates. To see more application
templates, select a different template group from the Show Only list.
To adjust the template assignment criteria, expand Advanced Scan Settings
and move the slider to the desired setting:
Exact Match
All the components must match to assign the template.
Strong Match
Most of the components must match to assign the template.
Partial Match
Some of the components must match to assign the template.
Minimal Match
At least one component must match to assign the template.

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Enter Credentials
Some application templates require credentials either to access restricted
resources, or to run within the context of a specific user. To scan for these
templates, add the necessary credentials to the list. If a template you are scanning
for requires credentials, the credentials in this list are tried in the order in which
they appear.
Warning: Credentials are tried several times over the course of a scan, so an
incorrect password is likely to lock out an account. To avoid potential account
lockouts that affect actual users, we recommend you create and use service
accounts. A service account is an account that is created specifically for the
purpose of providing credentials to use for SolarWinds monitoring. With service
accounts, no actual user is affected by an account lockout if a password should
be entered incorrectly.
If you have domains sharing user names with different passwords, we
recommend you run separate application discoveries for each domain.
Review & Start Scan
Review the summary for the scan. If the automatic discovery matches templates
that are already assigned to the node, by default the template is not assigned a
second time. If you want to assign duplicate templates, select Yes, Assign
Anyway from the Do you want to assign duplicates list.
Click Start Scan to begin the scan. The scan runs in the background. You are
notified by a message near the top of the window when scanning is completed.
Click View results to see the results of the scan.
Add UX Monitors
You cannot scan for user experience (UX) monitors, but you can assign them to
nodes manually. Adding monitors from this page does not affect your scan.

Manually Assign Application Monitors

The quickest way to assign Application Monitors to nodes is through the Add
New Application Monitors Wizard, but you can also assign them through the
Manage Templates page.
To assign a template using the wizard:
1. Log on to your SolarWinds Web Console with an Administrator account.
2. Click the Applications tab.

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3. Click SAM Settings.
4. Click Manually Assign Application Monitors.
5. Select the Application Monitor template you want to apply, and then click
Next.
6. Select the server node or nodes to which you want to apply the Application
Monitor template, and then click Next.
7. If suitable credentials already exist, choose the credential from the
Choose Credential list.
8. If suitable credentials do not exist, choose <New Credential> from the
Choose Credential list, and then add the new credential by filling out the
credential details.
9. Click Test to test the credentials and component monitors against the test
node.
10. If the test fails, troubleshoot the problem based on the error messages, and
then retest the node.
11. If the test passes, click Assign Application Monitors.
To assign a template through the Manage Application Monitor Templates
page:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

11.
12.
13.
14.

Log on to your SolarWinds Web Console with an Administrator account.

Click the Applications tab.
Click SAM Settings.
Click Manage Templates.
Select the tag by which to filter the templates.
Check the check box next to the template you want to assign.
Click Assign to Node.
Select the server node or nodes to which you want to apply the Application
Monitor template, and then click Next.
If suitable credentials already exist, choose the credential from the
Choose Credential list.
If suitable credentials do not exist, choose <New Credential> from the
Choose Credential list, and then add the new credential by filling out the
credential details.
Click Test to test the credentials and component monitors against the test
node.
If the test fails, troubleshoot the problem based on the error messages, and
then retest the node.
If the test passes, click Assign Application Monitors.
Review the information for the assigned Application Monitor and then click
Done.

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Creating New Templates

SolarWinds SAM allows you to create new templates by bundling component
monitors together. There are two ways of creating a template from scratch. The
traditional method allows you to create any kind of template. The browsing
method only creates templates monitoring services, processes, and performance
counters.
Creating New Templates Using the Traditional Method:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Log on to your SolarWinds Web Console with an Administrator account.

Click the Applications tab.
Click SAM Settings.
Click Create a new template.
Type a name for your template in the Template Name field.
Specify the values for the Polling Frequency and Polling Timeout fields.
Note: Setting a polling frequency below 30 seconds can result in erratic
monitor behavior.
7. If you want to turn on extended debug information to assist Customer
Support, expand Advanced and then turn Debug logging On and specify
the Number of log files to keep. Here you can also select either 32bit or
64bit from the drop down list entitled, Platform to run polling job on.
Note: Do not turn on Debug logging unless directed by Customer
Support.
8. Click Add Component Monitor.
9. Expand the component groups and check all the component monitors you
want to add.
Note: You can select multiple component monitors of the same type to be
added by entering a number in the field next to the check box for the
component monitor and then checking the check box.
10. Click Submit.
11. Configure the component monitor settings, and then click Submit.
Creating New Templates Using the Browsing Method:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Log on to your SolarWinds Web Console with an Administrator account.

Click the Applications tab.
Click SAM Settings.
Click Component Monitor Wizard.

351

Managing Templates
5. Select the component monitor type that you want to browse, then click
Next.
6. Type the IP address of the node you want to browse, or click Browse and
select the node from the list.
7. If suitable credentials already exist, choose the credential from the
Choose Credential list.
8. If suitable credentials do not exist, choose <New Credential> from the
Choose Credential list, and then add the new credential by filling out the
credential details.
9. Click Next.
10. If you selected a performance counter monitor type, select a performance object from Performance Object to populate the list.
11. Check the check boxes next to one or more found items to add as a component monitor.
12. Click Next.
13. Configure the component monitor properties, and then click Next.
Note: You can specify the name of a specific process to monitor by
entering the name in the Process Name field.
14. Select New Application Monitor Template.
15. Type a name for your template in the Application Monitor Template
Name field.
16. Click Next.
17. If you want to assign the template to nodes, select the nodes.
18. If you only want to create the template, do not select any nodes.
19. Click Next, and then click OK, Create.

Managing Templates
You can create a new template or manage existing templates by using the
commands on the SAM Settings page:
l
l
l
l
l
l
l

Creating Templates
Assign to Node
Editing Templates
Copying Views
Exporting and Importing Templates Locally or Using Thwack
Deleting Templates
Tagging Templates

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Creating Templates
You can create a new template by specifying the name of the template and then
adding the desired component monitors.
To create an application template:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Log on to your SolarWinds Web Console with an Administrator account.

Click the Applications tab.
Click SAM Settings.
Click Manage Templates.
Click Create New Template.

See Creating New Templates Using the Traditional Method for information on
completing the new template.
Assign to Node
You can create an assigned Application Monitor by assigning template(s) to
nodes.
To create an assigned Application Monitor by assigning template(s) to
nodes:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

10.
11.
12.

Log on to your SolarWinds Web Console with an Administrator account.

Click the Applications tab.
Click SAM Settings.
Click Manage Templates.
Check the check box for the template(s) you want to assign.
Click Assign to Node.
Specify the node(s) to monitor and then click Next.
If suitable credentials already exist, choose the credential from the
Choose Credential list.
If suitable credentials do not exist, choose <New Credential> from the
Choose Credential list, and then add the new credential by filling out the
credential details.
Click Test to test the credentials and component monitors against the test
node.
If the test fails, troubleshoot the problem based on the error messages, and
then retest the node.
If the test passes, click Assign Application Monitors.

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Multi-Edit Templates
Editing Templates
You can modify an existing template by adding or removing its component
monitors. You can then save it to a new template by changing the template name
if desired.
To edit an application template:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Log on to your SolarWinds Web Console with an Administrator account.

Click the Applications tab.
Click SAM Settings.
Click Manage Templates.
Check the application template you want to edit, and then click Edit.
If you are creating a new template by modifying an existing template,
specify the name for your new template in the Template Name field.
7. Specify the values for the Polling Frequency and Polling Timeout fields.
Note: Setting a polling frequency below 30 seconds can result in erratic
monitor behavior.
8. To turn on extended debug information to assist Customer Support,
expand Advanced and then set Debug logging On and specify the Number of log files to keep. Here you can also select either 32bit or 64bit from
the drop down list entitled, Platform to run polling job on.
Note: Do not turn on Debug logging unless directed by Customer
Support.
9. Click Add Component Monitor.
10. Expand the component groups and check all the component monitors you
want to add.
Note: You can select multiple component monitors of the same type to be
added by entering a number in the field next to the check box for the
component monitor and then checking the check box.
11. Click Submit.
12. Remove component monitors if desired by clicking Delete.
13. Configure the component monitor settings, and then click Submit.

Multi-Edit Templates
Multiple component monitors within a template can be edited simultaneously. As
indicated by the toolbar, multiple monitors can be selected to: Assign
Credentials, Test, Set Test Node, Disable, and Delete. The monitors selected

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do not to be of the same type when performing a multiple monitor edit. When
performing a multiple monitor edit, the correct buttons will become enabled and/or
disabled based on your selection.
The Multi-Edit button allows you to change the options of two or more monitors of
the same type, simultaneously. To enable the Multi-Edit button, two or more
monitors of the same type must be selected. Once multiple monitors of the same
type are selected, the Multi-Edit button becomes enabled. In the illustration
below, three monitors (Services) are checked and the Multi-Edit button is
enabled:

Once the Multi-Edit button is pressed, a pop-up window is dispalyed with editing
options specific to the type of monitor selected. For example, the Fetching Method
for the three Services selected can be changed from RPC to WMI, as shown
below:

Note: Different types of monitors will have different options available for editing.
Ordering Components
Beginning in SAM 5.5, you now have the ability to re-order the components within
a template. When editing a template, the green arrows to the right of each
component monitor, highlighted below, will allow you to change the order of each
monitor. This new order is respected only on the All Applications resource and
the Application Details resource.

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Multi-Edit Templates

Copying Templates
After successfully creating a complicated template, instead of having to recreate it
over for a similar application, consider copying the template. This will allow you to
only modify those properties that differ.
To copy an application template:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Log on to your SolarWinds Web Console with an Administrator account.

Click the Applications tab.
Click SAM Settings.
Click Manage Templates.
Check the application template you want to copy, and then click Copy.

Exporting and Importing Templates Locally or Using Thwack

You can export and import templates to and from your file system for your own
use, or to the SolarWinds community site (thwack.com) where templates can be
shared with the network engineering community.
Note: thwack.com import and export operations require Internet connectivity to
thwack.com and thwack.api.solarwinds.com. In addition, thwack export
operations require a valid thwack.com user account.
To export a template:
1. Log on to your SolarWinds Web Console with an Administrator account.
2. Click the Applications tab.
3. Click SAM Settings.

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4. Click Manage Templates.
5. If you want to export a template to a file, complete the following procedure:
a. Check the application template you want to export, and then click
Import/Export > Export as File.
b. Confirm that you want to save the file by clicking Save.
c. If you are prompted for a path, specify or browse to one and then click
Save.
6. If you want to export the template to thwack.com, complete the following procedure:
a. Click Share Now to open a browser to the Application Monitor Templates area of thwack, where you can upload your newly exported
application template.
b. Click Sign in and then type your thwack.com user name and password.
c. Click Upload a File and then specify the file pathname to your newly
exported application template.
To import a template from a file:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Log on to your SolarWinds Web Console with an Administrator account.

Click the Applications tab.
Click SAM Settings.
Click Manage Templates.
Click Import/Export > Import.
Click Browse and select the template file, then click Open.
Click Submit.
Note: If you import a template with the same name as one of your existing
templates, the name of the imported template is modified by appending (n)
to the name, where n is an integer. For example, assume you save the template named Tomcat Server Template (shipped with SAM) to a file. If you
then import the saved template Tomcat Server Template from the file, the
imported template is renamed as Tomcat Server Template (1). If you
import the same template again, the next imported template is named Tomcat Server Template (2), and so on. This renaming protects you from accidentally overwriting an existing template.

To import a template from thwack:

1.
2.
3.
4.

Log on to your SolarWinds Web Console with an Administrator account.

Click the Applications tab.
Click SAM Settings.
Click Shared thwack templates.

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Multi-Edit Templates
5. Check the template(s) you want to import, and then click Import. Then enter
your thwack User Name and Password and click Log In.
6. A dialog is displayed informing you that the import operation was successful. Click Close to close the dialog or click View Imported Templates
to view the results.
Note: If you import a template with the same name as one of your existing
templates, the name of the imported template is modified by appending (n)
to the name, where n is an integer. For example, assume you save the template named Tomcat Server Template (shipped with SAM) to a file. If you
then import the saved template Tomcat Server Template from the file, the
imported template is renamed as Tomcat Server Template (1). If you
import the same template again, the next imported template is named Tomcat Server Template (2), and so on. This renaming protects you from accidentally overwriting an existing template.
Deleting Templates
If you no longer need a template, you can delete it. Deleting a template also
deletes all the data associated with it, so ensure you no longer need either the
template or the associated data before deleting the template.
Notes:
l Deleting a template also deletes all of its assigned applications, both modified and unmodified.
l To speed user interface interaction, data is not immediately removed from
the database, but systematically updated every few minutes in the background.
To delete a template:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Log on to your SolarWinds Web Console with an Administrator account.

Click the Applications tab.
Click SAM Settings.
Click Manage Templates.
Check the template(s) you want to delete, and then click Delete.
Confirm you want to delete the template(s) by clicking Yes.

Tagging Templates
Tags are descriptive labels that help you classify and sort your application
templates on the Manage Application Monitor Templates page. The application
templates included in SolarWinds SAM have already been tagged with several
descriptive labels you can modify as you see fit.

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To add tags:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Log on to your SolarWinds Web Console with an Administrator account.

Click the Applications tab.
Click SAM Settings.
Click Manage Templates.
Select the templates you want to tag.
Click Tags.
If you want to add existing tags, follow these instructions:
d. Click Add existing tag(s).
e. Select the tags from the list.
8. If you want to add new tags, follow these instructions:
a. Click Add new tag(s).
b. Type the tags in the Add new tag(s) field, separating multiple tag
entries with commas.
9. Click Submit.
To remove tags:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

Log on to your SolarWinds Web Console with an Administrator account.

Click the Applications tab.
Click SAM Settings.
Click Manage Templates.
Select the templates you want to tag.
Click Tags.
Click Remove tag(s).
Select the tags from the list.
Click Submit.

Understanding Component Monitors and Application Monitor Templates

The following terms are used throughout this guide to describe the SolarWinds
SAM concepts that allow you to monitor your applications.
Component Monitors
Component monitors are the building blocks of SolarWinds SAM. Each
monitors the status and performance of a different aspect of an application.
There are several different types of component monitors, each containing
settings that define what is monitored and how to monitor it.

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Understanding Component Monitors and Application Monitor Templates

Some types of component monitors allow you to set threshold conditions on
the monitored parameters. You can set separate thresholds to indicate
warning and critical conditions. For example, if you are monitoring the
percentage of free space remaining on a volume, you can set a warning
threshold at 15%, and a critical condition at 5%.
As an analogy, pretend SolarWinds SAM is monitoring a car. You would
have component monitors to check tire pressure, engine RPM, water
temperature, battery voltage, and other important subsystems of that vehicle.
You can set alerts to give notification if the water gets too hot, or if the
battery voltage drops too low.
Application Monitor Templates
A template is a group of component monitors modeling the total availability
and performance level of an application. A complicated application such as
Windows Server may require dozens of component monitors to accurately
assess its current status and performance.
Instead of creating component monitors one-by-one for every application
server, you can assign a pre-made template. The template can either be
one included with SolarWinds SAM, or a custom template you make
yourself. For example, you can assign the included Microsoft Windows
Server 2003-2008 template to your Windows 2003 and Windows 2008
computers and obtain vital statistics on all of them.
A template is only a blueprint and does not perform any monitoring on its
own. Only after assigning the template to a server node are active assigned
component monitors created.
To continue the car analogy, pretend you want to monitor a fleet of 50, 2010,
blue Dodge Charger automobiles. Instead of defining the component
monitors for 50 cars, you can define all the component monitors in a Dodge
Charger template.
Assigned Component Monitors
Assigned component monitors are created by assigning Application Monitor
templates to server nodes. Each actively monitors its assigned node
according to its settings. Component monitors inherit these initial settings
from the template. If you make a change to a template, that same change is
rolled out to all assigned Application Monitors based on the template.
You can override the template settings at any time, breaking the inheritance
relationship between the component monitor and its template. For example,

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Chapter 13: Building Component Monitors and Templates

the user name and password usually differ for each node, and you would
select a different credential for each assigned Application Monitor, thus
overriding the template setting for the Credentials field.
To restore the inheritance relationship between a component monitor and
its template, click Inherit From Template next to the setting.
Continuing the car analogy, when you assign the Dodge Charger template
to a Dodge Charger vehicle, you now have a set of assigned component
monitors for monitoring the vehicles tire pressures, engine RPM, and so
forth.
Assigned Application Monitors
An assigned Application Monitor runs its assigned component monitors at
regular intervals, and then uses the status results from the component
monitors to determine an overall status for the application.
If some of the component monitors are up and others are down, the
Application Monitor follows the Status Rollup Mode setting in the
SolarWinds Web Console Settings to show either the worst status of the
group or a warning status.
The difference between an assigned Application Monitor and a template is
that the template is only a blueprint and does not perform any monitoring on
its own. Only after assigning the template to a server node does SolarWinds
SAM conduct any actual monitoring on the node.
To complete the car example, you assign the Dodge Charger template to all
the Dodge Charger vehicles to create the assigned Application Monitor for
determining the overall status for your Dodge Charger fleet. For example,
the fleet may be 95% available at a given time due to warnings for some of
the cars.

Requirements for Component Monitors and Templates that use WMI

Microsoft Windows by default uses a random port between 1024 and 65535 for
WMI communications. You must create firewall exceptions to allow TCP/UDP
traffic on ports 1024 - 65535 or the component monitors and templates that use
WMI will not work.
The following component monitors use WMI:

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Requirements for Component Monitors and Templates that use WMI

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Performance Counter Monitor

Process Monitor WMI (if script uses WMI access)
Windows Event Log Monitor
Windows PowerShell Monitor (if script uses WMI access)
Windows Script Monitor
Windows Service Monitor (if script uses WMI access)

The following templates use WMI:

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Active Directory 2003-2008 Services and Counters

Active Directory 2008 R2 - 2012 Services and Counters
Apache (Windows)
APC PowerChute Agent (Windows)
AppInsight for Exchange
AppInsight for IIS
AppInsight for SQL
BizTalk Server 2010-2013 Adapters Performance Counters
BizTalk Server 2010-2013 Host Throttling Performance Counters
BizTalk Server 2010-2013 Message Box and Orchestrations Performance
Counters
BlackBerry Delivery Confirmation
Blackberry Enterprise Server
BlackBerry Enterprise Server 10 Services (Windows)
CiscoWorks LAN Management Solution
Citrix XenApp 5.0 Core WMI counters
Citrix XenApp 5.0 ICA Session WMI counters
Citrix XenApp 5.0 Presentation Server WMI counters
Citrix XenApp 5.0 Services
Citrix XenApp 6.0 Core counters
Citrix XenApp 6.0 ICA Session
Citrix XenApp 6.0 Presentation Server
Citrix XenApp 6.0 Services
Distributed File System (DFS)
Errors in Application Event Log
Exchange 2007 Client Access Role Counters (Advanced)
Exchange 2007 Edge Transport Role Counters (Advanced)
Exchange 2007 Hub Transport Role Counters (Advanced)
Exchange 2007 Mailbox Role Counters (Advanced)
Exchange 2007 Unified Messaging Role Counters (Advanced)
Exchange 2007-2010 Client Access Role Services and Counters (Basic)
Exchange 2007-2010 Common Performance Counters
Exchange 2007-2010 Edge Transport Role Service and Counters (Basic)

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Exchange 2007-2010 Hub Transport Role Service and Counters (Basic)

Exchange 2007-2010 Unified Messaging Role Service and Counters
(Basic)
Exchange 2010 Client Access Role Counters (Advanced)
Exchange 2010 Edge Transport Role Counters (Advanced)
Exchange 2010 Hub Transport Role Counters (Advanced)
Exchange 2010 OWA Form Login (PowerShell)
Exchange 2010 Unified Messaging Role Counters (Advanced)
Exchange 2013 Client Access Role Counters (Advanced)
Exchange 2013 Client Access Role Services and Counters (Basic)
Exchange Active Sync Connectivity
Exchange Server 2000 and 2003
File Count Script
GoodLink Server for Microsoft Exchange
Group Policy Object (System and Application Logs)
Helix Universal Media Server (Windows)
Internet Information Service (IIS) 6
JD Edwards EnterpriseOne Server Manager (Windows)
Kaspersky Security Center Antivirus
Kiwi Syslog Server
Log Parser (PowerShell)
Microsoft DirectAccess 2008 R2
Microsoft DirectAccess 2012
Microsoft DirectAccess 2012 R2
Microsoft DirectAccess 2012-2012 R2 (Health with PowerShell)
Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Events
Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Statistics
Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Events
Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Statistics
Microsoft Forefront Endpoint Protection 2010 Client
Microsoft Forefront Endpoint Protection 2010 Server
Microsoft Forefront Threat Management Gateway 2010
Microsoft IIS SMTP Server
Microsoft Lync Server 2013 (Edge Role)
Microsoft Lync Server 2013 (Front-End Role)
Microsoft Lync Server 2013 (Mediation Role)
Microsoft Lync Server (Edge Role)
Microsoft Lync Server (Front-End Role)
Microsoft Lync Server (Mediation Role)
Microsoft Message Queuing Events
Microsoft Message Queuing Performance

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Microsoft Network Policy Server Events

Microsoft Network Policy Server RADIUS Proxy
Microsoft Network Policy Server RADIUS Server
Microsoft Routing and Remote Access 2008-2012 R2
Microsoft Routing and Remote Access 2008-2012 R2 (Events)
Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2012
Microsoft System Center Operations Manager 2012 (Agent)
Microsoft System Center Operations Manager 2012 (Management Server)
Microsoft Windows Internet Name Service (WINS) Events
Microsoft Windows Internet Name Service (WINS) Statistic
Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Failover Cluster
Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Failover Cluster
Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2-2012 R2 Failover Cluster (Advanced)
Microsoft Windows Server 2012 Failover Cluster
Microsoft Windows Server 2012-2012 R2 Failover Cluster
MongoDB (Windows)
Novell GroupWise Message Transfer Agent (Windows)
Novell GroupWise Post Office Agent (Windows)
Office 365 User Statistics with PowerShell
Orion Server
Remote Desktop Services Licensing
Server Clock Drift (PowerShell)
SharePoint Server 2010
SharePoint Server 2013
SharePoint Server (MOSS) 2007
SharePoint Services (WSS) 3.0
SolarWinds Failover Engine
SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer
SolarWinds Web Performance Monitor (WPM) Player
SQL Server 2005 Analysis Services
SQL Server 2008 Analysis Services
SQL Server 2008 R2 Reporting Services
SQL Server 2008 Reporting Services
SQL Server 2008-2012 Reporting Services (Events)
SQL Server 2012 Analysis Services
SQL Server 2012 Reporting Services
Squid (Windows)
Streaming Media Services 2008
Symantec Backup Exec Remote Agent
Symantec Backup Exec Server
Symantec Endpoint Protection Client

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Symantec Endpoint Protection Server

Symantec NetBackup Client
Symantec NetBackup Server
Terminal Licensing Server
Trend Micro OfficeScan Client
Trend Micro OfficeScan Server
Trend Micro Server Protect (Windows)
UniData Database (Windows)
Veeam Backup and Replication Server
VMware vCenter Server 5.5
Websense Web Security
Windows 2003-2008 FTP Service
Windows 2008 R2 - 2012 FTP Service
Windows DHCP Server
Windows DNS Server
Windows Network Load Balancing
Windows Print Services
Windows Remote Desktop Services (Session Host Role)
Windows Server 2003 Domain Controller Security
Windows Server 2003-2012 Services and Counters
Windows Server 2008-2012 Domain Controller Security
Windows Update Monitoring

Monitoring External Nodes

To monitor services and applications on a server you do not directly manage, add
the server to the Orion database as an external node. External nodes skip all
network performance data collection and polling tasks, but allow you to assign
applications to them.
For example, you could add www.google.com as an external node, and then
assign several HTTP monitors to monitor Google search results.
For more information, see " on page 130.

Custom Application Monitor Template Example:

Creating a SolarWinds SAM Template
The following procedure creates a SolarWinds SAM Application Monitor template
that monitors a locally installed SQL Server instance. The template is simplified
by using the Windows Service component monitors, a TCP port monitor for your

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Custom Application Monitor Template Example: Creating a SolarWinds SAM

SQL Server, and an HTTP monitor for the local Web Console. You do not need to
know the specific names of the processes, and you are not limited to a single
process per application. With Server & Application Monitor you can group
multiple component monitors into a single application and monitor these
groupings as one mission critical application.
While completing this procedure, you will create an application template with the
following component monitors:
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TCP port component monitor to monitor port 1433, the port through which
SolarWinds communicates with the SQL Server.
Service component monitors for the following windows services:
l SolarWinds Alerting Engine
l SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor
l SolarWinds Job Engine
l SolarWinds Job Scheduler
l SolarWinds Module Engine
l SolarWinds Syslog Service
l SolarWinds Trap Service

HTTP component monitor to monitor port 80, the port through which you access
the SolarWinds Web Console.
To create a SolarWinds SAM application template:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Log on to your SolarWinds Web Console with an Administrator account.

Click the Applications tab.
Click SAM Settings.
Click Create a new template underneath Application Monitor Templates.
Type a name for your template in the Template Name field. For example,
type SolarWinds SAM.
6. If you want to turn on extended debug information to assist Customer
Support, expand Advanced, set Debug logging On, and specify the Number of log files to keep.
Here you can also select either 32bit or 64bit from the drop down list
entitled, Platform to run polling job on.
Note: Do not turn on Debug logging unless directed by Customer
Support.
7. Click Add Component Monitor.
8. Expand the Network Protocol Component Monitors list, and then check
TCP Port Monitor.

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9. Click Submit.
10. Click Rename and then type a name for the TCP port monitor. For
example, type SolarWinds SAM SQL Server Port. Then click OK.
11. Ensure the Port Number field corresponds to the port used to communicate with the SolarWinds SAM SQL Server instance. By default, this
is port 1433.
12. Click Add Component Monitor.
13. Expand the Process and Service Component Monitors, and then check
Windows Service Monitor and click Submit.
14. Click Rename and then type a name for the SolarWinds Alerting Engine
monitor. For example, type SW Alerting Engine. Then click OK.
15. Select the credential set you want to use when accessing the Windows service information. For more information about creating a credential set, see
Understanding the Credentials Library on page295.
16. Type the name of the SolarWinds Alerting Engine service in the Net
Service Name field.
Note: This field is the Service name of the service to monitor. You can find
the Service name on Windows systems by clicking Start> Administrative
Tools> Services and then locating the desired service. Right-click the
service and select Properties from the context menu. The Service name is
the value of the Service name field in the Properties dialog. For the
SolarWinds Alerting Engine, this is typically SolarWindsAlertingEngine.
17. Repeat Steps 12 through 16 for the following SolarWinds SAM Windows
services:
l SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor
l SolarWinds Job Engine v2
l SolarWinds Job Scheduler
l SolarWinds Module Engine
l SolarWinds Syslog Service
l SolarWinds Trap Service
18. Click Add Component Monitor.
19. Expand the User Experience Component Monitors list, and then check
HTTP Monitor.
20. Click Rename and then type a name for the HTTP port monitor. For
example, type SolarWinds Web Console. Then click OK.
21. Ensure the Port Number field corresponds to the port you use for the
SolarWinds Web Console port.
22. Click Submit.

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Web Service Monitoring

For custom web services that need to be monitored, SAMoffers the ability to
utilize the following technologies:
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JSON: JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) is an open standard format that

uses human-readable text to transmit data objects consisting of attribute
value pairs. It is used primarily to transmit data between a server and web
application, as an alternative to XML.
Note: Inserted JSONcontent cannot exceed 1MB in size.
SOAP: Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) is a protocol used for
exchanging information in the implementation of web services in computer
networks. It relies on XML for its message format, and usually relies on other
application layer protocols. The SOAPmonitor is useful if you have custom
web services that need to be monitored.
Note: Currently, the SOAPmonitor within SAMcan return a status of either
Up or Down, or return a status of Warning or Critical based on response
time thresholds. This monitor also has the ability to search for the presence
of a string.

For more information, see:

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SOAP Monitor
HTTP Monitor
HTTPS Monitor
JSON

JMX Component Monitor Wizard

Creating a standard template for this monitor is not practical because of the
amount of variables in any one specific environment. However, adding this
monitor to your environment has been made simple with the use of a wizard
driven interface.
Note: Only values that return numerical data can be monitored. String data is not
supported at this time. Non-numerical data will be shown without a check box.
To add a JMX component monitor, perform the following steps:
1. Log on to your SolarWinds Web Console with an Administrator account.
2. Click Settings in the upper right hand corner of the web page.

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3.
4.
5.
6.

Click SAM Settings.

Click Component Monitor Wizard underneath Getting Started with SAM.
Select JMX Monitor from the drop down list then click Next.
For Server IP Address, click Browse, then select the node you want to
monitor.
7. Add the Port number, Protocol type, URL path, and Credentials for the
remaining fields.
8. Click Next. The following MBean selection screen appears:

9. Expand the folders by clicking the arrows (or [+]) to expand the tree view
folder structure. From here you can drill down to select the attributes you
want by checking them.
10. Click Next.
Now you are able to edit the JMX Component Monitor properties.
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For more information, see JMX

Available Data Transformations

SolarWinds SAM provides a number of predefined transformation functions that
may be applied to one or more monitors to generate mathematically manipulated
results. The following table lists transformation functions that are currently
available in SolarWinds SAM:

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Available Data Transformations

Data
Transformation

Syntax

Definition

Eulers Number

E()

Eulers number, commonly called

the number e, is defined as the
base of the natural logarithm as the
limit of a certain sequence, or as the
sum of a certain series.

Pi()

Pi is the mathematical constant

KiloToMega
({value})

Provides the number of Megabytes,

originally presented in Kilobytes

Kilobyteto
Gigabyte

KiloToGiga
({value})

Provides the number of Gigabytes,

originally presented in Kilobytes

Kilobyteto
Terabyte

KiloToTera
({value})

Provides the number of Terabytes,

originally presented in Kilobytes

Megabyteto
Gigabyte

MegaToGiga
({value})

Provides the number of Gigabytes,

originally presented in Megabytes

Megabyteto
Terabyte

MegaToTera
({value})

Provides the number of Terabytes,

originally presented in Megabytes

Gigabyteto
Terabyte

GigaToTera
({value})

Provides the number of Terabytes,

originally presented in Gigabytes

Terabyte to
Kilobyte

TeraToKilo
({value})

Provides the number of Kilobytes,

originally presented in Terabytes

Terabyte to
Megabyte

TeraToMega
({value})

Provides the number of Megabytes,

originally presented in Terabytes

Terabyte to
Gigabyte

TeraToGiga
({value})

Provides the number of Gigabytes,

originally presented in Terabytes

Conversion Value
Some monitors now offer the option to mathematically convert returned values
through the use of Data Transformations.

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Conversion Value
Checking the Convert Value check box opens the Formula box that enables you
to perform various mathematical functions. You can choose common functions
from the drop down lists to manipulate the returned value, or you can select the
Custom Conversion option.
The Custom Conversion option offers more flexibility when manipulating
returned values. This option allows you to use the basic arithmetic operators; +, -,
*, /, along with built-in functions for more advanced conversions.
For a list of these functions, see Available Data Transformations" on page 369.
Following is a real world example for converting bytes into megabytes using a
predefined formula, or data transformation. In this case, XtoMega, was used to
convert bytes to megabytes.

With the XtoMega formula applied, the data transforms from 318767104 bytes to
304 megabytes, which is much easier to read.

Note: The Retrieve Current Value button tests the application and does not
apply the data transformation. Instead, the original statistic value will be returned.

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Chapter 14:
Asset Inventory
The Asset Inventory dashboard allows you to maintain a current and detailed
inventory of your environment's hardware and software. Automatic inventory data
collection will benefit those interested in tracking asset depreciation, gathering
information for insurance purposes, or managing and maintaining your
infrastructure.
The following resources are available for the Asset Inventory dashboard:
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Custom Asset Information

Drivers
Firmware
Graphics and Audio
Hard Drives
Hosted Virtual Machines
Logical Volumes
Memory
Network Interfaces
Operating System Updates Applied
Out of Band Management
Peripherals
Ports and USB Controllers
Processors
Removable Media
Software Inventory
Storage Controllers
System Information
Windows Update Information

Note: Certain information may not be available for certain nodes. This may be
due to the polling method used or a lack of data provided by the manufacturer.
For additional information on Asset Inventory, see:
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Third Party Software Required for Asset Inventory Information

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Asset Inventory Data Collection

Enabling the Asset Inventory Dashboard
Viewingthe Asset Inventory Dashboard

Asset Inventory Requirements

Asset inventory data collection can be enabled for both physical and virtual
assets and functions independently of hardware health monitoring. This means
you do not need to have hardware health monitoring enabled to have inventory
data collected and displayed.
The following hardware supports Asset Inventory data collection:
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HP servers with HP System Insight Manager v6.2 or later
IBM server with IBM Director (Common Agent, v6.3 or later)
Additional hardware not listed here may be supported with a limited amount
of information returned from the polling process.

The Asset Inventory feature supports the following operating systems and
protocols and does not count against your SAM component monitor license.
Additionally, these nodes must be managed by SAM to enable collection of Asset
Inventory data:
Operating System

Protocol

Windows

SNMP, WMI

Linux

SNMP

AIX (v7 and higher)

SNMP

VMware ESX/ESXi v4.x and v5.x

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polled via vCenter.

CIM
VMware API
SNMP for VMware nodes not polled
via CIM or the VMware API

HTTPS

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Third Party Software Required for Asset Inventory Information

Third Party Software Required for Asset Inventory

Information
HP
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HP Management Agents for VMware ESX 4.x Only (Not for ESXi 4.x)
HP ESXi Offline Bundle for VMware ESXi 5.0

HP/VMWare
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HP Insight Management WBEM Providers for ESXi 5.0
HP ESXi Offline Bundle for VMware ESXi 5.0

Dell/VMWare
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IBM
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VMWare
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HP Insight Management WBEM Providers for ESXi 5.0
HP ESXi Offline Bundle for VMware ESXi 5.0
Dell OpenManage Support for VMware ESXi 5.x

Asset Inventory Data Collection

Asset Inventory data collection is automatically enabled during the Network
Sonar Discovery and/or the upgrade process.
Data collected for Asset Inventory purposes uses less than 100KB of database
space per node. For a larger environment consisting of roughly 1,000 servers, the
total Asset Inventory data should total just under 100MB.
Note: Required sub-views are enabled by default for nodes with Asset Inventory
enabled. For more information, see "Customized SAM Tabbed Sub-Views" on
page 124.
Inventory data does not need to be collected with the same degree of regularity as
status information, therefore, the impact on your polling engine will be minimal.

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Chapter 14: Asset Inventory

Asset Inventory data collection occurs once daily. This data collection interval
can be configured to suit your needs.
To Change the Default Asset Inventory Collection Period:
1. From the web console, navigate to Settings > Orion Polling Settings.
2. Adjust the number of days for the Default Asset Inventory Poll Interval field.
Note: 1 is the minimum allowable value for this field.

3. Click Submit.

Enabling the Asset Inventory Dashboard

The Asset Inventory sub-view is automatically displayed for each node supported.
You can enable Asset Inventory data collection for an individual node via the Add
Node Wizard or by navigating through the Management resource.
Note: The Asset Inventory option is available only if the node supports Asset
Inventory polling.
To Enable Asset Inventory data collection via the Add Node Wizard:
1. Navigate to Settings > Add Node.
2. From the Add Node wizard, the option to display Asset Inventory is available after a node has been defined. Check the Asset Inventory box to
enable Asset Inventory data collection.
To Enable Asset Inventory data collection via the Management Resource:
1. Navigate to the Node Details view by clicking any node.
2. From the Management resource, click List Resources.
3. Check the Asset Inventory box to enable Asset Inventory data collection.

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Viewingthe Asset Inventory Dashboard

Note: The option to display Asset Inventory information may not be available if the node does not have a supported operating system.
To Disable Asset Inventory Data Collection:
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executing the following SQL command:
UPDATE [SolarWindsOrion].[dbo].[AssetInventory_Polling] set Enabled
= 0;

To disable this for future nodes added, rename the following file:
C:\Program Files (x86)
\SolarWinds\Orion\Discovery\Plugins\SolarWinds.AssetInventory.Disc
overy.plugin

For example: SolarWinds.AssetInventory.Discovery.plugin-Disabled

Viewingthe Asset Inventory Dashboard

The Asset Inventory Dashboard is comprised of various resource modules and
provides detailed insight about the selected asset. The dashboard information
can be found on a separate sub-view tab, as shown:

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Chapter 14: Asset Inventory

Navigating to the Asset Inventory page:

1. Click any node to be taken to the Node Details page.
2. With sub-views enabled, click the Asset Inventory tab.
For more information, see Customized SAM Tabbed Sub-Views
All Asset Inventory resources contain a blue icon in the upper left-hand corner of
the resource. This will allow you to better identify this as an Asset Inventory
resource should you decide to place individual resources on different views.
Both the titles and subtitles of each resource can be changed by clicking Edit in
the upper right-hand corner of any resource.
Resources for the Asset Inventory dashboard can be added and deleted by
clicking Customize Page in the upper right-hand corner of the web console.
Notes:
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become hidden for that node.
Clicking the title of any resource will open that resource in a new window.

Custom Asset Information

This resource allows you display custom properties you have created relating to
Asset Information.
Following is an example of how this can be used:

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InServiceDate: Displays the first day of service for the asset

PONumber: Displays the Purchase Order number for the asset.
PurchaseDate: Displays the purchase date of the asset.
PurchasePrice: Displays the purchase price of the asset.

To add custom properties and have them displayed in this resource:

1. In the Custom Asset Information resource, click Edit.
2. Click Use the Custom Property Editor.

3. Follow the steps of the Wizard.

4. If available, check Asset Inventory to have the item displayed in the Custom Asset Information resource.

Drivers
This resource displays driver software currently installed on the current node
while providing a search window. The data can be sorted by clicking the headers
of each column.

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Chapter 14: Asset Inventory

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Device: Displays the device that relies on the driver listed.

Name: Displays the name of the driver listed.
Publisher: Displays the publisher of the driver listed.
Version: Displays the version of the driver listed.
Driver Date: Displays the date that the listed driver was created.

Firmware
This resource displays the firmware currently installed on the current node while
providing a search window. The data can be sorted by clicking the headers of
each column.

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Name: Displays the name of the firmware listed.

Publisher: Displays the publisher of the firmware listed.
Version: Displays the version number of the firmware listed.
Release Date: Displays the release date of the version of the firmware listed.

Graphics and Audio

This resource provides detailed information about the current graphics and audio
devices associated with the node.
Note: In systems that contain multiple video cards or monitors, only the first of
each will be displayed in the Graphics and Audio resource for that node.

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Hard Drives

Name: Displays field information about the listed graphics/audio device.

l Monitor Manufacturer Displays the manufacturer of the current monitor.
l Monitor Model Number Displays the model number of the current
monitor.
l Monitor Resolution Displays the current resolution of the current
monitor.
l Video Card Displays details about the listed video card.
l Video Chipset Displays the current video chipset information for the
listed device.
l Video Memory - Displays the amount of memory currently installed on
the listed video card.
l Sound Card Displays details about the installed sound card.
Details: Displays details about the current device.

Hard Drives
This resource provides information about the current hard drives associated with
the node.

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Model: Displays the model of the listed hard drive

Serial Number: Displays the serial number of the listed hard drive.
Capacity: Displays the total storage space of the current hard drive in gigabytes.

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Hosted Virtual Machines

This resource details the amount of resources allocated to each virtual machine.
Both VMware and Hyper-V hosts can be displayed in this resource.
Note: Only VMware 4.0 and higher is supported.

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VM Name: Displays the name of the virtual machine listed.

Operating System: Displays the operating system of the virtual machine listed.
State: Displays the on/off status of the virtual machine listed.
Memory Size: Displays the memory allocated to the virtual machine listed.
CPU Count: Displays the number of CPUs associated with the virtual
machine listed.
CPU Shares: Displays the percentage of CPU resources being used by the
listed virtual machine.
IP Address: Displays the IP address of the virtual machine listed.

For more information, see "Hardware Monitoring and VMware" on page 1038.

Logical Volumes
This resource provides detailed information about the current logical volumes
associated with the node. Volumes call be polled via all protocols except VMware
CIM for ESX hosts. Any logical volume that can be monitored by SolarWinds will
appear in this resource.

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Memory

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Name: Displays the name of the volume listed.

Type: Displays the type of volume listed.
File System: Displays the file system employed on the volume listed.
Serial Number: Displays the serial number of the volume listed.
Size: Displays the total size of the volume listed.
Space Used: Displays the amount of space used on the volume listed.
Available Space: Displays the free space on the listed volume as a number
of bytes.
% Available Space: Displays the amount of free space on the volume listed
as a percentage and a bar chart.

Memory
This resource provides detailed information about the memory associated with
the node.

Memory Summary
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Total RAM: Displays the total amount of RAM on the current node.
Free RAM: Displays the total amount of free RAM on the current node.
Total Virtual Memory: Displays the total amount of virtual RAM on the current node.
Free Virtual Memory: Displays the total amount of free virtual RAM on the
current node.

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Memory Modules
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Slot: Displays the slot number in the server where memory is installed.
SAM also shows empty slots that could be populated with additional
memory modules to increase the server's RAM.
Capacity: Displays the maximum available RAM installed in the current
memory slot, in megabytes.
Model: Displays the model part number which can be used for purchasing a
replacement part.
Speed: Displays the frequency on which the memory module runs, in megahertz.

Network Interfaces
This resource provides detailed information about current network interfaces
associated with the node.

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Name: Displays the name and model of the listed interface. For more information about a network interface, click [+] to the left of the interface name to
expand the tree view and reveal the following information:
l NetMask: Displays the configured netmask.
l Gateway: Displays the address of the gateway.
l DHCP Server: Displays the address of the DHCP server.
l DNS Server: Displays the address of the DNS server.
Manufacturer: Displays the manufacturer of the listed interface.
MAC Address: Displays the MAC address of the listed interface.
IP Address: Displays the IP address of the listed interface.

Operating System Updates Applied

This resource displays operating system updates that have been applied on the
current node while providing a search window. The data can be sorted by clicking
the headers of each column.
Note: This resource is only visible for Windows Nodes polled via WMI

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Out of Band Management

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Name: Displays the name of the listed update. Clicking the name in this
field may take you to the website with information concerning the listed
update.
Type: Displays the type of update installed.
Install Date: Displays the date that the listed update was installed.
Installed By: Displays the user responsible for installing the listed update.

Out of Band Management

This resource provides details about out of band management controllers
installed on the node.

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Management Card: Displays the current management card.

Type: Displays the type of the current management card.
Firmware Version: Displays the current firmware version for the listed management card.
IP Address: Displays the current IP address of the listed management card.
MAC Address: Displays the current MAC address of the listed management card.

Peripherals
This resource provides information about the current peripherals associated with
the node.

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Type: Displays the type of peripheral listed

Details: Displays details about the peripheral listed.

Ports and USB Controllers

This resource provides detailed information about the current ports and USB
controllers associated with the node.

Ports
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Ports: Displays the type of port.

Number: Displays the number of ports.

USB Controllers
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USB Controllers: Displays detailed information about the listed USB controller.

Processors
This resource provides detailed information about the processors associated with
the node.
Notes:
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Some IBM nodes may not provide processor information which will result in
missing information from this resource.
If a monitored computer is running the Solaris operating system, processor
information will not be available in this resource.

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Removable Media

Important: Data for the number of cores will not be available for computers
running Windows Server 2003 unless the following Microsoft hotfix is applied:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/932370.
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Processor: Lists the processors associated with the selected node.

Manufacturer: Displays the manufacturer of the listed processor.
Speed: Displays the current speed of the listed processor in gigahertz.
Cores: Displays the number of cores (CPUs) within the listed processor.
Threads: Displays the number of threads (concurrent processes) per core.
Model: Displays the processor manufacturing technology and design generation for the listed processor.
Stepping: Displays the revision number of the listed processor.

Removable Media
This resource provides information about the current removable media associated
with the node.

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Name: Displays the name of the media listed.

Type: Displays the technology of the media listed.
Manufacturer: Displays the manufacturer of the media listed.

Software Inventory
This resource displays software currently installed on the current node while
providing a search window.

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Name: Displays the name of the software listed.

Publisher: Displays the publisher of the software listed.
Version: Displays the version of the software listed.
Install Date: Displays the date that the listed software was installed.

Storage Controllers
This resource provides detailed information about the current storage controllers
associated with the node. The data can be sorted by clicking the headers of each
column.

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Name: Displays the name of the listed storage controller.

Model Number: Displays the model number of the listed storage controller.
Serial Number: Displays the serial number of the listed storage controller.
Firmware Version: Displays the firmware version of the listed storage controller.
Driver Version: Displays the driver version of the listed storage controller.

System Information
This resource provides a general overview of the selected node. To update the
details of this resource, click Poll Now, which forces all Asset Inventory
information to be polled immediately. To navigate to the Node Details page of the
current node, click the name of the node in the System Name field.

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System Information

Note: When the listed machine is on Microsoft Hyper-V virtual hardware,certain

fields are populated with virtual machine related information. Because SAM
collects physical enclosure information from this class when using WMI, the
following fields may read as follows:
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Manufacturer will read, "Microsoft."

Model will read, Virtual Machine.
Serial Number will read a GUID string.

The fields for this resource are defined as follows:

General
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Last Inventory Collection: The date when SAM last collected inventory
data on the selected node.
System Name: Name of the current node.
Host Name: Name of the current host. This only applies to Windows hosts
polled via WMI
Domain/Workgroup Name: Name of the domain or workgroup this node
belongs to.
DNS: This is the DNS name of the current node. The IP address of the node
can change while the DNS name remains the same.
Domain Role: Shows the role of the current node. This only applies to Windows hosts polled via WMI
IP Address: Shows the IP address of the current node.
Dynamic IP: Shows if the current IP address is dynamic or static.

Hardware
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Asset Type: Defines the current node as a specific type of hardware.

Hardware: Shows the hardware status as being either physical or virtual.
Manufacturer: Shows the company that produced this hardware.
Model: Shows the model number of the hardware as defined by the manufacturer. This only applies to physical nodes.

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Serial Number/Service Tag: Shows the serial number of the current node.
This only applies to physical nodes.
Warranty Status: Shows the warranty information about the current node
with a link to that vendor's site. This only applies to physical servers that are
Dell, HP, or IBM.
Note: One alert is included for Warranty Status:
l Alert me when a node warranty expires in 30 days - Disabled by
default.
Location: Displays the geographical location of the current node.
Device Time Zone: Shows the time zone set in the system. This only
applies to Windows nodes polled via WMI.

Operating System
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Operating System: Shows the operating system of the current node.

OS Version: Shows the current version of the operating system.
OS Architecture: Shows the design (32-bit or 64-bit) of the operating system.
OS Language: Shows the language the current operating system is using
on the current node.
Service Pack: Displays the current service pack installed on the operating
system. This only applies to Windows nodes polled via WMI.
Last Boot: Shows the date of the last boot for the current node.
Last Logged in User: Displays the last user to log in on the current node.
This only applies to Windows nodes polled via WMI.
Firewall Status: Displays whether or not the built-in Windows firewall is currently enabled on the node. This only applies to Windows nodes polled via
WMI.
Hardware Agent: Displays the Hardware Monitoring Agent Software currently installed on the node.

Windows Update Information

This resource provides information about the current Windows update status
associated with the node. This only applies to Windows nodes polled via WMI.

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Windows Update Information

Windows Update Status: Displays whether or not Windows Update is

enabled.
Most Recent Check for Updates: Displays the time and date of the last
successful check for updates.
Updates Last Installed: Displays the time and date of the last successful
installation of updates.
Update Method: Displays how updates are managed on the host. This
value can be Automatically Applied, Download And Notify, or Notify Only.

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AppInsight Applications
AppInsight applications provide a level of detail and expert knowledge far beyond
what a simple template can provide, allowing you to monitor virtually every aspect
of the assigned application.
Like any unassigned application in SAM, AppInsight applications are considered
templates until applied. Therefore, it is a member of the Application Monitor
Templates collection.
Once applied to a node, AppInsight applications are considered applications.
Like any SAM application, AppInsight applications are comprised of multiple
component monitors, also known as performance counters.
Currently, SAMoffers two different AppInsight Applications:
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AppInsight for SQL

AppInsight for Exchange
AppInsight for IIS

Template/Application Relationship
The following illustration explains the Template and Application relationship and
is true for all templates, including all AppInsight applications.
Here you can see that if you change something at the template level, the
applications based on that template will be affected. Conversely, if you change
something on the application level, only the individual application will be affected.
This inheritance relationship is beneficial if you need to make a great deal of
changes quickly. For example, rather than change one item on 100 applications
that are based on a single template (which requires 100 changes), you can more
easily change the one item on the template. That one change in the template will
trickle down to all 100 applications that are based on the template.

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Changing between 32-bit and 64-bit polling methods:

Using AppInsight applications with 32-bit polling on 64-bit computers via an agent
may prevent certain performance counters from collecting information and should
be changed to 64-bit polling.
To make this change at the application level, take the following steps:
1. From the web console, navigate to Home > Applications > Select an
AppInsight Application.
2. Click Edit Application Monitor.
3. Expand Advanced, and then click Override Template.
4. In the Platform to run polling job field, change the value to x64.
5. When done, click Submit.

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AppInsight for SQL

To make this change at the template level, take the following steps:
1. From the web console, navigate to Settings >SAMSettings >Manage
Templates.
2. Select an AppInsight application and click Edit.
3. Expand Advanced, and in the Platform to run polling job field, change
the value to x64.
Note: Applications assigned to 32-bit hosts with the x64bit option will continue to poll using 32-bit, regardless of this setting.

4. When done, click Submit.

AppInsight for SQL

SAM offers a detailed view of your SQL databases' performance without the use
of agents or templates by using the AppInsight for SQL embedded application.
AppInsight for SQL provides a level of detail and expert knowledge far beyond
what a SQL template can provide, allowing you to monitor virtually every aspect
of your SQL instances and databases.

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Like any unassigned application in SAM, AppInsight for SQL is considered a
template until it is applied. Therefore, it is a member of the Application Monitor
Templates collection.
Once applied to a node, AppInsight for SQL is considered an application. Like
any SAM application, AppInsight for SQL is comprised of multiple component
monitors.
AppInsight for SQL general information:
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AppInsight for SQL Requirements and Permissions

AppInsight for SQL Licensing
Template/Application Relationship
Adding AppInsight for SQL to a Node
Editing the AppInsight for SQL Template
Understanding the AppInsight for SQL Details View
Navigating the AppInsight for SQL Details View

Information about individual AppInsight for SQL resources can be found at

the following locations:
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AppInsight for SQL Details view, which is comprised of the following subviews:
l AppInsight for SQL Details View (Summary Tab)
l AppInsight for SQL Details View (Queries Tab)
l Database Details View
Performance Counter Details View

_________________
Portions of the performance counter information used in the AppInsight for SQL application are provided courtesy of
multiple sources listed in the copyright and attribution section at the beginning of this document.

AppInsight for SQL Requirements and Permissions

AppInsight for SQL data is collected at the same default five minute polling
interval as traditional application templates. Following are the requirements and
permissions needed for AppInsight for SQL:
Important: AppInsight for SQL does not require named-pipes; however, it does
require TCP. For example, SAM uses TCP detection during discovery. You may
receive an error message pertaining to "named-pipes.This is the result of the the
last client protocol that is tried during connection to the SQL server.
AppInsight for SQL Requirements
AppInsight for SQL supports the following versions of Microsoft SQL Server:

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AppInsight for SQL Requirements and Permissions

Microsoft SQL Server Version Versions Supported
Microsoft SQL Server 2008

Without SP
SP1
SP2
SP3

Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2

Without SP
SP1
SP2

Microsoft SQL Server 2012

Without SP
SP1

Microsoft SQL Server 2014

AppInsight for SQL Permissions
The minimum SQL permissions required to use AppInsight for SQL are as
follows:
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Must be a member of the db_datareader role on the msdb system database.

Must have VIEW SERVER STATE permissions.
View any definition.
Connect permission to Master database.
Execute permission on the Xp_readerrorlog stored procedure.
Connect permission to the Msdb database.
Must be member of db_datareader role in the MSDB database.
Connect permission to all databases.

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AppInsight for SQL supports both the SNMP and WMI protocols and uses
SQL to gather information about the application. Additional information is
available for nodes managed via WMI.
Agents do not work with AppInsight for SQL when the SQL server being
monitored is in a cluster.

Important: This following scripts make changes directly to the database. You
should create a database backup before running either of these scripts.

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The following script will configure permissions for a SQLaccount:
USE master
GRANT VIEW SERVER STATE TO AppInsightUser
GRANT VIEW ANY DEFINITION TO AppInsightUser
GRANT VIEW ANY DATABASE TO AppInsightUser
EXEC sp_adduser @loginame = 'AppInsightUser' ,@name_in_db =
'AppInsightUser'
GRANT EXECUTE ON xp_readerrorlog TO AppInsightUser
USE msdb
EXEC sp_adduser @loginame = 'AppInsightUser' ,@name_in_db =
'AppInsightUser'
EXEC sp_addrolemember N'db_datareader', N'AppInsightUser'

The following script will configure permissions for a SQL account with
Windows Authentication:
USE master
GRANT VIEW SERVER STATE TO "Domain\AppInsightUser"
GRANT VIEW ANY DEFINITION TO "Domain\AppInsightUser"
EXEC sp_adduser @loginame = 'Domain\AppInsightUser' ,@name_in_
db = 'Domain\AppInsightUser'
GRANT EXECUTE ON xp_readerrorlog TO "Domain\AppInsightUser"
USE msdb
EXEC sp_adduser @loginame = 'Domain\AppInsightUser' ,@name_in_
db = 'Domain\AppInsightUser'
EXEC sp_addrolemember N'db_datareader',
N'Domain\AppInsightUser'
EXECUTE sp_MSforeachdb 'USE [?]; EXEC sp_adduser @loginame =
''Domain\AppInsightUser'', @name_in_db =
''Domain\AppInsightUser'''

AppInsight for SQL Licensing

When usingAppInsight for SQL, 50 component monitors will count against your
licensed number of component monitorsper SQL instance.
For example, if you have an active license for 1,500 component monitors and
useAppInsight for SQLto monitor 88 databases over ten instances of SQL, 500
component monitors will count against your total license. The number of
databases you have on these instances is irrelevant.
(50 component monitors X 10 SQL Server instances = 500 component
monitors used.)
This will leave you with 1,000 component monitors available for use elsewhere.

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Adding AppInsight for SQL to a Node

(1,500 component monitors 500 component monitors used for
AppInsight for SQL = 1,000 component monitors remaining).
There is no restriction on the number of databases you can have monitored. Also
note that if you choose not to use this application, you will not be penalized any
number of component monitors.
Important: The example below illustrates a situation where you would have 40
available component monitors available, but have surpassed your allowed
number of 300 monitors by 60. The discrepancy is caused by AppInsight
application implementations. AppInsight applications are licensed as 50 monitors
per application and cannot be partially licensed, as is the case with typical
applications.

Additional Troubleshooting Resources:
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SNMP: http://knowledgebase.solarwinds.com/kb/questions/314/Troubleshooting+SNMP+connectivity
Troubleshooting

Editing the AppInsight for SQL Template

The AppInsight for SQL application behaves like any other application in SAM.
And like other applications, AppInsight for SQL's template can be edited.
Note: Some limitations may apply.
Editing the AppInsight for SQL Template:
1. From the web console, navigate to Settings > SAM Settings > Manage
Templates.
2. Check the AppInsight for SQL template in the list and then click Edit.
3. From here, you can edit certain component monitors within the template;
including threshold values, number of records to retrieve, component monitor description, and so on.

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4. When done editing, click Submit at the bottom of the screen.

Understanding the AppInsight for SQL Details View

The AppInsight for SQL Details view is the equivalent of the Application Details
view of a traditional SAM application; however, there are some notable
differences:
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Details View - Unlike a traditional Application Details view, the AppInsight

for SQL Details view is comprised of two tabs, or sub-views, that host a variety of resources and information:
o Summary Tab This view displays an informative summary about
the current SQL instance.
o Queries Tab This view displays details about the most expensive
queries running across all databases on the current SQL instance.

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Understanding the AppInsight for SQL Details View

Database Details View - This view displays details about the selected database.
Performance Counter Details View - This view displays details about the
selected performance counter.
From here, you can select from the drop down menu and choose to display
different amounts of data based on a time range, as shown below:

Editing Resources
Both the titles and subtitles of each resource can be changed by clicking Edit in
the upper right-hand corner of any resource, and then clicking Submit.
The time and date displayed at the top of each resource (where applicable)
shows the range of data currently loaded into the resource. This, along with the
Sample Interval Range, can be changed by clicking Edit from within the resource.
Additionally, certain resources will allow you to add and remove component
monitors from the resource. You can do this by clicking the Edit button, and then
checking the component monitors you want to keep.

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Note: Pertinent data for each resource is grouped together by default.

Navigating the AppInsight for SQL Details View

AppInsight for SQL acts like any other application and can therefore be found in
the All Applications resource on the Application Summary view. By default, subviews are turned on once you navigate to the AppInsight for SQL Details page.
Below is the AppInsight for SQL application with the All Applications resource
detailed:

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Navigating the AppInsight for SQL Details View

Navigating to the AppInsight for SQL Details View:

1. From the web console, locate the All Applications resource by clicking
either the Home or Applications tab.
2. Expand the AppInsight for SQL tree by clicking [+].

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3. Select a SQL instance to view by clicking it.

Navigating to the Database Details view:

1. From the AppInsight for SQL Details view, click a database in the All Databases resource.

Navigating to the Performance Counter Details view:

1. From the AppInsight for SQL Details view, click a performance counter in
any resource.

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Monitoring Clusters with AppInsight for SQL

To start monitoring a SQL server instance which is clustered, take the
following steps:
1. Connect to the instance that you want monitor using SQL Management Studio
2. Execute the following query to make sure you have the proper target node
and instance name:
SELECT SERVERPROPERTY('ServerName')

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3. Determine the IP address of the target node (e.g. ping P111SQLV23)

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Monitoring Clusters with AppInsight for SQL

4. Make sure that the node with this address is being monitored by SAM. If it is
not, add it.
Note: If the IP address represents a cluster, the node name of the active
cluster member will be populated. It is recommended that you change the
node name to something more easily understood, for example: P111SQLV23

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(cluster) during

the final step of the Add Node Wizard.

5. Enter the proper information and manually assign the Appinsight for SQL
template to the node with the appropriate IP address.
6. The application should begin polling.
For more information, see How to Handle Microsoft Server Clusters in AppInsight
for SQL

AppInsight for SQL Alerts

AppInsight for SQL comes with two pre-defined alerts:
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Alert me when my database file disk I/O latency is high

Alert me when my database file is running low on space

To View Alerts:

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AppInsight for SQL Details View (Summary Tab)

1. From the web console, navigate to Home >Alerts >Manage Alerts.

2. Select the alerts you want to view from the list, or type a keyword in the text
box and click the Search button:

For more information, see:

SolarWinds SAM Alerts
Creating Alerts
Predefined Server & Application Monitor Web Console Based Reports
Adding Alerts

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AppInsight for SQL Details View (Summary Tab)

The Summary tab provides a great deal of information about the current SQL
instance. The available resources unique to this view include:
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All Databases
Application Availability
Application Details
Buffer Manager
Cache

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Connections
Disk
Latches and Locks
Memory
Pages
Sessions
SQL Agent Job Status
SQL Errors
SQL Event Log Message Details
SQL Server
Top 10 Databases by Active User Connections
Top 10 Most Expensive Queries by CPU Time

Note: Chart resources require several values for lines on charts to be visible.
All Databases
This resource shows the status of all monitored databases on the current SQL
instance. The data can be sorted by clicking the headers of each column.

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Name: Displays the name of the listed database, in addition to the current
performance status as indicated by the icon. Clicking the name of the database will take you to the Database Details page.
Status: Displays the Online or Offline status of the listed database.
Database Size: Displays the current size of the listed database.
Transaction Log Size: Displays the size of the transaction log associated
with the listed database.

Active Alerts
This resource lists details about all unacknowledged active alerts.

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AppInsight for SQL Details View (Summary Tab)

The following defines the three columns of this resource:

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Time of Alert: Displays the time and date the listed alert was triggered.
Object Name: Displays the object that triggered the alert. Clicking the
object will take you to the details page for that object.
Message: Displays the message of the listed alert.

Application Availability
This resource graphically shows the various states of an application in a
percentage format and is made up of three sections: the legend, the main chart,
and the lower chart. The colors of the main chart correspond to the labels in the
legend.

Note: This resource will not be available when using Internet Explorer 7.
Consider upgrading Internet Explorer 8 or higher or using FireFox or Chrome as
your web browser.

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Zooming
You can have the chart show a predetermined, hourly time period of data by
clicking on any one of the three Zoom buttons; 1h, 12h, or 24h. Alternatively, you
can have the chart show a specific time range by dragging the mouse over a
small area of the chart.
Once you have a time period selected, the lower chart will zoom to the starting
and ending values of the selected time period. With the lower chart you can zoom
in further by fine tuning the view with the sliders. The main view of the chart will
display the selected time period between the two sliders of the lower chart.
Moving the mouse over the main chart will reveal a tooltip with more detailed
information about the specific time period the mouse is hovering over. By default,
all statistics are shown in the main chart.
Application Details
This resource provides tools and details concerning the current application.

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Management: This provides tools allowing you to more easily manage and
troubleshoot the current application.
Instance Name: Displays the name of the current SQL instance.
Status: Displays the status of the current SQL instance.
SQL Server Version: Displays the version of the current SQL server.
SQL Server Product Level: Displays the maturity level of the current SQL
version.
SQL Server Edition: Displays the edition of the current SQL Server.
Clustered with: If the listed SQL Server is in a cluster, this field will show a
listing of the servers that make up the cluster. If the cluster is managed by
SAM, a status icon will become visible. If the cluster is not managed in
SAM, no status icon will be visible.

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AppInsight for SQL Details View (Summary Tab)

Buffer Manager
This resource contains performance counters specific to the current status of
buffers. The icons of the listed performance counters in the Statistic Name column
will change color to reflect the listed counter's current state. Clicking any
performance counter in the Statistic Name column will take you to the
Performance Counter Details page for that counter.
If the value of a listed performance counter approaches or crosses the Warning
threshold, a yellow band will appear for the listed counter allowing plotted values
that cross the threshold to easily be visualized against the yellow band. If the
value of a listed performance counter approaches or crosses the Critical
threshold, a red band will appear for the listed counter allowing plotted values that
cross the threshold to easily be visualized against the red band. Hovering over
any time period within the chart will display detailed information about that time
period in the tooltip. Hovering over a counter will give you detailed information
about that performance counter.

Counter

Expert Knowledge

Total
pages

Definition:
This performance counter returns the number of pages in the
buffer pool
Information:
The returned value includes database, free, and stolen pages.
Note: This counter is not available in SQL 2012.

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Buffer
Cache Hit
Ratio

Definition:
Indicates the percentage of pages found in the buffer cache
without having to read from disk. The ratio is the total number of
cache hits divided by the total number of cache lookups over the
last few thousand page accesses.
Information:
After a long period of time, the ratio moves very little. Because
reading from the cache is much less expensive than reading from
disk, you want this ratio to be high. Generally, you can increase
the buffer cache hit ratio by increasing the amount of memory
available to SQL Server. The higher this ratio, the less often SQL
Server has to go to the hard disk to fetch data, and performance is
boosted overall. This counter averages the Buffer Cache Hit Ratio
from the time the last instance of SQL Server was restarted. This
counter is not a real-time measurement, but an average of all the
days since SQL Server was last restarted. In OLAP applications,
the ratio could be much lower because of the nature of how OLAP
works.
Possible problems:
If the returned value is low, this could indicate that your SQL
server may not have enough memory to function at peak
performance.
Remediation:
Check your SQL server and verify its memory is being used
efficiently. Applications other than SQL may be using a great deal
of memory. Try and recover memory by closing unnecessary
applications. Installing additional memory may also help.

Lazy
Definition:
Writes/sec The lazy writer is a system process that flushes out buffers that
contain changes that must be written back to disk before the
buffer can be reused for a different page and makes them
available to user processes.
Information:

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This counter tracks how many times per second that the Lazy
Writer process is moving dirty pages from the buffer to disk in
order to free up buffer space. The Lazy Writer eliminates the need
to perform frequent checkpoints in order to create available
buffers.
Generally speaking, this should not be a high value, say more
than 20 per second. Ideally, it should be close to zero. If it is zero,
this indicates that your SQL Server's buffer cache is large and
your SQL Server does not need to free up dirty pages.
Possible problems:
If the returned value is high, this can indicate that your SQL
Server's buffer cache is small and that your SQL Server needs to
free up dirty pages.
Remediation:
Check your SQL server and verify its memory is being used
efficiently. Applications other than SQL may be using a great deal
of memory. Try and recover memory by closing unnecessary
applications. Installing additional memory may also help.
Free List
Stalls/sec

Definition:
Indicates the number of requests per second that had to wait for a
free page.
Information:
This displays the frequency with which requests for available
database pages are suspended because no buffers are available.
Possible problems:
If the returned value is high, this indicates that not enough
memory is available for the SQL Server.
Remediation:
Check your SQL server and verify its memory is being used
efficiently. Applications other than SQL may be using a great deal
of memory. Try and recover memory by closing unnecessary
applications. Installing additional memory may also help.

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Zooming
You can have the chart show a predetermined time period of data by clicking on
any one of the three Zoom buttons in the head of the Zoom column. Alternatively,
you can have the chart show a specific date range by dragging the mouse over an
area of the chart. The time and date displayed at the top of the resource shows
the amount of data currently loaded into the chart. This can be changed by
clicking Edit from within the resource.
Note: The Value from Last Poll column shows the most recent data available for
the listed statistic.
Cache
This resource contains monitors specific to the current status of the cache. The
icons of the listed performance counters in the Statistic Name column will change
color to reflect the listed counter's current state. Clicking any performance counter
in the Statistic Name column will take you to the Performance Counter Details
page for that counter.
If the value of a listed performance counter approaches or crosses the Warning
threshold, a yellow band will appear for the listed counter allowing plotted values
that cross the threshold to easily be visualized against the yellow band. If the
value of a listed performance counter approaches or crosses the Critical
threshold, a red band will appear for the listed counter allowing plotted values that
cross the threshold to easily be visualized against the red band. Hovering over
any time period within the chart will display detailed information about that time
period in the tooltip. Hovering over a counter will give you detailed information
about that performance counter.

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Counter

Expert Knowledge

Cache
Definition:
Used/min This displays the number of times the cache object has been
looked up.
Information:
This is not incremented when parameterized queries find a plan in
the cache. However, this can be incremented multiple times when
using Showplan. Good plan reuse is one sign of a healthy system.
Compiling a query plan can be a CPU-intensive operation,
especially with complex queries, so reuse is encouraged.
Possible problems:
If the returned value is low, this can indicate ineffective reusing of
plan cache which could cause a CPU spike. Conversely, if the
returned value is high for a large number of plans, this could
indicate that your cache space is being taken up with plans that
were compiled and used once to execute an ad hoc query, then
never used again.
Remediation:
A database setting that can be helpful to plan reuse is forced
parameterizaton. (You can set this using the following command:
ALTER DATABASE <databaseName> SET
PARAMETERIZATION FORCED). Normally, the query optimizer
is very conservative when deciding what queries can be
parameterized, but this setting makes the optimizer be more liberal
in choosing parameters.
Cache
Object
Counts

Definition:
This performance counter returns the number of cache objects in
the cache.
Information:
ThePlan Cache object provides counters to monitor how SQL
Server uses memory to store objects such as stored procedures,
ad hoc and prepared Transact-SQL statements, and triggers.
Multiple instances of thePlan Cacheobject can be monitored at

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the same time, with each instance representing a different type of

plan to monitor.
Possible problems:
High numbers of total cached objectsuseportions of thephysical
memory available toa SQLinstanceon a per database basis. This
can result in one database cache impacting the performance of
other local databases due to memory contention.
Remediation:
Increase the memory available to SQL services, reduce the
number of databases on this instance of SQL, or examine the
volume of ad hoc queries running against the server.
Cache
Objects
in Use

Definition:
This performance counter returns number of cache objects in use.
Information:
ThePlan Cache object provides counters to monitor how SQL
Server uses memory to store objects such as stored procedures,
ad hoc and prepared Transact-SQL statements, and triggers.
Multiple instances of thePlan Cacheobject can be monitored at
the same time, with each instance representing a different type of
plan to monitor.
Possible problems:
High numbers ofcached objects in use consumethe memory
available to a SQL server at a higher rate than non-active objects
on a per database basis. This can result in one database cache
impacting the performance of other local databases due to memory
contention.
Remediation:
Increase the memory available to SQL server, reduce the number
of active objects, consolidate stored procedures, consolidate and
convert ad hoc queries to stored procedures where possible, or
reduce the number of databases on the server.

Zooming

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You can have the chart show a predetermined time period of data by clicking on
any one of the three Zoom buttons in the head of the Zoom column. Alternatively,
you can have the chart show a specific date range by dragging the mouse over an
area of the chart. The time and date displayed at the top of the resource shows
the amount of data currently loaded into the chart. This can be changed by
clicking Edit from within the resource.
Note: The Value from Last Poll column shows the most recent data available for
the listed statistic.
Connections
This resource contains monitors specific to the current status of the active
connections. The icons of the listed performance counters in the Statistic Name
column will change color to reflect the listed counter's current state. Clicking any
performance counter in the Statistic Name column will take you to the
Performance Counter Details page for that counter.
If the value of a listed performance counter approaches or crosses the Warning
threshold, a yellow band will appear for the listed counter allowing plotted values
that cross the threshold to easily be visualized against the yellow band. If the
value of a listed performance counter approaches or crosses the Critical
threshold, a red band will appear for the listed counter allowing plotted values that
cross the threshold to easily be visualized against the red band. Hovering over
any time period within the chart will display detailed information about that time
period in the tooltip. Hovering over a counter will give you detailed information
about that performance counter.

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Counter

Expert Knowledge

User
Definition:
Connections The User Connections performance counter identifies the
number of different users that are connected to your SQL
Server at the time the sample was taken.
Information:
You need to watch this counter over time to understand your
baseline user connection numbers. Since each user
connection consumes some memory space, a high number of
user connections can impact throughput and cause a
performance slow-down. Once you have an idea of your high
and low thresholds during normal usage of your system, you
can then look for times when this counter exceeds these high
and low marks.
Possible problems:
If the returned value of this counter goes down and the load on
the system remains stable, you might have a bottleneck that is
not allowing your server to handle the normal load. Keep in
mind that this counter value might go down just because less
people are using your SQL Server instance. If you see this
number jump by 500% from your baseline, you may be seeing
a slowdown of your server activity.
Remediation:
You may want to boost the SQL Server configuration setting,
Maximum Worker Threads to a figure higher than the default
setting of 255. The setting for Maximum Worker Threads
should be higher than the maximum number of user
connections your server ever reaches.
Logins/sec

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pooled connection is one which is kept open by an application

for other requests to re-use.
Possible problems:
If the returned value is high, this can indicate that the
application is not correctly using connection pooling.
Remediation:
Review the Connection Polling configuration.
Logout/sec

Definition:
This performance counter returns the total number of logout
operations started, per second.
Information:
Opening and closing connections is an expensive process.
When applications do not use a connection pool, each request
needs to establish its own connection before the query can be
executed. It then has to close it. A pooled connection is one
which is kept open by an application for other requests to reuse.
Possible problems:
If the returned value is high, this can indicate that the
application is not correctly using connection pooling.
Remediation:
Review the Connection Polling configuration.

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Note: The Value from Last Poll column shows the most recent data available for
the listed statistic.
Disk
This resource contains monitors specific to the current status of the disk. The
icons of the listed performance counters in the Statistic Name column will change
color to reflect the listed counter's current state. Clicking any performance counter
in the Statistic Name column will take you to the Performance Counter Details
page for that counter.
If the value of a listed performance counter approaches or crosses the Warning
threshold, a yellow band will appear for the listed counter allowing plotted values
that cross the threshold to easily be visualized against the yellow band. If the
value of a listed performance counter approaches or crosses the Critical
threshold, a red band will appear for the listed counter allowing plotted values that
cross the threshold to easily be visualized against the red band. Hovering over
any time period within the chart will display detailed information about that time
period in the tooltip. Hovering over a counter will give you detailed information
about that performance counter.

Counter

Expert Knowledge

Average Disk
sec/Read

Definition:
This performance counter shows the average time, in
seconds, of a read of data from the disk.

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Information:
The returned value indicates the average time of read data
from the disk. 4-8ms is ideal. The returned value is
considered acceptable up to 20ms. Any higher value needs
further investigation.
Possible problems:
If a value greater than 15-20ms is reported, this may indicate
disk bottlenecks.
Remediation:
Increase the number of hard disks.
Average Disk
sec/Write

Definition:
This performance counter shows the average time, in
seconds, of a write of data to the disk.
Information:
The returned value indicates the average time of write data
from the disk. 4-8ms is ideal. The returned value is
considered acceptable up to 20ms. Any higher value needs
further investigation.
Possible problems:
Values greater than 15-20ms nay indicate disk bottlenecks.
Remediation:
Increase the number of hard disks.

Forwarded
Definition:
Records/Batch This performance counter identifies the use of a pointer
Requests
which has been created when variable length columns have
caused a row to move to a new page in aheap.
Possible problems:
Rows withVarcharcolumns can experience expansion
whenVarcharvalues are updated with a longer string. In the
case where the row cannot fit in the existing page, the row
migrates and access to the row will traverse a pointer. This

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only happens on heaps (tables without clustered indexes).

Remediation:
Evaluate clustered indexes for heap tables. In cases where
clustered indexes cannot be used, drop non-clustered
indexes, build a clustered index toReorgpages and rows,
drop the clustered index, then recreate non-clustered
indexes.
Forwarded
Records/sec

Definition:
This performance counter returns the number of records
fetched through forwarded record pointers.
Information:
Tables without a clustered index. If you start with a short row,
and update the row creating a wider row, the row might not fit
on the data page. A pointer is put in its location and the row
is forwarded to another page.
Possible problems:
Look at the code to determine where the short row is inserted
followed by an update.
Remediation:
Can be avoided by:
1. Using default values so that an update does not result
in a longer row that is the root cause of forwarded
records.
2. Use Char instead of Varchar. This fixes the length so
that an update does not result in a longer row.

Physical Disk
Time

Definition:
This performance counter returns the ratio of elapsed time
when the disk drive was busy with read or write requests.
Information:
This performance counter is deceptive because it makes no
accommodation for multiple spindles. Thus, the more
spindles (i.e. physical hard disks) you have, the higher the

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percentile values can go. Conversely, if these spindles are

shared across LUNs or other services, you may have high
numbers on this counter without any correlation to SQL
Server activity. The value for this counter should be below
50%.
Possible problems:
If this performance counter sustains an average above 70%,
you may have contention with your drive or RAM.
Remediation:
You should increase number of hard drives used by SQL
server.

Latches and Locks

This resource measures the time it takes for latches and locks to perform various
operations.
Latches perform the task of thread synchronization. For example, if a thread is
reading a page from disk and creating a memory structure to contain it, it will
create one or more Latches to prevent corruption of these structures. Once the
operation is complete, the Latches will be released and other threads will be able
to access that page and memory structure again. For the most part, latches are
transient, taking a few milliseconds to complete.
A Lock prevents different users from overwriting each other's changes. Generally
speaking, a lock will last for the duration of the transaction.

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The icons of the listed performance counters in the Statistic Name column will
change color to reflect the listed counter's current state. Clicking any performance
counter in the Statistic Name column will take you to the Performance Counter
Details page for that counter.
If the value of a listed performance counter approaches or crosses the Warning
threshold, a yellow band will appear for the listed counter allowing plotted values
that cross the threshold to easily be visualized against the yellow band. If the
value of a listed performance counter approaches or crosses the Critical
threshold, a red band will appear for the listed counter allowing plotted values that
cross the threshold to easily be visualized against the red band. Hovering over
any time period within the chart will display detailed information about that time
period in the tooltip. Hovering over a counter will give you detailed information
about that performance counter.

Counter

Expert Knowledge

Latch
Waits/sec

Definition:
This performance counter displays the number of latch
requests that could not be granted immediately.

Total Latch
Wait
Time/Latch
Waits

Definition:
This performance counter returns the ratio of Total Latch Wait
Time, in milliseconds, for latch requests in the last second to
amount of latches, in a one second period that had to wait.
Latches are lightweight means of holding a very transient
server resource, such as an address in memory.

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AppInsight for SQL Details View (Summary Tab)

Information:
This ratio should be less than 10. Monitoring the latches to
determine user activity and resource usage can help you to
identify performance bottlenecks.
Possible problems:
If the returned value is high, it is likely there is an I/O or
memory bottleneck.
Remediation:
Check your SQL server and verify its memory is being used
efficiently. Applications other than SQL may be using a great
deal of memory. Try and recover memory by closing
unnecessary applications. Installing additional memory may
also help.
Lock
Definition:
Requests/sec This performance counter returns the number of requests for a
type of lock, per second.
Possible problems:
If the returned value is high, this can indicate that the queries
are accessing large numbers of rows. If you notice a high
Average Wait time, then this could be an indication of
blocking.
Information:
Blocking is an unavoidable characteristic of any relational
database management system (RDBMS) with lock-based
concurrency. On SQL Server, blocking occurs when one
Server Process ID (SPID) holds a lock on a specific resource
and a second SPID attempts to acquire a conflicting lock type
on the same resource. Typically, the time frame for which the
first SPID locks the resource is very small. When it releases
the lock, the second connection is free to acquire its own lock
on the resource and continue processing. This is normal
behavior and may happen many times throughout the course
of a day with no noticeable effect on system performance.

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Remediation:
High Read queries should be reviewed. The simple way to fix
locking is just kill the connection that is causing the lock.
Fixing locking, blocking, and deadlocking issues is often a
matter of redesign. You should examine either the schema of
your database and/or the way the application is designed.
One of the most efficient ways to deal with locking is to ensure
that the design of your system does not have to deal with
excessive locks. The best way to do this is to normalize your
tables, using more atomic structures that allow the query to get
in and get out faster. Another method is to code with the locks
in mind. If the design requires less normalization, you will
have to evaluate the programs to ensure that they have the
right isolation levels.
Lock
Waits/sec

Definition:
This performance counter reports the number of times users
waited to acquire a lock over the past second.
Information:
Note that this counter only gets incremented only when you
wake up after waiting on the lock.
Possible problems:
Non-zero values indicate that there is at least some level of
blocking occurring. If you combine this with the Lock Wait
Time counter, you can get some idea of how long the blocking
lasted. A zero value for this counter can definitively rule out
blocking as a potential cause.
Remediation:
High Read queries should be reviewed.

Lock
Timeouts/sec

Definition:
This performance counter returns the number of lock requests
per second that have timed out, including internal requests for
NoWait locks.

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AppInsight for SQL Details View (Summary Tab)

Information (timeout_period):
This is the number of milliseconds that will pass before
Microsoft SQL Server returns a locking error. A value of -1
(default) indicates no time-out period (that is, wait forever).
When a wait for a lock exceeds the time-out value, an error is
returned. A value of 0 means to not wait at all and return a
message as soon as a lock is encountered.
Possible problems:
If you see a value above 0 for this counter, your users will
experience problems as their queries are not completing.
Remediation:
You should review your queries to determine which queries
are causing this situation.
Lock Wait
Time

Definition:
This performance counter displays the total time spent waiting
across all transactions, in milliseconds, to acquire a lock in the
last second.
Information:
Though this counts how many milliseconds SQL Server is
waiting on locks during the last second, this counter actually
starts recording at the end of locking event. Peaks most likely
represent one large locking event.
Possible problems:
If the returned value is greater than 60 seconds (60,000ms)
then there may be extended blocking which could be an
issue.
Remediation:
Thoroughly analyze the blocking script output. Some
applications are written for timing out after 60 seconds.
Because SQL Server records a lock at the end of a locking
event, remember that an application with large transactions
may have inflated lock wait times while still performing as

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expected. For example, an application that issues multimillion record updates might have very long lock wait times
while performing exactly as it was designed.
Average
Latch
Wait Time

Definition:
This performance counter reports the average latch wait time,
in milliseconds, for latch requests that had to wait.
Information:
SQL Server two lightweight mutual exclusion solutions
Latches and Spinlockswhich are less robust than locks but
are less resource intensive. The value of this counter should
generally correlate to Latch Waits/sec and move up or down
with it accordingly.
Possible problems:
If you see this number jump above 300, you may have
contention for your server's resources. High values for this
counter could potentially block other users.
Remediation:
You should examine tasks currently waiting using the
following command: sys.dm_os_waiting_tasks DMV.

Average
Lock Wait
Time

Definition:
This performance counter reports the average amount of Wait
time, in milliseconds, for each lock request that resulted in a
wait.
Information:
Generally speaking, the lower the value, the better. This value
should correlate to theLock Waits/seccounter and move up or
down with it accordingly.
Possible problems:
An average wait time longer than 500ms may indicate
excessiveblocking.
Remediation:
You should determine which queries are generating locks to

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identify where the blocking is originating.

Total Latch
Wait Time

Definition:
Total latch wait time (in milliseconds) for latch requests in the
last second.
Information:
Short term light weight synchronization object. Latches are not
held for the duration of a transaction. Typical latching
operations during row transfers to memory, controlling
modifications to row offset table, and so on.
Possible problems:
If high, check Perfmon Disk and Memory objects for:
l
l

I/O bottlenecks
Memory pressure

Remediation:
This can be mitigated by adding more memory or I/O capacity.

Zooming:
You can have the chart show a predetermined time period of data by clicking on
any one of the three Zoom buttons in the head of the Zoom column. Alternatively,
you can have the chart show a specific date range by dragging the mouse over an
area of the chart. The time and date displayed at the top of the resource shows
the amount of data currently loaded into the chart. This can be changed by
clicking Edit from within the resource.
Note: The Value from Last Poll column shows the most recent data available for
the listed statistic.
Memory
This resource displays the current status of SQL Server memory. The icons of the
listed performance counters in the Statistic Name column will change color to
reflect the listed counter's current state. Clicking any performance counter in the
Statistic Name column will take you to the Performance Counter Details page for
that counter.

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If the value of a listed performance counter approaches or crosses the Warning
threshold, a yellow band will appear for the listed counter allowing plotted values
that cross the threshold to easily be visualized against the yellow band. If the
value of a listed performance counter approaches or crosses the Critical
threshold, a red band will appear for the listed counter allowing plotted values that
cross the threshold to easily be visualized against the red band. Hovering over
any time period within the chart will display detailed information about that time
period in the tooltip. Hovering over a counter will give you detailed information
about that performance counter.

Counter

Expert Knowledge

Total Server
Memory

Definition:
This performance counter measures the current amount of
memory that SQL Server is using.
Information:
If the value of this counter continues to grow larger, the server
has not yet reached its steady state and is still trying to populate
the cache and get pages loaded into memory. Performance will
likely be somewhat slower if this value continually grows larger
since more disk I/O is required. This behavior is normal.
Eventually Total Server Memory should approximate Target
Server Memory.
Possible problems:

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AppInsight for SQL Details View (Summary Tab)

If the Total Server Memory counter is greater than or equal to

the Target Server Memory counter, this can indicate that your
SQL Server may be under memory pressure.
Remediation:
Installing additional memory into your SQL server should
resolve the problem.
Target
Server
Memory

Definition:
This monitor measures the total amount of dynamic memory the
server can consume.
Information:
This performance counter tells you how much memory SQL
Server would like to use to operate efficiently. Compare with
Total Server Memory.
Possible problems:
If the Total Server Memory counter is greater than or equal to
the Target Server Memory counter, this could indicate that your
SQL Server may be under memory pressure.
Remediation:
Installing additional memory into your SQL server should
resolve the problem.

Target Total Server

Memory

Definition:
This performance counter shows the difference between the
total amount of dynamic memory the server can consume and
the current amount of memory that SQL Server is using.
Possible problems:
If this performance counter is greater than or equal to the Target
Server Memory performance counter, this indicates that SQL
Server may be under memory pressure.
Remediation:
Installing additional memory into SQL server should resolve the
problem.

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SQL Cache
Memory
(KB)

Definition:
This performance counter measures the total amount of
dynamic memory the server is using for the Dynamic SQL
cache.
Information:
Most memory used by SQL Server is allocated to the Buffer
Pool, which is used to store data pages. SQL Server steals a
proportion of this memory for use in caching query plans. The
overall amount of memory available to SQL Server depends
upon the amount of memory installed on the server, the
architecture of the server, the version and edition of SQL Server
and the amount of memory pressure being experienced by SQL
Server. This pressure can be internal (SQL Server resources
need memory) or external (operating system needs memory).
SQL Server is designed to respond to memory pressure when
necessary.
Possible problems:
Memory contention with the buffer pool.
Remediation:
Increase memory available to SQL server.

Lock
Memory

Definition:
This performance counter returns the total amount of dynamic
memory the server is using for locks.
Information:
Lock pages in memoryis used to prevent older versions of
Windows and SQL from allowing Windows operating
systempage out of the buffer pool.
Possible problems:
Lock pages in memorydetermines which accounts can use a
process to keep data in physical memory, which prevents the
system from paging the data to virtual memory on disk.
Exercising this privilege could significantly affect system
performance by decreasing the amount of available random

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access memory (RAM).

Remediation:
Upgrade to Windows 2008 R2 or greater and SQL 2008 or
greater.
Granted
Workspace
Memory

Definition:
This performance counter returns the total amount of memory
currently granted to executing processes, such as Hash, Sort,
Bulk Copy, and Index creation operations.
Information:
This performance counter tells you how much memory has
currently been granted to running queries. If there is memory
pressure because of workspace memory, this value should be
at least 25% of the virtual memory available to SQLServer.
Possible problems:
If the memory pressure is severe, the server might return errors
such as 701 or 8645.
Remediation:
If this is the case, this might be a good reason to consider using
SQL Server 64-bit.

Optimizer
Memory

Definition:
This performance counter returns the total amount of dynamic
memory the server is using for query optimization.
Information:
There are no thresholds associated with this performance
counter.

Connection
Memory

Definition:
This monitor returns the total amount of dynamic memory the
server is using for maintaining connections.
Information:

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SQL Server sets aside three packet buffers for every connection
made from a client. Each buffer is sized according to the default
network packet size specified by the sp_configure stored
procedure. If the default network packet size is less than 8KB,
the memory for these packets comes from SQL Server's buffer
pool. If it is 8KB or larger, the memory is allocated from SQL
Server's MemToLeave region. It is worth noting that the default
network packet size for the .NET Framework Data Provider for
SQL Server is 8KB, so the buffers associated with managed
code client connections typically come from SQL Server's
MemToLeave region. This contrasts with classic ADO
applications, where the default packet size is 4KB, and the
buffers are allocated form the SQL Server buffer pool.
Memory
Grants
Pending

Definition:
This monitor returns the total number of processes waiting for a
workspace memory grant.
Information:
Memory resources are required for each user request. If
sufficient memory is not available, the user waits until there is
adequate memory for the query to run.
Possible problems:
Returned values greater than zero for a sustained period of time
is a very strong indicator of memory pressure.
Remediation:
You should first examine the database design, queries, and
indexes to ensure the system is properly tuned before installing
additional RAM. There may be query inefficiencies in the
instance that is causing excessive memory grant requirements.
For example, large Sorts or Hashes that can be resolved by
tuning the indexing or queries being executed.
Compare with Memory Grants Outstanding. If the number of
pending grants increases, try the following:
l
l

Add more memory to SQLServer

Add more physical memory to the server.

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AppInsight for SQL Details View (Summary Tab)

Check for memory pressure. See and correct indexing if

you experience Out of memory conditions.

Memory
Definition:
Grants
This performance counter returns the total number of processes
Outstanding that have successfully acquired a workspace memory grant.
Information:
Look at Memory Grants Outstanding and Memory Grants
Pending. If you see a long queue of pending grants as
compared to outstanding grants, there is likely memory
pressure because of query workspace memory. You can
confirm this by checking the Granted Workspace Memory (KB)
performance counter that tells you how much memory has
currently been granted to running queries.
Possible problems:
A returned value that is high can indicate peak user activity. If
there is memory pressure because of workspace memory, this
value should be at least 25% of the virtual memory available to
SQLServer. If the memory pressure is severe, the server might
even return errors such as 701 or 8645.
Remediation:
If severe, and using 32-bit, consider using SQL Server 64-bit.
See Memory Grants Pending.
Pages/sec

Definition:
This performance counter displays the rate at which pages are
read from or written to disk to resolve hard page faults.
Information:
This is a primary indicator of the kinds of faults that cause
system-wide delays. This should be close to zero on a
dedicated SQL Server. You will see spikes during backups and
restores, but this is normal.
Possible problems:
High values causes hard page faults, which can cause SQL

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Server to use the page, as opposed to RAM.

Remediation:
You may want to add additional RAM to stop the paging.
Cache Hit
Ratio

Definition:
This metric is the ratio between Cache Hits and Lookups.
Cache Hit Ratio measures how much theplan cacheis being
used.
Information:
A high percentage here means that your SQL Server is not
building a new plan for every query it is executing and is
working effectively and efficiently. A low percentage here
means that, for some reason, the SQL Server is doing more
work than it needs to. This metric needs to be considered
alongside theplan cachereuse metric which looks at the
spread of plan reuse through your cache.
Plan cacheis memory used to store objects such as stored
procedures, ad hoc and preparedTransact-SQLstatements,
and triggers. Theplan cacheis the component of SQL memory
that stores query plans for re-use. When a query is issued
against SQL, the optimizer will attempt to re-use a cached plan
if the traits of the query permit - but can only do so if that plan
resides in cache, otherwise it needs to compile a new plan.
This is not to say that every plan that is cached is re-used.
Changes in schema, a query running parallel that may have run
serially before, or changes in parameters may require a new
plan to be compiled even if a similar plan exists in cache. Plan
compilations are expensive though. Ideally this counter should
be near 100%.
Possible problems:
The value of this counter should never fall below 90%. Low
cache hit ratio (<20%) along with a sustained query execution
rate (Batch Requests/sec) indicates that compiled plans are not
being re-used. It should be noted that the hit ratio counter may
be skewed by internal lookups performed.

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Remediation:
The amount of caching should be reduced by examining the
workload to see if queries have beenparameterized, or can be
rewritten with stored procedures.
Available
MBytes

Definition:
This is the amount of available physical memory on the server.
Information:
An acceptable output for this may vary widely based on how
much physical memory is in the machine. If you have 2GB of
RAM installed on the machine, it is common to see SQL Server
use 1.7GB of RAM. If no other processes are running on your
SQL Server, ensure you have at least 80MB available for
Windows at any given time.
Possible problems:
Low values show that SQL server has lack of memory.
Remediation:
Install additional memory.

Page Usage

Definition:
This shows the percentage of the page file that is being utilized.
Information:
A Page File is simply a file on the hard drive that handles
situations where the system wants to move or page out
sections of memory. There are several situations that cause
this, but the one you should be most concerned about is when
the system is out of physical memory.
Possible problems:
Values greater than 70 percent indicate paging and lack of
memory. If the system runs out of memory it can borrow some
storage from the hard drive to release some memory until it
needs that data again. The reason that this is bad is because
hard drives are amazingly slow in comparison with solid-state
memory access. Using the page file slows SQL Server a great

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deal.
Remediation:
Install additional memory.
Workfiles
Created/sec

Definition:
This is the number of work files created per second.
Information:
For example, work files could be used to store temporary
results for hash joins and hash aggregates. The returned value
should be less than 20. Tempdb work files are used in
processing hash operations when the amount of data being
processed is too large to fit into the available memory.
Possible problems:
High values can indicate thrash in the tempdb file as well as
poorly coded queries.
Remediation:
It is possible to reduce the value this monitor returns by making
queries more efficient by adding/changing indexes. Adding
additional memory will also help.

Worktables
Created/sec

Definition:
This performance counter displays the number of work tables
created per second.
Information:
For example, work tables could be used to store temporary
results for query spool, lob variables, XML variables, and
cursors. The returned value should be less than 20. Worktables
are used for queries that use various spools (table spool, index
spool, and so on).
Possible problems:
High values could cause general slowdown.
Remediation:
Remediation requires rewriting your procedures.

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Zooming
You can have the chart show a predetermined time period of data by clicking on
any one of the three Zoom buttons in the head of the Zoom column. Alternatively,
you can have the chart show a specific date range by dragging the mouse over an
area of the chart. The time and date displayed at the top of the resource shows
the amount of data currently loaded into the chart. This can be changed by
clicking Edit from within the resource.
Note: The Value from Last Poll column shows the most recent data available for
the listed statistic.
Pages
This resource shows page status of the SQL server.
In SQL Server, the page size is 8 KB. Therefore, SQL Server databases have 128
pages per MB. Each page starts with a 96 byte header that stores information
about the page. This information includes the page number, page type, the
amount of free space on the page, and the allocation unit ID of the object that
owns the page.
The icons of the listed performance counters in the Statistic Name column will
change color to reflect the listed counter's current state. Clicking any performance
counter in the Statistic Name column will take you to the Performance Counter
Details page for that counter.
If the value of a listed performance counter approaches or crosses the Warning
threshold, a yellow band will appear for the listed counter allowing plotted values
that cross the threshold to easily be visualized against the yellow band. If the
value of a listed performance counter approaches or crosses the Critical
threshold, a red band will appear for the listed counter allowing plotted values that
cross the threshold to easily be visualized against the red band. Hovering over
any time period within the chart will display detailed information about that time
period in the tooltip. Hovering over a counter will give you detailed information
about that performance counter.

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Counter

Expert Knowledge

Page
Definition:
Lookups/sec: This performance counter returns the number of requests to
find a page in the buffer pool.
Information:
(Page lookups/sec) / (Batch Requests/sec) > 100.
Possible problems:
When the ratio of page lookups to batch requests is much
greater than 100, this is an indication that while query plans
are looking up data in the buffer pool, these plans are
inefficient.
Remediation:
Identify queries with the highest amount of logical I/O's and
tune them.
Page
Reads/sec

Definition:
This performance counter returns the number of physical
database page reads issued.
Information:
80 90 physical database page reads per second is normal.
Possible problems:
Returned values that are high could indicate indexing or
memory constraint.

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Remediation:
Attempt to tune the application so that fewer I/O operations are
required. For example, perhaps I/O operations would be
reduced if there were the appropriate indexes, or if the
database design were de-normalized. If the applications
cannot be tuned, you will need to acquire disk devices with
more capacity. Because physical I/O operations are
expensive, you may be able to minimize the cost either by
using a larger data cache, intelligent indexes, more efficient
queries, or by changing the database design.
Page
Lookups/
Batch
Request

Definition:
This performance counter displays the number of page splits
per second that occur as the result of overflowing index
pages.
Information:
(Page lookups/sec) / (Batch Requests/sec) > 100.
Possible problems:
When the ratio of page lookups to batch requests is much
greater than 100, this is an indication that while query plans
are looking up data in the buffer pool, these plans are
inefficient.
Remediation:
Identify queries with the highest amount of logical I/O's and
tune them.

Page
Writes/sec

Definition:
This performance counter returns the number of physical
database page writes issued.
Information:
80 90 physical database page writes per second is normal.
Possible problems:
If the returned values are high, you should check the Lazy
Writer/sec monitor.

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Page
Faults/sec

Definition:
This performance counter returns the average number
ofpages faultedper second.
Information:
This performance counter gives an idea of how many times
information being requested is not where the application
expects it to be. The information must either be retrieved from
another location in memory or from the pagefile. While a
sustained value may indicate trouble, you should be more
concerned with hard page faults that represent actual reads or
writes to the disk. Disk access is much slower than RAM.
Possible problems:
Any measurement higher than zero delays response time and
probably indicates that more RAM is needed.
Remediation:
Add additional memory to your SQL server.

Page
Splits/Batch
Request

Definition:
This performance counter displays the number of page splits
per second that occur as the result of overflowing index
pages.
Information:
The returned value needs to be low as possible.
Possible problems:
High values could mean poor table or index design.
Remediation:
If the number of page splits is high, consider increasing the
Fill Factor of your indexes. An increased Fill Factor helps to
reduce page splits because there is more room in data pages
before it fills up and a page split has to occur. Note that this
counter also includes the new page allocations as well and
does not necessarily pose a problem. The other place we can
confirm the page splits that involve data or index rows moves
are the fragmented indexes on page splits.

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AppInsight for SQL Details View (Summary Tab)

Page
Splits/sec

Definition:
This performance counter returns the number of page splits
per second.
Information:
The returned value for this monitor should be as low as
possible.
Possible problems:
Returned values that are high can indicate the overflowing of
index pages. A high value for this counter is not bad in
situations where many new pages are being created, since it
includes new page allocations.
Remediation:
To avoid Page Splits, review the table and index design so as
to reduce non-sequential inserts. You can also implement
Fillfactor and Pad_Index to leave more empty space per page.

Page Life
Expectancy

Definition:
This performance counter returns the number of seconds a
page will stay in the buffer pool without references.
Information:
This performance monitor reports, on average, how long data
pages are staying in the buffer.
Possible problems:
If this value gets below 300 seconds, this is a potential
indication that your SQL Server could use more memory in
order to boost performance. Consistently having pages that
stay in memory for less than that amount of time may indicate
the need for more memory.
Remediation:
Add additional memory to your SQL server.

Database
Pages

Definition:This metric tells you the number of database

pages that are currently being occupied in the data cache.

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Information:
The higher the buffer managerDatabase Pagesis, the less
room there is for SQL Server to cache more data pages. This
means that SQL Server may have to free up data cache pages
order to make room for pages being moved in from disk to the
data cache, which can increase disk IO and hurt performance.
There are no specific thresholds for this counter as each
server is different. Instead, watch baseline values and look for
sudden changes in the baseline value.
Possible problems:
If the value for this performance counter increases above its
typical baseline value, this may indicate memory pressure for
the SQL Server instance.
Remediation:
Investigate buffer management and disk I/O.
Free Memory
Note: This
performance
counter is only
available in
SQL Server
2012.

Definition:
The amount of memory available for SQL Server to use.
Information:
When SQL Server is using memory dynamically, it queries the
system periodically to determine the amount of free memory.
Maintaining this free memory prevents the operating system
(OS) from paging. If less memory is free, SQL Server releases
memory to the OS. If more memory is free, SQL Server may
allocate more memory. SQL Server adds memory only when
its workload requires more memory; a server at rest does not
increase the size of its virtual address space. The returned
value should be as high as possible.
Possible problems:
If Resource Semaphore does not find enough free memory,
then it puts the current query into the waiting queue.
Remediation:
l
l

Increase RAM
Increase SQL Servers Max Server Memory

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AppInsight for SQL Details View (Summary Tab)

Free Pages

Consider OS requirements and other instances

Definition:
This performance counter displays the total number of pages
on all free lists.
Information:
This is not main indicator of memory problems and could only
used as signal of possible memory pressure.
Possible problems:
If this performance counter is critical and other memory
counters are good, it is possible that there are no problems
with memory.
Remediation:
Check other memory counters. If they have critical values, you
may try to install additional memory into SQL server.

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l
l
l

Component Name: Name of the listed component.

Process Name: Name of the listed process and its IDvalue.
CPU Load: Percentage of the CPU that the listed process/service is currently using.
Memory Used: Memory currently being used by the listed process/service.
l Physical: RAM currently being used by the listed process/service.
l Virtual: Virtual memory currently being used by the listed process/service.
IOPS: Current amount of Input/Output data being processed per second.

Sessions
This resource displays the current number of sessions.
Sessions include both connections and internal background processes like ghost
cleanup , checkpoint, and so on. There is a close correlation between
connections and sessions, but they are not necessarily the same.
The icons of the listed performance counters in the Statistic Name column will
change color to reflect the listed counter's current state. Clicking any performance
counter in the Statistic Name column will take you to the Performance Counter
Details page for that counter.
If the value of a listed performance counter approaches or crosses the Warning
threshold, a yellow band will appear for the listed counter allowing plotted values
that cross the threshold to easily be visualized against the yellow band. If the
value of a listed performance counter approaches or crosses the Critical
threshold, a red band will appear for the listed counter allowing plotted values that
cross the threshold to easily be visualized against the red band. Hovering over
any time period within the chart will display detailed information about that time
period in the tooltip. Hovering over a counter will give you detailed information
about that performance counter.

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Counter

Expert Knowledge

Active
Definition:
Sessions A current connection that is actively processing.
Information:
To find information about an active session, Use Sp_Who2 Active
or Sys.Dm_Exec_Sessions (Available in SQL 2005 or greater).
Possible problems:
Blocking session.
Remediation:
Wait until blocking clears or kill the session. If killed, the process
would roll back changes. If there are many changes, it could take a
while to roll-back.
Inactive
Definition:
Sessions A current connection that is not currently processing.
Information:
To find information about an inactive sessions, use Sp_Who2.
Possible problems:
Blocking session.

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Remediation:
Kill the session if blocking a process needs to finish. If killed, the
process would roll back changes. If there are many changes, it
could take a while to roll-back.
System
Definition:
Sessions A System initiated connection.
Information:
Normally these numbers are less than 50.
Possible problems:
Blocking session.
Remediation:
Do not kill system sessions.
User
Definition:
Sessions A user initiated connection.
Information:
Normally these numbers are greater than 50.
Possible problems:
Blocking session.
Remediation:
Kill the session if blocking a process needs to finish. If killed, the
process will roll back changes. If there are many changes, it could
take a while to roll-back.

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Note: The Value from Last Poll column shows the most recent data available for
the listed statistic.
SQL Agent Job Status
The SQL Agent is a Microsoft Windows service that executes scheduled
administrative tasks known as "jobs" in SQL Server. This resource shows the
status and details of these jobs.
The data can be sorted by clicking the headers of each column.

l
l
l
l

Job Name: Displays the name of the listed job.

Last Run: Displays the date and time the listed job was last run.
Duration: Displays the amount of time the listed job took to complete.
Outcome: Displays the result from having run the listed job.

SQL Agent Job information is used to provide metrics for this resource and cannot
be edited.
SQL Errors
This resource displays SQL events that have occurred on the current SQL
instance. The data can be sorted by clicking the headers of each column.

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l
l

Date/Time: Displays the date and time that the error occurred.
Error Message: Displays the error message that occurred at the listed date
and time.

SQL Event Log Message Details

This resource displays the SQL event log messages while providing a search
window and a filter. The filter allows you to choose which types of log messages
you want to display. The data can be sorted by clicking the headers of each
column. This resource shows only Error and Warning events specific to the
monitored SQL instance.
Note: The filter, Information, will not list any events. This is by design and is an
accidental by-product of an earlier resource that was implemented.

Paging controls are located at the bottom of the resource, allowing you to
navigate through all data available for this resource. Respectively, the controls
are: Fist Page, Previous Page, Page Number, Next Page, and Last Page.
Clicking any event message in the list will open a new window, displaying the
entire message, as shown below:

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AppInsight for SQL Details View (Summary Tab)

SQL Server
This resource shows the status of SQL server counters that warrant a view
independent of grouped resources.
The icons of the listed performance counters in the Statistic Name column will
change color to reflect the listed counter's current state. Clicking any performance
counter in the Statistic Name column will take you to the Performance Counter
Details page for that counter.
If the value of a listed performance counter approaches or crosses the Warning
threshold, a yellow band will appear for the listed counter allowing plotted values
that cross the threshold to easily be visualized against the yellow band. If the
value of a listed performance counter approaches or crosses the Critical
threshold, a red band will appear for the listed counter allowing plotted values that
cross the threshold to easily be visualized against the red band. Hovering over
any time period within the chart will display detailed information about that time
period in the tooltip. Hovering over a counter will give you detailed information
about that performance counter.

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Counter

Expert Knowledge

Batch
Requests/sec

Definition:
This performance counter returns the number of Batch
Requests that SQL Server receives per second.
Information:
The values this monitor returns generally follows in step
as to how busy your server's CPUs are. From a network
bottleneck approach, a typical 100Mbs network card is
only able to handle about 3,000 batch requests per
second.
Possible problems:
Generally speaking, over 1,000 batch requests per
second indicates a very busy SQL Server. If this is the
case, you may soon experience a CPU bottleneck, if
you are not already. Of course, this is a relative number,
and the more powerful your hardware, the more batch
requests per second your SQL Server can handle.
Sometimes low Batch Requests/Sec can be
misleading. If there were a SQL Statements/sec
counter, this would be a more accurate measure of the
amount of SQL Server activity. For example, an
application may call only a few stored procedures, yet
each stored procedure does a great deal of work. In this
case, we will see a low number for Batch Requests/sec,
but each stored procedure (one batch) will execute
many SQL statements that drive up CPU and other
resources. As a result, many counter thresholds based
on the number of Batch Requests/sec will seem to
identify issues because the batch requests on such a
server are unusually low for the level of activity on the
server.
Remediation:
Check your SQL server and verify system resources are
being used efficiently. Applications other than SQL may

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be using unnecessary system resources. Try and

recover memory by closing unnecessary applications.
Installing additional memory and upgrading your
hardware should solve this problem.
SQL
Compilations/sec

Definition:
This performance counter returns the number of times
per second that SQL Server compilations have
occurred.
Information:
This value should be as low as possible.
Possible problems:
If you see a high value, say above 100, then this can be
an indication that there are a great deal of ad hoc
queries that are running which may cause increased
CPU usage.
Remediation:
Re-write the running ad hoc queries as stored
procedures or use the following command: sp_
executeSQL.

SQL
Definition:
Recompilations/sec This performance counter returns the number of SQL
statement recompiles that are triggered per second.
Information:
When an execution plan is invalidated due to some
significant event, SQL Server will re-compile it. Recompiles, like compiles, are expensive operations so
you want to minimize the number of re-compiles. Ideally
you want to keep this counter less than 10% of the
number of Compilations/Sec. In other words, keep this
value as low a possible.
In SQL Server 2000, when SQL Server recompiles a
stored procedure, the entire stored procedure is

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recompiled, not just the statement that triggered the

recompilation. In SQL Server 2008 and SQL Server
2005 SP3, the behavior is changed to statement-level
recompilation of stored procedures. When SQL Server
2008 or SQL Server 2005 SP3 recompiles stored
procedures, only the statement that caused the
recompilation is compiled, not the entire procedure.
This uses less CPU bandwidth and results in less
contention on lock resources such asCompilelocks.
Possible problems:
Returned values that are high can indicate deadlocks
and compile locks that are not compatible with any
locking type.
Remediation:
Recompilation can happen for various reasons, such
as:Schema changed; Statistics changed; Deferred
compile; Set option changed; Temporary table
changed;Stored procedurecreated with the
Recompilequery hintor using theOption(Recompile).
l

If the recompile occurred because aSetoption

changed, use SQL Server Profiler to determine
whichSetoption changed. Avoid
changingSetoptions within stored procedures. It
is better to set them at the connection level.
Ensure thatSetoptions are not changed during
the lifetime of the connection.
Recompilation thresholds for temporary tables are
lower than for normal tables. If the recompiles on
a temporary table are due to statistics changes,
you can change the temporary tables to table variables. A change in thecardinalityof a table variable does not cause a recompilation. The
drawback of this approach is that the query optimizer does not keep track of a table variables cardinality because statistics are not created or
maintained on table variables. This can result in

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non-optimal query plans. Test the different options

and choose the best one.
Another option is to use theKeep Planquery hint.
This sets the threshold of temporary tables to be
the same as that of permanent tables.
TheEventSubclasscolumn indicates that Statistics Changed for an operation on a temporary
table.
To avoid recompilations that are due to changes
in statistics (for example, when the plan becomes
suboptimal due to change in the data statistics),
specify theKeepFixed Planquery hint. With this
option in effect, recompilations can only happen
because of correctness-related reasons (for
example, when the underlying table structure has
changed and the plan no longer applies) and not
due to statistics. An example might be when a
recompilation occurs if the schema of a table that
is referenced by a statement changes, or if a table
is marked with the sp_recompile stored procedure.
Turning off the automatic updates of statistics for
indexes and statistics that are defined on a table
or indexed view prevents recompiles that are due
to statistics changes on that object. Note, however, that turning off theAuto-Statsfeature by
using this method is usually not a good idea. This
is because the query optimizer is no longer sensitive to data changes in those objects and suboptimal query plans might result. Use this method
only as a last resort after exhausting all other
alternatives.
Batches should have qualified object names (for
example,dbo.Table1) to avoid recompilation and
to avoid ambiguity between objects.
To avoid recompiles that are due to deferred compiles, do not interleaveDMLandDDLor create
theDDLfrom conditional constructs such

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Auto-Param
Attempts/sec:

asIfstatements.
Run Database Engine Tuning Advisor (DTA) to
see if any indexing changes improve the compile
time and the execution time of the query.
Check to see if the stored procedure was created
with theWith Recompileoption or if
theRecompilequery hint was used. If a procedure was created with theWith
Recompileoption, in SQL Server 2005 SP3, you
may be able to take advantage of the statement
levelRecompilehint if a particular statement
within that procedure needs to be recompiled.
This would avoid the necessity of recompiling the
whole procedure each time it executes, while at
the same time allowing the individual statement to
be compiled.

Definition:
This monitor returns the number of autoparameterization attempts per second.
Information:
The total for this monitor should be the sum of the
failed, safe, and unsafe auto-parameterizations. Autoparameterization occurs when an instance of SQL
Server tries to parameterize a Transact-SQL request by
replacing some literals with parameters so that reuse of
the resulting cached execution plan across multiple
similar-looking requests is possible. Note that autoparameterizations are also known as simple
parameterizations in newer versions of SQL Server.
This counter does not include forced parameterizations.
Possible problems:
Bad T-SQL coding practices can increase
recompilation frequency and adversely affect SQL
Server's performance. Such situations can be
debugged and corrected in many cases.

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Longest
Transaction
Running Time

Definition:
The performance counter displays the length of time, in
seconds, the transaction that has been running the
longest, has been active.
Information:
Transactions that run longer than others use more
resources. They can be used to track down procedures
and calls that are taking longer than expected by
identifying the specific transaction(s).
Possible problems:
Long running transactions can prevent truncation of
transaction logs. This can cause the transaction log
files to grow until they consume all available physical
disk space shutting down access to the database.
Remediation:
Check the functionality of the query and/or redesign the
long running transaction.

Failed AutoParams/sec

Definition:
This monitor returns the number of failed autoparameterization attempts per second.
Information:
The value returned by this monitor should be low. Note
that auto-parameterizations are also known as simple
parameterizations in later versions of SQL Server.
Preferred values should be near zero.
Possible problems:
Bad T-SQL coding practices can increase
recompilation frequency and adversely affect SQL
Server's performance. Such situations can be
debugged and corrected in many cases.

Full Scans/sec

Definition:
This performance counter returns the number of Full
Scans on base tables or indexes.

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Information:
This is the number of unrestricted full scans per second.
These can be either base-table or full-index scans.
Possible problems:
Values greater than 1 or 2 indicate table/Index page
scans are occurring. If the CPU is running high, you
should investigate the cause as related to this counter
measurement. You can rule this out as a problem if the
full scans are on small tables.
Remediation:
Following are a few of the main causes of high Full
Scans/sec:
l
l

Range Scans/sec

Missing indexes
Too many rows requested; Queries with missing
indexes or too many rows requested will have a
large number of logical reads and an increased
CPU time.
Scans are IO-intensive and should run within your
databases minimally. Identify the tables that have
a large number of scans against them. Review the
fill factor you have set up on your indexes and minimize it where appropriate.

Definition:
This performance counter returns the number of
Qualified Range Scans through indexes per second.
Information:
This monitor returns the number of qualified range
scans through indexes per second.

Plan Re-Use

Definition:
A query plan is used to execute a query.
Information:
Plan re-use is desirable forOLTPworkloads because
re-creating the same plan (for similar or identical

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transactions) is a waste of CPU resources.

Possible problems:
Zero cost plans will not be cached (not re-used) in SQL
2005 SP2. Applications that use zero cost plans will
have a lower plan re-use but this is not a performance
issue.
Remediation:
Review your plan re-use design. Tune your plan re-use
design as it is described in the following
article:http://sqlmag.com/sql-server/fine-tuning-planreuse.
Probe Scans/sec

Definition:
This performance counter returns the number of Probe
Scans, per second, that are used to find at most, one
single qualified row in an index or base table directly.
Information:
There are no thresholds associated with this
performance counter.

Recompilations/
Compilations

Definition:
This performance counter shows the ratio of SQL
Recompilations to SQL Compilations.
Information:
SQL Recompilations should be less than 10% of SQL
Compilations.
Possible problems:
Returned values that are high can indicate more
temporary tables in use.
Remediation:
Change stored procedures to not change schemas,
Use table variables instead of temporary tables

Compilations/
Definition:
Recompilations/sec Monitoring the number of query compilations and

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recompilations and the number of batches received by

an instance of SQL Server gives you an indication of
how quickly SQL Server is processing user queries and
how effectively the query optimizer is processing the
queries.
Information:
Compilation is a significant part of a query's turnaround
time. In order to save the compilation cost, the
Database Engine saves the compiled query plan in a
query cache. The objective of the cache is to reduce
compilation by storing compiled queries for later reuse,
therefore ending the requirement to recompile queries
when later executed. However, each unique query must
be compiled at least one time.
Compilations/sec divided by 10 minus
recompilations/sec.
Possible problems:
Query recompilations can be caused by the following
factors:
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Schema changes, including base schema

changes such as adding columns or indexes to a
table, or statistics schema changes such as inserting or deleting a significant number of rows from a
table.
Environment (Set statement) changes. Changes
in session settings such as Ansi_Padding or
Ansi_Nulls can cause a query to be recompiled.

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Note: The Value from Last Poll column shows the most recent data available for
the listed statistic.
Top 10 Databases by Active User Connections
This resource graphically shows the number of users per database for the top 10
most active databases. The colors of the chart correspond to the labels in the
legend, which indicate the most active databases.

The performance counter, Top Active Sessions with Statistics, is used to

provide metrics for this resource and cannot be edited.
Expanding the tree by clicking [+] will provide details about the users, host, length
of connection and idle time, as well as the number of bytes transferred during that
time.

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Top 10 Most Expensive Queries by CPU Time
This resource displays the top 10 most expensive queries sorted by the length of
time the CPU spent processing the listed query.
When viewing this resource from the Summary tab on the Application Details
page, queries are listed for the entire SQL Server instance. Conversely, when this
same resource appears on the Database Details view, queries are only listed for
that specific database.
The data can be sorted by clicking the headers of each column. Additionally, this
resource can optionally show Top Queries by I/O by clicking Edit in this resource
and making the necessary adjustments.
Note: The resource is filtered based on the settings found on the Queries tab in
Details view in the Most Expensive Queries resource.

Query Text: The text shown is a preview of the full query. To view an entire
query in the list, click [+] next to the query listed to expand and view the
query.
Note: Clicking any listed query will take you to the Most Expensive Queries
resource on the Queries tab, providing greater detail about the query.

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CPU Time: Display the time, in milliseconds, the listed query took to complete.
Database: Displays the database with which the listed query is associated.
The icon in this column shows the current state of the listed database.

The performance counter, Top Expensive Queries, is used to provide metrics for
this resource and cannot be edited.

AppInsight for SQL Details View (Queries Tab)

The Queries tab provides detailed insight into the most expensive queries
running on your SQL instance.
The performance counter, Top Expensive Queries, is used to provide metrics for
this resource and cannot be edited.
Most Expensive Queries
This resource provides detailed insight into the most expensive queries running
on your SQL database. Queries for this view can be filtered by Time, Host,
Database, and Login using the filter drop down menus at the top of the window.
Note: The filters used here will also be applied to the Top 10 Most Expensive
Queries by CPU Time resource found on the Summary tab in the Details view.
To view an entire query in the list, hover the mouse over a query, or click [+] next
to the query listed to expand and view the query.
The data can be sorted by clicking the headers of each column.
Note: This resource will be empty when polling of queries is disabled.

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Query Text: The text shown is a preview of the full query. To view an entire
query in the list, click [+] next to the query listed to expand and view the
query.
SPID: Server Process ID of the listed query.
Plan Count: Displays the number of cached query plans for the listed
query. A large number might indicate a need for explicit query parameterization.
Executions: Displays the number of times the listed query was executed.
CPU Time: Displays the amount of time, in milliseconds, that the listed
query took to complete.
Phys. Read: This field returns the number of physical reads. Physical reads
are reads that require reading directly from disk. Physical reads are substantially slower than reading from the cache or from RAM.
Logical Reads: Displays the number of times data was read from the
cache.
Logical Writes: Displays the number of times data was written to the cache.
Average Duration: This displays the length of time it took, in milliseconds,
to execute the listed query averaged by the number of executions.
Bytes Transferred: Number of bytes transferred during the query.
Login: Displays the current login information for the listed database.
Host: Displays the host for the listed database.
Database: Displays the current name for the listed database. Clicking any
database in the list will take you to the Database Details page.

Database Details View

The Database Details view provides a great deal of information about the current
database and can be accessed by clicking any listed database.
Important: A high number of databases monitored on a single SQL instance
using AppInsight for SQL can cause job timeout issues. To alleviate this problem,
try increasing the timeout value. If this does not resolve the issue, reduce the
number of visible databases by granting view permissions to the user account
used for polling only for the databases you want to see.
To navigate to the Database Details view:
1. From the web console, navigate to the AppInsight for SQL Details view.
2. From the All Databases resource, click any database in the list.
The available resources unique to this view include:

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Database Details View

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Active User Connections

Connections
Database Availability
Database Details
Database Disk I/O
Database Size by File
Log Flushes
Processes and Services
Storage
Top 10 Clustered Indexes by Fragmentation
Top 10 Most Expensive Queries by CPU Time
Top 10 Nonclustered Indexes by Fragmentation
Top 10 Tables by Size
Transaction Log Disk I/O
Transaction Log Size by File

Active User Connections

This resource provides detailed information about the active user connections
associated with the database selected. Data can be sorted by clicking the
headers of each column.

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Login: This displays the login information for the listed user connection.
Host: This displays the type of host associated with the listed user connection.
Connection Duration: This displays the length of time the listed user connection has been connected.
Idle Time: This displays the length of time the listed user connection has
been idle.
Bytes Transferred: This displays the number of bytes transferred for the listed user connection.

The performance counter, Top Active Sessions with Statistics, is used to

provide metrics for this resource and cannot be edited.

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Connections
This resource shows the status of your current database connections. The icons
of the listed performance counters in the Statistic Name column will change color
to reflect the listed counter's current state. Clicking any performance counter in the
Statistic Name column will take you to the Performance Counter Details page for
that counter.
If the value of a listed performance counter approaches or crosses the Warning
threshold, a yellow band will appear for the listed counter allowing plotted values
that cross the threshold to easily be visualized against the yellow band. If the
value of a listed performance counter approaches or crosses the Critical
threshold, a red band will appear for the listed counter allowing plotted values that
cross the threshold to easily be visualized against the red band. Hovering over
any time period within the chart will display detailed information about that time
period in the tooltip. Hovering over a counter will give you detailed information
about that performance counter.

Counter

Expert Knowledge

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Database Details View

understand your baseline user connection numbers. Since

each user connection consumes some memory space, a high
number of user connections can impact throughput and cause
a performance slow-down. Once you have an idea of your high
and low thresholds during normal usage of your system, you
can then look for times when this counter exceeds these high
and low marks.
Possible problems:
If the returned value of this performance counter goes down
and the load on the system remains stable, you might have a
bottleneck that is not allowing your server to handle the normal
load. Keep in mind that this counter value might go down just
because less people are using your SQL Server instance. If
you see this number jump by 500% from your baseline, you
may be seeing a slowdown of your server activity.
Remediation:
You may want to boost the SQL Server configuration setting,
Maximum Worker Threads to a figure higher than the default
setting of 255. The setting for Maximum Worker Threads
should be higher than the maximum number of user
connections your server ever reaches.
Logins/sec

Definition:
This performance counter returns the total number of logins
started, per second, and does not include pooled connections.
Information:
Opening and closing connections is an expensive process. A
pooled connection is one which is kept open by an application
for other requests to re-use.
Possible problems:
If the returned value is high, this can indicate that the
application is not correctly using connection pooling.
Remediation:

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Review the Connection Polling configuration.

Logout/sec

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Database Details View

Clicking the Edit button will allow you to change the default zoom range, the
amount of historical data loaded, and set the sample interval time period, as well
as reveal the Advanced section. Expanding the Advanced section will allow you
to change the defaults of the titles from macros to anything you want.
Zooming
You can have the chart show a predetermined, hourly time period of data by
clicking on any one of the three Zoom buttons; 1h, 12h, or 24h. Alternatively, you
can have the chart show a specific time range by dragging the mouse over a
small area of the chart.
Once you have a time period selected, the lower chart will zoom to the starting
and ending values of the selected time period. With the lower chart you can zoom
in further by fine tuning the view with the sliders. The main view of the chart will
display the selected time period between the two sliders of the lower chart.
Moving the mouse over the main chart will reveal a tooltip with more detailed
information about the specific time period the mouse is hovering over.

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Database Details
This resource provides tools and details concerning the current database.

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Management: This provides tools allowing you to more easily manage

and troubleshoot the current application.
Database Name: Displays the name of the current database.
Performance Status: Displays the status of the current database.
Operational State: Displays whether or not the database is currently
online.
Recovery Model: Will display the type of recovery model employed on the
listed database. This can be either, Simple, Full, or Bulk-Logged. For more
information, refer to the following MSDN article: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms175987(v=sql.105).aspx
Collation: Displays the method of sorting used by the database. (In the
above image, Latin1 means the server treats strings using Charset Latin 1,
i.e. ASCII. CI means Case Insensitive. AS means Accent Sensitive (''
does not equal 'u')).
Compatibility Level: Displays the compatibility level of the current database. The value displayed in this field correlates to the bulleted table
below:
o 60 = SQL Server 6.0
o 65 = SQL Server 6.5
o 70 = SQL Server 7.0
o 80 = SQL Server 2000
o 90 = SQL Server 2005
o 100 = SQL Server 2008
o 110= SQL Server 2012
Last Backup: Displays the date and time of the last successful backup for
the current database.

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Database Details View

High Availability Group: Displays the database mirroring status and

details of the mirrored database, if available.

Database Disk I/O

This resource displays the status, as well as I/O metrics, for your current database
file. The icons of the listed performance counters in the Statistic Name column will
change to reflect the listed counter's current state. Clicking any volume in the
Volume column will take you to the Volume Details page for that counter.
The data can be sorted by clicking the headers of each column.

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File Path: Displays the full path of the listed database.

Volume: Displays the name of the volume of the current database. Clicking
a listed volume will take you to the Volume Details page.
Disk Queue Length: This is the number of both read and write requests
that were queued for the selected disk during the sample interval.
Total IOPS: Displays the current total read and write I/O operations occurring for the database logical volume. High I/O may be normal for some databases, but excessively high I/O will lead to higher queue lengths, meaning
there are more requests for disk reads or writes than the storage subsystem
can handle simultaneously.
Latency: Displays a measurement of disk latency occurring on the disk
where the database resides. High latency values indicate sluggish database performance

The performance counter, Database Files, is used to provide metrics for this
resource. It is used in combination with volume polling. This counter is not listed
in the resource; however, the thresholds can be changed.
To change the thresholds for the Database Files performance counter:
1. From the Database Details view, locate the Database Files resource and
click Edit in the Management field.

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2. Locate the Database Files performance counter and click [+] to expand the
counter and reveal the counter details.

3. Click Override Template and adjust the thresholds to suit your needs.
4. When done, click Submit.
Database Size by File
This resource lists the current databases sorted by file size. Moving the mouse
over the Database Usage percent value will reveal a tooltip with more detailed
information about that database. Clicking the value will take you to the Custom
Chart resource page. If the Warning or Critical thresholds is breached, the color of
the bar chart will change from green to yellow or red, respectively.

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File Path: Displays the full path of the listed database.

Auto-Growth: Displays the Auto-growth status of the listed database.

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File Size: Displays the size of the listed database in megabytes.

Database Usage: Depending on how your database is configured, this
value is showing you how close you are to running out of space. If your database is configured as a fixed size, auto-grow, or a restricted auto-grow, the
percentages relate to what is going to cause your database to run out of
space.
Volume Usage: The value returned is the database file usage in relation to
the space remaining on the volume.

Database Files, is used to provide metrics for this resource. This counter is not
listed in the resource; however, the thresholds can be changed.
To change the thresholds for the Database Files performance counter:
1. From the Database Details view, locate the Database Files resource and
click Edit in the Management field.

2. Locate the Database Files performance counter and click [+] to expand the
counter and reveal the counter details.

3. Click Override Template and adjust the thresholds to suit your needs.
4. When done, click Submit.
Log Flushes
This resource contains monitors specific to the current status of log flushes for the
current database. The icons of the listed performance counters in the Statistic
Name column will change color to reflect the listed counter's current state.

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Clicking any performance counter in the Statistic Name column will take you to
the Performance Counter Details page for that counter.
If the value of a listed performance counter approaches or crosses the Warning
threshold, a yellow band will appear for the listed counter allowing plotted values
that cross the threshold to easily be visualized against the yellow band. If the
value of a listed performance counter approaches or crosses the Critical
threshold, a red band will appear for the listed counter allowing plotted values that
cross the threshold to easily be visualized against the red band. Hovering over
any time period within the chart will display detailed information about that time
period in the tooltip. Hovering over a counter will give you detailed information
about that performance counter.

Counter

Expert Knowledge

Log Bytes
Definition:
Flushed/sec This performance counter shows the average log bytes flushed
per second for the current database since the last data point.
Information:
The value returned helps identify trends of the transaction log. A
log flush happens when data is written from the log cache to the
transaction log on disk, each time a transaction happens.
Note: This is not available in SQL 2012.
Possible problems:
The rate at which log records are written to the disk. This is the

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Database Details View

log generation rate of the application. It plays a very important

role in determining database mirroring performance. This
counter is in the Databases performance object.
Log Bytes Flushed/sec can indicate many small transactions
leading to high mechanical disk activity.
Remediation:
Look at the statements associated with the log flush and
determine if the number of log flushes can be reduced. When a
single transaction is used, the log records for the transaction
can be bundled and a single, larger write can be used to flush
the gathered log records. The mechanical intervention is
significantly reduced. It is not recommended that you increase
your transaction scope. Long-running transactions can lead to
excessive and unwanted blocking as well as increased
overhead.
Log
Flushes/sec

Definition:
This performance counter returns the number of log flushes per
second, averaged since the last collection time.
Information:
A log flush happens when a transaction is committed and data
is written from the log cache to the transaction log file. The log
cache is a location in memory where SQL Server stores data to
be written to the log file. This is used to roll back a transaction
before it is committed. Once complete, the log cache is flushed
to the physical log file on the disk. Generally speaking, log
flushes per second should parallel the number of transactions
per second.
Possible problems:
If the returned value is higher than expected, check your use of
explicit transactions in your queries.
Remediation:
Explicitly define the start and end of your transactions. This
should reduce the number of log flushes, and reduce the impact
on I/O. Also check the Log Bytes Flushed/Sec monitor.

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Log Flush
Waits/sec

Definition:
This performance counter returns the number of commits, per
second, waiting for the log flush.
Information:
This value should be as low as possible.
Possible problems:
A high number of Log Flush Waits can indicate that it is taking
longer than normal to flush the transaction log cache. This will
slow the performance of your SQL Server.
Remediation:
Check the value of the Disk avg. Write time monitor. If the
returned value is greater than 5ms, then this can indicate that
there is an I/O bottleneck. Move your transaction log file to a
disk drive separate from your data files. This should increase
performance since there is no access competition on the same
disk. Consider upgrading to RAID 10 for transaction log
storage. Also, adding spindles to your RAID array should
increase performance.

Log Flush
Wait Time

Definition:
This performance counter returns the total wait time (in
milliseconds) to flush the log to the transaction log file.
Information:
On an AlwaysOn secondary database, this value indicates the
wait time for log records to be hardened to disk.

Percent Log Definition:

Used
This performance counter returns the percentage of space in
the log that is in use.
Information:
This is thesize of thetransaction log thatactively contains data
in relation to the total physical size on disk of thelog file.
Possible problems:
If the log file is 100% used, it will attempt to increase its size. If

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Database Details View

there is not sufficient disk space to accommodate the growth,

the database will stop functioning.
Remediation:
Perform a transaction log backup to truncate the log.

Zooming
You can have the chart show a predetermined time period of data by clicking on
any one of the three Zoom buttons in the head of the Zoom column. Alternatively,
you can have the chart show a specific date range by dragging the mouse over an
area of the chart. The time and date displayed at the top of the resource shows
the amount of data currently loaded into the chart. This can be changed by
clicking Edit from within the resource.
Note: The Value from Last Poll column shows the most recent data available for
the listed statistic.
Storage
This resource contains monitors specific to the current storage status of the
current database. The icons of the listed performance counters in the Statistic
Name column will change color to reflect the listed counter's current state.
Clicking any performance counter in the Statistic Name column will take you to
the Performance Counter Details page for that counter.
If the value of a listed performance counter approaches or crosses the Warning
threshold, a yellow band will appear for the listed counter allowing plotted values
that cross the threshold to easily be visualized against the yellow band. If the
value of a listed performance counter approaches or crosses the Critical
threshold, a red band will appear for the listed counter allowing plotted values that
cross the threshold to easily be visualized against the red band. Hovering over
any time period within the chart will display detailed information about that time
period in the tooltip. Hovering over a counter will give you detailed information
about that performance counter.

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Counter

Expert Knowledge

Backup/
Definition:
Restore
This performance counter shows the Read/Write throughput
Throughput/sec for backup and restore operations of a database per
second.
Information:
You can measure how the performance of the database
backup operation changes when more backup devices are
used in parallel, or when faster devices are used.
Throughput of a database backup or restore operation
allows you to determine the progress and performance of
your backup and restore operations. There are no
thresholds associated with this performance counter.
Log Cache
Reads/sec

Definition:
This performance counter returns the amount of Reads
performed per second through the Log Manager cache.

Total Size

Definition:
This performance counter returns the total size of the
database including white space.
Possible problems:
Running out of storage space.

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Remediation:
Shrink the database if free space is running low.
Log File(s) Size

Definition:
This performance counter shows the cumulative size (in
kilobytes) of all the transaction log files in the database.
Information:
Every transaction in the database is logged to the
Transaction log. This is useful during recovery in the event
of data loss. Information about the log file is shown under
theFilessection of the Database Overview page in SQL
Server Management Studio.
The size of this file is based on the logging level set for the
database. By default, a new database uses Full Recovery
Mode or the recovery mode that the model database is set
up as. Transactions in the log file are only removed when a
complete backup or transaction log backup is initiated. This
enables pinpoint recovery for critical applications. Be aware
that if the transaction log is not backed up on a regular
basis, the log will grow until your disk is completely full. The
transaction log should be adjusted to a reasonable size.
This will depend on the number of transactions you expect,
and how often you perform backups.
Set the correct Autogrowth properties: The default of 10%
Autogrowth for data and log files should be enough for low
use databases. Conversely, a 500 MB Autogrowth rate may
be better suited for a busy database, preventing a large I/O
impact caused by normal Autogrowth operations.
Possible problems:
If the returned value occasionally drops to zero, this can
indicate a problem with the following file: sys.master_files.
This file is what the SQL Monitor uses to collect data.
Note: With Simple Recovery Model, fast writing to the
transaction log will trigger Autogrowth.
Remediation:

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If you are performing a insert operation, you should

consider switching the recovery model to Bulk Logged for
the insert.
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If you do not need pinpoint recovery, it is recommended you switch to Simple Recovery model.
If your database is configured with the Full or Bulk
Logged recovery model, back up the log on a regular
basis so it can be truncated to free up log space.

Note: This action removes inactive virtual log files, but

does not reduce the file size.
Data File(s) Size

Definition:
This performance counter shows the cumulative size (in
kilobytes) of all the data files in the database including any
automatic growth.
Information:
Monitoring this counter is useful for determining the correct
size of tempdb. The value returned from this monitor reports
the size of your database (not including the Transaction
log). Information about distinct primary data files and
secondary data files is shown under theFiles section of the
Database Overview page in SQL Server Management
Studio.
Having a file size increase on demand is expensive and
will degrade performance significantly. Autogrowth should
only be used to let a database increase in size if you are
running out of disk space. Autogrowth should not be used
to manage your MDF size increases. Data files should be
sized properly when they are initially created to meet the
expected growth. This also helps avoid fragmentation,
which leads to better database performance.
Possible problems:
Be wary of large and unusual increases to the size of your
data files. Generally speaking, your database should be
sized to minimize Autogrowth. An increase in size is
expensive concerning I/O. Additionally, this will fragment

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Database Details View

your data and log files. If the returned value occasionally

drops to zero, this can indicate a problem with the following
file: sys.master_files. This file is what the SQL Monitor uses
to collect data.
Remediation:
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Shrink Space

Ensure that Full Recovery Mode is used for your databases and that you regularly backup everything,
including the transaction log.
Manually add space as data increases in size. It is
recommended that you have approximately one year
of space available for data growth. If this is not possible, move the database to a higher capacity drive or
simply upgrade the drive.
Note:Compressing files causes fragmentation and is
therefore not recommended.

Definition:
This is essentially the white space in the database that can
be reclaimed by compacting/shrinking the database.
Information:
Shrinking data files recovers space by moving pages of
data from the end of the file to unoccupied space closer to
the front of the file. When enough free space is created at
the end of the file, data pages at end of the file can deallocated and returned to the file system.
Possible problems:
Data that is moved to shrink a file can be scattered to any
available location in the file. This causes index
fragmentation and can slow the performance of queries that
search a range of the index.
Remediation:
To eliminate the fragmentation, consider rebuilding the
indexes on the file after shrinking.

Average
Bytes/Read

Definition:
Perfmon captures the total number of bytes sent to the disk

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(write) and retrieved from the disk (read) over a period of

one second.
Information:
The Disk Read Bytes/sec and the Disk Write Bytes/sec
performance counters break down the results displaying
only read bytes or only write bytes, respectively.
Average
Bytes/Write

Definition:
Perfmon captures the total number of bytes sent to the disk
(write) and retrieved from the disk (read) over a period of
one second.
Information:
The Disk Read Bytes/sec and the Disk Write Bytes/sec
performance counters break down the results displaying
only read bytes or only write bytes, respectively.

Average Read
Latency

Definition:
This performance counter indicates the response time of
the disk how long it takes for a read request to get
acknowledged by the disk.
Information:
The average read latency should be less than 20ms for
database files.

Average Write
Latency

Definition:
Avg. Disk sec/Write is the average time, in seconds, to write
data to the disk.
Information:
This analysis determines if any of the physical disks are
responding slowly.
Possible problems:
If the response times are greater than .015 (15
milliseconds), then the disk subsystem is keeping up with
demand, but does not have much overhead left.
If the response times are greater than .025 (25
milliseconds), then noticeable slow-downs and

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performance issues affecting users may be occurring.

Forwarded
Records/sec

Definition:
This performance counter returns the number of records per
second fetched through forwarded record pointers.
Information:
Heaps have one interesting feature - forwarded records. If a
record needs to be updated and the updated record size is
greater than the current record size, and there is no space
on the page to fit the new record in, then we have two
options:
1. Move the record to a new page and change all the
non-clustered index records that point to it to point to
the new location of the record.
2. Move the record to a new page and leave a forwarding record in the original location to point to the
new location.
Possible problems:
This is one drawback of using heaps - all the extra space
that is wasted with the Forwarding/Forwarded Records.
Another drawback is that when scanning through the heap,
forwarding records have to be followed immediately (as
opposed to ignoring them and just reading the forwarded
records when they are encountered). This is to vastly
reduce the possibility of read anomalies such as nonrepeatable reads or missed rows if a row moves before the
scan point during a scan.
Remediation:
Once a data table (heap) includes forward pointers, there is
only one way to get rid of them : Table Reorg. There are a
few options to do this:
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on the data table and drop it again.
To avoid forward pointers entirely, create a clustered
index from the beginning. A clustered index keeps the

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data rows in its leaf node level. Therefore the data is

always sorted according to the index keys and forward pointers will not be used. This is like a continuous online Reorg in this regard.
Log Cache
Reads/sec

Definition:
This performance counter displays the number of Reads
performed per second through the Log Manager cache.
Information:
There are no thresholds associated with this performance
counter.

Log Cache Hit

Ratio

Definition:
This performance counter returns the percentage of Log
cache reads satisfied from the Log cache.
Information:
The log cache is used to hold information that will be
written to the transaction log. There are no thresholds
associated with this performance counter.

Number of
Reads/sec

Definition:
This performance counter returns the number of physical
database page reads issued per second.
Information:
This statistic displays the total number of physical page
reads across all databases. 80 to 90 per second is normal.
Anything that is above 90 indicates indexing or memory
constraint.
Possible problems:
Because physical I/O is expensive, you may be able to
minimize the cost, either by using a larger data cache,
intelligent indexes, and more efficient queries, or by
changing the database design.
Remediation:
Attempt to tune the application so that fewer I/O operations

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Database Details View

are required. For example, perhaps I/O would be reduced if

there were appropriate indexes or if the database design
were de-normalized. If the applications cannot be tuned,
you will need to acquire disk devices with more capacity.
Compare to the Memory: Pages/sec performance counter to
see if there is paging while the SQL Server:Buffer
Manager\Page reads/sec is high. Note: Before adjusting the
fill factor, at a database level, compare the SQL
Server:Buffer Manager\Page reads/sec performance
counter to the SQL Server:Buffer Manager\Page writes/sec
counter, and use the fill factor option only if writes are a
substantial fraction of reads (greater than 30 percent).
Number of
Writes/sec

Definition:
This performance counter returns the number of data pages
written per second.
Information:
Page writes per second are the total number of physical
writes, including checkpoint writes, lazy writer writes, and
large block writes done during index creation or bulk copy
operations.
Possible problems:
If Page Writes/sec is high, this might indicate a SQL Server
performance issue.
Remediation:
If these values are high, you can try to reduce the values by
tuning your application or database to reduce I/O
operations such as index coverage, better indexes,
normalization, increasing the I/O capacity of the hardware,
or by adding memory.

Total Size:
Percent
Change 24 Hrs

Definition:
This value is the same as the value returned by the
performance counter, Total Size but calculated as a
percentage of change over the last 24 hours.
Information:

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This metric allows users to be alerted when the database

experiences sudden growth.
Possible problems:
A database that suddenly changes in size by a high
percentage could be indicative of a problem that should be
investigated.
Zooming
You can have the chart show a predetermined time period of data by clicking on
any one of the three Zoom buttons in the head of the Zoom column. Alternatively,
you can have the chart show a specific date range by dragging the mouse over an
area of the chart. The time and date displayed at the top of the resource shows
the amount of data currently loaded into the chart. This can be changed by
clicking Edit from within the resource.
Note: The Value from Last Poll column shows the most recent data available for
the listed statistic.
Top 10 Clustered Indexes by Fragmentation
A clustered index determines the physical order of data in a table. This resource
displays the clustered indexes with the highest level of fragmentation. If the
Warning or Critical threshold is breached, the color of the bar chart will change
from green to yellow or red, respectively.

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Table Name: Displays the name of the listed table.

Index Name: Displays the name listed index.
Fragmentation: Numerically and graphically displays the percentage of
fragmentation of the listed index.

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Database Details View

The performance counter, Top Indexes for Database, is used to provide metrics
for this resource. This counter is not listed in the resource; however, the
thresholds can be changed.
To change the thresholds for the Top Indexes for Database performance
counter:
1. From the Database Details view, locate the Database Details resource
and click Edit in the Management field.

2. Locate the Top Indexes for Database performance counter and click [+]
to expand the counter and reveal the counter details.

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a. From the web console, navigate to Settings > SAM Settings > Manage Templates.
b. Check the AppInsight for SQL application and click
in the toolbar.
c. Expand the Top Indexes for Database component monitor by clicking [+].
d. Change the value for the field, Number of Records to Retrieve
and then click Submit.

4. To edit the individual application:

a. From the web console, click the Applications tab.
b. From the All Applications resource, click an AppInsight for SQL
application to select it.
.
c. From the Application Details resource, click
d. Expand the Top Indexes for Database component monitor by clicking [+].
e. Click Override Template corresponding to the row, Number of
Records to Retrieve.
f. Change the value for the field, Number of Records to Retrieve
and then click Submit.

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The performance counter, Top Expensive Queries, is used to provide metrics for
this resource and cannot be edited.
Top 10 Nonclustered Indexes by Fragmentation
A non-clustered index is one in which the data rows are not sorted and stored in
order based on their non-clustered keys. This resource displays the non-clustered
indexes with the highest level of fragmentation. If the Warning or Critical
thresholds is breached, the color of the bar chart will change from green to yellow
or red, respectively.

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Table Name: Displays the name of the listed table.

Index Name: Displays the name listed index.
Fragmentation: Numerically and graphically displays the percentage of
fragmentation of the listed index.

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Database Details View

2. Locate the Top Indexes for Database performance counter and click [+]
to expand the counter and reveal the counter details.

3. Click Override Template and adjust the thresholds to suit your needs.
4. When done, click Submit.
To change the number of tables displayed in this resource, values must be
changed in two locations:
1. In the resource, click Edit.
2. Change the value for the field: Maximum Number of Records to Display,
and then click Submit.
3. Edit the application or the template that the application is based on. To edit
the template which will affect applications based on it:
a. From the web console, navigate to Settings > SAM Settings > Manage Templates.
b. Check the AppInsight for SQL application and click
in the toolbar.
c. Expand the Top Indexes for Database component monitor by clicking [+].

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d. Change the value for the field, Number of Records to Retrieve
and then click Submit.

4. To edit the individual application:

Top 10 Tables by Size

This resource displays the current database tables in order based on size. If the
Warning or Critical thresholds is breached, the color of the bar chart will change
from green to yellow or red, respectively.

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Database Details View

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Name: Displays the name of the listed table of the current database.
Size: Displays the size of the listed table of the current database.
% Used by Index: Displays the percentage of the table space used by the
index.
Total Row Count: Displays the total number of rows in the listed table of
the current database.

The performance counter, Top Tables for Database, is used to provide metrics
for this resource. This counter is not listed in the resource; however, the
thresholds can be changed.
To change the thresholds for the Top Tables for Database performance
counter:
1. From the Database Details view, locate the Database Details resource
and click Edit in the Management field.

2. Locate the Top Tables for Database performance counter and click [+] to
expand the counter and reveal the counter details.

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3. Click Override Template and adjust the thresholds to suit your needs.
4. When done, click Submit.

Transaction Log Disk I/O

This resource lists the current status of the transaction log file. The icons of the
Volume column will change to reflect the listed volume's current state. Clicking
the volume will take you to the Volume Details page.

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File Path: Displays the full path where the transaction log file resides.
Volume: Displays the volume where the transaction log file resides. Clicking on the volume name will take you to the Volume Details View.
Disk Queue Length: Displays the current disk queue length for the listed
volume as seen on the Volume Details view. Queue lengths that are high for
a sustained period of time are indicative of disk I/O performance issues that
can negatively impact the database.
Total IOPS: Displays the current total read and write IO operations occurring on the drive where the database or transaction log file resides. High I/O
may be normal for some databases, but excessively high I/O will lead to

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Database Details View

higher queue lengths, meaning there are more requests for disk reads or
writes than the storage subsystem can handle.
Latency: Displays a measurement of disk latency occurring on the disk
where the database or transaction log file resides. High volume latency values indicate sluggish database performance.

2. Locate the Database Files performance counter and click [+] to expand the
counter and reveal the counter details.
3. Click Override Template and adjust the thresholds to suit your needs.
4. When done, click Submit.
Transaction Log Size by File
This resource lists the current status of transaction log files as sorted by size.
Hovering the mouse over a listed percentage will reveal a tooltip with detailed
information about the item listed. Clicking the percentage will take you to the
Database Details page. If the Warning or Critical thresholds is breached, the color
of the bar chart will change from green to yellow or red, respectively.

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File Path: Displays the complete file path of the listed transaction log.
Auto-Growth: Displays the current Auto-growth setting.
File Size: Displays the current size of the listed transaction log.
Database Usage: This resource displays the amount of space consumed
as a percentage of whatever restrictions are in place for the file. For
example:
o If the transaction log is allowed to grow unrestricted, then it is limited
only by the amount of free space on the volume.
o If the transaction log is allowed to grow to a maximum size, the percentage is calculated based on this restricted size limit.
o If the transaction log has a fixed size, the percentage used is calculated based on the total size of the transaction log file and the
amount of remaining white space.
Volume Usage: Displays the amount of space the listed file is consuming
on the volume where it is located.

The performance counter, Database Files, is used to provide metrics for this
resource. This counter is not listed in the resource; however, the thresholds can
be changed.
To change the thresholds for the Database Files performance counter:
1. From the Database Details view, locate the Database Files resource and
click Edit in the Management field.

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Database Details View

2. Locate the Database Files performance counter and click [+] to expand
the counter and reveal the counter details.

3. Click Override Template and adjust the thresholds to suit your needs.
4. When done, click Submit.
Transactions
A transaction is a unit of work that is performed against a database. In other
words, if you are creating a record, for example, then you are performing
transaction on the table. It is important to control transactions to ensure data
integrity and to handle database errors.
This resource contains monitors specific to the current status of transactions. The
icons of the listed performance counters in the Statistic Name column will change
color to reflect the listed counter's current state. Clicking any performance counter
in the Statistic Name column will take you to the Performance Counter Details
page for that counter.
If the value of a listed performance counter approaches or crosses the Warning
threshold, a yellow band will appear for the listed counter allowing plotted values
that cross the threshold to easily be visualized against the yellow band. If the
value of a listed performance counter approaches or crosses the Critical
threshold, a red band will appear for the listed counter allowing plotted values that
cross the threshold to easily be visualized against the red band. Hovering over
any time period within the chart will display detailed information about that time
period in the tooltip. Hovering over a counter will give you detailed information
about that performance counter.

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Counter

Expert Knowledge

Longest
Transaction
Running
Time

Definition:
This performance counter displays the length of time, in
seconds, the transaction that has been running the longest,
has been active.
Information:
Transactions that run longer than others use more resources.
They can be used to track down procedures and calls that are
taking longer than expected by identifying the specific
transaction(s).
Possible problems:
Long running transactions can prevent truncation of
transaction logs. This can cause the transaction log files to
grow until they consume all available physical disk space
shutting down access to the database.
Remediation:
Check the functionality of the query and/or redesign the long
running transaction.

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Database Details View

Transactions/ Definition:
sec
This performance counter returns the number of transactions
started for the database, per second.
Information:
Transaction rate is affected by general system performance
and resource constraints, such as I/O, number of users, cache
size, and the complexity of requests.
Possible problems:
A high rate of transactions can indicate that some transactions
are not completing.
Remediation:
Using stored procedures in transactions speeds transaction
processing because SQL code in stored procedures runs
locally on the server. The transactions can finish much faster
without the network traffic required by the transactions.
Active
Transactions

Definition:
This performance counter returns the number of active
transactions for the database.
Information:
During an active transaction, no other transaction can modify
the data held by the active transaction. While you are
modifying data, an exclusive lock is held on that data.
Conversely, you cannot read data held by another transaction
because another transaction holds an exclusive lock on the
data that prevents it from being read. The returned value for
this monitor should be less than 200.
Possible problems:
A high number of active transactions can indicate that certain
transactions are never completing.
Remediation:
Keeping a low level of active transactions assists in keeping
requested data accessible.

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Repl. Trans.
Rate
(Replication
Transactions
Rate)

Definition:
This performance counter returns the number of transactions
read out of the transaction log and sent to the distribution
database
Information:
SQL Server Overall Replication Performance Analysis
provides a graph of several SQL Server overall replication
performance counters for the specified server during the
specified time period. Performance counter data is averaged
by the hour. The graph displays the following replication
performance counters:
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Bulk Copy
Rows/sec

SQLServer:Databases / Replication Pending Xacts

(SQL Server; Scale=1\100)
SQLServer:Databases / Replication Transaction Rate
(SQL Server; Scale=1\100)
SQLServer Replication Published DB / Replicated
Transactions Per Second

Definition:
This monitor returns the number of rows bulk copied per
second.
Information:
Measure the number of rows coming into the database.
Optimization yields a higher number. See The Data Loading
Performance Guide http://technet.microsoft.com/enus/library/dd425070(v=SQL.100).aspx
Possible problems:
BCP to bulk load data over the network, having the correct
throughput configured is crucial.

Bulk Copy
Throughput/
Sec

Definition:
This monitor returns the amount of data bulk copied (in
kilobytes) per second.
Possible problems:
Overall throughput will mostly be limited by your I/O

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AppInsight for Exchange

subsystem.

AppInsight for Exchange

AppInsight for Exchange was designed exclusively for the mailbox role which
offers a detailed view of your Exchange environment. This application provides
detailed metrics on mailboxes, databases, and a host of performance counters
without the use of agents or templates. AppInsight for Exchange's level of detail
and expert knowledge goes far beyond what an Exchange template can provide,
allowing you to monitor virtually every aspect of your Exchange environment.
Like any unassigned application in SAM, AppInsight for Exchange is considered
a template until it is applied. Therefore, it is a member of the Application Monitor
Templates collection.
Once applied to a node, AppInsight for Exchange is considered an application.
Like any SAM application, AppInsight for Exchange is comprised of multiple
component monitors.
Note: To optimize your Exchange server performance, see 5 Tips to Optimize
Exchange Server for Improved Performance.
AppInsight for Exchange General Information:
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AppInsight for Exchange Requirements and Permissions

AppInsight For Exchange Licensing
Template/Application Relationship
Adding AppInsight for Exchange to a Node
Editing the AppInsight for Exchange Template
Understanding the AppInsight for Exchange Details Views
Navigating the AppInsight for Exchange Details View

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_________________
Portions of the performance counter information used in the AppInsight for Exchange application are provided courtesy of
multiple sources listed in the copyright and attribution section at the beginning of this document.

AppInsight For Exchange Licensing

When using AppInsight for Exchange, 50 component monitors will count against
your licensed number of component monitors, per Exchange Server.
For example, if you have an active license for 1,500 component monitors and use
AppInsight for Exchange to monitor 88 mailboxes over ten Exchange servers, 500
component monitors will count against your total license. The number of
mailboxes you have on these servers is irrelevant.
(50 component monitors X 10 Exchange Servers = 500 component
monitors used.)
This will leave you with 1,000 component monitors available for use elsewhere.
(1,500 component monitors 500 component monitors used for
AppInsight for Exchange = 1,000 component monitors remaining).
There is no restriction on the number of mailboxes you can have monitored. Also
note that if you choose not to use this application, you will not be penalized any
number of component monitors.
Important: The example below illustrates a situation where you would have 40
available component monitors available, but have surpassed your allowed
number of 300 monitors by 60. The discrepancy is caused by AppInsight
application implementations. AppInsight applications are licensed as 50 monitors
per application and cannot be partially licensed, as is the case with typical
applications.

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AppInsight for Exchange Requirements and Permissions

For more information, see "Licensing."

AppInsight for Exchange Requirements and Permissions

AppInsight for Exchange works only with the Mailbox Role, which is used for
data storage. All other Exchange servers running different roles should use the
Exchange application templates included with SAM if you intend to monitor them.
Data is collected at the same default five minute polling interval as traditional
application templates.
Following are the requirements and permissions needed for AppInsight for
Exchange:
Microsoft Exchange Versions Supported:
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Microsoft Exchange Server 2010

Microsoft Exchange Server 2013

AppInsight for Exchange Requirements and Permissions

Local administrator permissions are needed for automatic configuration, but

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In order to gather information, the user object must be assigned the Mailbox
Search management role within Exchange. In order for the account to be
configured correctly, the account must be a member of the Local Administrators group.
Note: For Exchange access this is not required, but in order to modify
Exchange and WinRM settings on the server, as well as to poll performance
counters, this additional level of permission is required.

PowerShell Requirements
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Exchange 2010 must have PowerShell 2.0 installed

Exchange 2013 must have PowerShell 3.0 installed
Permissions must be granted for PowerShell to be accessed
PowerShell 2.0 is required for Windows 2012 (regardless of Exchange version)

For information on configuring PowerShell permissions, see PowerShell

Permissions.
Common Configuration Issues
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To add local administrative privileges to an Active Directory account, see

Manually Configuring Exchange Server.
To find Exchange URLsettings, see Finding Exchange URL Settings.
To install PowerShell on the Exchange server, see Manually Configuring
Exchange Server
To set the appropriate permissions for PowerShell, see PowerShell Permissions
To create a self-signed certificate, see Manually Configuring Exchange
Server.
To configure WinRM, see Manually Configuring Exchange Server.
To create a firewall rule for WinRM, see Manually Configuring Exchange
Server
To configure IIS, see Manually Configuring Exchange Server
To correct a Non-Domain account configuration error, see Manually Configuring Exchange Server.
To correct an Exchange access configuration error, see Manually Configuring Exchange Server.
To correct a Mailbox Search Access configuration error, see Manually Configuring Exchange Server.

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Quick Configuration and Navigation

Configuration of SAM's AppInsight for Exchange is most easily achieved via
Discovery, as shown below.
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To add AppInsight for Exchange, see Adding AppInsight for Exchange to a

Node

AppInsight for Exchange Requirements and Permissions

Local administrator permissions are needed for automatic configuration, but

they are not needed for monitoring once configuration is complete.
To provide organization-wide capability, the service account (Domain
User) needs to be a member of the View-Only Organization Management
group. Membership to this group gives the user object read-only access to
the entire Exchange environment, without providing any domain or local
access on the Exchange server. It also prevents possible abuse by an unauthorized user accessing the account (e.g. modifying Exchange environment
configuration, creating/deleting users, and so on.)
In order to gather information, the user object must be assigned the Mailbox
Search management role within Exchange. In order for the account to be
configured correctly, the account must be a member of the Local Administrators group.

For more information, see Troubleshooting Permissions.

Adding AppInsight for Exchange to a Node

There are multiple ways to add AppInsight for Exchange to a node. This can be
done via Node Discovery, adding it via the Management resource, adding it via
Network Sonar Discovery, or adding it via a Scheduled Discovery.
It is recommended that you add this application on WMI managed nodes. If you
convert an SNMP managed node to WMI, interface statistics will be lost. To
convert SNMP managed nodes to WMI, see Promoting a Node to WMI Monitoring
Notes:
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Multiple instances of Exchange on the same server is not supported.

Nodes that are not added via WMIwill not appear in the List Resources dialog.

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Monitoring an Exchange Database Access Group (DAG) via a Virtual

IPaddress (VIP) is not supported. AppInsight for Exchange should only be
applied to the physical IP address of each mailbox server in the DAG individually.

AppInsight for Exchange Requirements and Permissions

Local administrator permissions are needed for automatic configuration, but

To Add AppInsight for Exchange via the Management Resource:

1. Navigate to the Node Details view by clicking any Windows node.
2. From the Management resource, click List Resources.

3. Check the Microsoft for Exchange Server box to enable AppInsight Applications data collection. When done, click Submit.

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Quick Configuration and Navigation

4. Navigate to the All Applications resource to verify the addition by clicking

the Applications tab in the web console.

5. Click on the newly added AppInsight for Exchange application in this view
and then enter your Exchange credentials when prompted.

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6. Once your credentials are entered, click Configure Server.

To Add AppInsight for Exchange to a Node via Discovery:

1. From the web console, navigate to Settings > Add a Node in the Getting
Started with Orion section.

2. Complete the information on the Define Node step, and then click Next.
3. On the Choose Resources step, check the AppInsight for Exchange
applications you want. AppInsight applications have a unique blue and
white icon, as shown:

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Quick Configuration and Navigation

4. Click Next and complete the wizard as instructed.

5. Navigate to the All Applications resource and click your application.

6. Enter your Exchange credentials when prompted, and then click Configure
Server.

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For information on Network Sonar Discovery, see:

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Network Sonar Discovery.

Managing Scheduled Discovery Results.

Understanding the AppInsight for Exchange Details Views

AppInsight for Exchange has multiple Details views. These views are the
equivalent of the Application Details view of a traditional SAM application. There
are four main views:
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The AppInsight for Exchange Details view: This view displays a broad overview of the application.
The Performance Counter Details View: This view displays details about
the selected performance counter.
The Database Details View: This view displays details about the selected
database.
The Mailbox Details View . This view displays details about the selected
mailbox.
From the AppInsight for Exchange Details view, you can select from
the drop down menu and choose to display different amounts of data

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Quick Configuration and Navigation

based on a time range, as shown below:

Editing Resources
Both the titles and subtitles of each resource can be changed by clicking Edit in
the upper right-hand corner of any resource, and then clicking Submit.

Note: As illustrated above, other options may appear depending upon the
resource being edited.
For more information, see:
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AppInsight for Exchange Details View

Performance Counter Details View
AppInsight for Exchange Database Details View
AppInsight for Exchange Mailbox Details View

Navigating the AppInsight for Exchange Details View

AppInsight for Exchange acts like any other application and can therefore be
found in the All Applications resource on the Application Summary view.

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Below is the AppInsight for Exchange application within the All Applications
resource:

Navigating to the AppInsight for Exchange Details View:

1. From the web console, locate the All Applications resource by clicking
either the Home or Applications tab.
2. Expand the AppInsight for Exchange tree by clicking [+].
3. Expand the node tree by clicking [+].

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Quick Configuration and Navigation

4. Click the application, as highlighted:

Navigating to the Performance Counter Details view:

1. From the AppInsight for Exchange Details view, click any performance
counter within a resource, as highlighted:

Navigating to the Database Details view:

1. From the AppInsight for Exchange Details view, click any database within a
Database resource, as highlighted:

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Navigating to the Mailbox Details view:

1. From the AppInsight for Exchange Details view, click any user name within
a Mailbox resource, as highlighted:

Advanced Manual Configuration

AppInsight for Exchange's automated configuration tool makes adding this
application to a node simple. However, there may be times when you want to
manually configure available settings, permissions, and so on. Manual
configuration is only recommended for experienced Exchange administrators.
To Manually Configure Available Settings, refer to the following sections:
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Changes that will be made to enable AppInsight for Exchange

Finding Exchange Credentials
Manually Configuring Exchange Server

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AppInsight for Exchange Requirements and Permissions

Finding Exchange URL Settings
PowerShell Permissions

Changes that will be made to enable AppInsight for Exchange

The target machine must have the following:
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WinRM 2.0
PowerShell v2.0
IIS

SAMuses a specially designed configuration tool to make the necessary

changes for enabling AppInsight for Exchange. Once this tool completes remote
configuration, it will automatically remove and unregister itself.
1. The configuration tool first transfers to the Exchange Server by using the
Windows administrative share.
2. Once on the Exchange Server, the tool uses a custom PowerShell script to
make configuration changes.
3. SAM will add the Mailbox Search Role to the Exchange server with the credentials provided.
4. The tool then reports back to SAM with the results.
5. If errors are reported, you will be asked to configure Exchange.
SAMwill make the following configuration changes:
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Enable WinRM
Enable Windows Authentication for PowerShell's web site.
WinRM and Windows Authentication configurations are performed remotely
from SAM.

For more information, see:

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To create a firewall rule for WinRM, see Manually Configuring Exchange

Server
To configure IIS, see Manually Configuring Exchange Server
To correct a Non-Domain account configuration error, see Manually Configuring Exchange Server.
To correct a Exchange access configuration error, see Manually Configuring Exchange Server.
To correct a Mailbox Search Access configuration error, see Manually Configuring Exchange Server.

Finding Exchange Credentials

For an account to access Exchange:
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The account must be a domain account.

In order to modify IIS and PowerShell settings on the Exchange server, the
account must be a Local Administrator.
The account is recommended to not be a member of the Domain Administrators group. (Typically, this is handled by adding a custom domain
security group which is used to define a specific type of administrator with
specific permissions to the Local Administrators group. In larger, more
mature environments, this is handled using GPOs, whereas smaller organizations may perform this task manually).

The verify you have valid Exchange credentials, run the following cmdlet in the
Exchange Management Shell (EMS):
Get-ManagementRoleAssignment -RoleAssignee USER_IDENTITY

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Advanced Manual Configuration

For more information, see:

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To add local administrative privileges to an Active Directory account, see

Manually Configuring Exchange Server.
To find Exchange URLsettings, see Finding Exchange URL Settings.
To install PowerShell on the Exchange server, see Manually Configuring
Exchange Server
To set the appropriate permissions for PowerShell, see PowerShell Permissions
To create a self-signed certificate, see Manually Configuring Exchange
Server.
To configure WinRM, see Manually Configuring Exchange Server.
To create a firewall rule for WinRM, see Manually Configuring Exchange
Server
To configure IIS, see Manually Configuring Exchange Server
To correct a Non-Domain account configuration error, see Manually Configuring Exchange Server.
To correct a Exchange access configuration error, see Manually Configuring Exchange Server.

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To correct a Mailbox Search Access configuration error, see Manually Configuring Exchange Server.

Manually Configuring Exchange Server

To manually prepare an Exchange server for AppInsight for Exchange, the
following items must be installed and/or configured on the server. Instructions for
each item are listed on this page below.
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Defining Exchange Credentials

Installing PowerShell 2.0 on Server 2008 R2:
Installing PowerShell 2.0 on Server 2012:
Setup PSLanguageMode for the PowerShell web site.
Create a Self-Signed Certificate:
WinRM 2.0
Create a Firewall Rule
Configuring IIS

For a list of possible configuration errors with solutions, see Troubleshooting

Error Codes in AppInsight for Exchange.
Defining Exchange Credentials
Non-Domain Account
Local accounts (Non-Domain) cannot access Exchange Management interfaces
and therefore are not supported by AppInsight for Exchange. Please select an
Active Directory account or create a new one to use with AppInsight for
Exchange.
Add Local Administrative privileges to an Active Directory Account
1. On the server where you wish to grant local administrative privileges, open
a Computer Management console.
Note: On Windows 2012, add this privilege using the Active Directory console.
2. Navigate to System Tools > Local Users and Groups > Groups and
double click the Administrators group.
3. Click Add and type in the Active Directory username of the account you
want to grant administrative privileges and then press Enter. (Ensure the location is set to either the domain where the account is located or Entire Directory.)
4. Click Apply and then click OK button.
Note: Alternatively, you can add an Active Directory group to the local

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Advanced Manual Configuration

administrators group and add the Active Directory user accounts to that
group.
Exchange Access
Granting Least Privilege access to the Exchange Organization can be
accomplished using Active Directory Users and Computers (ADUC). To
accomplish this, take the following steps:
1. From the Start Menu, open ADUC and navigate to the Microsoft Exchange
Security Groups OU.
2. Double click on the View-Only Organization Management group.
3. After the window opens, click the Members tab, then click the Add.
4. Type the username of the account you want to grant access to the
Exchange organization and then click OK.
5. Click Apply and then click OK.
6. Close the ADUC window.
Mailbox Search Access
Mailbox Search access is required to determine attachment counts and sizes.
This can be granted using the Exchange Management Shell (EMS).
1. From the Start menu, open the EMS.
2. Type: New-ManagementRoleAssignment -Role "Mailbox Search" -User
<Username of account being granted access> and then press Enter.
3. To verify the management role has been properly assigned, enter the following command:
Get-ManagementRoleAssignment -RoleAssignee <Username of account>

Installing PowerShell 2.0 on Server 2008 R2:

Note: PowerShell 2.0 is automatically installed on Server 2008 R2 and therefore
no additional installation is required.
1. Navigate to Windows Management Framework
(http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=177670).
2. Review the information on the web page, and then click the link for the
download of the Windows Management Framework Core for your platform
in the Download Information section.
3. On the Update page, click Download.
4. When the download is complete, click Finish.

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Installing PowerShell 2.0 on Server 2012:
1. Open Server Manager
2. Click on the Manage menu, and the select Add Roles and Features.

3. After the wizard opens, click Next until you get to the Installation Type page.
4. Select Role-based or feature-based installation.

5. Click Next until you reach the Features page.

6. Scroll down to Windows PowerShell. It will likely show itself as partially
installed (square inside box).
7. Check the box next to Windows PowerShell 2.0 Engine.
8. Click Next and then Install.

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Advanced Manual Configuration

9. When the installation finishes, click Close.

To Set PSLanguage mode for the PowerShell website:

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Open IIS Manager on the Exchange server.

Expand the tree to the Default Web Site/PowerShell virtual directory.
Double click Application Settings.
Change the value for PSLanguageMode to FullLanguage, if not already set.
Recycle the MSExchangePowerShellAppPool application pool

For Exchange 2013, also check the following:

1. Expand the tree to the Exchange Back End/PowerShell virtual directory
2. Double click Application Settings.
3. Change the value for PSLanguageMode to FullLanguage, if not already
set.
4. Recycle the MSExchangePowerShellFrontEndAppPool application pool
Create a Self-Signed Certificate:
SolarWinds has created a PowerShell script to create a self-signed certificate
suitable for AppInsight for Exchange. This can be found at: Self-signed Certificate
PowerShell script for AppInsight for Exchange. If you choose not to download this
script, you can create your own self-signed certificate with the following
instructions and code:

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1. To create a self-signed certificate using PowerShell and CertEnroll, open
PowerShell in the Run as Administrator context.
2. Enter the following code:
Note: The CN (Subject) should be in the following format: "<IP Address of
Server>_Solarwinds_Exchange_Zero_Configuration."
For Example: 10.199.15.106_Solarwinds_Exchange_Zero_Configuration
$name = new-object -com
"X509Enrollment.CX500DistinguishedName.1"
$name.Encode("CN=TestServer", 0)
$key = new-object -com
"X509Enrollment.CX509PrivateKey.1"
$key.ProviderName = "Microsoft RSA SChannel
Cryptographic Provider"
$key.KeySpec = 1
$key.Length = 1024
$key.SecurityDescriptor = "D:PAI(A;;0xd01f01ff;;;SY)
(A;;0xd01f01ff;;;BA)(A;;0x80120089;;;NS)"
$key.MachineContext = 1
$key.Create()
$serverauthoid = new-object -com
"X509Enrollment.CObjectId.1"
$serverauthoid.InitializeFromValue
("1.3.6.1.5.5.7.3.1")
$ekuoids = new-object -com
"X509Enrollment.CObjectIds.1"
$ekuoids.add($serverauthoid)
$ekuext = new-object -com
"X509Enrollment.CX509ExtensionEnhancedKeyUsage.1"
$ekuext.InitializeEncode($ekuoids)
$cert = new-object -com
"X509Enrollment.CX509CertificateRequestCertificate.
1"
$cert.InitializeFromPrivateKey(2, $key, "")
$cert.Subject = $name
$cert.Issuer = $cert.Subject
$cert.NotBefore = get-date
$cert.NotAfter = $cert.NotBefore.AddDays(3650)
$cert.X509Extensions.Add($ekuext)

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Advanced Manual Configuration

$cert.Encode()
$enrollment = new-object -com
"X509Enrollment.CX509Enrollment.1"
$enrollment.InitializeFromRequest($cert)
$certdata = $enrollment.CreateRequest(0)
$enrollment.InstallResponse(2, $certdata, 0, "")

For more information, see Generating a Certificate.

WinRM 2.0
1. To configure WinRM on an Exchange server, open a command prompt in
the Run as Administrator context.
2. Type: winrm create winrm/config/listener?Address=*+Transport=HTTPS
@{Port="5986";CertificateThumbprint="<Thumbprint value of certificate>";Hostname="<IP Address of Server>_Solarwinds_Exchange_
Zero_Configuration"}

and then press Enter.

3. Verify the configuration by typing the following: winrm get

winrm/config/listener?Address=*+Transport=HTTPS.

Create a Firewall Rule

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param(
$name,
$tcpPorts,
$appName = $null,
$serviceName = $null
)
$fw = New-Object -ComObject hnetcfg.fwpolicy2
$rule = New-Object -ComObject HNetCfg.FWRule
$rule.Name = $name
if ($appName -ne $null) { $rule.ApplicationName = $appName }
if ($serviceName -ne $null) { $rule.serviceName = $serviceName }
$rule.Protocol = 6 #NET_FW_IP_PROTOCOL_TCP
$rule.LocalPorts = $tcpPorts
$rule.Enabled = $true
$rule.Grouping = "@firewallapi.dll,-23255"
$rule.Profiles = 7 # all
$rule.Action = 1 # NET_FW_ACTION_ALLOW
$rule.EdgeTraversal = $false
$fw.Rules.Add($rule)
}

3. Run the function to create the firewall exception for WSMAN using the
following command:
Add-FirewallRule "Windows Remote Management" "5986" $null
$null

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Advanced Manual Configuration

4. Verify the rule was created by navigating to Control Panel >Windows

Firewall >Advanced Settings.

Configuring IIS
1. Open a command prompt in the Run as Administrator context.
2. Change the directory to C:\Windows\System32\Inetsrv.
3. Type: appcmd.exe unlock config -section:system.webServer/security/authentication/windowsAuthentication

and then press Enter.

4. Open PowerShell in the Run As Administrator context.
5. Type: Import-Module WebAdministration and then press Enter.
6. Type: (Get-WebConfiguration system.webServer/security/authentication/windowsAuthentication 'IIS:\s-

and then press Enter to

determine if Windows Authentication has been configured.
ites\Default Web Site\PowerShell').enabled

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a. If the value returned is True, you do not need to do anything.
b. If the value returned is False, then take the following steps:
i. Type: Set-WebConfiguration system.webServer/security/authentication/windowsAuthentication
'IIS:\sites\Default Web Site\PowerShell' -value True

and

then press Enter.

ii. Type: (Get-WebConfiguration system.webServer/security/authentication/windowsAuthentication
'IIS:\sites\Default Web Site\PowerShell').enabled

to verify

the setting has changed.

iii. Close PowerShell.

iv. In the open command prompt, type: appcmd.exe lock config section:system.webServer/security/authentication/windows
Authentication

and then press Enter.

v. Close the command prompt.

Testing the Application:
1. When you are finished with configuration, navigate to the Application Edit
page and click Test.

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Advanced Manual Configuration

2. If successful, your screen should look like the illustration below:

For more information, see:

l
l
l

l
l

To add local administrative privileges to an Active Directory account, see

To find Exchange URLsettings, see Finding Exchange URL Settings.
To install PowerShell on the Exchange server, see Manually Configuring
Exchange Server
To set the appropriate permissions for PowerShell, see PowerShell Permissions
To create a self-signed certificate, see Manually Configuring Exchange
Server.
To configure WinRM, see Manually Configuring Exchange Server.
To create a firewall rule for WinRM, see Manually Configuring Exchange
Server

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l
l
l

To configure IIS, see Manually Configuring Exchange Server

To correct a Non-Domain account configuration error, see
To correct a Exchange access configuration error, see Manually Configuring Exchange Server.
To correct a Mailbox Search Access configuration error, see

Finding Exchange URL Settings

By default, AppInsight for Exchange uses the following URLs for the Exchange
and WinRM sessions, where ${IP} is the IP address of the server node being
added.
Exchange: https://${IP}/powershell/
WinRM: https://${IP}:5986/wsman/
To verify the PowerShell instance used by Exchange on a server, follow the
steps listed below:
1. Open IIS Manager.
2. Navigate to the default website, and then navigate to the PowerShell virtual
directory.
3. Click on Advanced Settings, and verify the Virtual Path value.

To verify a server's WinRM PowerShell instance, follow the steps listed

below:
1. Open a command prompt in the Run as Administrator context.
2. Type: winrm get winrm/config/listener?Address=*+Transport=HTTPS to
get the current configuration for the HTTPS protocol.

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Advanced Manual Configuration

Note: The two items of interest for the URL are Port and URLPrefix. If either of
these have been modified and do not match the default values, edit the
AppInsight for Exchange application with the correct values.

Additionally, the value of Hostname must match the CN of the certificate listed in
the Certificate Thumbprint property.

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Chapter 15: AppInsight Applications

For more information, see:

l
l

To add local administrative privileges to an Active Directory account, see

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Advanced Manual Configuration

l
l

To create a firewall rule for WinRM, see Manually Configuring Exchange

PowerShell Permissions
To set the appropriate permissions for PowerShell, follow these steps:
1. On the remote computer, open the PowerShell console.
2. Execute Set-PSSessionConfiguration Microsoft.Powershell -ShowSecurityDescriptorUI -Force The permissions dialog should appear.)
3. Uncheck the Deny check box to enable the Full Control option under the
Permissions for Everyone group, then check Allow.

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4. Ensure that the group to which the polling user belongs has access to
Microsoft PowerShell.

5. Click OK.
Note: If PowerShell 2.0 was installed on Windows Server 2012 with Exchange
2013 and subsequently uninstalled, a Microsoft error removes the required
registry key for remote PowerShell to work properly. Security patches or updates
may also cause this issue. You can create the required registry key by following
these instructions:
1. Open Notepad.
2. Copy and paste the following text into Notepad:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_
MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\PowerShell\1\PowerShellEngine]
"ApplicationBase"="C:\\Windows\\System32\\WindowsPowerShell
\\v1.0"

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Advanced Manual Configuration

"PSCompatibleVersion"="1.0, 2.0"
"RuntimeVersion"="v2.0.50727"
"ConsoleHostAssemblyName"="Microsoft.PowerShell.ConsoleHos
t, Version=1.0.0.0, Culture=neutral,
PublicKeyToken=31bf3856ad364e35,
ProcessorArchitecture=msil"
"ConsoleHostModuleName"="C:\\Windows\\System32\\WindowsPowe
rShell\\v1.0\\Microsoft.PowerShell.ConsoleHost.dll"
"PowerShellVersion"="2.0"
3. Save the file as PowerShellv1.regand then double-click it to add it to the

registry. (A reboot may be required.)

For more information, see: PowerShell.
Editing the AppInsight for Exchange Template
The AppInsight for Exchange application behaves like any other application in
SAM. And like other applications, AppInsight for Exchange's template can be
edited.
Note: Some limitations may apply.
Editing the AppInsight for Exchange Template:
1. From the web console, navigate to Settings > SAM Settings > Manage
Templates.
2. Check the AppInsight for Exchange template in the list and then click Edit.

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Chapter 15: AppInsight Applications

3. From here, you can edit certain component monitors within the template.

4. When done editing, click Submit at the bottom of the screen.

Attachment Extensions
The following table lists the default attachment extensions that are acknowledged
by AppInsight for Exchange:
.accdb

.doc

.inf

.mmp

.ppt

.swf

.xml

.arj

.dot

.ini

.mobi

.ps1

.tar

.xps

.avi

.eml

.iso

.mov

.pst

.tmp

.zip

.bak

.epub

.jar

.mp3

.pub

.txt

.bat

.flv

.jpg

.mpeg

.psd

.vbs

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AppInsight for Exchange Alerts

.bin

.gif

.jpeg

.msg

.rar

.wav

.bmp

.gzip

.lnk

.pdf

.reg

.wks

.cab

.hta

.log

.png

.rtf

.wma

.cmd

.htm

.mdb

.pot

.sql

.wmv

.csv

.img

.mid

.pps

.svg

.xls

AppInsight for Exchange Alerts

AppInsight for Exchange comes with following pre-defined alerts:
l
l
l

l
l

Alert me when a replication status check fails

Alert me when mailbox database file is low on space
Alert me when mailbox database is in warning or critical
state
Alert me when mailbox database is not on preferred server
Alert me when mailbox database transaction log is low on
space
Notify users that their mailbox is exceeding size or quota
Warn me when database failover occurs

To View Alerts:
1. From the web console, navigate to Home >Alerts >Manage Alerts.

2. Select the alerts you want to view from the list, or type a keyword in the text
box and click the Search button:

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For more information, see:

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l
l
l

SolarWinds SAM Alerts

Creating Alerts
Predefined Server & Application Monitor Web Console Based Reports
Adding Alerts

AppInsight for Exchange Details View

The Exchange Details view provides a great deal of information about the current
Exchange Application. The available resources offered in this view include:
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
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Active Alerts
Application Availability
Application Details
Calendar and Resource Booking
Critical Processes and Services
Exchange Event Log Message Details
Exchange Server
Information Store
Mailbox Database Copies
Mailbox Database Size and Space Used
Mailbox Database Status
Mail Database
Management
Replication
Replication Status Checks
Storage
Users By Mailbox Size

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AppInsight for Exchange Details View

l
l

Users By % Mailbox Quota Used

Users By Messages Sent

Note: Chart resources require several values for lines on charts to be visible.
Active Alerts
This resource lists details about all unacknowledged active alerts.

The following defines the three columns of this resource:

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l

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Note: This resource will not be available when using Internet Explorer 7.
Consider upgrading Internet Explorer 8 or higher or using FireFox or Chrome as
your web browser.
Zooming
You can have the chart show a predetermined, hourly time period of data by
clicking on any one of the three Zoom buttons; 1h, 12h, or 24h. Alternatively, you
can have the chart show a specific time range by dragging the mouse over a
small area of the chart.
Once you have a time period selected, the lower chart will zoom to the starting
and ending values of the selected time period. With the lower chart you can zoom
in further by fine tuning the view with the sliders. The main view of the chart will
display the selected time period between the two sliders of the lower chart.
Moving the mouse over the main chart will reveal a tooltip with more detailed
information about the specific time period the mouse is hovering over. By default,
all statistics are shown in the main chart.

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AppInsight for Exchange Details View

Application Details
This resource provides details concerning the current Exchange application.

The following list defines each field of this resource:

l
l

Application Name: This provides the name of the current application as

well as the name of the node on which it is active. Hovering over the node
name will reveal a detailed tooltip concerning the health of that node.
Status: Displays the current status of the application.
Exchange Server Version: Displays the current version of Exchange that
is being monitored.
Exchange Server Build Number: This is Microsoft's internal versioning
number system that indicates the version of Exchange installed. For more
information, refer to this article: http://technet.microsoft.com/library/hh135098%28EXCHG.141%29.aspx
Exchange Domain: The domain of the listed Exchange server.
Database Availability Group (DAG): This contains information pertaining
to the DAG of which the local node belongs.
l DAG Name: Name of the listed Database Availability Group.
l Other Exchange Servers in DAG: Lists additional Exchange servers
in the current DAG.
l File Share Witness: The File Share Witness (FSW) is the quorum directory for the DAG Cluster. It is used to provide a majority node set in
a DAG with an even number of members. In a DAG with an odd number of members, the FSW still exists, but is not used to determine a
majority node set. For additional information, see: http://b-

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logs.technet.com/b/askpfeplat/archive/2012/06/27/clustering-whatexactly-is-a-file-share-witness-and-when-should-i-use-one.aspx
Witness Share in use: This is the current witness share in use.
Note: This field may be replaced with the Alternate File Share Witness field.
(Alternate File Share Witness): The Alternate FSW is used when the
primary site with the FSW has failed. To use the Alternate FSW
requires manual intervention from the Exchange administrator.
Note: This field may be replaced with the Witness Share in use field.

Calendar and Resource Booking

This resource contains performance counters specific to the status of calendar
and resource booking. The icons of the listed performance counters in the
Statistic Name column will change color to reflect the listed counter's current
state. Clicking any performance counter in the Statistic Name column will take
you to the Performance Counter Details page for that counter.
If the value of a listed counter crosses the Warning threshold, the chart for the
listed monitor will display a yellow background. If the value of a listed
performance counter crosses the Critical threshold, the chart will display a red
background. Hovering over any time period within the chart will display detailed
information about that time period in the tooltip.
Calendaring is method of creating, changing, deleting, accepting, or declining a
meeting via an email message. Resource booking is an automated process of
creating, changing, and deleting calendar requests for resource mailboxes. The
Calendar and Resource Booking Attendant are the processes used by Exchange
to fulfill requests for each. Once a request has been accepted, the free/busy data
for the mailbox is updated.

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AppInsight for Exchange Details View

The following table lists the default performance counters for this resource along
with their respective definitions and troubleshooting information, including default
Warning and Critical thresholds:
Counter

Expert Knowledge

Warning Critical

Average
Resource
Booking
Processing
Time

Definition:
Shows the average time to process an event in
the Resource Booking Attendant.

> 100
> 100
ms for 5 ms for
polls
15
polls

Information:
Should be a low value at all times.
Possible problems:
High values may indicate a performance
bottleneck.
Remediation:
Check Memory andCPU status for any
bottlenecks.Review event logs for related
events examining log entries for each Assistants
Infrastructure and its corresponding assistant.
Use the Exchange Troubleshooting Assistant
(ExTRA) to obtain Event Tracing for Windows
traces.

Resource
Booking

Definition:
>0
Shows the total number of failures that occurred

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> 0 for
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Chapter 15: AppInsight Applications

Requests
Failed

while the Resource Booking Attendant was

processing events.

polls

Information:
Should be 0 at all times.
Possible problems:
Meeting Room bookings or updates may not be
processed for some users.
Remediation:
Review event logs for related events examining
log entries for each Assistants Infrastructure and
its corresponding assistant. Use the Exchange
Troubleshooting Assistant (ExTRA) to obtain
Event Tracing for Windows traces. Verify your
resource mailboxes are properly configured.
Average
Calendar
Attendant
Processing
Time

Definition:
Shows the average time to process an event in
the Calendar Attendant.
Information:
Should be a low value at all times.

> 100
> 100
ms for 5 ms for
polls
15
polls

Possible problems:
High values may indicate a performance
bottleneck.
Remediation:
Check Memory andCPU for any bottlenecks.
Review event logs for related events examining
log entries for each Assistants Infrastructure and
its corresponding assistant. Use the Exchange
Troubleshooting Assistant (ExTRA) to obtain
Event Tracing for Windows traces.
Calendar
Attendant
Requests
Failed

Definition:
>0
Shows the total number of failures that occurred
while the Calendar Attendant was processing
events.
Information:

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> 0 for
15
polls

AppInsight for Exchange Details View

Should be 0 at all times.
Possible problems:
Automated calendaring activities may not
function for some users.
Remediation:
Review event logs for related events examining
log entries for each Assistants Infrastructure and
its corresponding assistant. Use the Exchange
Troubleshooting Assistant (ExTRA) to obtain
Event Tracing for Windows traces. Verify your
resource mailboxes are properly configured.

Additional components on certain resources may be available for addition

and/or deletion on the Edit page.
The Value from Last Poll column shows the most recent data available for
the listed statistic.

Critical Processes and Services

This resource numerically and graphically shows metrics concerning the
Exchange's critical processes and services. The icons of the listed component in
the Component Name column will change color to reflect the listed counter's
current state. Clicking any component in the Component Name column will take
you to the Component Details page for that component.
If the value of the listed component crosses the Warning threshold, the icon for the
listed component will become yellow. If the value of the listed component crosses
the Critical threshold, the icon for the listed component will become red.

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The following list defines each column of this resource:

l
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Component Name: Display name of the listed component.

Process Name (ID): Service name of the listed process or service with its
identification number.
CPU Load: This graphically and numerically represents the percentage of
CPU resources currently being used by the listed process.
Memory Used:
l Physical: This graphically and numerically represents the percentage
of physical memory (RAM) currently being used by the listed process.
l Virtual: This graphically and numerically represents the percentage of
virtual memory currently being used by the listed process.
IOPS: Displays the current total read and write I/O (Input/Output) operations
occurring for the current process per second.

The following tables list all possible processes and services:

Exchange 2010 Services/Processes
DisplayName Description
Microsoft
Exchange
Active
Directory
Topology

Provides Active Directory topology information to Exchange

services. If this service is stopped, most Exchange services are
unable to start. This service has no dependencies.

Microsoft
Exchange
Information
Store

Manages the Exchange Information Store. This includes

mailbox databases and public folder databases. If this service is
stopped, mailbox databases and public folder databases on this

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AppInsight for Exchange Details View

computer are unavailable. If this service is disabled, any
services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start. This service
is dependent on the RPC, Server, Windows Event Log, and
Workstation services.
Microsoft
Exchange
Mail
Submission

Submits messages from the Mailbox server to Exchange 2010

Hub Transport servers. This service is dependent upon the
Microsoft ExchangeActive Directory Topology service.

Microsoft
Exchange
Mailbox
Assistant

Performs background processing of mailboxes in the Exchange

store. This service is dependent upon the Microsoft
ExchangeActive Directory Topology service.

Microsoft
Exchange
Monitoring

Allows applications to call the Exchange diagnostic cmdlets.

This service has no dependencies.

Microsoft
Exchange
Replication

Provides replication functionality for mailbox databases on

Mailbox servers in a database availability group (DAG) and
database mount functionality for all Mailbox servers. This
service is dependent upon the Microsoft ExchangeActive
Directory Topology service.

Microsoft
Exchange
RPC Client
Access

Manages client RPC connections for Exchange. This service is

dependent upon the Microsoft ExchangeActive Directory
Topology service.

Microsoft
Exchange
Search
Indexer

Drives indexing of mailbox content, which improves the

performance of content search. This service is dependent upon
the Microsoft ExchangeActive Directory Topology and Microsoft
Search (Exchange Server) services.

Microsoft
Enables Windows Server Backup users to back up and recover
Exchange
application data for Microsoft Exchange. This service has no
Server
dependencies.
Extension for
Windows
Server

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Chapter 15: AppInsight Applications

Backup
Microsoft
Provides a host for several Microsoft Exchange services. On
Exchange
internal server roles, this service is dependent upon the
Service Host Microsoft ExchangeActive Directory Topology service.
Microsoft
Exchange
System
Attendant

Forwards directory lookups to a global catalog server for legacy

Outlook clients, generates e-mail addresses and OABs, updates
free/busy information for legacy clients, and maintains
permissions and group memberships for the server. If this
service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will
fail to start. This service is dependent on the RPC, Server,
Windows Event Log, and Workstation services.

Microsoft
Exchange
Throttling

Limits the rate of user operations. This service is dependent

upon the Microsoft ExchangeActive Directory Topology service.

Microsoft
Exchange
Transport
Log Search

Provides remote search capability for Microsoft Exchange

Transport log files. This service is dependent upon the Microsoft
ExchangeActive Directory Topology service.

Microsoft
Search
(Exchange)

This is a Microsoft Exchange-customized version of Microsoft

Search. Quickly creates full-text indexes on content and
properties of structured and semi-structured data to allow fast
linguistic searches on this data. This service is dependent on
the RPC service.

Exchange 2013 Services/Processes

DisplayName Description
Microsoft
Exchange
Active
Directory
Topology

Provides Active Directory topology information to Exchange

services. If this service is stopped, most Exchange services
are unable to start. This service is dependent on the Net.Tcp
Port Sharing Service.

Microsoft
Exchange

The Microsoft Forefront Protection 2010 for Exchange Server

anti-spam update service. This service is dependent upon the

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AppInsight for Exchange Details View

Anti-spam
Update

Microsoft ExchangeActive Directory Topology service.

Microsoft
Exchange
Mailbox
Transport
Delivery

This service, running on the Mailbox servers, receives mail

items fromthe ExchangeTransport service, submits them to
extension modules for processing and commits them into
mailbox database.This service is dependent upon the
Microsoft ExchangeActive Directory Topology service.

Microsoft
Exchange
Diagnostics

Agent that monitors server health.This service has no

dependencies.

Microsoft
Exchange
EdgeSync

Replicates configuration and recipient data from the Hub

Transport servers to the Edge Transport servers. This service
is dependent upon the Microsoft ExchangeActive Directory
Topology service.

Exchange
Search

Drives indexing and querying of data for Exchange. This

service is dependent upon the Microsoft ExchangeActive
Directory Topology service.

Microsoft
Exchange
Health
Manager

Manages Exchange server health. This service is dependent

on the Windows Event Log service.

Microsoft
Exchange
IMAP4
Backend

Provides Internet Message Access Protocol service to

mailboxes. If this service is stopped, mailboxes on this server
cannot be accessed using the IMAP4 protocol. This service is
dependent upon the Microsoft ExchangeActive Directory
Topology service.

Microsoft
Exchange
Information
Store

This process controls all of the Store Worker processes. If a

DB is dismounted, it is responsible for terminating the
associated Store Worker process and if a DB is mounted, it
starts a new Store Worker process. If this service is disabled,
any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start. This
service is dependent on the Microsoft ExchangeActive

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Chapter 15: AppInsight Applications

Directory Topology,RPC, Server, Windows Event Log, and

Workstation services.
N/A

Each database hosted on a server will create a separate

process for each one. This process performs the same work
as the 'store.exe process did in previous versions, just on an
individual DB basis. This process is dependent on the
Microsoft Exchange Information Store service.

Microsoft
Exchange
Mailbox
Assistant

Performs background processing of mailboxes in the

Exchange store. This service is dependent upon the Microsoft
ExchangeActive Directory Topology service.

Microsoft
Exchange
Mailbox
Replication

Processes mailbox move requests. This service is dependent

on the Microsoft ExchangeActive Directory Topology and
Net.Tcp Port Sharing services. This service is dependent
upon the Microsoft ExchangeActive Directory Topology
service.

Microsoft
Exchange
Monitoring

Allows applications to call the Exchange diagnostic cmdlets.

This service has no dependencies.

Microsoft
Exchange
POP3
Backend

Provides Post Office Protocol version 3 service to mailboxes.

If this service is stopped, mailboxes on this server cannot be
accessed using the POP3 protocol.

Microsoft
Exchange
Replication

Provides replication functionality for mailbox databases on

Microsoft
Exchange
RPC Client
Access

Manages client RPC connections for Exchange. This service

is dependent upon the Microsoft ExchangeActive Directory
Topology service.

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Microsoft
Exchange
Server
Extension for
Windows
Server
Backup

Enables Windows Server Backup users to back up and

recover application data for Microsoft Exchange. This service
has no dependencies.

Microsoft
Exchange
Search Host
Controller

This service provides host level deployment and management

services for applications. This service is dependent upon the
HTTP service.

Microsoft
Exchange
Service Host

Provides a host for several Exchange services. On internal

server roles, this service is dependent upon the Microsoft
ExchangeActive Directory Topology service.

Microsoft
Exchange
Mailbox
Transport
Submission

This service, running on the Mailbox servers, receives the

Submit events, processes the messages by converting them
from MAPI to MIME and hands them over to theExchange
Transport service. This service is dependent upon the
Microsoft ExchangeActive Directory Topology service.

Microsoft
Exchange
Throttling

Limits the rate of user operations. This service is dependent

upon the Microsoft ExchangeActive Directory Topology
service.

Microsoft
Exchange
Transport

Acts as a middle man and routes messages between Mailbox

Transport Submission service and the Front End Transport
service. It is identical to the Hub Transport Server role in
Exchange 2010. Never contacts the mailbox databases
directly. This service is dependent upon the Microsoft
ExchangeActive Directory Topology and Microsoft Filtering
Management services.

Microsoft
Exchange
Transport
Log Search

Provides remote search capability for Microsoft Exchange

Transport log files. This service is dependent upon the
Microsoft ExchangeActive Directory Topology service.

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Microsoft
Exchange
Unified
Messaging

Enables Microsoft Exchange Unified Messaging features.

This allows voice and fax messages to be stored in Microsoft
Exchange and gives users telephone access to e-mail, voice
mail, calendar, contacts, or an auto attendant. If this service is
stopped, Unified Messaging is not available. This service is
dependent upon the Microsoft ExchangeActive Directory
Topology service.

Exchange Event Log Message Details

This resource displays the Exchange event log messages while providing a
search window and a filter. The filter allows you to choose which types of log
messages you want to display. The data can be sorted by clicking the headers of
each column. This resource shows Error, Warning, Information, Security Audit
Success, and Security Audit Failure events specific to the monitored Exchange
server.

Paging controls are located at the bottom of the resource, allowing you to
navigate through all data available for this resource. Respectively, the controls
are: Fist Page, Previous Page, Page Number, Next Page, and Last Page.
Clicking any event message in the list will open a new window, displaying the
entire message, as shown below:

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Exchange Server
This resource contains performance counters specific to the current status of the
Exchange Server. The icons of the listed performance counters in the Statistic
Name column will change color to reflect the listed counter's current state.
Clicking any performance counter in the Statistic Name column will take you to
the Performance Counter Details page for that counter.
If the value of a listed performance counters crosses the Warning threshold, the
chart for the listed counter will display a yellow background. If the value of a listed
counter crosses the Critical threshold, the chart will display a red background.
Hovering over any time period within the chart will display detailed information
about that time period in the tooltip.

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Expert Knowledge

Warning Critical

RPC
Requests
failed (%)

Definition:
>1
Shows the percentage of failed requests in the
total number of RPC requests. Failed means
the sum of failed with error code plus failed
with exception.

> 1 for
15
polls

Information:
Should be less than 1 at all times
Possible problems:
Users may report slow performance,
disconnects, or failures within their client
performing certain activities.
Remediation:
Review the Windows Event logs for any
related events. Use ExBPA to perform a Health
scan of your server and review any issues
reported.In Exchange 2010, verify SP1 or
higher has been installed on your system.
RPC

Definition:

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Requests
Shows thecurrent number of outstanding RPC
Outstanding requests.

15
polls

Information:
Should be 0 at all times.
Possible problems:
Server may stop accepting RPC requests.
Remediation:
Review the Windows Event logs for any
related events. Use ExBPA to perform a Health
scan of your server and review any issues
reported. Use Exchange Server User Monitor
application to review user sessions.In
Exchange 2010, verify SP1 or higher has been
installed on your system.
RPC
Latency
Average
(msec)

Definition:
Shows the average latency, in ms, of RPC
requests. The average is calculated over all
RPCs since exrpc32 was loaded.

> 100
ms

> 100
ms for
15
polls

N/A

Information:
The average is calculated over all RPCs since
exrpc32 was loaded. Should be less than 100
ms at all times.
Possible problems:
Users may report slow performance issues.
Remediation:
If the disk subsystem is not meeting demand,
correcting the problem may require additional
disks, faster disks, or modifying the disk
configuration.
RPC
Requests
sent/sec

Definition:
RPC Requests sent/sec is the current rate of
initiated RPC requests per second.
Information:
Used for determining current load.

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RPC Slow
requests
latency
average
(msec)

Definition:
Shows the average latency, in ms, of slow
requests.

N/A

>1 for
15
polls

N/A

Information:
Used for determining the average latencies of
RPC slow requests.
Possible problems:
Client disconnects or slow performance issues.
Remediation:
Review the Windows Event logs for any
related events. Use ExBPA to perform a Health
scan of your server and review any issues
reported.In Exchange 2010, verify SP1 or
higher has been installed on your system.

RPC Slow
Definition:
requests (%) RPC Slow requests (%) is the percent of slow
RPC requests among all RPC requests.
Information:
A slow RPC request is one that has taken
more than 500 ms.Should be less than 1 at all
times.
Possible problems:
Client disconnects or slow performance issues.
Remediation:
Review the Windows Event logs for any
related events. Use ExBPA to perform a Health
scan of your server and review any issues
reported.In Exchange 2010, verify SP 1 or
higher has been installed on your system.
ROP
Definition:
Requests
ROP Requests outstanding shows the total
Outstanding number of outstanding remote operations
requests.
Information:

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Used for determining current load.
Hub Servers Definition:
> 0.99
In Retry
Shows the number of Hub Transport servers in
retry mode.
(Only
available in
Exchange
2010)

Information:
Should be 0 at all times.
Possible problems:
Domain where you send large amount of email
is unavailable, infected machine on network
sending messages, DNS resolution issues, or
network connectivity to destination servers or
the internet.
Remediation:
Determine the root cause and verify there
aren't any network connectivity issues.

Average
Document
Processing
Time In
Milliseconds

Definition:
> 30
Shows the average, in ms, of how long it takes
to index documents.

> 30 for
15
polls

Information:
Should be less than 30 seconds at all times.
Possible problems:
Verify content index state of all database
copies.
Remediation:
For any database indexes not "healthy,"
update the content Index on the server using
the following command: UpdateMailboxDatabaseCopy <DBName> -CatalogOnly

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the amount of data currently loaded into the chart. This can be changed by
clicking Edit from within the resource.
Notes:
l

Additional components on certain resources may be available for addition

and/or deletion on the Edit page.
The Value from Last Poll column shows the most recent data available for
the listed statistic.

Information Store
This resource contains performance counters specific to the status of the current
Information Store. The icons of the listed performance counters in the Statistic
Name column will change color to reflect the listed counter's current state.
Clicking any performance counter in the Statistic Name column will take you to
the Performance Counter Details page for that counter.
If the value of a listed counter crosses the Warning threshold, the chart for the
listed monitor will display a yellow background. If the value of a listed
performance counter crosses the Critical threshold, the chart will display a red
background. Hovering over any time period within the chart will display detailed
information about that time period in the tooltip.
The Exchange Information Store is a storage platform that is used to manage
numerous types of information within an Exchange server deployment.

Expert Knowledge

Warning Critical

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Connection Definition:
Count
Is the total number of client connections
maintained.
(Only
available in
Exchange
2013)

N/A

> 100
ms

> 100
ms for
15

Information:
This is used to determine current load of the
server's Information Store.
Possible problems:
May cause memory bottlenecks on the server if
the number is excessively high.
Remediation:
Reduce the number of user mailboxes hosted
on the server or increase available resources.

Active User Definition:

Count
Number of user connections that have shown
some activity in the last2 minutes.
Information:
Used to determine current user load on the
server. Each active user will typically start up to
5 active sessions (connections)on a server,in
order to sync variousservices.
Possible problems:
May cause memory bottlenecks on the server if
the number is excessively high.
Remediation:
Determine if users are running applications not
required for business use, and request they do
not run these applications which is causing an
increase in server logons. If this does not help,
or is not possible, reduce the number ofusers
hosted on the server and move any Public
Folders on the server to a different server.
RPC
Averaged
Latency

Definition:
Indicates the RPC latency, in ms, averaged for
all operations in the last 1,024 packets.

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Information:
For information about how clients are affected
when overall server RPC averaged latencies
increase, see Understanding Client Throttling
Policies at http://technet.microsoft.com/enus/library/dd297964.aspx. Should not be higher
than 100 ms on average.

polls

Possible problems:
To determine if certain protocols are causing
overall RPC latencies, monitor MSExchangeIS
Client (*)\RPC Average Latency to separate
latencies based on client protocol.
Remediation:
Faster disks, more disks, or redesigning
existing disk arrays.
RPC
Requests

Definition:
Indicates the overall RPC requests currently
executing within the information store process.

> 70

> 70 for
15
polls

N/A

Information:
Should be below 70 at all times.
Possible problems:
When I/O counters fall outside of normal range,
client performance is directly impacted. For
example, Outlook and Outlook Web App (OWA)
users will report Outlook is slow when
opening mail or moving between folders.
Remediation:
Faster disks, more disks, or redesigning
existing disk arrays.
Active
Definition:
Connection Number of connections that have shown some
Count
activity in the last 10 minutes.
(Only
available in

Information:
This is used to determine current load of the

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Exchange
2010)

server's Information Store.

Possible problems:
May cause memory bottlenecks on the server if
the number is excessively high.
Remediation:
Reduce the number of user mailboxes hosted
on the server or increase available resources.

Client:
RPCs
Failed:
Server too
busy/sec
(Only
available in
Exchange
2010)

Definition:
Shows the client-reported rate of failed RPCs
(since the store was started) due to the Server
Too Busy ROC error.

> 0 for 5 > 0 for

polls
15
polls

Information:
Should be 0 at all times.
Possible problems:
Higher values may indicate RPC threads are
exhausted or client throttling is occurring for
clients running versions of Outlook earlier than
Microsoft Office Outlook 2007. This can cause
user mail clients experiencing slowness.
Remediation:
Check if RPC latencies are high and determine
the cause of the performance issue (e.g. poorly
performing disk I/O, excessive load, insufficient
memory, high number of users).

RPC Client Definition:

Backoff/sec The rate at which the server notifies a client to
withdraw (backoff).
(Only
available in
Exchange
2010)

Information:
Indicates the rate at which client backoffs are
occurring.
Possible problems:
Higher values may indicate that the server may
be incurring a higher load resulting in an
increase in overall averaged RPC latencies,

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causing client throttling to occur. This can also

occur when certain client user actions are being
performed. Depending on what the client is
doing and the rate at which RPC operations are
occurring, it may be normal to see backoffs
occurring.
Remediation:
Check if RPC latencies are high and determine
the cause of the performance issue (e.g. poorly
performing disk I/O, excessive load, insufficient
memory, high number of users).
Active
Client
Logons
(Only
available in
Exchange
2010)

Definition:
N/A
Number of logons that have been active (issued
any MAPI requests) within the last10 minute
time interval.

N/A

Information:
Active client logons can be high if users are
logging on and logging off frequently.
Possible problems:
May cause memory bottlenecks on the server if
the number is excessively high.
Remediation:
Determine if users are running applications not
required for business use, and request they do
not run these applications which is causing an
increase in server logons. If this does not help,
or is not possible, reduce the number of server
hosted on the server and move any Public
Folders on the server to a different server.

Messages Definition:
Queued for Shows the current number of submitted
Submission messages not yet processed by the transport
layer.
(Only
available in
Exchange

Information:
The queues should remain below 50 at any

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>50

> 50 for
15
polls

AppInsight for Exchange Details View

2010)

given time. Anything above this amount should

be cleared within 15 minutes.
Possible problems:
Mailbox server is not communicating properly
with the transport server.
Remediation:
Verify network connectivity and transport server
functionality.

Slow
FindRow
Rate

Definition:
Shows the rate at which the slower FindRow
needs to be used in the mailbox store.

(Only
available in
Exchange
2010)

Information:
Should be no more than 10 for any specific
mailbox store.
Possible problems:
Higher values indicate applications are
crawling or searching mailboxes, which is
affecting server performance. These include
desktop search engines, customer relationship
management (CRM), or other third-party
applications.
Remediation:
Run the ResetSearchIndex.ps1 script which is
located in the scripts directory at the root of the
Exchange installation. Alternatively, you can
perform the process manually:
1. Rebuild the index catalog using: UpdateMailboxDatabaseCopy <DBName> -CatalogOnly

command.
2. Stop the Microsoft Exchange Search Service.
3. Delete old catalog files.
4. Restart Microsoft Exchange Search Service.
Zooming

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Chapter 15: AppInsight Applications

Additional components on certain resources may be available for addition

and/or deletion on the Edit page.
The Value from Last Poll column shows the most recent data available for
the listed statistic.

Mailbox Database Copies

This resource shows the status of the Exchange mailbox database copies. The
data can be sorted by clicking the headers of each column.
Hovering over any Database Name in the list will display detailed information
about that database in the tooltip. Hovering over the node will provide a tooltip
with information about that node.

The following list defines each column of this resource:

l
l

Database Name: Name of the listed database copy.

Copy Status: Displays the status of the listed database copy. (See Table 1
below for possible statuses.)
Content Index State: See the following table for returned status descriptions. (See Table 2 below for possible statuses.)
Exchange Server: Name of the Exchange application and the node it is on.

Table 1.
Mounted

The active copy is online and accepting client connections. Only

the active copy of the mailbox database copy can have a copy
status of Mounted.

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Mounting

The active copy is coming online and not yet accepting client
connections. Only the active copy of the mailbox database copy
can have a copy status of Mounting.

Dismounting

The active copy is going offline and terminating client

connections. Only the active copy of the mailbox database copy
can have a copy status of Dismounting.

Dismounted

The active copy is offline and not accepting client connections.

Only the active copy of the mailbox database copy can have a
copy status of Dismounted.

Seeding

The mailbox database copy is being seeded, the content index

for the mailbox database copy is being seeded, or both are being
seeded. Upon successful completion of seeding, the copy status
should change to Initializing.

Seeding
Source

The mailbox database copy is being used as a source for a

database copy seeding operation.

Initializing

The mailbox database copy is in an Initializing state when a

database copy has been created, when the Microsoft Exchange
Replication service is starting or has just been started, and
during transitions from Suspended, Service Down, Failed,
Seeding, or Single Page Restore to another state. While in this
state, the system is verifying that the database and log stream are
in a consistent state. In most cases, the copy status will remain in
the Initializing state for about 15 seconds, but in all cases, it
should generally not be in this state for longer than 30 seconds.

ReThe mailbox database copy and its log files are being compared
synchronizing with the active copy of the database to check for any divergence
between the two copies. The copy status will remain in this state
until any divergence is detected and resolved.
Single Page
Restore

This state indicates that a single page restore operation is

occurring on the mailbox database copy.

Failed

The mailbox database copy is in a Failed state because it is not

suspended, and it is not able to copy or replay log files. While in
a Failed state and not suspended, the system will periodically

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check whether the problem that caused the copy status to

change to Failed has been resolved. After the system has
detected that the problem is resolved, and barring no other
issues, the copy status will automatically change to Healthy.
Service
Down

The Microsoft Exchange Replication service is not available or

running on the server that hosts the mailbox database copy.

Suspended

The mailbox database copy is in a Suspended state as a result of

an administrator manually suspending the database copy by
running the Suspend-MailboxDatabaseCopy cmdlet.

Healthy

The mailbox database copy is successfully copying and

replaying log files, or it has successfully copied and replayed all
available log files.

Disconnected The mailbox database copy is no longer connected to the active

and Healthy database copy, and it was in the Healthy state when the loss of
connection occurred. This state represents the database copy
with respect to connectivity to its source database copy. It may be
reported during DAG network failures between the source copy
and the target database copy.
Disconnected The mailbox database copy is no longer connected to the active
and Redatabase copy, and it was in the Re-synchronizing state when
synchronizing the loss of connection occurred. This state represents the
database copy with respect to connectivity to its source database
copy. It may be reported during DAG network failures between
the source copy and the target database copy.
Failed and
Suspended

The Failed and Suspended states have been set simultaneously

by the system because a failure was detected, and because
resolution of the failure explicitly requires administrator
intervention. An example is if the system detects unrecoverable
divergence between the active mailbox database and a database
copy. Unlike the Failed state, the system will not periodically
check whether the problem has been resolved, and automatically
recover. Instead, an administrator must intervene to resolve the
underlying cause of the failure before the database copy can be
transitioned to a healthy state.

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Table 2.
State

Description

Status
on
Active &
Passive
Copies

Crawling

Database is in the process of indexing database content. Warning

Depending on the size of the database, this process
could take some time to complete.

Disabled

Indexingforthe database has been disable by an

administrator.

Offline
(Active)
N/A
(Passive)

Failed

An error has occurred causing the content index to fail.

Critical

Failed and The Failed and Suspended states have been set
Suspended simultaneously by the system because a failure was
detected, and because resolution of the failure explicitly
requires administrator intervention.

Critical

Healthy

This indicates the Content Index is up to date and has

Up
not detected any issues. This is the only state in which a
failover (automatic process)to a specific database copy
can occur.

Seeding

A database copy is in the process of updating its Content Up

Index from another database copy.

Suspended The Suspended status occurs if an administrator manually pauses or suspends it from receiving updates from
the active copy. This might be done to update a failed
Content Index or to perform troubleshooting for other
issues.

Warning

Mailbox Database Size and Space Used

This resource numerically and graphically shows metrics concerning the
Exchange mailbox database size. The data can be sorted by clicking the headers
of each column.

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Hovering over any Database Name in the list will display detailed information
about that database in the tooltip. Clicking any database in the Database column
will take you to the Database Details page for that database.

The following list defines each column of this resource:

l
l
l

l
l

Database Name: Name of the listed database.

Database Size: Size of the listed database.
White Space: The amount of space available at the root of a database for
new mailboxes before the file size increases.
Space Usage: This graphically represents used data of the database, white
space of the database, and free space on the volume, respectively.
Total Mailboxes: The total number of mailboxes on the listed database.
Average Mailbox Size: The average size of an individual mailbox.

Mailbox Database Status

This resource provides details concerning the status of the current mailbox
database being monitored by the application.

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l
l

Database Name: Name of the listed database.

Copy Status: Displays the status of the active database. The table below
provides the possible status with its definition:
Mounted

The active copy is online and accepting client connections.

Only the active copy of the mailbox database copy can
have a copy status of Mounted.

Mounting

The active copy is coming online and not yet accepting

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Chapter 15: AppInsight Applications

client connections. Only the active copy of the mailbox

database copy can have a copy status of Mounting.
Dismounting

The active copy is going offline and terminating client

connections. Only the active copy of the mailbox database
copy can have a copy status of Dismounting.

Dismounted

The active copy is offline and not accepting client

connections. Only the active copy of the mailbox database
copy can have a copy status of Dismounted.

Seeding

The mailbox database copy is being seeded, the content

index for the mailbox database copy is being seeded, or
both are being seeded. Upon successful completion of
seeding, the copy status should change to Initializing.

Seeding
Source

The mailbox database copy is being used as a source for a

database copy seeding operation.

Initializing

The mailbox database copy is in an Initializing state when

a database copy has been created, when the Microsoft
Exchange Replication service is starting or has just been
started, and during transitions from Suspended,
ServiceDown, Failed, Seeding, or SinglePageRestore to
another state. While in this state, the system is verifying that
the database and log stream are in a consistent state. In
most cases, the copy status will remain in the Initializing
state for about 15 seconds, but in all cases, it should
generally not be in this state for longer than 30 seconds.

ReThe mailbox database copy and its log files are being
synchronizing compared with the active copy of the database to check for
any divergence between the two copies. The copy status
will remain in this state until any divergence is detected and
resolved.
Single Page
Restore

This state indicates that a single page restore operation is

occurring on the mailbox database copy.

Failed

The mailbox database copy is in a Failed state because it

isnot suspended, and it isnot able to copy or replay log
files. While in a Failed state and not suspended, the system

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will periodically check whether the problem that caused the
copy status to change to Failed has been resolved. After
the system has detected that the problem is resolved, and
barring no other issues, the copy status will automatically
change to Healthy.
Service
Down

The Microsoft Exchange Replication service isnot available

or running on the server that hosts the mailbox database
copy.

Suspended

The mailbox database copy is in a Suspended state as a

result of an administrator manually suspending the
database copy by running the SuspendMailboxDatabaseCopy cmdlet.

Healthy

The mailbox database copy is successfully copying and

replaying log files, or it has successfully copied and
replayed all available log files.

Disconnected The mailbox database copy is no longer connected to the

and Healthy active database copy, and it was in the Healthy state when
the loss of connection occurred. This state represents the
database copy with respect to connectivity to its source
database copy. It may be reported during DAG network
failures between the source copy and the target database
copy.
Disconnected The mailbox database copy is no longer connected to the
and Reactive database copy, and it was in the Re-synchronizing
synchronizing state when the loss of connection occurred. This state
represents the database copy with respect to connectivity to
its source database copy. It may be reported during DAG
network failures between the source copy and the target
database copy.
Failed and
Suspended

The Failed and Suspended states have been set

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Failed state, the system will not periodically check whether

the problem has been resolved, and automatically recover.
Instead, an administrator must intervene to resolve the
underlying cause of the failure before the database copy
can be transitioned to a healthy state.
l

Copy Queue Length: The copy queue length is an integer indicating number of files. The Copy Queue Length shows the number of transaction log
files waiting to be copied to the passive copy log file folder. A copy is not
considered complete until it has been checked for corruption.
Replay Queue Length: The Replay Queue Length shows the number of
transaction log files waiting to be replayed into the passive copy.
Last Inspected Log Time: This is the date and time when the last log file
was verified (inspected) by the LogInspector for a particular database after
being copied from the active copy. This field is only relevant for passive copies of a database.
Content Index State: See the following table for returned status descriptions.
State

Description

Status
on
Active &
Passive
Copies

Crawling

Database is in the process of indexing database

content. Depending on the size of the database,
this process could take some time to complete.

Warning

Disabled

Indexingforthe database has been disable by an

administrator.

Offline
(Active)
N/A
(Passive)

Failed

An error has occurred causing the content index to Critical

fail.

Failed and The Failed and Suspended states have been set
Critical
Suspended simultaneously by the system because a failure
was detected, and because resolution of the failure
explicitly requires administrator intervention.

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Healthy

This indicates the Content Index is up to date and Up

has not detected any issues. This is the only state
in which a failover (automatic process)to a specific
database copy can occur.

Seeding

A database copy is in the process of updating its

Content Index from another database copy.

Suspended The Suspended status occurs if an administrator

Warning
manually pauses or suspends it from receiving
updates from the active copy. This might be done to
update a failed Content Index or to perform
troubleshooting for other issues.
l

Activation Preference: Indicates which database copy has preference over

another copy. It is used as part of the formula to determine which database
copy will become active during a failover. The value can range from 1 to 16
depending on the number of servers in the DAG. The lower the number, the
higher the preference.

Mail Database
This resource contains performance counters specific to the status of the current
Mail Database. The icons of the listed performance counters in the Statistic Name
column will change color to reflect the listed counter's current state. Clicking any
performance counter in the Statistic Name column will take you to the
Performance Counter Details page for that counter.
If the value of a listed counter crosses the Warning threshold, the chart for the
listed monitor will display a yellow background. If the value of a listed
performance counter crosses the Critical threshold, the chart will display a red
background. Hovering over any time period within the chart will display detailed
information about that time period in the tooltip.

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Expert Knowledge

Warning Critical

Database Definition:
N/A
Cache
Shows the amount of system memory, used by the
Size (MB) database cache manager to hold commonly used
information from the database files to prevent file
operations.
Information:
This and Database Cache Hit % are useful
counters for gauging whether a server's
performance problems might be resolved by
adding more physical memory. Use this counter
along with store private bytes to determine if there
are store memory leaks.
Possible problems:
Situation when the database cache size seems
too small for optimal performance and there is little
available memory on the system (check the value
of Memory/Available Bytes) could negatively
impact on performance. If there is ample memory

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on the system and the database cache size is not
growing beyond a certain point, the database
cache size may be capped at an artificially low
limit. Increasing this limit may increase
performance.
Remediation:
Adding more memory to the system and/or
increasing database cache size may increase
performance.
Database
Page
Fault
Stalls/sec

Definition:
> 0
Shows the rate that database file page requests
require of the database cache manager to allocate
a new page from the database cache.

> 0 for
15
polls

Information:
Should be 0 at all times.
Possible problems:
If this value is nonzero, this indicates that the
database is not able to flush dirty pages to the
database file fast enough to make pages free for
new page allocations.
Remediation:
If the disk subsystem is not meeting demand,
correcting the problem may require additional
disks, faster disks, or modifying the disk
configuration.
Version Definition:
Buckets Shows the total number of version buckets
Allocated allocated.
Information:
Should be less than 12,000 at all times. The
maximum default version is 16,384. If version
buckets reach 70% of maximum, the server is at
risk of running out of the version store.
Possible problems:

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> 11500 >

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Chapter 15: AppInsight Applications

Typically indicates a database transaction which

is taking a long time to save to disk. During Online
DB defrags, the version buckets may increase.
Remediation:
Verify if the server has any applications running
that have a long running transaction which has not
been saved to disk, causing the version store
memory resource to be exhausted.
Log
Definition:
Record
Shows the number of log records that can't be
Stalls/sec added to the log buffers per second because the
log buffers are full. If this counter is nonzero for a
long period of time, the log buffer size may be a
bottleneck.

> 10for > 10 for

15polls 60
polls

Information:
The average value should be below 10 per
second. Spikes (maximum values) should not be
higher than 100 per second.
Possible problems:
If I/O log write latencies are high, check for RAID5
or synchronize replication on log devices.
Remediation:
You can also use the MSExchange Database
Instances (Information store/<Database Name>)
\log record stalls/sec counter to determine which
database(s) may be having issues. This will assist
you in determining which drive(s) to focus on. This
counter is an extended Exchange counter in
Performance Monitor. The solution can include
additional disks, reconfigured RAID configuration,
adding new database(s), or re-balancing
mailboxes across databases or servers.
Log
Threads
Waiting

Definition:
> 10 for > 10 for
Shows the number of threads waiting for their data 15 polls 60
to be written to the log to complete an update of
polls

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the database. If this number is too high, the log
may be a bottleneck.
Information:
Should be less than 10 on average.
Possible problems:
If this number is too high, the log may be a
bottleneck. Regular spikes concurrent with log
record stall spikes indicate that the transaction log
disks are a bottleneck. If the value for log threads
waiting is more than the spindles available for the
logs, there is a bottleneck on the log disks.
Remediation:
If the disk subsystem is not meeting demand,
correcting the problem may require additional
disks, faster disks, or modifying the disk
configuration.
Zooming
You can have the chart show a predetermined time period of data by clicking on
any one of the three Zoom buttons in the head of the Zoom column. Alternatively,
you can have the chart show a specific date range by dragging the mouse over an
area of the chart. The time and date displayed at the top of the resource shows
the amount of data currently loaded into the chart. This can be changed by
clicking Edit from within the resource.
Notes:
l

Additional components on certain resources may be available for addition

and/or deletion on the Edit page.
The Value from Last Poll column shows the most recent data available for
the listed statistic.

Management
This resource contains controls that are actionable for both the application and
the node. The controls in the following illustration are SAM-specific.

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Application:
l

Edit Application Monitor: This allows you to edit the current application by
changing the settings specifically related to this application. This includes,
but is not limited to: changing the polling frequency, changing the Windows
and PowerShell URLs, changing the Exchange Server credentials, and
adjusting threshold settings for component monitors that have thresholds.
Changing some settings may require you to override the template that this
application is based upon. To do this, simply click Override Template.

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Unmanage: Allows you to stop the polling and collecting of statistics of the
current application for a user-defined period of time.

Poll Now: Allows the application to retrieve the most current statistics when
clicked.
Note: By default, mailbox statistics are not polled when Poll Now is clicked.

Node:
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Real-Time Process Explorer: Opens the RTPE in a new window. For

more information, see Real Time Process Explorer.
Service Control Manager: Opens the SCM in a new window. For more
information, see Service Control Manager.
Real-Time Event Viewer: Opens the RTEV in a new window. For more
information, see Real Time Event Viewer.

Replication
This resource contains performance counters specific to the status of the current
replication process. The icons of the listed performance counters in the Statistic
Name column will change color to reflect the listed counter's current state.
Clicking any performance counter in the Statistic Name column will take you to
the Performance Counter Details page for that counter.
If the value of a listed counter crosses the Warning threshold, the chart for the
listed monitor will display a yellow background. If the value of a listed
performance counter crosses the Critical threshold, the chart will display a red

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background. Hovering over any time period within the chart will display detailed
information about that time period in the tooltip.
The purpose of using data replication is to maintain current replicas of the data.
Exchange servers can use the replicas to provide continuity of email service in
the event of a storage or site outage in the primary location.

Expert Knowledge

Warning Critical

CopyQueueLength

Definition:
Shows the number of transaction log
files waiting to be copied to the
passive copy log file folder. A copy
isn't considered complete until it has
been checked for corruption.

Information:
Allnodes in a Database Availability
Group (DAG) should be monitored for
this counter depending on the passive
node. Should be less than 1 at all

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AppInsight for Exchange Details View

times for continuous replication.
Possible problems:
Server recently rebooted or services
restarted, network connectivity issues,
or multiple mailbox moves are in
process.
Remediation:
Verify network connectivity between
the various nodesin the DAG. Verify
Replication Service is running on all
DAG members.
ReplayQueueLength Definition:
Shows the number of transaction log
files waiting to be replayed into the
passive copy.

> 50 for
5 polls

> 100
for 5
polls

N/A

Information:
With DAG replication, transaction logs
are shipped to the other DAG
members. They then replay the log
file. (Thresholds should be manually
removed for DAG members
configured to be 'lagged copies.')
Possible problems:
The replay queue length should be as
low as possible, otherwise this could
indicate a (performance) issue with
the DAG member containing the Copy
database. A high number could also
negatively affect failover with some
loss of data as a possibility.
Remediation:
Check Memory, CPU, and Disk I/O for
any bottlenecks. Review the Windows
Event logs for any related events.
Avg Log Copy

Definition:

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Latency (msec)
(Only available in
Exchange 2010)
Log Copy KB/sec

Average number of milliseconds

observed by the log copier when
sending messages over the network.
Definition:
The size of the log files (in KB) that
are copied per second.

N/A

Definition:
N/A
The number of log files that have been
replayed per second.

N/A

Information:
Shows the size in KB/secof the
transaction logs being copied to
passive copies.
Log Replay Rate
(generations/sec)

Information:
Shows you the number of Transaction
Logs being replayed on the passive
copies of a database.
Log Replay is Not
Keeping Up

Definition:
LogReplayNotKeepingUp is 1 when
log replay is falling behind and not
able to keep up with log copying and
inspection.
Information:
Exchange 2010/2013 uses
continuous replication to create and
maintain database copies. To
maintain a synchronized copy of a
mailbox database, transaction log files
from the active mailbox server are
replayed into the passive database of
another server in the DAG. This
provides high availability and
resiliency in the Exchange
environment.

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>= 1
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Possible problems:
Indicates a replication issue may exist
with the mailbox database copies in
the DAG. If Transaction Log replay is
not able to keep up with the active
copy, passive copies willnot be upof
date.
Remediation:
Review the Windows Event logs for
any related events. Examine network
topology between DAG members and
verify connectivity and network
latency is below 250 ms. Examine
CPU utilization by the Information
Store service on passive copies.
Examine the replication status for
each replica database using the GetMailboxDatabaseCopyStatus cmdlet.
Zooming
You can have the chart show a predetermined time period of data by clicking on
any one of the three Zoom buttons in the head of the Zoom column. Alternatively,
you can have the chart show a specific date range by dragging the mouse over an
area of the chart. The time and date displayed at the top of the resource shows
the amount of data currently loaded into the chart. This can be changed by
clicking Edit from within the resource.
Notes:
l

Additional components on certain resources may be available for addition

and/or deletion on the Edit page.
The Value from Last Poll column shows the most recent data available for
the listed statistic.

Replication Status Checks

This resource will perform up to 16 checks in Exchange 2010 and up to 18
checks in Exchange 2013 (divided into two columns. This resource will only show
test results which apply to the server it is being run against, whether the server
contains only active databases, passive databases, or a combination of the two.

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The fewestchecks are performed when run against a server with only active
databases (Seven checks for 2010, 12 checks for 2013). This is because check
for databases replication status is not necessary because they are all on the local
server.
The status for each Health Check Test can be one of the following: Passed,
Failed, or Warning.

The table below provides a list of all possible tests for this resource along with
their definitions.
Health Check Test
Name

Description

TcpListener

Verifies that the TCP log copy listener is running and

reachable on the specified DAG member, or if no
DAG member is specified, on the local server.

TasksRpcListener

Verifies that the tasks remote procedure call (RPC)

server is running and reachable on the specified
DAG member, or if no DAG member is specified, on
the local server.

ServerLocatorService

Verifies the Active Manager client/server processes

on DAG members and on the Client Access Server

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AppInsight for Exchange Details View

that perform lookups in Active Directory and Active
Manager to determine where a users mailbox
database is active.
ReplayService

Verifies that the Microsoft Exchange Replication

service is running and reachable on the specified
DAG member, or if no DAG member is specified, on
the local server.

QuorumGroup

Verifies that the default cluster group (quorum group)

is in a healthy and online state.

FileShareQuorum

Verifies that the witness server and witness directory

and share configured for the DAG are reachable.

DBLogReplayKeepingUp Verifies that replay activity for the passive copies of

databases on the specified DAG member, or if no
DAG member is specified, on the local server, is able
to keep up with log copying and inspection activity.
DBLogCopyKeepingUp

Verifies that log copying and inspection by the

passive copies of databases on the specified DAG
member, or if no DAG member is specified, on the
local server, are able to keep up with log generation
activity on the active copy.

DBInitializing

Checks whether any mailbox database copies are in

a state of Initializing on the specified DAG member,
or if no DAG member is specified, on the local server.

DBDisconnected

Checks whether any mailbox database copies are in

a state of Disconnected on the specified DAG
member, or if no DAG member is specified, on the
local server.

DBCopySuspended

Checks whether any mailbox database copies are in

a state of Suspended on the specified DAG member,
or if no DAG member is specified, on the local server.

DBCopyFailed

Checks whether any mailbox database copies are in

a state of Failed on the specified DAG member, or if
no DAG member is specified, on the local server.

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Chapter 15: AppInsight Applications

DatabaseRedundancy
(Only 2013)

Verifies that there is at least one healthy copy

available of the databases on the specified DAG
member, or if no DAG member is specified, on the
local server.

DatabaseAvailability
(Only 2013)

Verifies that the databases have sufficient availability

on the specified DAG member, or if no DAG member
is specified, on the local server.

DagMembersUp

Verifies that all DAG members are available, running,

and reachable.

ClusterService

Verifies that the Cluster service is running and

reachable on the specified DAG member, or if no
DAG member is specified, on the local server.

ClusterNetwork

Verifies that all cluster-managed networks on the

specified DAG member, or if no DAG member is
specified, the local server, are available.

ActiveManager

Verifies that the instance of Active Manager running

on the specified DAG member, or if no DAG member
is specified, the local server, is in a valid role
(primary, secondary, or stand-alone).

Storage
This resource contains performance counters specific to the status of storage. The
icons of the listed performance counters in the Statistic Name column will change
color to reflect the listed counter's current state. Clicking any performance counter
in the Statistic Name column will take you to the Performance Counter Details
page for that counter.
If the value of a listed counter crosses the Warning threshold, the chart for the
listed monitor will display a yellow background. If the value of a listed
performance counter crosses the Critical threshold, the chart will display a red
background. Hovering over any time period within the chart will display detailed
information about that time period in the tooltip.

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Expert Knowledge

Warning Critical

I/O Database
Reads
Average
Latency

Definition:
Shows the average length of time, in ms, per
database read operation.

>50 ms >50
msfor
15
polls

Information:
Should be 20 ms on average.Spikes should
not exceed 50 ms.
Possible problems:
Users may report sluggish responsiveness
within their email client.
Remediation:
If the disk subsystem is not meeting demand,
correcting the problem may require additional
disks, faster disks, or modifying the disk
configuration.

I/O Database Definition:

Writes
Shows the average length of time, in ms, per

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> 100
ms

> 100
ms for

Chapter 15: AppInsight Applications

Average
Latency

database write operation.

15
polls

Information:
Should be 50 ms on average. Spikes of up to
100 ms are acceptable if not accompanied by
database page fault stalls.
Possible problems:
Users may report sluggish responsiveness
within their email client.
Remediation:
If the disk subsystem is not meeting demand,
correcting the problem may require additional
disks, faster disks, or modifying the disk
configuration.

I/O Log
Reads
Average
Latency

Definition:
Indicates the average time, in ms, to read data
from a log file. Specific to log replay and
database recovery operations.

> 200
ms

> 200
ms
for15
polls

Information:
Average should be less than 200 ms with
spikes up to 1000 ms
Possible problems:
Users may report sluggish responsiveness
within their email client.
Remediation:
If the disk subsystem is not meeting demand,
correcting the problem may require additional
disks, faster disks, or modifying the disk
configuration.
I/O Log
Writes
Average
Latency

Definition:
> 10 ms > 10
Indicates the average time, in ms, to write a log
ms for
buffer to the active log file.
15
polls
Information:
This count should be 10 ms or less on
production servers.

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Possible problems:
Indication that the MS Exchange Database\I/O
Database Writes Average Latency is too high
Remediation:
If the disk subsystem is not meeting demand,
correcting the problem may require additional
disks, faster disks, or modifying the disk
configuration.

Additional components on certain resources may be available for addition

and/or deletion on the Edit page.
The Value from Last Poll column shows the most recent data available for
the listed statistic.

Users By Mailbox Size

This resource numerically and graphically shows metrics concerning mailbox
size per user. The data can be sorted by clicking the headers of each column.
Hovering over any user in the User Name list will display detailed information
about that user's mailbox in the tooltip. Clicking any database in the Database
column will take you to the Database Details page for that database.
Notes:
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Chapter 15: AppInsight Applications

User mailbox information is collected only once a day after midnight, local
time.

The following list defines each column of this resource:

l
l

User Name: Name of the listed user.

Mailbox Size: Total size of the listed mailbox that is currently being used by
the user.
% Quote Used: Graphically and numerically shows the percentage used of
the listed mailbox.
Attachment Size: This is the total size of all emails that have an attachment. This includes the body of the email as well as any attachments.
Attachment Count: Shows the number of email messages that contain
attachments, as opposed to the actual number of attachments contained in
each email.
Note: The maximum number of email messages with attachments that can
be reported is 10,000.
Last Accessed: Displays the time and date the listed mailbox was last
accessed by the user.
Database: This is the database that contains the listed user's mailbox.

For more information, see Attachment Extensions.

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Users By % Mailbox Quota Used
This resource shows metrics based on the percentage of a user's mailbox quota
used. The data can be sorted by clicking the headers of each column.
Hovering over any user in the User Name list will display detailed information
about that user's mailbox in the tooltip. Clicking any database in the Database
column will take you to the Database Details page for that database.
Notes:
l

If there are no user mailboxes or mailbox quotas are not in use on a given
database, this resources will disappear from the Mailbox Database Details
page.
If there are no user mailboxes or mailbox quotas are not in use in any of the
active databases on an Exchange server, this resource will disappear from
the Application Details page.
User mailbox information is collected only once a day after midnight, local
time.

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The following list defines each column of this resource:

l
l

User Name: Name of the listed user.

% Quota Used: Graphically and numerically shows the percentage used of
the listed mailbox.
Mailbox Size: Total size of the listed mailbox that is currently being used by
the user.
Attachment Size: This is the total size of all emails that have an attachment. This includes the body of the email as well as any attachments.
Attachment Count: This is the number of emails that have at least one
attachment.
Last Accessed: Displays the time and date the listed mailbox was last
accessed by the user.
Database: This is the database that contains the listed user's mailbox.

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For more information, see Attachment Extensions .

Users By Messages Sent
This resource shows metrics based on messages sent. The data can be sorted by
clicking the headers of each column.
Hovering over any user in the User Name list will display detailed information
about that user's mailbox in the tooltip. Clicking any database in the Database
column will take you to the Database Details page for that database.
Notes:
l

If there are no user mailboxes on a given database, this resources will disappear from the Mailbox Database Details page.
If there are no user mailboxes in any of the active databases on an
Exchange server, this resource will disappear from the Application Details
page.
User mailbox information is collected only once a day after midnight, local
time.
If Server Mailbox Accounts Statistics is disabled, this resource, as well as
the Messages Sent and Messages Received charts on the Mailbox Details
view, will disappear.

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The following list defines each column of this resource:

l
l

User Name: Name of the listed user.

Sent Yesterday: Current number of messages sent yesterday for the listed
user.
Sent Last 7 Days: This is the total number of emails that have been sent in
the last seven days.
Sent Last 30 Days: This is the total number of emails that have been sent
in the last 30 days.
Last Accessed: Displays the date the listed mailbox was last accessed by
the user
Database: This is the database that contains the listed user's mailbox.

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AppInsight for Exchange Database Details View

The Database Details view provides a great deal of information about the current
database and can be accessed by clicking any listed database.
To navigate to the Database Details view:
1. From the web console, navigate to the AppInsight for Exchange Details
view.
2. From a Database resource, click any database in the list.
The available resources unique to this view include:
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l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
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Active/Mounted Database Availability

Database Copies
Database Details
Database Disk I/O
Database File Size
Database I/O
Database Metrics
Events
Messages
Transaction Log File Size
Transaction Log Disk I/O

Notes:
l

If the name of a database is extremely long, certain performance counters

may not be visible on the Database Details page.
If databases are grouped by a status of Unknown in Network Atlas,
AppInsight for Exchange databases will be displayed.

Active/Mounted Database Availability

This resource graphically shows the various states of database availability in a
percentage format and is made up of three sections: the legend, the main chart,
and the lower chart. The colors of the main chart correspond to the labels in the
legend.

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Moving the mouse over the main chart will reveal a tooltip with more detailed
information about the specific time period the mouse is hovering over. By default,
all statistics are shown in the main chart.
Database Copies
This resource provides details concerning the status of the current Exchange
server being monitored by the application.

l
l

Exchange Server: Name of the listed Exchange Server.

Copy Status: Displays the status of the active database. The table below
provides the possible status with its definition:
Mounted

The active copy is online and accepting client connections.

Only the active copy of the mailbox database copy can
have a copy status of Mounted.

Mounting

The active copy is coming online and not yet accepting

client connections. Only the active copy of the mailbox
database copy can have a copy status of Mounting.

Dismounting

The active copy is going offline and terminating client

connections. Only the active copy of the mailbox database
copy can have a copy status of Dismounting.

Dismounted

The active copy is offline and not accepting client

connections. Only the active copy of the mailbox database
copy can have a copy status of Dismounted.

Seeding

The mailbox database copy is being seeded, the content

index for the mailbox database copy is being seeded, or
both are being seeded. Upon successful completion of
seeding, the copy status should change to Initializing.

Seeding
Source

The mailbox database copy is being used as a source for a

database copy seeding operation.

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Initializing

The mailbox database copy is in an Initializing state when

This state indicates that a single page restore operation is

occurring on the mailbox database copy.

Failed

The mailbox database copy is in a Failed state because it

isnot suspended, and it isnot able to copy or replay log
files. While in a Failed state and not suspended, the system
will periodically check whether the problem that caused the
copy status to change to Failed has been resolved. After
the system has detected that the problem is resolved, and
barring no other issues, the copy status will automatically
change to Healthy.

Service
Down

The Microsoft Exchange Replication service isnot available

or running on the server that hosts the mailbox database
copy.

Suspended

The mailbox database copy is in a Suspended state as a

result of an administrator manually suspending the
database copy by running the SuspendMailboxDatabaseCopy cmdlet.

Healthy

The mailbox database copy is successfully copying and

replaying log files, or it has successfully copied and
replayed all available log files.

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Disconnected The mailbox database copy is no longer connected to the
and Healthy active database copy, and it was in the Healthy state when
the loss of connection occurred. This state represents the
database copy with respect to connectivity to its source
database copy. It may be reported during DAG network
failures between the source copy and the target database
copy.
Disconnected The mailbox database copy is no longer connected to the
and Reactive database copy, and it was in the Re-synchronizing
synchronizing state when the loss of connection occurred. This state
represents the database copy with respect to connectivity to
its source database copy. It may be reported during DAG
network failures between the source copy and the target
database copy.
Failed and
Suspended

The Failed and Suspended states have been set

simultaneously by the system because a failure was
detected, and because resolution of the failure explicitly
requires administrator intervention. An example is if the
system detects unrecoverable divergence between the
active mailbox database and a database copy. Unlike the
Failed state, the system will not periodically check whether
the problem has been resolved, and automatically recover.
Instead, an administrator must intervene to resolve the
underlying cause of the failure before the database copy
can be transitioned to a healthy state.

Copy Queue: The Copy Queue length is an integer indicating number of

files. The Copy Queue Length shows the number of transaction log files
waiting to be copied to the passive copy log file folder. A copy is not considered complete until it has been checked for corruption.
Replay Queue: The Replay Queue Length shows the number of transaction log files waiting to be replayed into the passive copy.
Inspected Log Time: This is the date and time when the last log file was
verified (inspected) by the LogInspector for a particular database after being
copied from the active copy. This field is only relevant for passive copies of
a database.
Content Index: See the following table for returned status descriptions.

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State

Description

Status
on
Active &
Passive
Copies

Crawling

Database is in the process of indexing database

content. Depending on the size of the database,
this process could take some time to complete.

Warning

Disabled

Indexingforthe database has been disable by an

administrator.

Offline
(Active)
N/A
(Passive)

Failed

An error has occurred causing the content index to Critical

fail.

This indicates the Content Index is up to date and Up

has not detected any issues. This is the only state
in which a failover (automatic process)to a specific
database copy can occur.

Seeding

A database copy is in the process of updating its

Content Index from another database copy.

Suspended The Suspended status occurs if an administrator

Warning
manually pauses or suspends it from receiving
updates from the active copy. This might be done to
update a failed Content Index or to perform
troubleshooting for other issues.
l

Activation Preference: Indicates which database copy has preference over

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AppInsight for Exchange Database Details View

Database Details
This resource provides details concerning the current database.

The following list defines each field of this resource:

l
l

Database Name: This provides the name of the current database.

Summary Status: Displays the current status of the database. (See Table 1
for possible statuses.)
Active Copy Status: Displays the current status of the database of the
Exchange application that is being monitored. (See Table 2 for possible
statuses.)
Preferred Server: The database copy with an activation preference of 1 is
the preferred server.
Master: This refers to the name of the DAG or the name of the Server which
maintains the copy status information.
Total Number of Mailboxes: Displays the total number of mailboxes on the
listed database.
Average Mailbox Size: Displays the average size of user mailboxes.
Last Full Backup: Displays the time and date of the last full backup of the
database.
Last Incremented Backup: Displays the time and date of only those files
that have been altered since the last full backup of the database.

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Circular Logging: Circular logging is a method of conserving disk space by

deleting transaction log files after they have been committed to the database. Circular Logging should only be enabled if the mailbox server is part
of a DAG with a minimum of three database copies and one of those should
be set as a "lagged copy."
Storage Quota Defaults:
l Issue Warning: Displays the minimum size the mailbox must be
before a Warning is issued to the user's mailbox.
l Prohibit Send: Displays the minimum size the mailbox must be
before sending email is prohibited from the user's mailbox.
l Prohibit Send and Receive: Displays the minimum size the mailbox
must be before sending and receiving email is prohibited from the
user's mailbox.

Table 1.
This table shows how the value for the Summary Status field is calculated. If the
conditions in the first four columns are met, the status in the Final SAMStatus
column is displayed in the Summary Status field.
DB Copy
DB Copy Status (Passive) DB Content DB Content Final
Status (Active)
Index State Index State SAM
Statu
(Active)
(Passive)
s
Dismounted

Any

Offline

Dismounting

Any

Warni
ng

Failed

Any

Down

Initializing

Any

Warni
ng

Mounted,
DisconnectedAndHealthy
Seeding, or
SeedingSource

Healthy,
Any
Seeding, or
SeedingSou
rce

Warni
ng

Mounted,
DisconnectedAndHealthy
Seeding, or
SeedingSource

Any other

Critica
l

607

Any

AppInsight for Exchange Database Details View

Mounted,
DisconnectedAndResynchr Healthy,
Any
Seeding, or
onizing
Seeding, or
SeedingSou
SeedingSource
rce

Warni
ng

Mounted,
DisconnectedAndResynchr Any other
Seeding, or
onizing
SeedingSource

Any

Critica
l

Mounted,
Failed
Seeding, or
SeedingSource

Healthy,
Any
Seeding, or
SeedingSou
rce

Warni
ng

Mounted,
Failed
Seeding, or
SeedingSource

Any other

Any

Critica
l

Mounted,
FailedAndSuspended
Seeding, or
SeedingSource

Healthy,
Any
Seeding, or
SeedingSou
rce

Warni
ng

Mounted,
FailedAndSuspended
Seeding, or
SeedingSource

Any other

Any

Critica
l

Mounted,
Healthy
Seeding, or
SeedingSource

Healthy,
Seeding, or
SeedingSou
rce

Healthy,
Up
Seeding, or
SeedingSou
rce

Mounted,
Healthy
Seeding, or
SeedingSource

Healthy,
Any other
Seeding, or
SeedingSou
rce

Warni
ng

Mounted,
Healthy
Seeding, or
SeedingSource

Crawling

Any

Warni
ng

Mounted,

Any other

Healthy,

Warni

Healthy

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Chapter 15: AppInsight Applications

Seeding, or
SeedingSource

Seeding, or ng
SeedingSou
rce

Mounted,
Healthy
Seeding, or
SeedingSource

Any other

Mounted,
Initializing
Seeding, or
SeedingSource

Healthy,
Any
Seeding, or
SeedingSou
rce

Mounted,
Initializing
Seeding, or
SeedingSource

Any other

Any

Warni
ng

Mounted,
Resynchronizing
Seeding, or
SeedingSource

Healthy,
Seeding, or
SeedingSou
rce

Healthy,
Up
Seeding, or
SeedingSou
rce

Mounted,
Resynchronizing
Seeding, or
SeedingSource

Healthy,
Any other
Seeding, or
SeedingSou
rce

Mounted,
Resynchronizing
Seeding, or
SeedingSource

Any other

Healthy,
Warni
Seeding, or ng
SeedingSou
rce

Mounted,
Resynchronizing
Seeding, or
SeedingSource

Any other

Mounted,
Seeding
Seeding, or
SeedingSource

Healthy,
Any
Seeding, or
SeedingSou
rce

Mounted,

Any other

Warni

Seeding

609

Any other

Any

Critica
l

Warni
ng

Critica
l

AppInsight for Exchange Database Details View

Seeding, or
SeedingSource

Mounted,
SeedingSource
Seeding, or
SeedingSource

Healthy,
Any
Seeding, or
SeedingSou
rce

Mounted,
SeedingSource
Seeding, or
SeedingSource

Any other

Any

Warni
ng

Mounted,
Service Down
Seeding, or
SeedingSource

Healthy,
Any
Seeding, or
SeedingSou
rce

Warni
ng

Mounted,
Service Down
Seeding, or
SeedingSource

Any other

Any

Critica
l

Mounted,
SinglePageRestore
Seeding, or
SeedingSource

Healthy,
Any
Seeding, or
SeedingSou
rce

Warni
ng

Mounted,
SinglePageRestore
Seeding, or
SeedingSource

Any other

Any

Critica
l

Mounted,
Suspended
Seeding, or
SeedingSource

Healthy,
Any
Seeding, or
SeedingSou
rce

Warni
ng

Mounted,
Suspended
Seeding, or
SeedingSource

Any other

Any

Critica
l

Mounting

Any

Warni
ng

Any

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Chapter 15: AppInsight Applications

Service Down

Any

Down

SinglePageRe DisconnectedAndHealthy
store

Healthy,
Any
Seeding, or
SeedingSou
rce

Warni
ng

SinglePageRe DisconnectedAndHealthy
store

Any other

Any

Critica
l

SinglePageRe DisconnectedAndResynchr Healthy,

Any
store
onizing
Seeding, or
SeedingSou
rce

Warni
ng

SinglePageRe DisconnectedAndResynchr Any other

store
onizing

Any

Critica
l

SinglePageRe Failed
store

Any

Critica
l

SinglePageRe FailedAndSuspended
store

Any

Critica
l

SinglePageRe Healthy
store

Healthy,
Any
Seeding, or
SeedingSou
rce

Warni
ng

SinglePageRe Healthy
store

Crawling

Any

Critica
l

SinglePageRe Healthy
store

Any other

Any

Critica
l

SinglePageRe Initializing
store

Any

Critica
l

SinglePageRe Resynchronizing
store

Healthy,
Any
Seeding, or
SeedingSou
rce

Warni
ng

SinglePageRe Resynchronizing

Any other

Critica

611

Any

AppInsight for Exchange Database Details View

store

SinglePageRe Seeding
store

Healthy,
Any
Seeding, or
SeedingSou
rce

Warni
ng

SinglePageRe Seeding
store

Any other

Any

Critica
l

SinglePageRe SeedingSource
store

Healthy,
Any
Seeding, or
SeedingSou
rce

Warni
ng

SinglePageRe SeedingSource
store

Any other

Any

Critica
l

SinglePageRe Service Down

store

Any

Critica
l

SinglePageRe SinglePageRestore
store

Any

Critica
l

SinglePageRe Suspended
store

Healthy,
Any
Seeding, or
SeedingSou
rce

Warni
ng

SinglePageRe Suspended
store

Any other

Critica
l

Any

Table 2.
Mounted

The active copy is online and accepting client connections. Only

the active copy of the mailbox database copy can have a copy
status of Mounted.

Mounting

The active copy is coming online and not yet accepting client
connections. Only the active copy of the mailbox database copy
can have a copy status of Mounting.

Dismounting

The active copy is going offline and terminating client

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Chapter 15: AppInsight Applications

connections. Only the active copy of the mailbox database copy

can have a copy status of Dismounting.
Dismounted

The active copy is offline and not accepting client connections.

Only the active copy of the mailbox database copy can have a
copy status of Dismounted.

Seeding

The mailbox database copy is being seeded, the content index

for the mailbox database copy is being seeded, or both are being
seeded. Upon successful completion of seeding, the copy status
should change to Initializing.

Seeding
Source

The mailbox database copy is being used as a source for a

database copy seeding operation.

Initializing

The mailbox database copy is in an Initializing state when a

This state indicates that a single page restore operation is

occurring on the mailbox database copy.

Failed

The mailbox database copy is in a Failed state because it is not

suspended, and it is not able to copy or replay log files. While in
a Failed state and not suspended, the system will periodically
check whether the problem that caused the copy status to
change to Failed has been resolved. After the system has
detected that the problem is resolved, and barring no other
issues, the copy status will automatically change to Healthy.

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AppInsight for Exchange Database Details View

Service
Down

The Microsoft Exchange Replication service is not available or

running on the server that hosts the mailbox database copy.

Suspended

The mailbox database copy is in a Suspended state as a result of

an administrator manually suspending the database copy by
running the Suspend-MailboxDatabaseCopy cmdlet.

Healthy

The mailbox database copy is successfully copying and

replaying log files, or it has successfully copied and replayed all
available log files.

Disconnected The mailbox database copy is no longer connected to the active

The Failed and Suspended states have been set simultaneously

Database Disk I/O

This resource provides details concerning the database disk I/O being monitored
by the application.

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Chapter 15: AppInsight Applications

l
l
l

File Path: Path of the listed database.

Volume: Displays the name of the listed volume.
Disk Queue Length: Displays the length of the disk queue of the listed
volume.
Total IOPS: Displays the total number of Input/Output operations per
second of the listed volume.
Latency: Numerically displays the average time the disk transfers took to
complete, in seconds.
Exchange Server: Displays the name of the listed Exchange Server.

Database File Size

This resource provides details concerning the size of the listed database copies
being monitored by the application.

l
l
l

File Path: Path of the listed database.

Total File Size: Displays the size of the listed database file.
Database Usage: Depending on how your database is configured, this
value is showing you how close you are to running out of space. If your database is configured as a fixed size, auto-grow, or a restricted auto-grow, the
percentages relate to what is going to cause your database to run out of
space.
Volume Usage: Numerically and graphically displays the volume usage as
a percentage.
Exchange Server: Displays the name of the listed Exchange server.

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AppInsight for Exchange Database Details View

Database I/O
This resource contains performance counters specific to the status of database
I/O. The icons of the listed performance counters in the Statistic Name column will
change color to reflect the listed counter's current state. Clicking any performance
counter in the Statistic Name column will take you to the Performance Counter
Details page for that counter.
If the value of a listed counter crosses the Warning threshold, the chart for the
listed monitor will display a yellow background. If the value of a listed
performance counter crosses the Critical threshold, the chart will display a red
background. Hovering over any time period within the chart will display detailed
information about that time period in the tooltip.

Expert Knowledge

Warning Critical

I/O
Definition:
Database Shows the average length of time, in ms, per
Reads
database read operation.
Average

616

> 50 ms >50
msfor
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Chapter 15: AppInsight Applications

Latency

Information:
Should be 20 ms on average.Spikes should not
exceed 50 ms.
Possible problems:
Users may experience decreased performance,
including delayed message deliveries.
Remediation:
If the disk subsystem is not meeting demand,
correcting the problem may require additional
disks, faster disks, or modifying the disk
configuration. Review the event logs for related
events. Verify network topology between mailbox
servers and storage resources. Examine CPU &
Memory usage to determine possible bottlenecks.
Examine replication status forreplica database.

I/O
Database
Writes
Average
Latency

Definition:
Shows the average length of time, in ms, per
database write operation.

>100
ms

> 100
ms for
5 polls

> 200

Information:
Should be 50 ms on average. Spikes of up to 100
ms are acceptable if not accompanied by
database page fault stalls.
Possible problems:
Users may experience decreased performance,
including delayed message deliveries.
Remediation:
If the disk subsystem is not meeting demand,
correcting the problem may require additional
disks, faster disks, or modifying the disk
configuration.Review the event logs for related
events. Verify network topology between mailbox
servers & storage resources. Examine CPU and
Memory usage to determine possible bottlenecks.
Examine replication status forreplica database.

I/O Log

Definition:

617

AppInsight for Exchange Database Details View

Reads
Indicates the average time, in ms, to read data
ms
Average from a log file. Specific to log replay and database
Latency recovery operations.

ms
for5
polls

Information:
Average should be less than 200 ms with spikes
up to 1,000 ms
Possible problems:
Users may experience decreased performance,
including delayed message deliveries.
Remediation: If the disk subsystem is not meeting
demand, correcting the problem may require
additional disks, faster disks, or modifying the disk
configuration.Review the event logs for related
events. Verify network topology between mailbox
servers & storage resources. Examine CPU and
Memory usage to determine possible bottlenecks.
Examine replication status forreplica database.
I/O Log
Writes
Average
Latency

Definition:
Indicates the average time, in ms, to write a log
buffer to the active log file.
Information:
This count should be 10 ms or less on production
servers.
Possible problems:
Indication that the Exchange Database\I/O
Database Writes Average Latency is too high
Remediation: If the disk subsystem is not meeting
demand, correcting the problem may require
additional disks, faster disks, or modifying the disk
configuration.Review the event logs for related
events. Verify network topology between mailbox
servers & storage resources. Examine CPU and
Memory usage to determine possible bottlenecks.
Examine replication status forreplica database.

618

> 10 ms > 10
ms for
5 polls

Chapter 15: AppInsight Applications

Log
Threads
Waiting

Definition:
> 10 for
Shows the number of threads waiting for their data 5 polls
to be written to the log to complete an update of
the database. If this number is too high, the log
may be in a bottleneck situation.

> 10
for15
polls

Information:
Should be less than 10 on average.
Possible problems:
If this number is too high, the log may be a
bottleneck. Regular spikes concurrent with log
record stall spikes indicate that the transaction log
disks are in a bottleneck situation. If the value for
log threads waiting is more than the spindles
available for the logs, there is a bottleneck on the
log disks.
Remediation:
If the disk subsystem is not meeting demand,
correcting the problem may require additional
disks, faster disks, or modifying the disk
configuration.Review the event logs for related
events. Verify network topology between mailbox
servers and storage resources. Examine CPU and
Memory usage to determine possible bottlenecks.
Zooming
You can have the chart show a predetermined time period of data by clicking on
any one of the three Zoom buttons in the head of the Zoom column. Alternatively,
you can have the chart show a specific date range by dragging the mouse over an
area of the chart. The time and date displayed at the top of the resource shows
the amount of data currently loaded into the chart. This can be changed by
clicking Edit from within the resource.
Notes:
l

Additional components on certain resources may be available for addition

and/or deletion on the Edit page.
The Value from Last Poll column shows the most recent data available for
the listed statistic.

619

AppInsight for Exchange Database Details View

Database Metrics
This resource contains performance counters specific to the status of database
metrics. The icons of the listed performance counters in the Statistic Name
column will change color to reflect the listed counter's current state. Clicking any
performance counter in the Statistic Name column will take you to the
Performance Counter Details page for that counter.
If the value of a listed counter crosses the Warning threshold, the chart for the
listed monitor will display a yellow background. If the value of a listed
performance counter crosses the Critical threshold, the chart will display a red
background. Hovering over any time period within the chart will display detailed
information about that time period in the tooltip.

Expert Knowledge

Warning Critical

Active Client
Logons

Definition:
The number of clients that performed
any action within the last 10 minute
interval.

N/A

(Only available in
Exchange 2010)

Information:

620

N/A

Chapter 15: AppInsight Applications

Active client logons can be high if users

are logging on and logging off
frequently.
Possible problems:
May cause memory bottlenecks on the
server if the number is excessively high.
Remediation:
Determine if users are running
applications not required for business
use and request they do not run these
applications which is causing an
increase in server logons. If this does not
help, or is not possible, reduce the
number of server hosted on the server
and move any public folders on the
server to a different server.
Slow Findrow
Rate
(Only available in
Exchange 2010)

Definition:
Shows the rate at which the slower
FindRow needs to be used in the
mailbox store.
Information:
Should be no more than 10 for any
specific mailbox store.
Possible problems:
Higher values indicate applications are
crawling or searching mailboxes, which
is affecting server performance. These
include desktop search engines,
customer relationship management
(CRM), or other third-party applications.
Remediation:
Run the ResetSearchIndex.ps1 script
which is located in the scripts directory
at the root of the Exchange installation.
Alternatively, you can perform the

621

>10

> 10 for
15
polls

AppInsight for Exchange Database Details View

process manually:
1. Rebuild index catalog using UpdateMailboxDatabaseCopy <DBName> -

command.
2. Stop the Microsoft Exchange Search
Service.
3. Delete old catalog files.
4. Restart the Microsoft Exchange
Search Service.
CatalogOnly

Average
Document
Indexing Time
(At the database
level, this is only
available in
Exchange 2010. At
the application
level, this is
available for both
Exchange 2010
and 2013.)
Mailboxes
processed/sec
(Only available in
Exchange 2013)

Definition: Shows the average, in ms, of > 30

how long it takes to index documents.
Information:Should be less than 30
seconds at all times.

> 30for
15
polls

Possible problems: Verify content

index state of all database copies.
Remediation: For any database
indexes not "healthy," update the
content index on the server using the
Update-MailboxDatabaseCopy <DBName>
-CatalogOnly

command.

Definition:Shows the rate of mailboxes N/A

processed by time-based assistants per
second.

N/A

Information: Determines current load

statistics for this counter.

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Chapter 15: AppInsight Applications

Additional components on certain resources may be available for addition

and/or deletion on the Edit page.
The Value from Last Poll column shows the most recent data available for
the listed statistic.

Events
This resource contains performance counters specific to the status of database
events. The icons of the listed performance counters in the Statistic Name column
will change color to reflect the listed counter's current state. Clicking any
performance counter in the Statistic Name column will take you to the
Performance Counter Details page for that counter.
If the value of a listed counter crosses the Warning threshold, the chart for the
listed monitor will display a yellow background. If the value of a listed
performance counter crosses the Critical threshold, the chart will display a red
background. Hovering over any time period within the chart will display detailed
information about that time period in the tooltip.

Expert Knowledge

Warning Critical

Average
Definition:
Event
Shows the average processing time of the
Processing events chosen.

623

> 2 for
15
polls

AppInsight for Exchange Database Details View

Time In
Seconds

Information:
Should be less than 2 at all times.
Possible problems:
Indicates the Mail Submission Assistant is not
able to handle the number of submission
requests being made to the database. May
occurwhen serveris experiencing a heavy load
which can cause messages to queue on the
server.
Remediation:
Review event logs for related events examining
log entries for each Assistant's infrastructure
and its corresponding assistant.

Events in
Queue

Definition:
Shows the number of events in the in-memory
queue waiting to be processed by the
assistants.

> 20

> 50

Events
Definition:
N/A
Polled/sec Shows the number of events polled per second.

N/A

Information:
Should be a low value at all times.
Possible problems:
High values may indicate a performance
bottleneck.
Remediation:
Review event logs for related events. Monitor
CPU and memory for bottlenecks.

Information:
Determines current load statistics for this
counter.
Zooming
You can have the chart show a predetermined time period of data by clicking on
any one of the three Zoom buttons in the head of the Zoom column. Alternatively,
you can have the chart show a specific date range by dragging the mouse over an

624

Chapter 15: AppInsight Applications

area of the chart. The time and date displayed at the top of the resource shows
the amount of data currently loaded into the chart. This can be changed by
clicking Edit from within the resource.
Notes:
l

Additional components on certain resources may be available for addition

and/or deletion on the Edit page.
The Value from Last Poll column shows the most recent data available for
the listed statistic.

Messages
This resource contains performance counters specific to the status of messages.
The icons of the listed performance counters in the Statistic Name column will
change color to reflect the listed counter's current state. Clicking any performance
counter in the Statistic Name column will take you to the Performance Counter
Details page for that counter.
If the value of a listed counter crosses the Warning threshold, the chart for the
listed monitor will display a yellow background. If the value of a listed
performance counter crosses the Critical threshold, the chart will display a red
background. Hovering over any time period within the chart will display detailed
information about that time period in the tooltip.

625

AppInsight for Exchange Database Details View

Counter

Expert Knowledge

Warning Critical

Messages
Queued For
Submission

Definition:
Shows the current number of submitted
messages not yet processed by the transport
layer.

> 30

> 50

N/A

(Only
available in
Exchange
2010)

Information:
The queues should remain below 50 at any
given time. Anything above this amount
should be cleared within 15 minutes.
Possible problems:
Mailbox server is not communicating properly
with the transport server.
Remediation:
Verify network connectivity and transport
server functionality. Additional bottlenecks
may include disk reads or writes, processor
time, available memory, and network
configuration.

Messages
Sent/sec
(Only
available in
Exchange
2010)

Definition:
Shows the rate that messages are sent to
transport.
Information:
Used to determine current messages sent to
transport.

Messages
Definition:
Delivered/sec Shows the rate that messages are delivered
to all recipients.
(Only
available in
Exchange
2010)

Information:
Indicates current message delivery rate to the
store.

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Chapter 15: AppInsight Applications

Additional components on certain resources may be available for addition

and/or deletion on the Edit page.
The Value from Last Poll column shows the most recent data available for
the listed statistic.

Transaction Log Disk I/O

This resource provides details concerning the status of the current transaction log
disk I/O of database copies being monitored by the application.

l
l
l

File Path: Path to the transaction log directory.

Transaction Log File Size

This resource provides details concerning the status of the current transaction log
file size of database copies being monitored by the application.

627

AppInsight for Exchange Mailbox Details View

l
l

File Path: Path to the transaction log directory.

Number of Files: Lists the total number of log files associated with the database.
Total File Size: Displays the total file size of all the transaction log files.
Volume Usage: Numerically and graphically displays the current volume
usage as a percent of the total size of the transaction log files.
Exchange Server: Displays the name of the listed Exchange Server.

AppInsight for Exchange Mailbox Details View

The Mailbox Details view provides information about the selected Exchange
mailbox. The available resources offered in this view include:
l
l
l
l
l

Mailbox Details
Mailbox Synced Devices
Received Mail
Sent Mail
Total Mailbox and Attachments Sizes

Note: Chart resources require several values for lines on charts to be visible.
Mailbox Details
This resource provides details about the current user's mailbox.

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Chapter 15: AppInsight Applications

The following list defines each field of this resource:

l
l
l

l
l

User Logon Name: User's domain account name.

Display Name: Name of the listed user as it is displayed as a mailbox.
Mailbox Database: Displays the database that contains the listed mailbox
as well as the server that contains the database. The colors of the displayed
icons display the status of the object the icon represents.
Type: Lists the role of the listed mailbox.
Organizational Unit: This is the location of the Users Active Directory
account within the Active Directory tree.
Primary SMTP Address: This is the primary email address for a user. A
user can have secondary email addresses which will route mail to the same
mailbox.
Mailbox Size:
l Total Size: Current size of all mailbox items shown numerically and
as a percentage with a bar graph.
l Total Items: Total number of mailbox items in the listed mailbox.
l Attachment Size: Shows the total size of those email messages that
include attachments, including the email message body.
l Attachment Count: Shows the number of email messages that contain attachments, as opposed to the actual number of attachments contained in each email.
Last Polled: The time and date the listed mailbox was polled for information.

629

AppInsight for Exchange Mailbox Details View

l
l

Last Logged On: The time and date the listed user logged in to the mailbox.
Mailbox Last Modified: The time and date the listed mailbox was last modified.
Alias: The legible name for the listed user's email address.
Mailbox Limits:
l Issue Warning: Displays the size limit of the mailbox before it issues
a usage warning.
l Prohibit Send: Displays the size limit of the mailbox when it is no
longer able to send emails.
l Prohibit Send and Receive: Displays the size limit of the mailbox
when it is no longer able to send or receive emails.

For more information, see Attachment Extensions .

Mailbox Synced Devices
This resource provides details about the current user's synced mailbox status.

The following list defines each field of this resource:

l
l

Device Type: Lists the device the mailbox is being synced with.
Device User Agent: Displays the operating system and build of the listed
device.
Last Successful Sync: Displays the last time the listed device was successfully synced with the current mailbox.

Received Mail
This resource graphically details the value history of the current performance
counter, in this case, the total amount of received mail for the selected mailbox.
Hovering over any time period within the chart will display detailed information
about that time period in the tooltip.
The colors of the main chart correspond to the labels in the legend. You can
choose which data to display by using the check boxes in the legend.

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Chapter 15: AppInsight Applications

631

AppInsight for Exchange Mailbox Details View

The colors of the main chart correspond to the labels in the legend. You can
choose which data to display by using the check boxes in the legend.

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Chapter 15: AppInsight Applications

Hovering over any time period within the chart will display detailed information
about that time period in the tooltip.
The colors of the main chart correspond to the labels in the legend. You can
choose which data to display by using the check boxes in the legend.

Note: Attachment Size shows the total size of those email messages that
include attachments, including the email message body.
For more information, see Mailbox Details.
Zooming
You can have the chart show a predetermined time period of data by clicking on
any one of the three Zoom buttons in the head of the Zoom column. Alternatively,
you can have the chart show a specific date range by dragging the mouse over an
area of the chart or manipulating the sliders of the lower chart.

633

Troubleshooting AppInsight for Exchange

The following sections will help you identify and correct AppInsight for Exchange
errors concerning configuration and performance counters:
l
l
l
l

Troubleshooting Error Codes in AppInsight for Exchange

Troubleshooting Exchange Performance Counters
Troubleshooting Permissions
Using AppInsight applications with 32-bit polling on 64-bit computers via an
agent may prevent certain performance counters from collecting information
and should be changed to 64-bit polling.

Important: The following log file contains all the information and errors related to
the WinRM configuration process:
C:\ProgramData\Solarwinds\Logs\APM\RunWinRMConfigurator.log

Troubleshooting Permissions
The following information will help you troubleshoot issues with the following:
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Non-Domain Accounts
Adding Local Administrative privileges to Active Directory Account
Exchange Access
Mailbox Exchange Access

Note: Mailboxes with an empty primary SMTP address can be polled; however,
their Sent and Received statistics will not be not available.
Non-Domain Account
Local accounts (Non-Domain) cannot access Exchange Management interfaces
and therefore are not supported by AppInsight for Exchange. Please select an
Active Directory account or create a new one to use with AppInsight for
Exchange.
Add Local Administrative privileges to Active Directory Account
1. On the server where you want to grant local administrative privileges, open
a Computer Management console.
2. Navigate to System Tools >Local Users and Groups > Groups and then
double click the Administrators group.
3. Click Add and type in the Active Directory username of the account you
want to grant administrative privileges to, and then press Enter. (Ensure the
location is set to either the domain where the account is located or Entire
Directory.)
4. Click Apply and then click OK.

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5. Alternatively, you can add an Active Directory group to the Local Administrators group and then add the AD user accounts to that group.
6. To verify the account and local group membership has been configured
properly, run the following in a PowerShell session:
$Recurse = $true
$GroupName = 'Administrators'
Add-Type -AssemblyName System.DirectoryServices.AccountManagement
$ct = [System.DirectoryServices.AccountManagement.ContextType]::Machine
$group = [System.DirectoryServices.AccountManagement.GroupPrincipal]::FindByIdentity
($ct,$GroupName)
$LocalAdmin = $group.GetMembers($Recurse) | select @{N='Domain'; E=
{$_.Context.Name}}, samaccountName, @{N='ObjectType'; E={$_.StructuralObjectClass}} -Unique
$LocalAdmin = $LocalAdmin | Where-Object {$_.ObjectType -eq "user"}

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Troubleshooting Permissions
Exchange Access
Granting Least Privilege access to the Exchange Organization can be
accomplished using Active Directory Users and Computers (ADUC)
1. From the Start Menu open ADUC and navigate to the Microsoft Exchange
Security Groups OU.
2. Double click on the View-Only Organization Management group.
3. After the window opens, click the Members tab and then click Add.
4. Type the username of the account you want to grant access to the
Exchange organization, and then click OK.
5. Click Apply and then click OK .
6. Close the ADUC window.
Access can also be granted using the Exchange Management
Shell with the following command:
Note: Replace the word "user" with the correct user name of the
service account.
Add-RoleGroupMember -Identity "View-Only Organization
Management" -Member "USER"

To verify the management role is properly assigned, use the

following commands:
Get-RoleGroupMember -Identity "View-Only Organization
Management" | Where-Object {$_.SamAccountName -eq
"USER"}
Get-RoleGroupMember -Identity "Organization Management"
| Where-Object {$_.SamAccountName -eq "USER"}

or
Get-ManagementRoleAssignment -RoleAssignee USER |
Where-Object {$_.RoleAssigneeName -eq "View-Only
Organization Management" -or $_.RoleAssigneeName -eq
"Organization Management"}

Mailbox Search Access

Mailbox Search access is required to determine attachment counts and sizes. It
can be granted using the Exchange Management Shell (EMS).
1. From the Start Menu, open the EMS.
2. Type: New-ManagementRoleAssignment -Role "Mailbox Search" -User
"USER" and press Enter.

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To verify the management role has been properly assigned, use
the following command:
Get-ManagementRoleAssignment -RoleAssignee USER -Role
"Mailbox Search" | Where-Object {$_.RoleAssignmentDelegationType -eq "Regular"}

Note: Exchange Management Roles can be assigned to role

assignees using either regular or delegating role assignments.
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Regular role assignments enable the role assignee to access

the permissions provided by the management role entries on this
role.
Delegating role assignments give the role assignee the ability to
assign this role to Role Groups, Users, or Universal Security
Groups.

For more information, see:

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http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd876958(v=exchg.150).aspx
http://www.powershellmagazine.com/2013/05/23/pstip-retrieve-group-membership-of-an-active-directory-group-recursively/

Troubleshooting Exchange Performance Counters

Occasionally, you may encounter an Exchange server which is missing some of
the expected performance counters. If this happens, you need to verify whether
the counters are simply disabled or if they are completely missing. The simplest
way to do this is through the registry.
1. Navigate to the service with the missing performance counters.
Note: Individual services are listed under HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services.
2. Expand the service and click on the Performance key. The important values we want to ensure exist are listed below and displayed in Figure 1.
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\<ServiceName>\Performance]

Example: [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\ESE\Performance]
"Close"="ClosePerformanceData"
"Collect"="CollectPerformanceData"

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Troubleshooting Exchange Performance Counters

"Library"="<Path to performance counter DLL file>"

Example: "Library"="C:\\Program Files\\Microsoft\\Exchange

Server\\V15\bin\\perf\\%PROCESSOR_ARCHITECTURE%\\eseperf.dll"

"Open"="OpenPerformanceData"
"PerfIniFile"="<Name of performance counter INI file>"

Example: "PerfIniFile"="eseperf.ini"
The "Library" file path is typically "C:\Program
Files\Microsoft\Exchange
Server\%ExchangeVersion%\Bin\perf\%Processor_
Architecture%\%DLLFileName%"

Figure 1.

3. Verify the counters have not been disabled by expand the service and then
clicking on the "Performance" key.
4. Check for the value Disable Performance Counters (See Figure 2.) If this
value exists, ensure the data value is 0. Any other value will disable the
counters.
5. Once the value is confirmed to be set to 0, close all PerfMon windows and
then reopen them.
Note: The performance counters should be visible at this time. If the performance counters are not visible, proceed to the next step.
Figure 2.

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6. If the values First Counter, First Help, Last Counter, and Last Help are listed (See Figure 3), it is highly recommended to unload the performance
counters prior to reloading them.
Figure 3.

To Unload Performance Counters: (See Figure 4)

1. Close all PerfMon windows and stop any services which may be using
these counters.
2. Open the Exchange Management Shell (EMS) in the Run as Administrator
context.
3. Type: Add-PSSnapin Microsoft.Exchange.Management.PowerShell.Setup
and then press Enter.
4. Type: Remove-PerfCounters -DefinitionFileName "<Path to counter
definition XML file> and then press Enter.

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Troubleshooting Error Codes in AppInsight for Exchange

a. The default location for Exchange counter definition files is: C:\Program Files\Microsoft\Exchange Server\%ExchangeVersion%\Setup\perf\%XMLFileName%

To Reload Performance Counters: (See Figure 4)

1. Close all PerfMon windows and stop any services which may be using
these counters.
2. Open the Exchange Management Shell (EMS) in the Run As Administrator
context.
3. Type: Add-PSSnapin Microsoft.Exchange.Management.PowerShell.Setup
and then press Enter.
4. Type: New-PerfCounters -DefinitionFileName "<Path to counter definition XML file> and then press Enter.
a. The default location for Exchange counter definition files is: C:\Program Files\Microsoft\Exchange Server\%ExchangeVersion%\Setup\perf\%XMLFileName%

5. Check the application log to verify the counters were properly loaded and
no PerfLib errors exist. Reopen PerfMon to ensure the counters are available.
Figure 4.

Troubleshooting Error Codes in AppInsight for Exchange

Following are the possible error messages associated with AppInsight for
Exchange. Included are possible causes and solutions.
Important: The following log file contains all the information and errors related to
the WinRM configuration process:
C:\ProgramData\Solarwinds\Logs\APM\RunWinRMConfigurator.log

Configuration Errors
Error Message, Information, and Remediation
Error message: Remote configuration was unsuccessful due to the following:
"The deployment service executable was not found on the Orion server." For
details, see the log on the Orion server: ([ALLUSERSPROFILE]

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\ProgramData\Solarwinds\Logs\APM\RemoteExecutableStarter.log).

Description: Internal error. The Remote Installation Service.exe file was not
found. (Default file location: C:\Program Files (x86)\SolarWinds\Orion\APM).
This can be caused by an incorrect SAM installation or Remote Installation
Service.exe was deleted or modified.
Remediation: Add the Remote Installation Service.exe file to the following
folder: C:\Program Files (x86)\SolarWinds\Orion\APM.

Error message: Remote configuration was

unsuccessful due to the following: "Failed to start
Windows Remote Management" For details, see
the log on the Orion server: ([ALLUSERSPROFILE]
\ProgramData\Solarwinds\Logs\APM\RemoteExecu
tableStarter.log).

Remediation:

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Troubleshooting Error Codes in AppInsight for Exchange

1. On the target Exchange server, navigate to
the Windows Services console and find the
Windows Remote Management (WS-Management) service.
2. Set Startup type to Automatic.
3. Start the Windows Remote Management
(WS-Management) service.

Error: Unable to access remote administrator

share.
Cause: The remote administrator share cannot be
accessed.
Resolution: Try enabling this feature manually by
taking the following steps:
1. Ensure that both computers belong to the
same Workgroup.

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2. Specify which user(s) can access the Administrator Shares (Disk Volumes).
3. Enable File and print sharing through the
Windows firewall.
4. Check to see if you can access the Administrator share from another computer.
5. When complete, rerun the AppInsight for
Exchange Automatic Configuration Wizard.

Error message: Remote configuration was unsuccessful due to the following:

"The configurator executable was not found on the Orion server." For details,
see the log on the Orion server: ([ALLUSERSPROFILE]
\ProgramData\Solarwinds\Logs\APM\RemoteExecutableStarter.log).
Description: Internal error. SolarWinds.APM.RemoteWinRmConfiguratorFull.exe
file was not found (Default file location: C:\Program Files (x86)
\SolarWinds\Orion\APM).This can be caused by an incorrect SAM installation or

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Troubleshooting Error Codes in AppInsight for Exchange

SolarWinds.APM.RemoteWinRmConfiguratorFull.exe

was deleted or modified..

Remediation: Add SolarWinds.APM.RemoteWinRmConfiguratorFull.exe to the

following folder: C:\Program Files (x86)\SolarWinds\Orion\APM.

Error message: Remote configuration was unsuccessful due to the following:

"Access denied." For details, see the log on the Orion server:
([ALLUSERSPROFILE]
\ProgramData\Solarwinds\Logs\APM\RemoteExecutableStarter.log).
Description: The provided user account does not have access to the
Administrator share on the remote Exchange server.
Remediation: Connect to the Administrator share with
\\ExchangeComputerName\<drive letter>$\ from the Orion server.

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Error message: Remote configuration was unsuccessful due to the following:

"The configurator executable has an invalid signature." For details, see the log
on the Orion server: ([ALLUSERSPROFILE]
\ProgramData\Solarwinds\Logs\APM\RemoteExecutableStarter.log).
Description: The configuration executable cannot be started on the remote
Exchange server due to any of the following:
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The high level of User Account Control settings

The provided user account does not have privileges high enough to run
*.exe files
SolarWinds.APM.RemoteWinRmConfiguratorFull.exe is not signed with a
Solarwinds certificate.

Remediation:
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Reduce User Account Control settings on the remote Exchange server;

Ensure the user's account has privileges to run *.exe files

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Troubleshooting Error Codes in AppInsight for Exchange

Error message: Remote configuration was unsuccessful due to the following:

"The network path was not found." For details, see the log on the Orion server:
([ALLUSERSPROFILE]
\ProgramData\Solarwinds\Logs\APM\RemoteExecutableStarter.log).
Description: This is a Windows error indicating that a networking component is
malfunctioning.
Remediation:
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Ensure you have access to the Shared Storage drive.

1. In Windows Explorer, navigate to My Network Places > Entire Network > Microsoft Windows Network > (workgroup name) >
(Shared Storage drive name).
Firewalls can block traffic to the network which could generate this message. Try temporarily disabling any software or hardware firewalls to isolate the problem.
Anti-spyware tools can block network traffic. Try temporarily disabling any

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anti-spyware programs and restart the computer to isolate the problem.

Error message: Remote configuration was unsuccessful due to the following:

"Executable configuration file was not found on the Orion server." For details,
see the log on the Orion server: ([ALLUSERSPROFILE]
\ProgramData\Solarwinds\Logs\APM\RemoteExecutableStarter.log).
Description: Internal error.
was not found
(Default file location: C:\Program Files (x86)\SolarWinds\Orion\APM.) This
can be caused by an incorrect SAM installation or
SolarWinds.APM.RemoteWinRmConfiguratorFull.exe.config was deleted or
modified.
SolarWinds.APM.RemoteWinRmConfiguratorFull.exe.config

Remediation:Add SolarWinds.APM.RemoteWinRmConfiguratorFull.exe.config
to the following location: C:\Program Files (x86)\SolarWinds\Orion\APM.

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For information about Microsoft error codes, see: http://msdn.microsoft.com/enus/library/cc231199.aspx

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Error message: Remote configuration was unsuccessful due to the following:

"PowerShell 2.0 was not detected on the Exchange server." Learn how to
correct this. For details, see the log on the remote computer. ([ALLUSERSPROFILE]
\ProgramData\Solarwinds\Logs\APM\RunWinRMConfigurator.log).
Description: PowerShell 2.0 is not installed on the remote Exchange server.
Remediation: PowerShell 2.0 should be installed on Exchange server.
Installing PowerShell 2.0 on Server 2008:
For Server 2008, download the installation file for PowerShell 2.0 at
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/968929/en-us and install it on the
server.
Note: PowerShell 2.0 is automatically installed on Server 2008 R2
and therefore no additional installation is required.
Installing PowerShell 2.0 on Server 2012:
1. Open Server Manager.

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Troubleshooting Error Codes in AppInsight for Exchange

2. Click on the Manage menu, and the select Add Roles and
Features.
3. After the wizard opens, click Next until you get to the Installation Type page.
4. Select Role-based or feature-based installation.
5. Click Next until you reach the Features page.
6. Scroll down to Windows PowerShell. It will likely show itself
as partially installed (square inside box).
7. Check the box next to Windows PowerShell 2.0 Engine.
8. Click Next and then Install.
9. When the installation finishes, click Close.

Error message: Remote configuration was unsuccessful due to the following:

"This account must be an Active Directory account with local administrative

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privileges." Learn how to correct this. For details, see the log on the remote
computer. ([ALLUSERSPROFILE]
\ProgramData\Solarwinds\Logs\APM\RunWinRMConfigurator.log).
Description: The provided user account does not have Local Administrative
privileges.
Remediation:
Add Local Administrative privileges to Active Directory Account:
1. On the server where you wish to grant local administrative privileges, open
a Computer Management console.
Note: On Windows 2012, add this privilege using the Active Directory console.
2. Navigate to System Tools >Local Users and Groups > Groups and
double click the Administrators group.
3. Click Add and type in the Active Directory username of the account you
want to grant administrative privileges, and then press Enter. (Ensure the
location is set to either the domain where the account is located or Entire
Directory.)
4. Click Apply and then click OK.
Note: Alternatively, you can add an Active Directory group to the local
administrators group and add the Active Directory user accounts to that
group.
Error message: Remote configuration was unsuccessful due to the following:
"This account must be an Active Directory account with organization wide
Exchange access (View-Only-Organization Management and Mailbox Search
Management Role)." Learn how to correct this. For details, see the log on the
remote computer. ([ALLUSERSPROFILE]
\ProgramData\Solarwinds\Logs\APM\RunWinRMConfigurator.log).
Description: The provided user account does not have View-Only-Organization
Management or Mailbox Search Management privileges.
Remediation:
Grant View-Only-Organization Management privileges:
Granting Least Privilege access to the Exchange Organization can be
accomplished using Active Directory Users and Computers (ADUC). To
accomplish this, take the following steps:

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Troubleshooting Error Codes in AppInsight for Exchange

1. From the Start Menu, open ADUC and navigate to the Microsoft Exchange
Security Groups OU.
2. Double click on the View-Only Organization Management group.
3. After the window opens, click the Members tab and then click Add.
4. Type the username of the account you want to grant access to the
Exchange organization, and then click OK.
5. Click Apply, and then click OK.
6. Close the ADUC window.
Grant Mailbox Search Access:
Mailbox Search access is required to determine attachment counts and sizes.
This can be granted using the Exchange Management Shell (EMS).
1. From the Start Menu, open the EMS.
2. Type: New-ManagementRoleAssignment -Role "Mailbox Search" -User
<Username of account being granted access> and then press Enter.
3. To verify the management role has been properly assigned, enter the following command:
Get-ManagementRoleAssignment -RoleAssignee <Username of account>

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Error message:Remote configuration was unsuccessful due to the following:

"An error occurred during Exchange Server Confiduration. Multiple connections
to a server or shared resource by the same user, using more than one user
name, are not allowed."
Cause: This is a Windows Limitation when trying to map multiple drives to the
same computer using different user accounts.
Resolution:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Open the Computer Manager on the Exchange server

Expand Shared Folders and select Sessions.
Right-click on the users in the list and click Close Session.
Once the session list is empty, retry the Configure Server button in
AppInsight for Exchange.
For more information, see SWKB5583.

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Troubleshooting Error Codes in AppInsight for Exchange

Error message: Remote configuration was

unsuccessful due to the following: "WinRM test
was successful. PowerShell Exchange web site
testing failed with the following error: Connecting
to remote server..."
Description: There are no default HTTPS
bindings for all unassigned ports, (i.e. HTTPS
443 *.)
Remediation: Establish the missing default
HTTPS binding with an Exchange certificate.

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Changing between 32-bit and 64-bit polling methods:

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AppInsight for IIS

1. From the web console, navigate to Settings >SAMSettings >Manage
Templates.
2. Select an AppInsight application and click Edit.
3. Expand Advanced, and in the Platform to run polling job field, change
the value to x64.
Note: Applications assigned to 32-bit hosts with the x64bit option will continue to poll using 32-bit, regardless of this setting.

4. When done, click Submit.

AppInsight for IIS

SAM offers a detailed view of your IIS servers' performance by using the
AppInsight for IIS embedded application. AppInsight for IIS provides a level of
detail and expert knowledge far beyond what an IIS template can provide,
allowing you to monitor virtually every aspect of all of your IISservers.
Like any unassigned application in SAM, AppInsight for IIS is considered a
template until it is applied. Therefore, it is a member of the Application Monitor
Templates collection. Once applied to a node, AppInsight for IIS is considered an

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application. Like any SAM application, AppInsight for IIS is comprised of multiple
component monitors.
AppInsight for IIS General Information:
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AppInsight for IISRequirements and Permissions

Quick Configuration and Navigation
Manually Configuring AppInsight for IIS
Troubleshooting AppInsight for IIS

The following reports are installed for use with AppInsight for IIS:
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IIS SSL Certificate Expiration Report

Site Connections Report
Site Log Size by File
Site Size by File

For more information, see Predefined Server & Application Monitor Web Console
Based Reports

AppInsight for IISRequirements and Permissions

AppInsight for IIS data is collected at the same default five minute polling interval
as traditional application templates. Following are the requirements needed for
AppInsight for IIS:
AppInsight for IIS Requirements and Permissions
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PowerShell 2.0 or higher must be installed on the IISserver.

Administrator rights or equivalent credentials to the IIS server bring monitored is needed for configuration. Non-administrative permissions for
polling and monitoring is only achievable using the optional Orion Agent.
For more information, see Agents.
IIS 7.0 or higher must be installed.
AppInsight for IIS supports the following versions of Microsoft operating systems and their respective IIS versions:
Microsoft OS Version

IISVersion Supported

Microsoft Windows
2008

IIS 7.0

Microsoft Windows
2008 R2

IIS 7.5

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AppInsight For IIS Licensing

Microsoft Windows
2012

IIS 8.0

Microsoft Windows
2012 R2

IIS 8.5

Notes:
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If any prerequisite is missing, the application will go into an Unknown state.

Some resources may not function properly in Internet Explorer 8 or earlier.
Consider upgrading Internet Explorer or using an alternate web browser
such as Firefox or Chrome.

AppInsight For IIS Licensing

When using AppInsight for IIS, 30 component monitors will count against your
licensed number of component monitors, per monitored IIS server.
For example, if you have an active license for 1,500 component monitors and use
AppInsight for IIS to monitor 10 IIS servers, 300 component monitors will count
against your total license. The number of sites and application pools you have on
these servers is irrelevant.
(30 component monitors X 10 IIS servers = 300 component monitors
used.)
This will leave you with 1,200 component monitors available for use elsewhere.
(1,500 component monitors 300 component monitors used for
AppInsight for IIS = 1,200 component monitors remaining).
Important: The example below illustrates a situation where you would have 40
available component monitors available, but have surpassed your allowed
number of 300 monitors by 60. The discrepancy is caused by AppInsight
application implementations. AppInsight applications cannot be partially licensed,
as is the case with typical applications.

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For more information, see "Licensing."

Understanding the AppInsight for IIS Details View

The AppInsight for IIS Details view is the equivalent of the Application Details
view of a traditional SAM application; however, there are some notable
differences:
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Site Details View: This view displays an overview of a particular site being
monitored.
Application Pool Details View: This view displays details about the selected
application pool.

From the AppInsight for IISDetails view, you can select from the drop down menu
and choose to display different amounts of data based on a time range, as shown:

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Note: As illustrated, other options may appear depending upon the resource
being edited.

AppInsight for IIS Alerts

The following three alerts and their macros/variables are included with AppInsight
for IIS:
1. Alert Name

Restart Failed IIS Application Pool

State

Alert disabled by default.

Alert Description

This alert will restart any failed IIS application pool

that is configured to be "AlwaysRunning." As configured, this alert will not trigger for application pools
that are configured to start "OnDemand," as these
application pools stop normally when not in use, or
when the site that is configured to use the Application
Pool has no activity and is dormant.

Alert Trigger

IIS application pool = Stopped and application pool

startup mode is configured for "AlwaysRunning" and
Application Pool is not equal to Unmanaged.

Trigger Action

Start application pool (Note: Application Pool trigger

actions should include stop, start, and restart, no differently than the actions available through the Orion
web interface for AppInsight for IIS application pools.)

Trigger Action 2 Email Notification:

Subject: Application Pool ${N=SwisEntity;M=Name}
on ${N=SwisEntity;M=Application.Node.Caption} is
${N=SwisEntity;M=DisplayState}.

Message Body: The IIS Application Pool

${N=SwisEntity;M=Name} on
${N=SwisEntity;M=Application.Node.Caption}

currently ${N=SwisEntity;M=DisplayState}.
Attempting to restart Application Pool
${N=SwisEntity;M=Name} now. For more information
click the URL below.

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AppInsight for IIS Alerts

<br/>
<br/>
${N=SwisEntity;M=DetailsUrl}

Trigger Reset
Action

Email Notification:
Subject: Application Pool ${N=SwisEntity;M=Name}
on ${N=SwisEntity;M=Application.Node.Caption} is
${N=SwisEntity;M=DisplayState}
Message Body: The IIS Application Pool
${N=SwisEntity;M=Name} on
is
now ${N=SwisEntity;M=DisplayState}. For more
information click the URL below.
${N=SwisEntity;M=Application.Node.Caption}

<br/>
<br/>
${N=SwisEntity;M=DetailsUrl}

2. Alert Name

Restart Failed IIS Site

State

Alert disabled by default.

Alert Description

This alert will attempt to restart any site that is monitored by AppInsight for IIS that is found to be in a
Stopped state.

Alert Trigger

IIS site = Stopped and not equal to Unmanaged.

Trigger Action

Start IIS site (Note: IIS site trigger actions should

include stop, start, and restart, no differently than
the actions available through the Orion web interface
for AppInsight for IIS sites.

Trigger Action 2 Email Notification:

Subject: IIS Site ${N=SwisEntity;M=Name} on
${N=SwisEntity;M=Application.Node.Caption}
${N=SwisEntity;M=DisplayState}.

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Message Body: The IIS Site

${N=SwisEntity;M=Name} on
${N=SwisEntity;M=Application.Node.Caption}

currently ${N=SwisEntity;M=DisplayState}.
Attempting to restart Site ${N=SwisEntity;M=Name}
now. For more information click the URL below.
<br/>
<br/>
${N=SwisEntity;M=DetailsUrl}

Trigger Reset
Action

Email Notification:
Subject: IIS Site ${N=SwisEntity;M=Name} on
${N=SwisEntity;M=Application.Node.Caption}
${N=SwisEntity;M=DisplayState}.

Message Body: The IIS Site

${N=SwisEntity;M=Name} on
is
now ${N=SwisEntity;M=DisplayState}. For more
information click the URL below.
${N=SwisEntity;M=Application.Node.Caption}

<br/>
<br/>
${N=SwisEntity;M=DetailsUrl}.

3. Alert Name

Alert me when the Average Server Execution Time

for any URL exceeds an acceptable limit.

State

Alert disabled by default

Alert Description

This alert will notify you when the execution time of

any URL monitored by AppInsight for IIS exceeds a
predefined acceptable limit.

Alert Trigger

Average URL Server Execution Time is greater than

5 minutes.

Trigger Action

Email Notification:

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Subject: IIS Site Server Execution Time exceeded on

${N=SwisEntity;M=Site.Name}.
Message Body: The Server Average Execution time
for ${N=SwisEntity;M=Site.Name} on
${N=SwisEntity;M=Site.Application.Node.Caption}

has been exceeded. Details for the URL being

accessed are listed below.
Recent Request Date:
${N=SwisEntity;M=RecentRequestDate}

URL: ${N=SwisEntity;M=URLStem}
Average Server Execution Time:
${N=SwisEntity;M=AverageElapsedTime}

Viewing Alerts:
1. From the web console, navigate to Home >Alerts.
2. Select the alerts you want to view by checking its box and clicking View
Alert Details.

For more information, see:

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Creating Alerts
Predefined Server & Application Monitor Web Console Based Reports

Quick Configuration and Navigation

Configuration of SAM's AppInsight for IIS is most easily achieved via Discovery,
as shown below.
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To add AppInsight for IIS, see Adding AppInsight for IIS to a Node

For more information, see:

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AppInsight for IISRequirements and Permissions

Adding AppInsight for IIS to a Node
Editing the AppInsight for IIS Template
Navigating the AppInsight for IIS Details View

Adding AppInsight for IIS to a Node

There are multiple ways to add AppInsight for IIS to a node. AppInsight for IIS can
be added via the Management resource, via Node Discovery, by manually
adding it via the Manage Application Monitor Templates screen, adding it via
Network Sonar Discovery, or adding it via a Scheduled Discovery.
Adding AppInsight for IIS via the Management Resource:
1. Navigate to the Node Details view by clicking any node.
2. From the Management resource, click List Resources.

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Quick Configuration and Navigation

3. Check the Microsoft IIS box to enable AppInsight for IIS data collection.
When done, click Submit.

4. Navigate to the All Applications resource to verify the addition by clicking

the Applications tab in the web console.

5. Click on the newly added AppInsight for IIS application in this view and then
enter your IIS credentials when prompted.

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6. Once your credentials are entered, click Configure Server.

Adding AppInsight for IIS to a Node via Discovery:

1. From the web console, navigate to Settings > Add a Node in the Getting
Started with Orion section.

2. Fill out the information on the Define Node step, and then click Next.

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Quick Configuration and Navigation

3. On the Choose Resources step, check the Microsoft IIS you want.
AppInsight applications have a unique blue and white icon, as shown:

4. Click Next and complete the wizard as instructed.

5. Navigate to the All Applications resource to verify the addition by clicking
the Applications tab in the web console.

6. Click on the newly added AppInsight for IIS application in this view and then
enter your IIS credentials when prompted.

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7. Once your credentials are entered, click Configure Server.

Adding AppInsight for IIS to a Node via Manage Application Templates:

1. From the web console, navigate to Settings > SAM Settings > Manage
Templates.
2. Select AppInsight for IIS by checking its box and click Assign to Node.
3. Complete the required fields in the wizard and click Assign Application
Monitor.
For information, see:
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Network Sonar Discovery.

Managing Scheduled Discovery Results.

Editing the AppInsight for IIS Template

The AppInsight for IIS application behaves like any other application in SAM. And
like other applications, the AppInsight for IIS template can be edited.
Note: Some limitations may apply.

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Quick Configuration and Navigation

Editing the AppInsight for IISTemplate:
1. From the web console, navigate to Settings > SAM Settings > Manage
Templates.
2. Check the AppInsight for IIS template in the list and then click Edit.
3. From here, you can edit certain component monitors within the template;
including threshold values, number of records to retrieve, component monitor description, and so on.

4. When done editing, click Submit at the bottom of the screen.

Navigating the AppInsight for IIS Details View
AppInsight for IIS acts like any other application and can therefore be found in the
All Applications resource on the Application Summary view.
Below is the AppInsight for IIS application with the All Applications resource
detailed:
Note: The default IIS Application name is Microsoft IIS.

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Navigating to the AppInsight for IIS Details View:

1. From the web console, locate the All Applications resource by clicking
either the Home or Applications tab.
2. Expand the AppInsight for IIS tree by clicking [+].
3. Select an IIS application to view by clicking it.

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Manually Configuring AppInsight for IIS

Navigating to the Website Details view:
1. From the AppInsight for IIS Details view, click a website in the Sites
resource.

Navigating to the Application Pools Details view:

1. From the AppInsight for IIS Details view, click an Application Pool in the
Application Pool resource.

Navigating to the Performance Counter Details view:

1. From the AppInsight for IIS Details view, click a performance counter in any
resource.

Manually Configuring AppInsight for IIS

In the event automatic configuration of AppInsight for IIS failed, visit the sections
below in order and take the steps outlined to manually configure the remote
computer:
Note: For automatic AppInsight for IIS configuration see, Quick Configuration and
Navigation.
Important: Ensure that Windows Remote Management (WS-Management) is
running and that this service's Startup Type property is set to Automatic. Once
this is verified, continue manual configuration in the order listed below:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Installing PowerShell 2.0 and the WebAdministration Snapin

Set Execution Policy
Creating a Self-Signed Certificate
Creating a Firewall Rule
Updating WsMan Limits

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6. Important: If you received the following error: An HTTPS listener currently
exists on port 5986, use the following steps to configure the listener on an
available port by changing "5986" to an available port number throughout
these steps.
Installing PowerShell 2.0 and the WebAdministration Snapin
The following procedures outline the installation of PowerShell and the required
snapins.
Downloading and Installing PowerShell 2.0 on Windows Server 2008:
Note: The following steps are not necessary for Windows Server 2008 R2 and
Windows Server 2012.
Downloading PowerShell 2.0
1. Navigate to Windows Management Framework
(http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=177670).
2. Review the information on the web page, and then click the link for the
download of the Windows Management Framework Core for your platform
in the Download Information section.
3. On the Update page, click Download.
4. When the download is complete, click Finish.
Installing PowerShell 2.0 on Windows Server 2008
1. Open Server Manager
2. Click on the Manage menu, and the select Add Roles and Features.
3. After the wizard opens, click Next until you get to the Installation Type page.
4. Select Role-based or feature-based installation.
5. Click Next until you reach the Features page.
6. Scroll down to Windows PowerShell. It will likely show itself as partially
installed (square inside box).
7. Check the box next to Windows PowerShell 2.0 Engine.
8. Click Next and then Install.
9. When the installation finishes, click Close.
Installing PowerShell 2.0 on Windows Server 2008 R2
1. Open Server Manager
2. In the left pane, click Features.

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3. In the right pane, click Add Features.
4. Scroll down the list and check the Windows PowerShell Integrated Scripted Environment checkbox.

5. Click Next, then click Install.

6. When the installation is complete, Windows will display that the installation
succeeded..
7. Click Close, then close the Server Manager.
Installing the WebAdministration Snapins:
For Managed Nodes with IIS 7.0, download and install the PowerShell
WebAdministration snapins found at the following link:
http://www.iis.net/learn/manage/powershell/installing-the-iis-powershell-snap-in.
The IIS PowerShell Snap-in requires the following prerequisites:
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Windows Server 2008 or higher

Microsoft PowerShell 2.0
IIS7.0

To install the IIS PowerShell snap-in:

1. The IIS PowerShell Snap-in is available as x86 and x64 version.
Download the 32-Bit version or 64-Bit version.
2. Run the MSI file to install the IIS PowerShell Snap-in.
To use the PowerShell snap-in:

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PowerShell snap-ins like the IIS PowerShell Snap-in have to be
registered with PowerShell. There are two ways to do this:
1. Automatic Registration by using the IIS PowerShell Management Console
The IIS PowerShell snap-in setup will create a new program
menu shortcut. By starting this shortcut, the IIS PowerShell snapin will be registered automatically. Navigate to Start > All Programs > IIS 7.0 Extensions > IIS PowerShell Management
Console. The prompt of the new PowerShell command window
is set to "IIS:\" - the root of the IIS snap-in namespace.
2. Manual Registration
If you want to use the IIS PowerShell snap-in from an existing
PowerShell command window, you have to register the IIS snapin manually. You can do this by simply executing the IISConsole.PSC1 file located in the $env:programfiles\IIS\PowerShellProvider directory:
PS C:\> & "$env:programfiles\IIS\PowerShellSnapin\iisConsole.psc1"

Set Execution Policy

For AppInsight for IIS, the Execution Policy needs to be set to RemoteSigned.
To set the Execution Policy on the target computer, take the following steps:
1. Open a PowerShell session in the Administrator context (Right-click and
select Run as Administrator).
2. Enter the following command: Set-ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned
Creating a Self-Signed Certificate
SolarWinds has created a PowerShell script to create a self-signed certificate
suitable for AppInsight for IIS. This can be found at:
http://knowledgebase.solarwinds.com/kb/questions/6016/AppInsight+for+IIS%3A
+Certificate
Once downloaded, execute the script by right-clicking it and selecting, Run with
PowerShell. The following parameters apply:

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IP address: Mandatory
Certificate lifetime in days: Optional

You can run this script with the default arguments from the PowerShell console or
specify each one.
For example:
& '.\Create self-signed certificate script.ps1' 192.168.2.69 3650

where 192.168.2.69 is the IP address of the node to be monitored by AppInsight

for IIS and 3650 is 3,650 days (10 years).
Creating a Firewall Rule
SolarWinds has created a PowerShell script to create a firewall rule. This can be
found at:
http://knowledgebase.solarwinds.com/kb/questions/6017/AppInsight+for+IIS%3A
+Firewall+Rule
Once downloaded, execute the script by right-clicking it and selecting, Run with
PowerShell. The following parameters apply:
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Without parameters: The rule will be created with the default name, "Windows Remote Management HTTP/SSL" for port 5986.
With one parameter: Non-default custom port.
With two parameters: Non-default custom port and rule name

You can run this script with the default arguments from the PowerShell console or
specify each one.
For example:
& '.\Add firewall rule.ps1' 5988 "My custom firewall rule name"

Updating WsMan Limits

WsMan provides methods and properties used to create a session. SolarWinds
has created a PowerShell script to update the WsMan limits suitable for
AppInsight for IIS. This can be found at:
http://knowledgebase.solarwinds.com/kb/questions/6018/AppInsight+for+IIS%3A
+Updating+WsMan+Limits
Once downloaded, execute the script by right-clicking it and selecting, Run with
PowerShell. The following parameters apply:
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maxConcurrentUsersDefaultValue - Default value is 5

maxShellsPerUserDefaultValue - Default value is 5

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maxMemoryPerShellMBDefaultValue - Default value

serviceRestartRequired - Default value is $false

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You can run this script with the default arguments from the PowerShell console or
specify each one.
For example:
& '.\Update WsMan Limits.ps1'

Creating a WinRM Listener:

Important: If you received the following error: An HTTPS listener currently exists
on port 5986, use the following steps to configure the listener on an available port
by changing "5986" to an available port number throughout these steps.
1. To configure WinRM on an IIS server, open a command prompt in the Run
as Administrator context.
2. Type: winrm create winrm/config/listener?Address=*+Transport=HTTPS
@{Port="5986";CertificateThumbprint="<Thumbprint value of certificate>";Hostname="<IP Address of Server>_Solarwinds_Zero_Configuration"}

and then press Enter.

3. Verify the configuration by typing the following: winrm get

winrm/config/listener?Address=*+Transport=HTTPS.

Finding IIS URL Settings

By default, AppInsight for IIS uses the following URL for the IIS and WinRM
sessions, where ${IP} is the IP address of the server node being added.
WinRM: https://${IP}:5986/wsman/

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To verify a server's WinRM PowerShell instance, follow the steps listed
below:
1. Open a command prompt in the Run as Administrator context.
2. Type: winrm get winrm/config/listener?Address=*+Transport=HTTPS to
get the current configuration for the HTTPS protocol.

Additionally, the value of Hostname must match the CN of the certificate listed in
the Certificate Thumbprint property.

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AppInsight for IIS Application Details View

The IIS Details view provides a great deal of information about the current IIS
Application. The available resources offered in this view include:
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This resource lists details about all unacknowledged active alerts.

Application Availability
Application Details
Application Pools
Cache
Connections
IIS Average CPU and Memory Usage
IIS Average Network Traffic
Event Log Message Details

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Management
Processes and Services
Sites
Top Page Requests by Average Server Execution Time

Note: Chart resources may not display data until multiple successful polls have
completed.
Active Alerts
This resource lists details about all unacknowledged active alerts.

The following defines the four columns of this resource:

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Alert Name: Displays the name of the listed alert.

Message: Displays the message of the listed alert.
Triggering Object: Displays the object that triggered the alert. Clicking the
object will take you to the details page for that object.
Active Time: Displays the time the alert was active.

Application Availability
This resource graphically shows the various states of an application's availability
in a percentage format and is made up of three sections: the legend, the main
chart, and the lower chart. The colors of the main chart correspond to the labels in
the legend.

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Application Details
This resource provides details concerning the current application. You can click
on both the application and the node to be taken to their respective details page.

Application Name: Displays the name of the listed application, in addition

to the node on which it resides.
Status: Displays the current status of the listed application. Possible
statuses include: Up, Down, Warning, Critical, Unknown, Unreachable, and
Unmanaged.
IISVersion: Displays the current version information of IIS currently being
monitored.
Note: The following three fields are tied together as components with
polling issues and are displayed in the Application Details resource.
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Component Name: Displays the component name along with its current status as indicated by the icon.
Component Type: Displays the information about the current component.
Component Status: Displays the current status of the listed component.

Application Pools
This resource shows the status of all monitored application pools for the current
IISapplication. The data can be sorted by clicking the headers of each column.

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Name: Displays the name of the listed application pool, in addition to the
current performance status as indicated by the icon. Clicking the name of
the application pool will take you to the Application Pool Details page.
State: Displays the current state of the listed application pool. Possible
states include: Stopped, Started, Stopping, and Starting.
Worker Processes: Displays the current number of worker processes the
listed application pool is using.
CPU: Displays the percentage of CPUcurrently being used for the listed
application pool.
Physical Memory: Displays the amount of physical RAM the listed application pool is currently using.
Virtual Memory: Displays the amount of virtual RAM the listed application
pool is currently using.

Note: You can search for an application pool by entering text in the Search field
and clicking

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AppInsight for IIS Application Details View

Cache
This resource contains monitors specific to the current status of the IISapplication
cache. The icons of the listed performance counters in the Statistic Name column
will change color to reflect the listed counter's current state. Clicking any
performance counter in the Statistic Name column will take you to the
Performance Counter Details page for that performance counter.
If the value of a listed performance counter approaches or crosses the Warning
threshold, a yellow band will appear for the listed counter allowing plotted values
that cross the threshold to easily be visualized against the yellow band. If the
value of a listed performance counter approaches or crosses the Critical
threshold, a red band will appear for the listed counter allowing plotted values that
cross the threshold to easily be visualized against the red band. Hovering over
any time period within the chart will display detailed information about that time
period in the tooltip. Hovering over a counter will give you detailed information
about that performance counter.

Counter

Expert Knowledge

Current File Cache

Memory Usage

Definition:
This performance counter returns

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the current number of bytes used

for the user-mode file cache.
Output Cache
Current Memory
Usage

Definition:
This performance counter returns
the current memory usage by
output cache.

File Cache Hits %

Definition:
This performance counter returns
the ratio of user-mode file cache
hits to the total number of cache
requests since the service started.
Information:
This counter reflects how well the
settings for the IIS file cache are
working. A site with mostly static
files should have a very high
cache hit percentage (70%85%).
If the Kernel: Cache Hits %
counter is low, this value should
be high. Note that this counter
does not include dynamic content,
only static files. If your static files
are not being cached, you might
want to lengthen the activity period
for this cache.
Possible problems:
The value returned from Kernel:
Cache Hits % is low.
Remediation:
If the value returned from Kernel:
Cache Hits % is low, examine
your file set and determine why
your files are not being cached.

Kernel URI Cache

Hits %

Definition:
This performance counter returns

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AppInsight for IIS Application Details View

the ratio of kernel URI cache hits
to the total number of cache
requests since the service started.
Metadata Cache
Hits %

Definition:
This performance counter returns
the ratio of user-mode metadata
cache hits to total number of cache
request since the service started.

Output Cache Current Hits %

Definition:
This performance counter returns
the output cache current hit ratio.
The ratio is calculated as (H)/
(H+M), where H and M represent
Hits and Misses in previous
sample intervals, respectively.

URI Cache Hits %

Definition:
This performance counter returns
the ratio of user-mode URI Cache
Hits to the total number of cache
requests since the service started.
Information:
If content cannot be cached in the
HTTP.sys response cache, the
value of this counter should be as
high as possible. If your content
can be stored in the HTTP.sys
response cache, the value of this
counter should be low.

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the amount of data currently loaded into the chart. This can be changed by
clicking Edit from within the resource.
Note: The Value from Last Poll column shows the most recent data available for
the listed statistic.
Connections
This resource contains monitors specific to the current status of the active
connections for the current IISapplication. The icons of the listed performance
counters in the Statistic Name column will change color to reflect the listed
counter's current state. Clicking any performance counter in the Statistic Name
column will take you to the Performance Counter Details page for that counter.
If the value of a listed performance counter approaches or crosses the Warning
threshold, a yellow band will appear for the listed counter allowing plotted values
that cross the threshold to easily be visualized against the yellow band. If the
value of a listed performance counter approaches or crosses the Critical
threshold, a red band will appear for the listed counter allowing plotted values that
cross the threshold to easily be visualized against the red band. Hovering over
any time period within the chart will display detailed information about that time
period in the tooltip. Hovering over a counter will give you detailed information
about that performance counter.

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Counter

Expert Knowledge

Total
Connection
Attempts

Description:
This displays the total number of connections to the Web or
FTP service that have been attempted since service startup.
The count is the total for all web sites or FTP sites combined,
regardless of the instance selected.
Information:
This number does not include connection attempts that failed
at the TCP (transport) or IP (network) layer.

Total Logon
Attempts

Definition:
This displays the total number of successful logons to the Web
or FTP service since the service started.
Information:
This number does not include failed logon attempts.

Current
Description:
Connections This displays the current number of connections established
with the Web service.
Information:
This is the sum of both non-anonymous (authenticated) and
anonymous (unauthenticated) users.
Possible problems:
If this number is at or near the maximum connections allowed,
the Web service is near or at full capacity.
Remediation:
If the value is too high for a particular IIS server, then load
balancing or clustering technologies can be applied to lower
the burden of the server in question. Also check the Web Site
property page for maximum connection limit.
Current
Anonymous
Users

Description:
This displays the number of Current Anonymous Users who
currently have an anonymous connection using the Web
service.

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Information:
If anonymous connections are not permitted on the server, the
value of all anonymous user counters is always zero.
Current
NonAnonymous
Users

Description:
This displays the number of Current Non-Anonymous Users
who currently have a non-anonymous connection using the
Web service.
Information:
If authentication is not enabled on the server, and none of the
applications that run on the server request or require
authentication, then the value of all non-anonymous user
counters is always zero.

Zooming
You can have the chart show a predetermined time period of data by clicking on
any one of the three Zoom buttons in the head of the Zoom column. Alternatively,
you can have the chart show a specific date range by dragging the mouse over an
area of the chart. The time and date displayed at the top of the resource shows
the amount of data currently loaded into the chart. This can be changed by
clicking Edit from within the resource.
Note: The Value from Last Poll column shows the most recent data available for
the listed statistic.
IIS Average CPU and Memory Usage
This resource graphically and numerically details the consumption of IIS as it
relates to the overall resource utilization of the server itself. This allows you to
determine if performance issues are caused by IIS, or if IIS performance is
impacted by other applications, processes, or services running on the server.
This resource has three tabs, allowing you to see the charts for CPUusage,
Physical Memory Usage, and Virtual Memory Usage. Hovering over any time
period within the chart will display detailed information about that time period in
the tooltip. The colors of the main chart correspond to the labels in the legend.
You can choose which data to display by using the check boxes in the legend, as
well as cycling through the three different tabs.

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The three columns to the right in the lower portion of the chart report the most
recent percentage of CPU Load, Physical Memory Usage, and Virtual Memory
Usage, respectively, for each available worker process.
Note: CPU and Memory need to be enabled via List Resources in order for this
to function properly. If CPUand Memory are not enabled, N/A will be reported for
other values when they are unselected.

The columns for this resource are defined as follows:

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Application Pool (Worker Process): Lists the processes being monitored

and displayed in the chart. Non-IIS Processes and Services are those
resources consumed by other applications running on the server that are not
associated with IIS.
Latest CPULoad: Displays the percentage of CPU usage for the listed process.
Latest Physical Memory Usage: Displays the percentage of physical
memory in use for the listed process.
Latest Virtual Memory Usage: Displays the percentage of virtual memory
in use for the listed process.

Zooming
You can have the chart show a predetermined time period of data by clicking on
any one of the three Zoom buttons. Alternatively, you can have the chart show a
specific date range by dragging the mouse over an area of the chart or
manipulating the sliders of the lower chart.
IIS Average Network Traffic
This resource graphically details the history of IIS network traffic. Hovering over
any time period within the chart will display detailed information about that time
period in the tooltip. The colors of the main chart correspond to the labels in the
legend. You can choose which data to display by using the check boxes in the
legend.

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The columns for this resource are defined as follows:

Traffic Source: Lists the sources of network traffic that is displayed in the
chart. Non-IIS Processes and Services are those resources consumed by
other applications running on the server that are not associated with IIS.
Latest Network Traffic: Displays the network traffic rate for the listed
source in kilobytes per second.

Zooming
You can have the chart show a predetermined time period of data by clicking on
any one of the three Zoom buttons in the head of the Zoom column. Alternatively,

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you can have the chart show a specific date range by dragging the mouse over an
area of the chart or manipulating the sliders of the lower chart.
Event Log Message Details
This resource displays the IIS event log messages while providing a search
window and a filter. The filter allows you to choose which types of log messages
you want to display. The data can be sorted by clicking the headers of each
column. This resource shows Error, Warning, Information events specific to the
monitored IISserver. For a complete list of Event IDs, see Event IDs

Paging controls are located at the bottom of the resource, allowing you to
navigate through all data available for this resource. Respectively, the controls
are: Fist Page, Previous Page, Page Number, Next Page, and Last Page.
Clicking any event message in the list will open a new window, displaying the
entire message, as shown below:

For more information, see Event IDs

Management
This resource contains controls that are actionable for both the application and
the node. The controls in the following illustration are SAM-specific.

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Application:
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Edit Application Monitor: This allows you to edit the current application by
changing the settings specifically related to this application. This includes,
but is not limited to: changing the polling frequency, changing the Windows
and PowerShell URLs, changing the IIS Server credentials, and adjusting
threshold settings for component monitors that have thresholds.
Note: Changing some settings may require you to override the template that
this application is based upon. To do this, click Override Template.

Unmanage: Allows you to stop the polling and collecting of statistics of the
current application for a user-defined period of time.

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Poll Now: Allows the application to retrieve the most current statistics when
clicked.
Note: By default, statistics are not polled when Poll Now is clicked.

Node:
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Real-Time Process Explorer: Opens the Real-Time Process Explorer in a

new window. For more information, see Real Time Process Explorer.
Service Control Manager: Opens the Service Control Manager in a new
window. For more information, see Service Control Manager.
Real-Time Event Viewer: Opens the Real-Time Event Viewer in a new window. For more information, see Real Time Event Viewer.

Processes and Services

This resource provides detailed information about the active processes and
services associated with the database selected. Hovering over a component will
give you detailed information about that application.

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Component Name: Name of the listed component.

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Sites
This resource shows the status of all monitored sites of the current IISapplication.

Name: Displays the name of the listed site in addition to the current performance status as indicated by the icon. Clicking the name of the site will
take you to the Site Details page.
State: Displays the current state of the listed site. Possible states include:
Stopped, Started, Stopping, and Starting.
Connections: Displays the current number of connections for the listed
sites.
Response Time (Avg): Displays the average response time of the listed
site in milliseconds.
Start Mode: Displays how the listed site begins running. The ServerAutoStart property indicates if the server instance should start automatically
when the server is powered on. This property is reset automatically when a
server instance is stopped or restarted to maintain the state across service
restarts.

Note: You can search for a site by entering text in the Search field and clicking
.
Paging controls are located at the bottom of the resource, allowing you to
navigate through all data available for this resource. Respectively, the controls

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are: Fist Page, Previous Page, Page Number, Next Page, Last Page, Number
of Items to Display on the Current Page, as shown:

Top Page Requests by Average Server Execution Time

This resource displays the top 20 page requests by average server execution
time. The Average Server Execution Time is the average time of all page
requests of the same type based on the URL stem. (Note: The URLstem is part
of a dynamic URL that separates the URL request from the query parameters.
This is typically located before the question mark.)
By clicking Edit, you can change the number of URLs this resource displays. The
data can be sorted by clicking the headers of each column.
Important: This resource is only shown when AppInsight for IIS is being polled
via an Agent. It will not appear if the node is being polled via SNMP or WMI.
Additionally, when the IIS log format is missing the required fields, this resource
will appear to be missing information. If this is the case, either enable the
following fields through the IIS manager, or disable this component entirely. The
fields that need to be enabled are: Date, Time, URI Query, Client IP Address,
and Method in the WCW3 format. For more information, see Agents. Logging
must be enabled. The W3C or IIS log format should be configured on the IIS
server.
Notes:
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available at the application level for all sites.
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Site: Displays the site name with which the URL is associated. Clicking the
arrow to the left of the site name will bring up detailed information about the
listed web request (URL), including the following:
l Verb: Displays the web request action performed. Example verbs
shown in this column are GET, POST, PUT, DELETE, HEAD,
DELETE, OPTIONS, and CONNECT.
l Request Date: Displays the date and time of the client web request.
l Elapsed Time: Displays the amount of server time that was needed to
fulfill the listed request.
l Client IP: Displays the IPaddress of the client computer for the listed
request.
l URLQuery: Displays the query parameters associated with client's
web request. If no query parameters were specified in the request, this
field will be blank.
URL: Displays the URL stem of the listed request.
Average Server Execution Time: Displays the average time of all page
requests of the same type based on the URL stem.

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AppInsight for IIS Website Details View

The IIS Website Details view provides a great deal of information about the
current IIS website. The available resources offered in this view include:
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Bindings
Connections
Files
Log Size by File
Management
Network I/O
This resource contains monitors specific to the current status of the IISsite
requests. The icons of the listed performance counters in the Statistic Name
column will change color to reflect the listed counter's current state. Clicking
any performance counter in the Statistic Name column will take you to the
Performance Counter Details page for that performance counter.
Site Availability
Site Details
Site Size by Directory
SSL Certificate Expiration
Top Page Requests by Average Server Execution Time
Web Server Response Time

Note: Chart resources may not display data until multiple successful polls have
completed.
Bindings
This resource monitors binding information for the current site.

Following are the column heads with their respective definitions:

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Type: This resource will identify and report the following types:
l Http
l Https
l Net.TCP
l Net.Pipe
l Net.MSMQ
l MSMQ.FormatName
Binding Information: The asterisk (*) is the server's IP address that the site
is bound to and refers to all of the IP addresses on the server. This is directly followed by the port number (eg: *.80:). The hexadecimal number is the
IPv6 address.
Browse...: Clicking Browse... on the selected binding will take you to the
HTTP or HTTPS binding and port for the current site that is being monitored
by AppInsight for IIS.

Connections
This resource contains monitors specific to the current status of the active
connections for the current IISwebsite. The icons of the listed performance
counters in the Statistic Name column will change color to reflect the listed
counter's current state. Clicking any performance counter in the Statistic Name
column will take you to the Performance Counter Details page for that counter.
If the value of a listed performance counter approaches or crosses the Warning
threshold, a yellow band will appear for the listed counter allowing plotted values
that cross the threshold to easily be visualized against the yellow band. If the
value of a listed performance counter approaches or crosses the Critical
threshold, a red band will appear for the listed counter allowing plotted values that
cross the threshold to easily be visualized against the red band. Hovering over
any time period within the chart will display detailed information about that time
period in the tooltip. Hovering over a counter will give you detailed information
about that performance counter.

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Counter

Expert Knowledge

Total
Description:
Connections This displays the total number of connections to the Web or
Attempts
FTP service that have been attempted since service startup.
The count is the total for all Web sites or FTP sites combined,
regardless of what you choose for the instance.
Information:
This number does not include connection attempts that failed
at the TCP (transport) or IP (network) layer.
Total Logon
Attempts

Description:
This displays the total number of successful logons to the Web
or FTP service since the service started.
Information:
This does not include failed logon attempts.

Current
Description:
Connections This displays the current number of connections established

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with the Web service.

Information:
This is the sum of both nonanonymous (authenticated) and
anonymous (unauthenticated) users.
Possible problems:
If this number is at or near the maximum allowable
connections, the Web service is at full capacity.
Remediation:
If the value is too high for a particular IIS server, then load
balancing or clustering technologies can be applied to lower
the burden of the server in question. Also, check the Web Site
property page for the maximum connection limit.
Current
Anonymous
Users

Description:
This displays the number of users who currently have an
anonymous connection using the Web service.
Information:
If anonymous connections are not permitted on the server, the
value of all anonymous user counters is always zero.

Current
NonAnonymous
Users

Description:
This displays the number of users who currently have a nonanonymous connection using the Web service.
Information:
If authentication is not enabled on the server, and none of the
applications that run on the server request or require
authentication, then the value of all nonanonymous user
counters is always zero.

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Note: The Value from Last Poll column shows the most recent data available for
the listed statistic.
Files
This resource contains monitors specific to file traffic across the current website.
The icons of the listed performance counters in the Statistic Name column will
change color to reflect the listed counter's current state. Clicking any performance
counter in the Statistic Name column will take you to the Performance Counter
Details page for that performance counter.
If the value of a listed performance counter crosses the Warning threshold, the
chart for the listed counter will display a yellow background. If the value of a listed
monitor crosses the Critical threshold, the chart for the listed counter will display a
red background. Hovering over any time period within the chart will display
detailed information about that time period in the tooltip. Hovering over a counter
will give you detailed information about that performance counter.

Counter

Expert Knowledge

Critical

Files
Received

Description:
The displays the number of files that have been
received by the WWW service since the service

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started.
Files Sent

Description:
The displays the number of files that have been
sent by the WWW service since the service started.
Information:
This value does not include cache hits. Note that
this counter does not increment when files are
being served from the kernel-mode cache.

Files Trans- Description:

ferred
The displays the sum of Files Sent and Files
Received by the WWW service since the service
started.
Information:
Note that this counter does not increment when files
are being served from the kernel-mode cache.
Locked
Errors

Description:
The displays the number of requests that have been
made since the service started and could not be
satisfied by the server because the requested
document was locked.
Information:
This is usually reported as HTTP error 423.
Note: A baseline is required.

Not Found
Errors

Description:
The displays the number of requests that have been
made since the service started and were not
satisfied by the server because the requested
document was not found.
Information:
This is usually reported as HTTP error 404.

Zooming

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Folder Path: Displays the path to the directory where log files are stored.
The path displayed is linked to the Custom Chart page and can be
accessed by clicking the displayed path.
Number of Files: Displays the total number of log files in the listed directory.
Total File Size: Displays, in bytes, the amount of disk space being used to
store the total number of log files in the listed directory.
Volume Usage: Numerically and graphically displays the percentage of
volume space used by the listed log files.

Management
This resource contains controls that are actionable for the current site. The
controls in the following illustration are SAM-specific.

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Restart: This stops the site from running and then restarts it.
Start/Stop: Allows you to start or stop the site.
Unmanage Web Site: Allows you to stop the polling and collecting of statistics of the current web site.

Network I/O
This resource contains monitors specific to byte traffic across the current website.
The icons of the listed performance counters in the Statistic Name column will
change color to reflect the listed counter's current state. Clicking any performance
counter in the Statistic Name column will take you to the Performance Counter
Details page for that performance counter.
If the value of a listed performance counter crosses the Warning threshold, the
chart for the listed counter will display a yellow background. If the value of a listed
monitor crosses the Critical threshold, the chart for the listed counter will display a
red background. Hovering over any time period within the chart will display
detailed information about that time period in the tooltip. Hovering over a counter
will give you detailed information about that performance counter.

Counter

Expert Knowledge

Total Bytes
Received

Description:
This displays the total number of bytes received by the Web
service since the service started.
Information:
This information can be used to determine network load on a

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specific Web site.

Total Bytes
Sent

Description:
This displays the total number of bytes sent by the Web
service since the service started.
Information:
This information can be used to determine network load on a
specific Web site.

Total Bytes
Transferred

Description:
This displays the total number of bytes sent and received by
the Web service since the service started.
Information:
This information can be used to determine network load on a
specific Web site.

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detailed information about that time period in the tooltip. Hovering over a counter
will give you detailed information about that performance counter.

Counter

Expert Knowledge

Total
Method
Requests

Description:
This displays the number of HTTP requests that have been made
since the WWW service started.

Delete
Requests

Description:
This displays the number of HTTP requests that have used the
DELETE method since the WWW service started.

Get
Requests

Description:
This displays the number of HTTP requests that have used the
GET method since the WWW service started.

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Information:
GET requests are generally used for basic file retrievals or image
maps, though they can be used with forms.
Head
Requests

Description:
This displays the number of HTTP requests that have used the
HEAD method since the WWW service started.
Information:
HEAD requests typically indicate that a client is querying the state
of a document they already have to see if it needs to be refreshed.

CGI
Requests

Description:
This displays the number of all CGI requests that have been made
since the WWW service started.
Information:
CGI requests are custom gateway executable (.exe) files the
administrator can install to add forms processing or other dynamic
data sources. CGI requests spawn a process on the server which
can be a large drain on server resources.

ISAPI
Description:
Extension This displays the number extension of ISAPI requests that have
Requests been made since the WWW service started.
Information:
ISAPI Extension Requests are custom gateway DLLs which the
administrator can install to add forms processing or other dynamic
data sources.
Put
Requests

Description:
This displays the number of HTTP requests using the PUT
method since the WWW service started.

Post
Requests

Description:
This displays the number of HTTP requests that have used the
POST method since the WWW service started.
Information:
Post requests are generally used for forms or gateway requests.

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Site Name: Displays the name of the current site.

Site State: Displays the current state of the listed site. States reported
are:Stopped, Started, Stopping, and Starting.
Start Automatically: This indicates whether or not the server instance
should start automatically when the service is started.
URL: These are the URLs that can access the current site (e.g.:
http://www.solarwinds.com, http://www.solarwinds.net).

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Application Pool: Displays the name of the current application pool.

Physical Path: Displays the folder location of the associated site.
Log file Path: Displays the folder location of the log file for the current site.
Limits:
l Limit Bandwidth Usage: Displays the maximum network bandwidth
to which the web site traffic is throttled.
l Connection Time-Out: Displays, in seconds, the elapsed time
needed for a timeout to occur of the current site.
l Limit Number of Connections: Displays the number of connections
this site is limited to.

Site Size by Directory

This resource lists and details site size by directory for the current site.

The following defines the four columns of this resource:

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Folder Path: Displays the folder path for the current site.
Number of Files: Displays the total number of files located in the folder
path for the current site.
Total File Size: Displays the total size, in MB, for all of the files located in
the folder path for the current site.
Volume Usage: Numerically and graphically displays the total percentage
of volume space consumed by the current site.

SSL Certificate Expiration

This resource provides graphical and numerical information pertaining to the valid
dates of your SSL certificates as well as the number of days remaining before the
listed certificates expire.
Note: This resource will only appear if the site is configured for HTTPS.

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SSLCertificate Expiration Fields:

CN (Common Name): An SSL certificate is required to be associated with

one or more hostnames, called Common Name. In this resource, CN is followed by the hostname with which it is associated.
l Days Remaining: The number of days remaining until the listed certificate expires is represented both graphically and numerically.
l Valid Between: Displays the date range when the listed certificate is
valid.
l Port: Displays the port to which the listed certificate is bound.

Top Page Requests by Average Server Execution Time

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Web Server Response Time

This resource contains monitors specific to the response time of the current web
server. The icons of the listed performance counters in the Statistic Name column
will change color to reflect the listed counter's current state. Clicking any
performance counter in the Statistic Name column will take you to the
Performance Counter Details page for that performance counter.
If the value of a listed performance counter crosses the Warning threshold, the
chart for the listed counter will display a yellow background. If the value of a listed
monitor crosses the Critical threshold, the chart for the listed counter will display a
red background. Hovering over any time period within the chart will display
detailed information about that time period in the tooltip. Hovering over a counter
will give you detailed information about that performance counter.

Counter

Expert Knowledge

HTTPMonitor

Definition:
This performance counter returns
the amount of time the listed web
server spends accepting incoming
sessions and transmitting the
requested page, in milliseconds,

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for the HTTP protocol.

HTTPSMonitor

Definition:
This performance counter returns
the amount of time the listed web
server spends accepting incoming
sessions and transmitting the
requested page, in milliseconds,
for the HTTPS protocol.

Note: The HTTPS monitor will not appear if the site is not configured for HTTPS.
Similarly, if the Orion server is unable access an HTTP site via its configured
URL, this resource will not appear because these components will automatically
be disabled. You can re-enable and configure these monitors via the application
editor.
Zooming
You can have the chart show a predetermined time period of data by clicking on
any one of the three Zoom buttons in the head of the Zoom column. Alternatively,
you can have the chart show a specific date range by dragging the mouse over an
area of the chart. The time and date displayed at the top of the resource shows
the amount of data currently loaded into the chart. This can be changed by
clicking Edit from within the resource.
Note: The Value from Last Poll column shows the most recent data available for
the listed statistic.

AppInsight for IIS Application Pool Details View

The IIS Application Pools Details view provides a great deal of information about
the current IIS application pool. The available resources offered in this view
include:
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Application Pool Availability

Application Pool Details
Management
Worker Process Activation Service
Worker Process Cache
Worker Process Details
Worker Process Requests and Threads

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Note: Chart resources may not display data until multiple successful polls have
completed.
Application Pool Availability
This resource graphically shows the various states of an application pool's
availability in a percentage format and is made up of three sections: the legend,
the main chart, and the lower chart. The colors of the main chart correspond to the
labels in the legend.

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can have the chart show a specific time range by dragging the mouse over a
small area of the chart.
Once you have a time period selected, the lower chart will zoom to the starting
and ending values of the selected time period. With the lower chart you can zoom
in further by fine tuning the view with the sliders. The main view of the chart will
display the selected time period between the two sliders of the lower chart.
Moving the mouse over the main chart will reveal a tooltip with more detailed
information about the specific time period the mouse is hovering over. By default,
all statistics are shown in the main chart.
Application Pool Details
This resource provides details concerning the current application pool.

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Application Pool Name: Displays the name of the listed application pool.
Application Pool State: Displays the current state of the listed application
pool. Possible states include Started, Stopped, and Unknown.
Worker Process Status: Displays the current status of the listed worker processes. Possible statuses include Up, Down, Not Running, Warning, Critical, and Unknown.
Start Automatically: Displays how the listed application pool is started.
Possible values include Yes and No.
Start Mode: Displays the current configuration mode. The Application Pool
can be set to run in On Demand Mode or Always Running Mode.
. Net Framework Version: Displays the version of Microsoft's .Net framework currently utilized by the application pool.

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Manage Pipeline Mode: Displays how ASP.Net is configured. Classic

Mode is an ISAPI extension. Integrated Mode is where managed code is
integrated into the request processing pipeline. Possible values include
Classic Mode and Integrated Mode.
Identity: Displays the configuration of the Application Pool as either a Builtin Account, Network Service, Local System, Local Service, or as a Specific
User Identity.
Applications: Displays the number of applications that rely upon this Application Pool.

Management
This resource contains controls that are actionable for the application pool. The
controls in the following illustration are SAM-specific.

Recycle: Allows the worker process that handles requests for that application pool to be terminated and a new one started.
Start/Stop: Allows you to start and stop the worker processes of the application pool.
Unmanage Application Pool: Allows you to stop the polling and collecting
of statistics of the current application pool.

Worker Process Activation Service

This resource contains monitors specific to the worker process activation service
for the current application pool. The icons of the listed performance counters in
the Statistic Name column will change color to reflect the listed counter's current
state. Clicking any performance counter in the Statistic Name column will take
you to the Performance Counter Details page for that performance counter.
If the value of a listed performance counter crosses the Warning threshold, the
chart for the listed counter will display a yellow background. If the value of a listed
monitor crosses the Critical threshold, the chart for the listed counter will display a
red background. Hovering over any time period within the chart will display
detailed information about that time period in the tooltip. Hovering over a counter
will give you detailed information about that performance counter.

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Counter

Expert Knowledge

Warning

Current
Worker
Processes

Description:
This displays the current number of worker
processes that are running in the application pool.

Recent
Worker
Process
Failures

Description:
This displays the number of times that the worker
process for the application pool failed during the
rapid-fail protection interval.

> 0 (CaD
enabled)

Information:
This counter should be counted as difference with
a threshold greater than 0.
Total
Application
Pool

Description:
This displays the number of times that the
application pool has been recycled since Windows

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Chapter 15: AppInsight Applications

Recycles

Process Activation Service (WAS) started.

Information:
This counter should be counted as difference with
a threshold greater than 0.

Total Worker
Process Failures

Description:
This displays the number of times that worker
processes have crashed since the application pool
was started.

> 0 (CaD
enabled)

Information:
This counter should be counted as difference with
a threshold greater than 0.
Total Worker
Process Ping
Failures

Description:
This displays the number of times that Windows
Process Activation Service (WAS) did not receive
a response to ping messages sent to a worker
process.

> 0 (CaD
enabled)

Information:
This counter should be counted as difference with
a threshold greater than 0.
Total Worker
Process Shutdown Failures

Description:
This displays the number of times that Windows
Process Activation Service (WAS) failed to shut
down a worker process.

> 0 (CaD
enabled)

Information:
This counter should be counted as difference with
a threshold greater than 0.
Total Worker Description:
Process Star- This displays the number of times that Windows
tup Failures
Process Activation Service (WAS) failed to start a
worker process.
Information:
This counter should be counted as difference with
a threshold greater than 0.

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AppInsight for IIS Application Pool Details View

Worker Process Cache

This resource contains monitors specific to worker process cache for the current
application pool. The icons of the listed performance counters in the Statistic
Name column will change color to reflect the listed counter's current state.
Clicking any performance counter in the Statistic Name column will take you to
the Performance Counter Details page for that performance counter.
If the value of a listed performance counter crosses the Warning threshold, the
chart for the listed counter will display a yellow background. If the value of a listed
monitor crosses the Critical threshold, the chart for the listed counter will display a
red background. Hovering over any time period within the chart will display
detailed information about that time period in the tooltip. Hovering over a counter
will give you detailed information about that performance counter.

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Counter

Expert Knowledge

Current
File
Cache
Memory
Usage

Description:
This displays the current number of bytes used by the user-mode
file cache.
Information:
The value of this counter and the value of Web Service Cache
and Maximum File Cache Memory Usage should be the same.

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Possible problems:
If the values are different, this means the cache was flushed.
Remediation:
If this counter is significantly lower than Web Service Cache and
Maximum File Cache Memory Usage, consider recycling the
worker process because the application might have a memory
leak.
Maximum
File
Cache
Memory
Usage

Description:
This displays the maximum number of bytes used by the usermode file cache since service startup.
Information:
The value of this counter and the value of Web Service Cache
and Current File Cache Memory Usage should be the same.
Possible problems:
If the values are different, this means the cache was flushed.
Remediation:
If this counter is significantly higher than Web Service Cache and
Current File Cache Memory Usage, consider recycling the
worker process because the application might have a memory
leak.

Output
Cache
Current
Memory
Usage

Description:
This displays the current number of bytes used by the output
cache.

File
Cache
Hits

Description:
This displays the total number of successful lookups in the usermode file cache since service startup.
Information:
Understanding this output depends on the content. For example, if
the content files cannot be cached by HTTP.sys, a high value is
good

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File
Cache
Misses

Description:
This displays the total number of unsuccessful lookups in the usermode file cache since service startup.
Information:
A file cache miss means the request for the file must go to the hard
disk.
Possible problems:
File cache misses negatively impact performance and scalability.
This value should be as low as possible. Also note that kernel
cache hits will cause this value to be low.

Metadata
Cache
Hits

Description:
This displays the total number of successful lookups in the usermode metadata cache since service startup.

Metadata
Cache
Misses

Description:
This displays the total number of unsuccessful lookups in the usermode metadata cache since service startup.
Information:
This value should be as low as possible.

Output
Cache
Total Hits

Description:
This displays the total number of successful lookups in the output
cache since service startup.

Output
Cache
Total
Misses

Description:
This displays the total number of unsuccessful lookups in the output cache since service startup.

URI
Cache
Hits

Description:
This displays the total number of successful lookups in the usermode URI cache since service startup.
Information:
Understanding this output depends on the content. For example, if

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the content cannot be cached in the HTTP.sys response cache, the

value of this counter should be as high as possible. If your content
can be stored in the HTTP.sys response cache, the value of this
counter should be low.
URI
Cache
Misses

Description:
This displays the total number of unsuccessful lookups in the usermode URI cache since service startup.
Information: A low value is preferable. The value of this counter
increases when IIS cannot locate the requested content in either
the HTTP.sys response cache or the IIS file cache, and must locate
the requested content on the hard disk.
Possible problems:
If the value of this counter is high, IIS locates the requested content
on the hard disk which could slow overall performance.

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Monitored Process: Lists the process that is currently being monitored.

Status: Displays the current status of the listed process. Possible statuses
include Up, Down, Warning, Critical, Not Running, and Unknown.
Running Copies: Displays the current number of worker processes associated with this Application Pool.
Maximum Worker Processes: Displays the maximum number of allowed
worker processes for this Application Pool.
Process ID(s): Displays the process ID number for the processes associated with this Application Pool.
CPULoad: Percentage of the CPU that the listed process is currently
using.
Physical Memory Load: RAM currently being used by the listed process.
Virtual Memory Load: Virtual memory currently being used by the listed
process.
IOPS: Current amount of Input/Output data being processed per second.

Worker Process Requests and Threads

This resource contains monitors specific to worker process requests and threads
for the current application pool. The icons of the listed performance counters in
the Statistic Name column will change color to reflect the listed counter's current
state. Clicking any performance counter in the Statistic Name column will take
you to the Performance Counter Details page for that performance counter.
If the value of a listed performance counter crosses the Warning threshold, the
chart for the listed counter will display a yellow background. If the value of a listed

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monitor crosses the Critical threshold, the chart for the listed counter will display a
red background. Hovering over any time period within the chart will display
detailed information about that time period in the tooltip. Hovering over a counter
will give you detailed information about that performance counter.

Counter

Expert Knowledge

Active Requests

Description:
Current number of requests being processed by the worker
process.

Requests/sec

Description:
HTTP requests/sec being processed by the worker
process.

Active Thread
Count

Description:
Number of threads actively processing requests in the
worker process.

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Troubleshooting AppInsight for IIS

The following sections will help you identify and correct AppInsight for IIS errors
concerning configuration and performance counters. For example, you may see
an error similar to the following:

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Using AppInsight applications with 32-bit polling on 64-bit computers via an

agent may prevent certain performance counters from collecting information
and should be changed to 64-bit polling.
Credentials Test Failed
Polling fails due to a missing certificate.
IISPolling Failed
Error: Credentials test failed. Node is unreachable.
IISVersion Failed
WinRM Testing Failed
Error Code 1367
Error Code 1726
Error Code 16004
Error Code 16005
Error Code 16006
Error Code 16007

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Error Code 16008

Error Code 16009
Error Code 16013
Error Code 16022
Error Code 16023
Error Code 16024
Error Code 16029
Error Code 16049
Error code 16090
Other Errors
Important: If you received the following error: An HTTPS listener currently
exists on port 5986, use the following steps to configure the listener on an
available port by changing 5986 to an available port number throughout
these steps.
Event IDs

Access is denied when configuring AppInsight for IIS

Issue:You may encounter access denied errors when you choose not to use the
built-in administrator account for IIS polling. This can occur if you create a new
user and then add this user to the Administrator's group.
Cause: If the group policy or the local policy has Administrator Approval Mode
set to Enable, the polling will fail with an error. This is usually because the
administrator account does not have enough permissions.
Resolution:
1. In your local security policy, navigate to Local Policies > Security Options
> User Account Control: Run all administrators in Admin Approval
Mode.
Note: This should be set to Disabled to let administrators poll properly.
2. Navigate to Local Policies > Security Options > User Account Control:
Admin Approval Mode for the Built-in Administrator Account.
Note: This should be Disabled for the built-in administrator to poll properly.
3. When complete, rerun the AppInsight for IIS Automatic Configuration Wizard.
Changing between 32-bit and 64-bit polling methods:
Using AppInsight applications with 32-bit polling on 64-bit computers via an agent
may prevent certain performance counters from collecting information and should
be changed to 64-bit polling.

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To make this change at the application level, take the following steps:
1. From the web console, navigate to Home > Applications > Select an
AppInsight Application.
2. Click Edit Application Monitor.
3. Expand Advanced, and then click Override Template.
4. In the Platform to run polling job field, change the value to x64.
5. When done, click Submit.
To make this change at the template level, take the following steps:
1. From the web console, navigate to Settings >SAMSettings >Manage
Templates.
2. Select an AppInsight application and click Edit.
3. Expand Advanced, and in the Platform to run polling job field, change
the value to x64.
Note: Applications assigned to 32-bit hosts with the x64bit option will continue to poll using 32-bit, regardless of this setting.

4. When done, click Submit.

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Troubleshooting AppInsight for IIS

Credentials Test Failed
Error: The credentials given are not valid. Please provide the correct credentials
for an account with WMI permissions.
Resolution: Enter valid credentials.
For more information, see Inherit Credentials from Node.

Polling fails due to a missing certificate.

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Chapter 15: AppInsight Applications

Resolution: Manually remove the existing PowerShell listener and re-run the IIS
configuration wizard. This process will create a new listener along with the
appropriate certificate needed.
IISPolling Failed
Error: Application polling failed because IIS information is currently unavailable.
Cause: This is a general error message returned by Windows when a networking
component is malfunctioning.
Resolution: For details, see the log on the Orion server located at:
([ALLUSERSPROFILE]
\ProgramData\Solarwinds\Logs\APM\RemoteExecutableStarter.log). Following

are some of the more common reasons why this error message might be returned
by Windows:
E.G. Restart the remote registry service, check that TCP port 445 is open between
the Orion server and the remotely monitored IIS server.
When complete, rerun the AppInsight for IIS Automatic Configuration Wizard.
Node Unreachable.
Error: Credentials test failed. Node is unreachable.
Resolution: Ensure the node is currently being managed. For more information,
see Unmanage Scheduling Utility. When complete, rerun the AppInsight for IIS
Automatic Configuration Wizard.

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Troubleshooting AppInsight for IIS

IISVersion Failed
Error: The current version of IIS is 6.0. Version 7.0 or higher is required.
Resolution: Install IIS version 7.0 or higher. When complete, rerun the AppInsight
for IIS Automatic Configuration Wizard.

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Chapter 15: AppInsight Applications

WinRM Testing Failed

Error: WinRM testing failed with the following error: Connecting to remote server
failed with the following error message: Access is denied.
Resolution: Set the appropriate permissions for PowerShell on the target server.
When complete, rerun the AppInsight for IIS Automatic Configuration Wizard.
Setting the appropriate permissions for PowerShell on the target server:
1. On the remote computer, open the PowerShell console.
2. Execute the following PowerShell command: Set-PSSessionConfiguration
Microsoft.PowerShell -ShowSecurityDescriptorUI -force (The permissions dialog should appear.)

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Troubleshooting AppInsight for IIS

3. Uncheck the Deny check box to enable the Full Control option under the
Permissions for Everyone group.

4. Ensure that the group to which the polling user belongs has access to
Microsoft PowerShell.

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Chapter 15: AppInsight Applications

5. Click OK.
Error Code 1367
Error: Incorrect user name and/or password.
Resolution: Enter a valid user name and password combination. When
complete, rerun the AppInsight for IIS Automatic Configuration Wizard.

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Troubleshooting AppInsight for IIS

For more information, see Inherit Credentials from Node.

Error Code 1726
Error: An error occurred during Server configuration.
Cause: This can be due to a temporarily slow network or a heavily taxed
computer at the moment of configuration causing the remote installer not to
receive the necessary exit codes. Configuration is most likely successful at this
point and the displayed error message is simply a response to the exit codes not
being returned.
Resolution: Running the configuration wizard again or clicking, I've already
manually configured this server under Advanced should result in a successful
configuration.

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Chapter 15: AppInsight Applications

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Troubleshooting AppInsight for IIS

Error Code 16004
Error: The deployment service executable was not found on the Orion server.
Cause: The Remote Installation Service.exe file was not found. This could be
caused by an incorrect SAM installation or the Remote Installation Service.exe
was deleted or modified.
Resolution: Add the Remote Installation Service.exe file to the following
directory: C:\Program Files (x86)\SolarWinds\Orion\APM. For details, see the
log on the Orion server located at: ([ALLUSERSPROFILE]
\ProgramData\Solarwinds\Logs\APM\RemoteExecutableStarter.log). When
complete, rerun the AppInsight for IIS Automatic Configuration Wizard.

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Chapter 15: AppInsight Applications

Error Code 16005
Error: The configuration executable was not found on the Orion server.
Cause: The SolarWinds.APM.RemoteIISConfigurator.exe file was not found.
This can be caused by an incorrect SAM installation or the
SolarWinds.APM.RemoteIISConfigurator.exe file was deleted or modified.
Resolution: Add the SolarWinds.APM.RemoteIISConfigurator.exe file to the
following directory: C:\Program Files (x86)\SolarWinds\Orion\APM. For details,
see the log on the Orion server located at: ([ALLUSERSPROFILE]
\ProgramData\Solarwinds\Logs\APM\RemoteExecutableStarter.log). When
complete, rerun the AppInsight for IIS Automatic Configuration Wizard.

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Troubleshooting AppInsight for IIS

Error Code 16006
Error: Access denied.
Cause: The provided user account does not have access to the Administrator
share on the remote IIS server.
Resolution: Ensure the provided user account has access to the Administrator
share by trying to connect to the Administrator share with the following:
\\IISComputerName\<drive letter>$\ from the Orion server. When complete,
rerun the AppInsight for IIS Automatic Configuration Wizard.

Error Code 16007

Error: The configuration executable has an invalid signature.

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Chapter 15: AppInsight Applications

Cause: The configuration executable cannot be started on the remote IIS server
due to one or more of the following:
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The high level of User Account Control settings;

The provided user account does not have privileges to run executable files;
The SolarWinds.APM.RemoteIISConfigurator.exe file is not signed with a
Solarwinds certificate.

Resolution: Try to lower the User Account Control settings on remote IIS server.
Also check that the user account has privileges to run executable files. When
complete, rerun the AppInsight for IIS Automatic Configuration Wizard.

Error Code 16008

Error: The network path was not found.

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Troubleshooting AppInsight for IIS

Cause: This is a general error message returned by Windows when a networking
component is malfunctioning. This may be caused by not having the appropriate
root or intermediate certificate on the remote IIS server.
Resolution: For details, see the log on the Orion server located at:
([ALLUSERSPROFILE]
\ProgramData\Solarwinds\Logs\APM\RemoteExecutableStarter.log). Following

are some of the more common reasons why this error message might be returned
by Windows:
l

Ensure you have access to the shared storage drive. To do this:

1. Open Windows Explorer and navigate to My Network Places > Entire
Network > Microsoft Windows Network > (Workgroup name) >
(Shared Storage drive name). When complete, rerun the AppInsight
for IIS Automatic Configuration Wizard.
Firewalls can block traffic to the network which could generate this message. Try temporarily disabling any software or hardware firewalls to isolate
the problem. When complete, rerun the AppInsight for IIS Automatic Configuration Wizard.
Like firewalls, some anti-spyware tools have the same effect. Try temporarily disabling any anti-spyware programs and restart the computer to
isolate the problem. When complete, rerun the AppInsight for IIS Automatic
Configuration Wizard.

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Chapter 15: AppInsight Applications

Error Code 16009

Error: The configuration file for the configuration executable was not found on the
Orion server.
Cause: This is an internal error. This can be caused by either an incorrect SAM
installation, or the SolarWinds.APM.RemoteIISConfigurator.exe.config file was
deleted or modified.
Resolution: Add the SolarWinds.APM.RemoteIISConfigurator.exe.config file to
the following directory: C:\Program Files (x86)\SolarWinds\Orion\APM.For
details, see the log on the Orion server located at: ([ALLUSERSPROFILE]

745

Troubleshooting AppInsight for IIS

\ProgramData\Solarwinds\Logs\APM\RemoteExecutableStarter.log). When

complete, rerun the AppInsight for IIS Automatic Configuration Wizard.

Error Code 16013

Error: Unable to access remote administrator share.
Cause: The remote administrator share cannot be accessed.
Resolution: Try enabling this feature manually by taking the following steps:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Ensure that both computers belong to the same Workgroup.

Specify which user(s) can access the Administrator Shares (Disk Volumes).
Enable File and print sharing through the Windows firewall.
Check to see if you can access the Administrator share from another computer.

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Chapter 15: AppInsight Applications

5. When complete, rerun the AppInsight for IIS Automatic Configuration Wizard.

Error Code 16022

Error: An HTTPS listener currently exists on port 5986.
Cause: This error means that an HTTPS listener already exists on port 5986 and
cannot be reused because it is not configured to listen for the target IIS server IP
address.
Resolution: For details, see the log on the target computer located at:
([ALLUSERSPROFILE]

&
RemoteIISConfiguratorPowerShell.log). For configuring WinRM using a
different port, see Important: If you received the following error: An HTTPS listener
\ProgramData\Solarwinds\Logs\APM\RemoteIISConfigurator.log

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Troubleshooting AppInsight for IIS

currently exists on port 5986, use the following steps to configure the listener on
an available port by changing 5986 to an available port number throughout these
steps.

Error Code 16023

Error: Unable to create a self-signed certificate.
Cause: An unexpected error occurred during the certificate creation process.
Resolution: Check the configuration script log file located on target the IIS server,
located at [ALLUSERSPROFILE]
\ProgramData\Solarwinds\Logs\APM\RemoteIISConfigurator.log. When
complete, rerun the AppInsight for IIS Automatic Configuration Wizard.

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Chapter 15: AppInsight Applications

Error Code 16024

Error: Unable to create wsMan listener.
Cause: This error means that an unexpected error occurred during wsMan
listener creation.
Resolution: Check the configuration script log file located on the target IIS server
at, [ALLUSERSPROFILE]
\ProgramData\Solarwinds\Logs\APM\RemoteIISConfigurator.log. When
complete, rerun the AppInsight for IIS Automatic Configuration Wizard.

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Troubleshooting AppInsight for IIS

Error Code 16029

Error: Failed to start Windows Remote Management.
Cause: This error means that the Windows Remote Management (WSManagement) service cannot be started remotely.
Resolution: The Windows Remote Management service should be running on
the target IIS server. To do this, refer to the following steps:
Running Windows Remote Management (WS-Management) service on
Server 2008\2012:
1. Open an RDP session to the remote server
2. Open Server Manager.
3. Click on the Local Server menu and find the Services window.

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Chapter 15: AppInsight Applications

4. Right-click the Windows Remote Management (WS-Management) service, and then click Start
5. When complete, rerun the AppInsight for IIS Automatic Configuration Wizard.

For more information, see Important: If you received the following error: An
HTTPS listener currently exists on port 5986, use the following steps to configure
the listener on an available port by changing "5986" to an available port number
throughout these steps.
Error Code 16049
Error: An unknown error occurred during IIS server configuration.

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Troubleshooting AppInsight for IIS

Resolution: For more information, see Other Errors. Once the problem is
isolated, rerun the AppInsight for IIS Automatic Configuration Wizard.

Error code 16090

Error: PowerShell 2.0 or higher is required.
Cause: PowerShell 2.0 or higher is not installed on the target server.
Resolution: Ensure that PowerShell 2.0 or higher is installed on the target
server. When complete, rerun the AppInsight for IIS Automatic Configuration
Wizard.

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Chapter 15: AppInsight Applications

Installing PowerShell 2.0 on Windows Server 2008:

For Windows Server 2008, download the installation file for PowerShell 2.0 at
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/968929/en-us and install it on the target server.
Note: PowerShell 2.0 is automatically installed on Windows Server 2008 R2 and
therefore no additional installation is required.
Installing PowerShell 2.0 on Server 2012:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Open Server Manager.

Click on the Manage menu, and then select Add Roles and Features.
After the wizard opens, click Next until you get to the Installation Type page.
Select Role-based or feature-based installation.
Click Next until you reach the Features page.
Scroll down to Windows PowerShell. It will likely show itself as partially
installed.

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Troubleshooting AppInsight for IIS

7. Check the box next to Windows PowerShell 2.0 Engine.
8. Click Next and then Install.
9. When the installation finishes, click Close.
Other Errors
Issue:PowerShell 2.0 is not Installed
Resolution: Install PowerShell.
Installing PowerShell 2.0 on Server 2008:
For Server 2008, download the installation file for PowerShell 2.0 at
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/968929/en-us and install it on the
server.
Note: PowerShell 2.0 is automatically installed on Server 2008 R2
and therefore no additional installation is required.
Installing PowerShell 2.0 on Server 2012:
1. Open Server Manager.
2. Click on the Manage menu, and the select Add Roles and
Features.
3. After the wizard opens, click Next until you get to the Installation
Type page.
4. Select Role-based or feature-based installation.
5. Click Next until you reach the Features page.
6. Scroll down to Windows PowerShell. It will likely show itself as
partially installed (square inside box).
7. Check the box next to Windows PowerShell 2.0 Engine.
8. Click Next and then Install.
9. When the installation finishes, click Close.
Setting the appropriate permissions for PowerShell on the target
server:
1. On the remote computer, open the PowerShell console.
2. Execute the following PowerShell command: Set-PSSessionConfiguration Microsoft.PowerShell -ShowSecurityDescriptorUI -force

(The permissions dialog should

appear.)
3. Uncheck the Deny check box to enable the Full Control option
under the Permissions for Everyone group.

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Chapter 15: AppInsight Applications

4. Ensure that the group to which the polling user belongs has
access to Microsoft PowerShell.

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Troubleshooting AppInsight for IIS

5. Click OK.
6. When complete, rerun the AppInsight for IIS Automatic Configuration Wizard.
Issue: PowerShell WebAdministration snapin is not installed.
Information: For legacy systems with IIS 7.0 (Windows Vista, Windows 2008)
PowerShell WebAdministration snapins are not part of IIS.
Resolution: Download and install the PowerShell WebAdministration snapins
found at the following link: http://www.iis.net/downloads/microsoft/powershell
When complete, rerun the AppInsight for IIS Automatic Configuration Wizard.

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Chapter 15: AppInsight Applications

Issue: Polling IIS servers is unsuccessful.

Possible Errors: OutOfMemoryException, Not enough storage, WinRM, WinRM
not functioning properly, and so on.
Cause: IIS servers hosting many sites may cause polling to be unsuccessful.
Resolution: Increase the polling frequency and Memory per Shell Limit on the
target node as needed. When complete, rerun the AppInsight for IIS Automatic
Configuration Wizard.
To increase the Polling Frequency, take the following steps:
The default value is set at 300 seconds (five minutes). If you see more than a five
minute gap in a graphed resource, this value can be increased, as in any other
SAM application.

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Troubleshooting AppInsight for IIS

1. Navigate to Application Details page > Edit Application Monitor >
Polling Frequency (click Override template button)
2. Change to desired value, and then click Submit.
To increase the Memory per shell limit, take the following steps::
1. Run PowerShell via Run as Administrator and execute the following command to get the actual value:
2.

winrm get winrm/config/Winrs

Examine MaxMemoryPerShellMB.

If the value is less than 512, increase this

value by executing the following command:
Set-Item WsMan:\localhost\Shell\MaxMemoryPerShellMB NewValue -WarningAction SilentlyContinue;

where the NewValue will be the desired memory limit. If the error persists,
the value should be increased again.
An HTTPS listener currently exists on port 5986:
Important: If you received the following error: An HTTPS listener currently exists
on port 5986, use the following steps to configure the listener on an available port
by changing 5986 to an available port number throughout these steps.
1. To configure WinRM on a server, open a command prompt in the Run as
Administrator context.
2. Type: winrm create winrm/config/listener?Address=*+Transport=HTTPS
@{Port="5986";CertificateThumbprint="<Thumbprint value of certificate>";Hostname="<IP Address of Server>_Solarwinds_IIS_Zero_Configuration"}

and then press Enter.

3. Verify the configuration by typing the following: winrm get

winrm/config/listener?Address=*+Transport=HTTPS.

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Chapter 15: AppInsight Applications

Create a Firewall Rule

To create a firewall rule for WinRM, follow the directions outlined below:
1. Open PowerShell in the Run as Administrator context.
2. Create a function for adding firewall rules using the following code:
function Add-FirewallRule {
param(
$name,
$tcpPorts,
$appName = $null,
$serviceName = $null
)
$fw = New-Object -ComObject hnetcfg.fwpolicy2
$rule = New-Object -ComObject HNetCfg.FWRule
$rule.Name = $name
if ($appName -ne $null) { $rule.ApplicationName = $appName }
if ($serviceName -ne $null) { $rule.serviceName = $serviceName }
$rule.Protocol = 6 #NET_FW_IP_PROTOCOL_TCP
$rule.LocalPorts = $tcpPorts
$rule.Enabled = $true
$rule.Grouping = "@firewallapi.dll,-23255"
$rule.Profiles = 7 # all
$rule.Action = 1 # NET_FW_ACTION_ALLOW
$rule.EdgeTraversal = $false
$fw.Rules.Add($rule)
}

3. Run the function to create the firewall exception for WSMAN using the
following command:
Add-FirewallRule "Windows Remote Management" "5986" $null

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Troubleshooting AppInsight for IIS

$null

4. Verify the rule was created by navigating to Control Panel >Windows

Firewall >Advanced Settings.

Event IDs
The matrix below outlines and defines Microsoft event IDs to help aid in
troubleshooting:
Event ID

Source

Log

Severity Message

2281

Microsoft- Application Warning

WindowsIIS-

760

Worker process failed to

initialize communication with
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Chapter 15: AppInsight Applications

Warning

World Wide Web Publishing

Service property failed range
validation

1037

Microsoft- System
Windows-

Warning

HTTP control channel for the

World Wide Web Publishing

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Chapter 15: AppInsight Applications

IISW3SVC

Service did not open

2208

Microsoft- System
WindowsWAS

Job object associated with

the application pool
encountered an error

2227

Microsoft- Application Warning

Windows-

Warning

763

The server was unable to

acquire a license for an SSL

Troubleshooting AppInsight for IIS

IISWMSVC

connection

2233

Microsoft- Application Warning

Warning

Windows Process Activation

Service (WAS) encountered
a failure while setting the
affinity mask of an application
pool

764

Service (WAS) received a
change notification but was
unable to process it correctly

2296

Microsoft-

Application Warning

765

Module has an invalid

Troubleshooting AppInsight for IIS

WindowsIISW3SVCWP

precondition

2295

Microsoft- Application Warning

WindowsIISW3SVCWP

Module registration error

detected (failed to find
RegisterModule entry point)

2293

Microsoft- Application Warning

The Global Modules list is

empty

Error

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Chapter 15: AppInsight Applications

W3SVCWP
2218

Microsoft- Application Warning

500, 499, Active

23, 22, 21, Server
20, 19, 18, Pages
17, 16, 9,
8, 7, 6, 5

an ISAPI filter on a server

instance, but because it
requires the SF_NOTIFY_
READ_RAW_DATA filter
notification, it must be loaded
as a global filter
Application Warning

Error

ASP application error

occurred

5030

Microsoft- System
WindowsWAS

2279,
2278,
2277

Microsoft- Application Warning

WindowsIISW3SVCWP

Worker process encountered

an error during initialization

1005

MicrosoftWindowsIISW3SVC

The World Wide Web

Publishing Service (WWW
Service) is stopping because
it encountered an error. The
data field contains the error
number

8001

MicrosoftWindowsIISWMSVC

The Web Management

Service was stopped
because it did not respond

768

Windows Process Activation

Service (WAS) terminated
unexpectedly, and the system
was not configured to restart
it.

Chapter 15: AppInsight Applications

Performance Counter Details View

This view is equivalent to the Component Details view in a typical SAM
application. This view is common to all AppInsight applications and can be
accessed by clicking any performance counter found in any resource. The default
resources for this view include:
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Performance Counters
Performance Counter Details
History Chart

Additionally, this view contains the Management resource and Expert

Knowledge resource.
For more information, see Management.

Average Site Response Time

This resource graphically details the average value history of the current
performance counter, in this case, the average response time of for the
HTTPBindings monitor. Hovering over any time period within the chart will
display detailed information about that time period in the tooltip.
The colors of the main chart correspond to the labels in the legend. You can
choose which data to display by using the check boxes in the legend.

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Performance Counters

Note: This resource is only available with AppInsight for IIS.

Performance Counters
This resource displays all the available performance counters associated with the
current application or database.

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Chapter 15: AppInsight Applications

The list of performance counters displayed will change depending on how you
enter this view. For example, if you enter this view by drilling down from the
database level, just the counters associated with that database will be displayed.
If you enter this view by drilling down from the application view, then only the
performance counters associated with the application will be shown.
Clicking any performance counter in the list will display detailed information about
that performance counter in the Performance Counter Details resource.

Performance Counter Details

This resource provides tools and detailed information about the current
performance counter (Component Monitor).

771

History Chart
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Name: Name of the current performance counter.

Status: Status of the current performance counter.
Current Value: The value of the current performance counter.
Group: Displays the group, or resource, this performance counter belongs
to as it would be viewed on the Application Details view. For example:

Component Type: The type of the current performance counter.

Expert Knowledge: This resource provides information about the performance counter, including possible problems that may occur as a result
of the returned value being abnormal. Remediation information is also
provided, where applicable, to help you resolve typical issues that may be
occurring if abnormal values are returned.

History Chart
This resource graphically details the value history of the current performance
counter. Hovering over any time period within the chart will display detailed
information about that time period in the tooltip.
The colors of the main chart correspond to the labels in the legend. You can
choose which data to display by using the check boxes in the legend.

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Chapter 15: AppInsight Applications

773

Chapter 16:
The AppStack Environment
The Application Stack, or AppStack, is a term used to describe the various layers
that make up a complex application delivery infrastructure. The AppStack
Environment view is an interactive visual mapping within Orion that provides an
in-depth perspective through the entire environment to help identify the root cause
of performance and availability issues.
AppStack will automatically gather information about objects in your environment,
as well as their respective relationships, and display them. Some relationships,
such as groups and dependencies can be defined by the user.
Important: As a standalone product, AppStack is available in the software
versions listed below. If you own two or more of the listed products, AppStack will
not function properly unless each version of the software is upgraded to the
versions listed:
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Server & Application Monitor 6.2

Storage Resource Monitor 6.0
Virtualization Manager 6.2
Web Performance Monitor 2.2

For more information, see:

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Introduction to the AppStack Environment View

Understanding AppStack
AppStack Categories and Data
Navigating AppStack
Customizing the AppStack Environment View
Understanding the AppStack Resource

Introduction to the AppStack Environment View

The AppStack Environment view is designed to provide you with a powerful layer
of troubleshooting visibility by exposing all participating objects in your
environment, as well as their relationships to one another. This view is useful in

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Chapter 16: The AppStack Environment

assessing the overall health of your environment, as well as troubleshooting
specific and related problems.
To help you better understand how this visualization of your environment can be
used for troubleshooting, the following analogy was designed to provide you with
a simple, high-level overview of how AppStack processes and displays
information.
The AppStack Environment View Analogy:
Imagine you work for a company comprised of many employees that work in
various departments. In this example, you work in the Engineering department as
an engineer:

Now imagine you call in sick and are unable to work for two weeks. Certain
employees in various departments will be affected by your absence. Others will
not be affected. The illustration below highlights the employees who will be
affected by your absence by fading those who are not affected.

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Introduction to the AppStack Environment View

Focusing on only the people who are affected by your absence can be beneficial
from a task management perspective. Therefore, completely hiding those not
affected by your absence will give a clean and concise view, displaying only the
necessary information.

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Chapter 16: The AppStack Environment

Now, instead of employees, imagine we are talking about your entire IT
environment. The goal of the AppStack Environment view is to help you quickly
assess the impact a given object has on its related objects. This relational view is
the AppStack Environment view found in the web console.
The AppStack Environment View:
The AppStack Environment, shown below, displays the status of individual
objects in your ITenvironment through the Orion web console. Objects are
categorized and ordered from left to right, with the worst status being shown on
the left side of the view.

Clicking an object shows everything related to that object by fading unrelated

objects, as shown:

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Introduction to the AppStack Environment View

Clicking Spotlight removes the faded, unrelated objects from the view entirely.

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Chapter 16: The AppStack Environment

Clicking the selected object at the top, or double-clicking it in the view, will take
you to the Details page for that object for further investigation.

AppStack Categories and Data

The following matrix outlines all of the categories associated with the AppStack
Environment view. Different categories are available with each SolarWinds
product, as indicated with the check mark.
Category

Storage
Resource Monitor
(SRM)

Server
&Application Monitor
(SAM)

Virtualization
Manager
(VMan)

Groups

Web Performance
Monitor
(WPM)

Definition

Groups
enable you
to more
effectively

779

In SAM, an
application
is a collection of
component
monitors
grouped
together to
collect specific metrics
concerning
the application as a
whole.

Transactions

A transaction is a
recording of
web
browser
steps
assigned to
a specific
location.

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Chapter 16: The AppStack Environment

Steps

A step is a
collection of
actions. For
example,
the actions
required to
navigate to
a specific
URL make
up one
step.

Servers

A server is
a computer
capable of
accepting
requests
from the
client and
giving
responses
accordingly.
The server
makes
services, as
access to
data files,
programs,
and
peripheral
devices,
available to
workstation
s on a
network.

Hosts

A Host is

781

Virtual
clusters are
built with
VMs
installed at
distributed
servers
from one or
more physical
clusters.
The VMs in
a virtual
cluster are
logically
connected
by a virtual
network
across several physical
networks.
Each virtual
cluster is
formed with
physical

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Chapter 16: The AppStack Environment

machines
or a VM hosted by multiple
physical
clusters.
Note: SAM
supports virtual clusters
for VMware,
but not
Hyper-V.
Virtual Datacenters

A virtual
datacenter
is a centralized virtual
repository
for the storage, management,
and dissemination
of data and
information
organized
around a
particular
body of
knowledge
or pertaining to a
particular
business.

Virtual
Centers

A VMware

783

Data Stores

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Chapter 16: The AppStack Environment

schema. A
data store is
a general
concept that
includes not
just repositories like
databases,
but also simpler store
types such
as flat files.
Some data
stores represent data
in only one
schema,
while other
data stores
use several
schemas for
this task.
A volume,
or logical
drive, is a
single
accessible
storage
area with a
single file
system, typically resident on a
single partition of a
hard disk.

Volumes

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AppStack Categories and Data

LUNS

A Logical
Unit Number, or LUN,
is a number
used to
identify a
logical unit,
which is a
device
addressed
by the SCSI
protocol or
Storage
Area Network protocols
which
encapsulate
SCSI, such
as Fibre
Channel or
iSCSI. A
LUN may
be used
with any
device
which supports
read/write
operations,
such as a
tape drive,
but is most
often used
to refer to a
logical disk

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as created
on a SAN.
NASVolumes

Networkattached
storage
(NAS) is a
type of dedicated file
storage
device that
provides
local-area
network
(LAN) users
with centralized, consolidated
disk storage
through a
standard
Ethernet
connection.

Pools

A storage
pool (also
called a
RAID array
) is a
collection of
disk drives
that
become a
logical
entity.
When you
create a

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A virtual
storage
server
(VServer)
contains
data
volumes
and one or
more LIFs
through
which it
serves data
to the
clients. A
VServer
can either
contain one
or more
FlexVol
volumes, or
a single
Infinite
Volume.

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A VServer
securely
isolates the
shared
virtualized
data
storage and
network,
and
appears as
a single
dedicated
server to its
clients.
Each
VServer
has a
separate
administrat
or
authenticati
on domain
and can be
managed
independen
tly by a
VServer
administrat
or.
In a cluster,
a VServer
facilitates
data
access. A
cluster must

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Chapter 16: The AppStack Environment

Storage
Arrays

Storage
Arrays consist of two
or more
disk drives
built into a
stand-alone
unit. Storage arrays
provide
increased
availability,
resiliency,
and maintainability
by using
existing
components
(controllers,
power supplies, fans,
and so on)
often up to
the point
where all
single
points of failure are eliminated from
the design.

Understanding AppStack
AppStack contains multiple tools and features. Following is a detailed description
for each of these tools and features.
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Understanding Status and Colors

Understanding Mixed Icons

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Understanding Status and Colors

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Understanding Quick Links

Understanding the Overview Bar:
Understanding Categories
Understanding Filtering Options
Understanding Filter Properties
Understanding Layouts

Understanding Status and Colors

Objects in the AppStack Environment view are colored based on their current
status, providing you a quick summary of your environment. Objects will be in one
of the following states, represented by its icon's color and shape that corresponds
to the following table:
Status

Color

Down

Red

Critical

Pink

Warning

Yellow

Unknown

Gray

Unreachable

Black

Green

Other

Blue

External

Purple

Example

Note: Statuses only become available for filtering when an object in your
environment is in that state. For example, if no objects have a status of Down, the
Down status will not be available when filtering.
Status Reporting
Servers can only provide an Up or Down status. To check CPU, memory, or
hardware health status, hover the mouse over the server icon to view the detailed
tooltip. The reported status for applications and LUNs is based on performance
thresholds.

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Chapter 16: The AppStack Environment

Understanding Mixed Icons
The AppStack Environment view offers a parent/child relationship. (Parents can
be either servers or hosts.) This relationship is represented as a mixed icon. The
parent is the larger of the two icons that is hosting the child. For example, the
following illustration graphically shows that an application (child) is Down on a
node (parent) that is Up.

Understanding Quick Links

The Quick Links bar allows you to quickly open and close all visible object
categories. Additionally, you can toggle whether or not to show the names of
objects that have a distressed status.

Expand All: Opens all categories, revealing the visible objects within each
category.
Note: Each category can be individually expanded and collapsed by clicking [+] and [-] next to the category name.

Collapse All: Closes all categories, hiding the objects within each category.
Note: Each category can be individually expanded and collapsed by clicking [+] and [-] next to the category name.

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Understanding Quick Links

Show/Hide Names: Allows you to toggle between showing and hiding the
names for each object that is in a distressed state.
Note: If more objects exist than are allowed to be displayed on the screen,
the category name will display the number of displayed objects followed by
the total number of objects. For example, (87 of 111), meaning only 87
objects of 111 total objects in this category are being displayed. This
provides a numerical summary of your environment. Clicking More (located
after the last visible object in the category) will display, by default, an additional 50 objects that are hidden from view. Related objects may be found
by clicking More. The default number of 50 can be changed in the Settings
page. For more information, see Customizing the AppStack Environment
View.

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Chapter 16: The AppStack Environment

Understanding Categories
By default, the following AppStack Environment categories are available within
Server & Application Monitor.
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Groups
Applications
Servers
Virtual Hosts
Virtual Clusters
Virtual DataCenters
Virtual Centers
Volumes

Notes:
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Other Orion products offer additional categories.

Empty categories can be hidden via the Change Layout Settings option in
the drop down menu.

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Understanding the Overview Bar:

Understanding the Category Status Summary

The Category Status Summary (located to the right of each category) parses,
enumerates, and displays the number of objects in a given category, emphasizing
the status as indicated by the colors. The Category Status Summary can be
toggled to either be displayed at all times, or only when categories are collapsed.
This option exists under the Change Layout Settings settings drop down option.
Note: If no objects in a category exist with a particular status, that status will not
show in the summary.

Understanding the Overview Bar:

The Overview Bar summarizes your environment in a compact space. If your
view is currently filtered, the filtered objects will be displayed above the Overview
Bar, as shown. Individual filtered objects can be removed by clicking the [X] next
to each object. To remove all filtered objects, click Clear All.

The doughnut chart in the Overview section graphically displays the ratio of
objects to one another in all possible states using indicative colored slices. The
total number of objects in your environment is also displayed.
Objects under the Issues header are parsed and enumerated according to status.
Objects shown here will be in one of the following distressed states: Down,
Critical, Warning, Unknown and Unreachable. An icon and count will only appear
if at least one object is currently in that state.

Understanding Filtering Options

By default, every object is displayed when you enter the AppStack Environment
view. If you are concerned only about objects with a certain status, you can filter
the view by selecting one or more statuses and then applying the filter.
Additionally, you can filter objects based on various properties, as well as one or

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Chapter 16: The AppStack Environment

more keywords. The illustration below details each tool and feature of the filtering
sidebar:

Understanding Filter Properties

The AppStack Environment allows you to filter what is displayed in this view,
allowing you to see only the objects you want to see.
To filter the AppStack Environment view, take the following steps:

797

Understanding Filter Properties

1. From the web console, navigate to Home >Environment.

2. Click [+] Add Filter Properties, as shown:

3. From the pop-up menu, select an object from the Orion Object drop down
list:

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Chapter 16: The AppStack Environment

Note: Multiple items can be added.

4. When done, click Add column.
5. The new filter appears in the filter column, as shown:

Note: If no relations are shown in the AppStack resource on the Group Details
view, then it is likely that this group contains no objects represented within the
AppStack, such as switches, routers, and so on. If you have created a group that

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Understanding Layouts
contains only objects which have no representation within the AppStack
environment (e.g.: Nodes that are switches, routers, wireless access points,
interfaces, and so on) then they will not have relationships and the only item
displayed within the AppStack resource on the Group Details view is the group
itself. This is normal behavior. Servers and virtual servers are the only node types
that are represented within the AppStack environment. Groups made up of other
object types which are not supported by the AppStack environment will not
appear within the AppStack resource.
For more information, see Understanding Filtering Options.

Understanding Layouts
A Layout is a user-defined filter (view-limitation), along with settings, that can be
saved and recalled later within the Appstack Environment view. User-defined
layouts can be used to tailor the AppStack Environment view to specific objects of
interest. A default layout is provided and contains all objects visible in the
AppStack Environment that is currently being monitored. The default layout
cannot be modified.
New layouts are created by first filtering your environment, and then saving the
changes via the Save As New Layout action in the Layout menu.
For example, to create a Layout where only IIS objects in the AppStack
Environment view are shown, add the IIS filter property, apply the filter, then save
it as a new layout, naming the layout appropriately.

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Chapter 16: The AppStack Environment

Once saved, the layout is added to the drop down menu, allowing you to easily
navigate to that layout with its defined filter and settings. The dot to the left of the
name of the layout in the menu represents the layout currently in use, as shown:

Modifying Filter Properties of a Saved Layout

To change the filtering properties of the current layout, take the following steps:
1. Make changes to the filter.
2. Click Apply Filter, and then click Save (or Save as New Layout...) in the
drop down menu.
Modifying Settings of a Saved Layout

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Understanding the AppStack Resource

To change the settings of the current layout, take the following steps:
1. Click Change Layout Settings from the drop down menu.
2. Click Save (or Save as New Layout...).
Deleting a Saved Layout
To delete a layout, take the following steps:
1. Select the layout from the drop down menu and then click Delete this Layout.
For more information, see Customizing the AppStack Environment View

Understanding the AppStack Resource

The full AppStack Environment view is designed to provide you with a powerful
layer of troubleshooting visibility by exposing all participating objects in your
environment, as well as their relationships to one another. By comparison, the
AppStack resource only displays objects related to the target of the current
Details page.
In essence, this resource displays the related objects you would see in the full
AppStack Environment view after an object had been selected and then
highlighted by clicking, Spotlight.

For more information, see Understanding AppStack.

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Chapter 16: The AppStack Environment

Navigating AppStack
Navigating to the AppStack Environment view:
1. From the web console, navigate to Home >Environment.

2. You will be taken to the AppStack Environment view, as shown:

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Using AppStack

Using AppStack
Using AppStack as a troubleshooting tool is fairly straightforward. Simply
navigate to the AppStack Environment view, and then click on an object to see
what is related to that object. To investigate further, navigate to the Details page
of the object or any related object.
For example, the illustration below displays all objects in the current environment.
The application, MSSQLSERVER, is in a Critical state, as indicated by its icon.
To see what this application is related to, click the MSSQLSERVER icon.

To see objects related to an object, take the following steps:

1. From the web console, navigate to the AppStack Environment view by clicking Home >Environment.
2. Click any object, in this example, MSSQLSERVER.
3. Once an object is selected, related objects will be highlighted by the fading
of unrelated objects, as shown:

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Chapter 16: The AppStack Environment

To hide the unrelated objects completely from view, take the following step:
1. Once an object is selected, click Spotlight in the upper right-hand corner of
the view.

To navigate to the details page of an object for further investigation, take the
following steps:
1. Click the icon of the selected object to the left of the doughnut chart, or
double-click the larger icon in the main view.

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Customizing the AppStack Environment View

2. From the Details page, you can now investigate the cause for the Critical
status.
For more information, refer to the following sections:
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Understanding the AppStack Resource

Understanding Filtering Options
Customizing the AppStack Environment View

Customizing the AppStack Environment View

Administrators can customize this view by clicking Change Layout Settings in
the Layout drop down menu of the AppStack page.

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Chapter 16: The AppStack Environment

The following options are available:

l
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Refresh Rate: Change the time between AppStack refreshes.

Limit on Up Objects Shown per Category: Objects in the AppStack Environment view are ordered from left to right, with the worst status being shown
on the left side of the view. Limiting the number of Up objects can provide
more room for objects needing attention. Additionally, limiting the number of
Up objects displayed can improve AppStack performance.
Object Names: Highlights distressed objects by displaying the names of
these objects.
Align Objects: By default, all objects are left-aligned. This can be changed
by selecting either Center or Right-Aligned.
Show Category Status Summary: The Category Status Summary are the
colored numbers to the right of each category, indicating the number of
objects in a particular state. This can visible at all times, or only when categories are collapsed.

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Adding AppStack to a NOC View

Empty Categories: Selecting this option hides categories with no objects,

giving the view a cleaner look.

Adding AppStack to a NOC View

Viewing the AppStack Environment in a NOC view can only be achieved by first
adding a new NOCview, and then creating and applying an AppStack filter for
this new view. Once complete, the AppStack resource will become part of the
NOC view with the filter already applied.
To add the AppStack Resource to a NOCview, take the following steps:
1. From the web console, click Customize Page in the upper right-hand
corner.
2. If not already done so, check Enable Left Navigation.
3. Click Add Tab.
4. Add a name for the tab in the field provided, then click Update. The new tab
appears in the column to the left.

5. Add the AppStack Environment resource to a column by clicking the

green [+], then selecting AppStack Environment from the pop-up dialog,
as shown:

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Chapter 16: The AppStack Environment

6. Click Add Selected Resources.

7. If not already done so, check Enable NOCview mode, then click Done.

8. Navigate to Home >Environment.

9. Filter your AppStack Environment according to you needs. When done,

click Apply Filter.

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Adding AppStack to a NOC View

10. Save the Layout as AppStack Environment, which was added in Step 5.

11. View the NOCby navigating to Home >Show in NOC Mode.

For more information, see NOCView.

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Chapter 17: Agents

An agent is software that provides a communication channel between the Orion
server and a Windows computer. Agents are used as an alternative to WMI or
SNMP to provide information about key devices and applications that you specify.
This can be beneficial in the following situations:
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l

l
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Allows for polling host and applications behind firewall NAT or proxies
Polling node and applications across multiple discrete networks that have
overlapping IP address space
Allows for secure encrypted polling over a single port
Support for low bandwidth, high latency connections
Polling nodes across domains where no domain trusts have been established
Full end to end encryption between the monitored host and the Orion poller
During a network outage, the agent continues monitoring the server and its
applications, regardless of whether or not it can communicate with the
poller. Once connectivity to the poller is restored, the agent then forwards
the results of its monitoring during the outage to the poller for processing. All
gaps in the data will be filled with the data collected by the agent.

The agent allows you to monitor servers hosted by cloud based services such as
Amazon EC2, Rackspace, Microsoft Azure, or virtually any other Infrastructure as
a Service (IaaS).
Once deployed, all communication between the Orion server and the agent occur
over a single fixed port. This communication is fully encrypted using 2048 bit TLS
encryption. The agent protocol supports NAT traversal and passing through proxy
servers that require authentication.
When using the agent with SAM, data from all application monitors for that server
will then be collected by the agent. You can override this behavior in certain
instances. For example, you may assign an application template that uses a User
Experience Monitor. Measuring response time locally from the server where the
application is installed may not desired. If this is the case, you can switch the
application to poll without using an agent. This can be configured at both the
application and template level.

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Chapter 17: Agents

For more information, Applications Defined.

Agent Communication can be deployed as either Active or Passive:
l

Agent initiated Communication (Active): The Agent initiates communication with the server on the default port of 17778. (This can be
changed if needed.) This port must be opened on the server firewall so the
Agent can connect. No change to the Agent firewall is required.
For more information, see:
l Agent-Initiated (Active) Communication.
l Agent Requirements
Orion Server initiated Communication (Passive): The Agent waits for
requests from the server on the default port of 17790. (This can be changed
if needed.) This port must be opened on the Agent computer's firewall so the
server can connect. No change to the server firewall is required. For more
information, see Orion Server-Initiated (Passive) Communication.
For more information, see:
l Orion Server-Initiated (Passive) Communication
l Agent Requirements

The following reports are installed for use with the Agent:
l
l

Agent Inventory
Agent Plugin Version

For more information, see Predefined Server & Application Monitor Web Console
Based Reports
For information about using agents, please refer to the following sections:
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Agent Requirements
Deploying an Agent
Agent Settings

812

Agent Requirements
l
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Managing Agents
Troubleshooting Agents and Deployment

Agent Requirements
Supported Operating Systems:
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Windows Server 2008 (32bit & 64bit)

Windows Server 2008 R2
Windows Server 2012
Windows Server 2012 R2
Windows 7 (32bit & 64bit)
Windows 8 (32bit & 64bit)
Windows 8.1 (32bit & 64bit)

Note: Workstation operating systems are only supported with the Pro, Enterprise,
and Ultimate editions.
Agent Prerequisites:
The following prerequisites are self-satisfied by the agent installer. No user
action is required to satisfy any agent prerequisites.
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Microsoft Visual C++ 2013 Redistributable Package 32/64 bit

.NET Framework 4.0 (Note: If running Windows Core, you must install this
manually. For more information, see Windows Core Agent Installation.)

Notes:
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Agents run as a Windows service

Agent communication to the Orion Server uses FIPS compatible encryption
Agents do not work with AppInsight for SQL when the SQL server being
monitored is in a cluster.
Agents have parity with WMI in collecting information.

Important: Polling via the JMX Component Monitor is not supported using an
agent.
Agent Resource Consumption:
The following list details agent resource consumption:
l

CPU: Less than 1% on average under normal operating conditions (0.24%

on average).
Memory: Between 10 and 100 MB depending upon the number and types
of jobs.

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Chapter 17: Agents

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Bandwidth: Roughly 20% (on average) of the bandwidth consumed by the

WMI protocol for transmission of the same information. (E.g.: Agent: 1.3
KBPS versus WMI at 5.3 KBPS.)
Storage: 100 MB when installed.
A single polling engine can support up to 1,000 agents.

Agent Licensing
Agent software is free. You remain bound by the limits of the license you own
regardless of how information is polled, either via an agent or another protocol.
For more information, see:
l
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Deploying an Agent
Agent Settings.
Licensing

Default Least Privilege Operation:

Administrative impersonation is available for application templates

The following requirements must be met in order for agent deployment to be

successful:
Accounts and Security Requirements:
l

The Verisign Root Certificate Authority (CA) must be current. This is

required because the agent software is signed using a Verisign certificate.
To install a certificate, refer to the following section: Certificates and the
Agent
Once the agent is installed, it runs as the Local System account and does
not require administrative permissions to function

Agent Open Port Requirements:

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Agent-Initiated (Active) Communication

17790 (Passive mode): In Passive mode, port 17790 must be opened on

the host where the agent is installed and allowed by the firewall.

Requirements for Remote Deployment from the Orion Server:

Note: Other remote or mass deployment methods do not have the same requirements.
l

The account used for remote deployment must have access to the administrative share on the target computer: \\<hostname_or_ip>\admin$\temp
User Account Control (UAC) must either be disabled, or the built in Administrator account must be used.
An installed agent occupies less than 100 MB of hard drive space
Open Ports Requirements for Remote Deployment from the Orion
Server:
l

135: Microsoft EPMAP (DCE/RPC Locator service). This port is

required to be open on the client computer (Inbound) for remote
deployment.
445: Microsoft-DS SMB file sharing. This port is required to be
open on the client computer (Inbound) for remote deployment.

For more information, see

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Mass Deploying an Agent:

Packaging the Orion Agent for Deployment with Patch Manager
Deploying an Agent
Gold Master Image

Agent-Initiated (Active) Communication

All communication between your Orion server or additional poller and the agent is
initiated by the agent, and your Orion server does not initiate communication with
your agent. You do not need to have a direct route from the server with the agent
installed to your Orion server or additional poller. To use this communication
method, port 17778 must be open on the Orion server or additional poller to
receive information from the agent.

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Chapter 17: Agents

This communication method is most useful when the agent is installed on a

network separated from your Orion server by one or more NAT devices, and you
have no easy way to connect the two.

Orion Server-Initiated (Passive) Communication

With passive communication, the agent waits for requests from the server on the
default port of 17790. (This can be changed if needed.) This port must be opened
on the agent computer's firewall so the server can connect. No change to the
server firewall is required.

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Agent Discovery

Agent Discovery
Agent discovery allows you to keep nodes that utilize the agent up to date.
Checking this box allows the Orion server to find new volumes, interfaces, and
other objects on nodes that use the agent.

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Chapter 17: Agents

While normal discovery finds new nodes and adds them to the Orion server, this
is not true for nodes using the agent. Agent discovery is simply an extension to
the standard discovery process.
A discovery profile may contain:
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Nodes using both the agent and non-agent nodes

Non-agent nodes
Agent nodes

For more information, see:

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Add Agent via the Add Node Wizard

Network Sonar Discovery

Add Agent via the Add Node Wizard

The agent does not need to be installed prior to adding a node. If the agent is not
yet installed, it will be pushed out and installed by Orion during this process. This
is useful for deploying agents individually.
To add an agent via Add node Wizard, take the following steps:
1. From the web console, navigate to Settings >Manage Nodes.
2. Click [+] Add Node.
3. Enter the Polling Hostname or IP Address in the field provided.

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Add Agent via the Add Node Wizard

4. Select Windows Servers: Agent.

5. Choose credentials for installing the agent from the Credential Library or
enter new credentials (User name and Password). After installation, local
system credentials will be used.
6. Optionally Test the credentials, then click Next.
a. If the agent is already installed, clicking Next in this step will take you
to the Choose Resources page (Step 7).
b. If the agent is not installed, you will be prompted to install the agent
after you click Next.
i. During agent installation, you will have the option to navigate to
the Manage Agents page.

If you choose to navigate to the Manage Agents page, a notification banner will inform you when the agent installation has

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Chapter 17: Agents

completed. When installation is complete, either click the Notification Banner or select the newly installed agent in the list by
checking its box and then clicking Choose Resources.
ii. If you choose to wait for the installation to finish, you will be
prompted to choose the resources you want to have monitored
once installation is complete.
7. From the Choose Resource page, select the resources you want to monitor
by checking their respective boxes. When done, click Next.
Note: See the Status & Response Time below for more information.

8. Review the Properties screen and make changes as needed. When done,
click OK, Add Node. Once added, you will be notified via the notification
banner when agent deployment is complete.
Status & Response Time
There are two Status & Response options available with the agent when
choosing resources. These options allow you to choose how you would like data
collected for the following: Response Time, Packet Loss, and Availability.
l

ICMP(Ping): Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) may not be a viable

option, especially when Network Address Translation (NAT) is used.
Status & Response Time Agent (Default): Agent response time will
always be higher than ICMP due to the additional overhead of the application layer and encryption used.

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Windows Core Agent Installation

For more information, see:

l
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Adding Nodes for Monitoring.

Managing Agents.

Windows Core Agent Installation

If installing the agent on a Windows Core Server, .Net 4.0 is required to be
manually installed. To do so, take the following steps:
Important: Make sure that your computer has the latest Windows service pack
and critical updates installed.
To Install the Agent on a Windows Core Server:
1. Open a command prompt in the Administrator context. (Right-click cmd.exe
and click, Run as Administrator.)
2. Turn on WoW64 by entering the following command: Start /w ocsetup
ServerCore-WOW64

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Chapter 17: Agents

3. Turn on the.NET 2.0 layer by entering the following command: Start /w
ocsetup NetFx2-ServerCore

4. Turn on .NET 2.0 layer for WoW64 by entering the following command:
Start /w ocsetup NetFx2-ServerCore-WOW64

5. Download the .NET Framework from the following location: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/confirmation.aspx?id=22833

Note: By default, no web browser is installed with Windows Core. Consider
using FTP or a flash drive to import the necessary files.
6. Once the .NET Framework is installed, you may need to reboot the host
server. The agent can then be deployed to the host server and operate normally.

Deploying an Agent
Orion supports three methods of deploying an agent to a client computer running
Windows:
1. Have the Orion Server push the agent software to one or more client computers
2. Mass deploy the agent software to multiple computers using a mass-deployment technology such as Group Policy
3. Manual installation of the agent on a client computer
For more information, refer to the following sections:
l
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l
l
l
l

Deploying Agent Software via Orion Server Push

Mass Deploying an Agent:
Deploying the Agent Manually
Packaging the Orion Agent for Deployment with Patch Manager
Gold Master Image
Changing Agent Modes

Deploying Agent Software via Orion Server Push

Selecting this method of deployment allows you to perform a network-wide
deployment from within Orion and does not require the downloading of additional
files. In order for this deployment method to succeed, the Orion server must be
able to communicate with the client computers.
Deploying Agent Software via Orion Server Push:

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Deploying Agent Software via Orion Server Push

1. From the web console, navigate to Settings >Manage Agents.

2. On the Manage Agents page, click Add Agent.

3. Select Deploy the Agent on my Network, and then click Next. Steps for
both options follow.

Deploying the Agent on my Network:

Opting to deploy the agent on the network allows you to install the agent on
multiple client computers. To do this, complete the following steps:
a. On the Deploy Agent on Network page, either enter the IP address or
host name of the Windows computer where you want the agent to be
installed, or select existing managed nodes from the list by checking
their respective check boxes, and then click Next.
Note: This field does not accept ranges. It is used to add computers
that are currently not nodes in the system.
b. On the Agent Settings page:
i. Check the box of the computer you selected in the previous step,
then click Assign Credentials
ii. Choose a credential from the drop-down list, or enter new credentials, then click Submit
Note: You can assign credentials to multiple locations/nodes at
one time by selecting multiple check boxes.
iii. Select Autodetect, Active, or Passive for the Agent Mode.
Agent Mode Options:
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Chapter 17: Agents

Autodetect: Autodetect first attempts to use the agent in Active
mode. If Active mode is unsuccessful, Passive mode is used.
Active Agent: This is defined as Agent initiated communication.
Passive Agent: This is defined as Orion server initiated communication with the agent.

c. Click Deploy Agent. At this point, Orion is going to install the agent
software
Connect to a Previously Installed Agent:
This action allows you to connect to agents that have been configured with
Orion Server Initiated communication or if Allow Automatic Agent
Registration has not been enabled. When you connect to an agent, you
first need to select the communication mode that was chosen when the
agent was installed. If the communication mode is server-initiated (passive),
a passphrase (shared secret) was required during installation. This
passphrase needs to be re-entered here.To connect to a previously
installed agent, complete the following steps:
a. On the Add Agent page, enter a name for the Agent.
b. Select the agent communication mode.
c. For Server Initiated Communication (Passive), take the following
steps:
i. Enter the IPaddress or hostname where the agent is located.
ii. Enter the passphrase (shared secret).
iii. You can optionally expand Advanced and adjust the following
as needed:
A. Change the agent port number. (This is the port the agent
uses for listening.)
B. Use a proxy by checking its box and selecting a Proxy and
entering its Proxy URL in the fields provided.

824

Deploying Agent Software via Orion Server Push

C. Use proxy authentication by checking its box, then entering
a Username and Password.

d. For Agent Initiated Communication, select the agent you want to

add from the Agent drop-down list.

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Chapter 17: Agents

e. Check Allow automatic agent updates to have the agent automatically upgraded when upgrading to new versions of Orion modules
that support the agent. Note: Disabling this option will require you to
manually upgrade agents after upgrading your Orion products and
modules.
f. Click Submit to complete the process. When the connection is successful, the agent will appear in the agent list on the Manage Agents
page.
For more information, see Troubleshooting Server Push Deployment.

Deploying the Agent Manually

This method of deployment requires the downloading of the necessary agent
files. Selecting this method of deployment may be helpful in troubleshooting
connectivity issues with another form of agent deployment. This method is also
helpful when the Orion server cannot communicate directly with the endpoint
where the agent will be installed, such as in the case of Active Agent mode.
Deploying the Agent Manually:
1. From the web console, navigate to: Settings >Agent Settings > Download Agent Software.
2. In the Manual Installer column, download both the .MSI installer file and the
.MST transform file by clicking their respective buttons, as shown:

Note: If you prefer to install the agent silently, take the following optional
two steps:
Installing the agent silently using the .MST:

826

Deploying the Agent Manually

a. Open a command prompt in the administrator
context. (Right-click cmd.exe and select, Run as
Administrator.)
b. Enter the following command and then press Enter:
msiexec /i Solarwinds-Agent.msi /q TRANSFORMSS=SolarWinds-Agent.mst

3. Once download is complete, copy the .MSIfile to the client machine and
then install it by double clicking it and beginning the wizard.
4. During installation, select either Agent Initiated Communication (Recommended) or Orion Server Initiated Communication. When done, click
Next.

5. Enter the Orion server IP address or Hostname and the Orion administrator account credentials (Username and Password) during installation.

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Chapter 17: Agents

6. When done, click Next.

7. When installation is successful, the agent will appear in the agent list on the
Manage Agents page in the web console.

For more information, see Troubleshooting Manual Deployment.

Mass Deploying an Agent:

If you are already using a mass-deployment technology, this deployment method
is an easy way to get agents on a large group of computers.
Mass Deploying an Agent:

828

Mass Deploying an Agent:

1. From the web console, navigate to: Settings >Agent Settings > Download Agent Software.
2. In the Mass Deployment Files column, specify the Connection Details from
the drop-down list, as shown:
Note: Poller selection is important. When you click Download .MST, the
MST file created includes the poller IP address and other vital information.
When you deploy the agent using the MSI file, along with the MST file on
the managed node, the agent will be installed and pointed to the correct
poller.

.
a. The Use Connection Details from Polling Engine determines with
which polling engine the agents will register. If this option is selected,
select the connection details for the polling engine.
b. The IP address may be different than the IP address known to Orion in
instances where the host being monitored is behind a NAT or proxy
device. In these cases, enter the IP address of the Orion server or the
additional poller as it is accessible from the host where the agent will
be installed. To do this, select Enter Connection Details Manually.
c. Enter the host name and IP address of the polling engine as seen by
the client computers. The polling engine information defined here will

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Chapter 17: Agents

be added to the automatically generated .MST file which is downloaded in the next step.
3. Download both the .MSI installer file and the .MST transform file.
Adding the .MSTfile to a Group Policy:
1. Copy the software installation files (.msi, .mst) to a network share
that is accessible to the hosts where you wish to deploy the
agent software.
2. Configure the permissions on the share to ensure that all
required users and computers have Read access to the installation files.
3. Locate the container in Active Directory (a site, a domain, or an
organizational unit (OU) where you want to advertise the application and access the container properties.
4. Click the Group Policy tab.
5. Click New to create a new Group Policy (GPO). In the example
below, a GPO named MSI was created:

830

Mass Deploying an Agent:

6. Expand the Computer Configuration\Software Settings

container in the GPO to reveal Software Installation, then rightclick Software Installation

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Chapter 17: Agents

7. Select New, and then select Package.
8. Select your MSI package, then select Advanced for the deployment method (see below):

9. From the Deployment tab, check the Deployment type/Deployment options as shown. (Note: Your deployment type/options
may be different depending on your network).
10. From the Modifications tab, select your MST file from the network
share, as shown:

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Packaging the Orion Agent for Deployment with Patch Manager

11. Click OK to complete the setup. The agent is deployed and is

registered by Orion (if auto-registration is enabled as defined in
the Agent Settings page).
12. When the installation is successful, the agent will appear in the
agent list on the Manage Agents page.
For more information, see Troubleshooting Mass Deployment.

Packaging the Orion Agent for Deployment with Patch Manager

The following guide assumes that you already have a working SolarWinds Patch
Manager infrastructure.
Obtaining the Installer Files:
1. From the web console, log in using administrator credentials, then navigate
to Settings >Agent Settings > Download Agent.
2. In the Mass Deployment Files column, select the appropriate Polling
Engine and Connection Details from the drop-down list.

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Chapter 17: Agents

3. Download both the MSI and MST files and then save them to a known location on your Patch Manager Server.
Note: Take note of the latest version listed under the .MSI File. This is
needed for package creation in Patch Manager.
Optional: Rename the SolarWinds Agent files to SolarWinds Agent <version> for easier tracking.

Building the Package:

1. Launch SolarWinds Patch Manager.
2. In the navigation pane, navigate to Administration & Reporting\Software
Publishing and then click SolarWinds, Inc. Packages.

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Packaging the Orion Agent for Deployment with Patch Manager

3. From the SolarWinds, Inc. Packages Action Pane, click New Package. This
will launch the Patch Manager Package Wizard.

4. In the package information screen, enter the following general information

for the package:
Field

Value

Comments

Package Title: SolarWinds Orion

835

Replace (Version Number) with

Chapter 17: Agents

Agent (Version
Number) MSI
Description:

SolarWinds Orion
Agent

Classification: Tools
Vendor:

SolarWinds, Inc.

Product:

Orion Agent. (This

must be entered
manually the first
time.)

Severity:

None

Impact:

Normal

Reboot Behavior:

Can request reboot

836

the actual version number of the

agent software. See illustration.

Packaging the Orion Agent for Deployment with Patch Manager

Note: All other fields can be left empty.

5. Click Next.
Add Deployment Rules:
1. On the Prerequisite Rules screen, click Add Rule then select Windows Version as the Rule Type and populate the remaining fields with the following
information:

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Chapter 17: Agents

2. Click OK to save this rule, then click Next.

3. On the Select Package screen, select the Package Type as a Microsoft
Installer File (.msi) and then select I already have the content for the package locally on my network.
4. Click the browse icon and locate the MSI File for the Orion Agent. The
Download URL field will automatically populate.
5. The GUID product code is extracted from the MSI and displayed for review.
Copy the GUID product code that will be used later.
Note: The GUID is detected from the installer. Use the one displayed in
your environment.

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Packaging the Orion Agent for Deployment with Patch Manager

6. Check Includes additional files with the package and then click the button to the right to open the Package Content Editor.
7. Within the Package Content Editor, click Add Files and browse to the
MST File for the Orion Agent.
8. Click OK to close the Package Content Editor. To confirm that you want to
add these files to the cache, Click Yes.
9. Select None for the Binary Language.
10. In the Command Line field, enter: TRANSFORMS=(MST FILE NAME) (Example:
TRANSFORMS=SolarWinds_Agent_1.0.0.866.mst)

11. Click Next.

12. On the Applicability Rules screen, click Add Rule, then select Create MSI
Rule.
13. Select Rule Type: Product Installed and then check Not Rule.

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Chapter 17: Agents

14. Enter the product code (without the braces) and leave all other fields empty.
15. On the Installed Rules screen, click OKto save the rule, and then click
Next.
16. Click Add Rule, then select Basic Rule.
17. For the Rule Type, select File Version with Registry Value.
a. For the Registry Key, enter: HKEY_LOCAL_
MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\SolarWinds\Agent
For the Registry Value, enter: InstallDir

b.
c. For the Comparison, select Equal To.
d. For the Version, enter the version number for the agent. (For example:
1.0.0.866).

18. Click OK to save the rule, then click Next. Review the Summary Page and
enter any notes at the bottom.

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Packaging the Orion Agent for Deployment with Patch Manager

19. Click Next to save, then click OK.

Note: You will be presented with a progress bar as the file is being packaged and uploaded. Upon completion, you will get a Package Saved dialog box.
Publishing the Package:
1. Within the SolarWinds, Inc. Packages view in Patch Manager, highlight the
SolarWinds Orion Agent package that was created.

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Chapter 17: Agents

2. In the SolarWinds Orion Agent Action Pane, click Publish Packages.

3. Accept the default selections, or choose a specific WSUS server for publication.

4. Click Next.
5. You will be notified that the package has been published.

842

Gold Master Image

6. Click Finish to close the Publishing Wizard.
The Package for the SolarWinds Orion Agent has now been packaged and
published to your WSUS server.
For more information on Approving and Deploying software, please see the
SolarWinds Patch Manager Administration Guide.

Gold Master Image

A Gold Master Image is used when you want to maintain a master image that is
copied when a new server is provisioned. This is useful for virtual machines,
physical servers, and cloud instances. Whenever a new server is brought online
using this image, the agent will already be installed. The Gold Master Image is for
on-premise environments only.
Important: The Orion poller must not be connected to the network during master
image setup. If connected during this process, the agent service will not be able to
start on cloned computers due to certificate errors.
To install the agent offline, take the following steps:
1. From the web console, navigate to Settings >Agent Settings > Download
Agent Software.
2. Select Gold Master Image and then click Download Zip.

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Chapter 17: Agents

3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Extract the contents of the .zip file.

Double click Setup.bat.
The installation wizard begins.
Click Next.
Select an installation folder by clicking Change, or accept the default
path, and then click Next.
8. When installation is complete, click Finish.
Note: If you are deploying a Server initiated agent, take the following steps to
enable agent communication with Orion.
1.
2.
3.
4.

From the web console, navigate to Settings > Manage Agents.

Click Add Agent > Connect to a previously installed agent.
Enter a name for the Agent
Select Server Initiated Communication.

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Agent Deployment in the Cloud

5. Enter the IP address of the node where the agent is deployed as well as the
port number for the agent (Default value is 17790.)
6. Click Submit.

Agent Deployment in the Cloud

The Orion agent can be deployed in the cloud for use with Amazon Web
Services, Microsoft Azure, and other third party cloud storage services. Following
are instructions for deployment of the agent in common cloud storage services:
l
l

Manual Agent Deployment to Virtual Machines on Amazon Web Services:

Automated Agent Deployment to Virtual Machines on Amazon Web Services:
Automated Agent Deployment to Virtual Machines on Microsoft Azure:

Manual Agent Deployment to Virtual Machines on Amazon Web Services:

You can manually deploy agents to a virtual machine via RDP and install both the
.MSI installer file and the .MST transform file.
Requirements for manual agent deployment:
l

Active agent: The Orion poller must have a public IP address which is visible from the node that will have the agent installed. Port 17778 must be
open on the Orion poller.
Passive agent: The node where the agent will be installed must have a
public IP address. Port 17790 must be open.

You can manually deploy the agent in one of two ways:

1. Silently via the Command Line Interface
2. Manually using the Interactive Wizard
To manually install the .MSI and .MST files via the Command Line Interface:
1. From the Orion web console, navigate to: Settings > Agent Settings >
Download Agent Software.
2. In the Mass Deployment Files column, download both the .MSI installer file
and the .MST transform file by clicking their respective buttons, as shown:

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Chapter 17: Agents

3. Open a command prompt in the administrator context. (Right-click cmd.exe

and select, Run as Administrator.)
4. Enter the following command and then press Enter:
msiexec /i "SolarWinds-Agent.msi" TRANSFORMS="SolarWinds-Agent.mst"

Deploying the Agent Manually using the Interactive Wizard:

1. From the Orion web console, navigate to: Settings > Agent Settings >
Download Agent Software.
2. In the Manual Installer column, click Download .MSI to download the .MSI
file on the source computer, as shown:

3. Once download is complete, copy the .MSI file to the client machine and

846

Agent Deployment in the Cloud

then install it by double clicking it and beginning the wizard.
4. During installation, select either Agent Initiated Communication
(Recommended) or Orion Server Initiated Communication. When done,
click Next.

5. Enter the Orion server IP address or Hostname and the Orion administrator account credentials (Username and Password) during installation.

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Chapter 17: Agents

6. When done, click Next and complete the wizard as needed.

Automated Agent Deployment to Virtual Machines on Amazon Web Services:
1. From the web console, navigate to: Settings > Agent Settings > Download Agent Software.
2. In the Mass Deployment Files column, download both the .MSI installer file
and the .MST transform file by clicking their respective buttons, as shown:

848

Agent Deployment in the Cloud

3. Once download is complete, login to your AWS S3 account

4. From the Amazon Web Services console, click S3 under the Storage & Content category.
5. Click, Create Bucket to create a storage space for both the .MSI installer
file and the .MST transform file.
6. Click on the newly created bucket in the list.
7. Click Actions > Upload > Add Files to upload both the .MSI installer file
and the .MST transform file. When selected, click Start Upload.
8. On your virtual machines, create a custom PowerShell script to be used on
each virtual machine where you want the agent installed. This script will run
on the virtual machines when it is launched for the first time, downloading
and executing the agent.
Note: For information on creating a PowerShell script, refer to the following
article: http://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSEC2/latest/WindowsGuide/UsingConfig_
WinAMI.html#user-data-execution.
9. Login to your Amazon Web Services account:
Note: Steps 10-11 can also be accomplished via the API or AWS Command Line Interface.
10. To create an instance, take the following steps:
a. From the Amazon Web Services console, click EC2 under the Compute header.
b. Expand Instances from the Navigation Bar and then click Instances.

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Chapter 17: Agents

c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.

Click, Launch Instance.

Select a Windows computer from the list by clicking, Select.
Check the box of the desired Windows computer.
Click Next: Configure Instance Details.
Expand Advanced Details.
Paste you PowerShell script in the User Data text box with the As
Text option selected, as shown:

i. Complete the wizard as needed, or click Review and Launch.

11. For instances that are already created, take the following steps:
a. Stop the instance where you want to deploy the agent
b. Right-click the instance and navigate to Instance Settings >
View/Change User Data.

c. Paste you PowerShell script in the text box as Plain Text.

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Agent Deployment in the Cloud

Automated Agent Deployment to Virtual Machines on Microsoft Azure:
1. From the web console, navigate to: Settings > Agent Settings > Download Agent Software.
2. In the Mass Deployment Files column, download both the .MSI installer file
and the .MST transform file by clicking their respective buttons, as shown:

3. Upload both the .MSI installer file and the .MST transform file to your Azure
Blob Storage. (You can use AzCopy to upload files to Azure Storage:
http://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/documentation/articles/storage-useazcopy/)
4. Create a custom PowerShell script to be used on each virtual machine
where you want to install the agent. This script should be set to execute the
downloading of the agent software to the virtual machine when the virtual
machine is launched for the first time. For information on creating a
PowerShell script, refer to section titled, Use Case 1: Uploading files to a
container in the default account in the following article:
http://azure.microsoft.com/blog/2014/04/24/automating-vm-customizationtasks-using-custom-script-extension/
5. Add your custom PowerShell script to virtual machines manually on last
step of their creation in the Azure management portal, as shown:

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Chapter 17: Agents

Note: This step can also be accomplished via the API or AWS Command
Line Interface.

Agent Settings
The Agent Settings page provides access to all of the settings and tools needed
to install and manage agents. Additional agent settings can be found in the
Control Panel. For more information, see Editing Agent Settings in the Control
Panel.
Navigating to the Agent Settings page:
1. From the web console, navigate to Settings > Agent Settings.

852

Agent Settings

Manage Agents: Opens the Manage Agents page from which you can add
a new agent, edit, update, or reboot an existing agent. For more information,
see Managing Agents
Download Agent Software: Opens the Agent Downloads page from which
you can mass deploy or manually install an agent. For more information,
see Deploying Agent Software via Orion Server Push.
Define Global Agent Settings: Opens the Global Agent Settings page from
which you can allow automatic agent registration and/or allow automatic
agent updates.

Adjusting Global Agent Settings:

1. From the web console, navigate to Settings > Agent Settings
2. Click Define Global Agent Settings to be taken to the options illustrated
3. Select your choices. When done, click Submit

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Chapter 17: Agents

a. Allow Automatic Agent Registration: Selecting this option will automatically register the agent, verifying communication with the Orion
Server. If this option is disabled, you can register any waiting agents
by navigating to Settings > Manage Agents > Add Agent > Connect
to a previously installed agent.
b. Automatically Create Node: Agents will automatically be registered
as Orion nodes.
c. Allow Automatic Agent Updates: Selecting this option will allow the
agent software to be automatically upgraded when updates become
available. This process pushes a new version of the agent to client
machines over the agent communication channel (no extra ports or
permissions are needed). Once the agent receives the new version, it
updates itself to the newer version. This process does not require
rebooting.
Note: If automatic updates are disabled and a new version of the software is installed on the server, it is possible that outdated agents will
not be able to communicate with the server. Ensure that all agent versions match the version of the server.
d. XX Hours: Allows you to control the length of time the agent will be
displayed as being new in the Manage Agents table.
For more information, see
l
l
l

Editing Agent Configuration

Changing the Agent Port
Editing Agent Settings in the Control Panel

854

Managing Agents

Managing Agents
Most tasks related to managing agents can be done from the Manage Agents
page. From this page, you can check agent connection and deployment status.
Important: ICMP is a low level messaging protocol. Because of its simplicity, it is
not possible to accurately record the same response time values using a different
protocol. For example: An agent node reports a response time in the range 490850 ms, but typical ICMP response time is about 150 ms.
Navigating to the Manage Agents page:
1. From the web console, navigate to Settings > Manage Agents.

Note: Agents that are on devices which are managed nodes and being
polled via the agent will display the node icon. Agents that are on devices
which are not managed in Orion, or which are managed but using a different
polling method (e.g. WMI, SNMP), will display the agent icon.
The available columns for the Manage Agents page are listed in the following
table:
Agent/Node Displays the name or IP address of the listed node.
Agent
Status

Displays the current status of the listed agent.

Agent Status can be as follows:
l
l

l
l

Connected/OK: Everything is working

Unknown: Agent is connected but no communication is
received
Update Available: Agent version is older than the version
on server and should be updated.
Update in Progress: Agent is currently being updated.
Reboot Required: Agent needs to be rebooted in order to

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Chapter 17: Agents

Connection
Status

finish the installation of plugins.

Reboot in Progress: Agent is currently being rebooted.
Once reboot is complete, the agent should finish installation of plugins.
Reboot Failed: Agent cannot be rebooted. It may be temporarily offline or there may be some other issue.
Plugin Update Pending: A plugin on the agent has an
older version than the one that is on the server and should
be updated.

Displays the current connection status of the listed agent.

Connection status can be as follows:
l
l
l

Connected/OK: Connected
Unknown: The agent management service is not running
Service not Responding: The agent management service is running, but the agent is not connected
Deployment Pending: An agent deployment is going to
start, but has not started
Deployment In Progress: The agent is being deployed to
the target node
Deployment Failed: Agent deployment failed for various
reasons
Invalid Response: The status displayed if the agent
responds in an unexpected manner
Waiting for Connection: The agent was approved, but
has yet to connect to the Orion Server

Registered
On

Displays the time and date the agent was first registered with
the Orion server.

Mode

Displays the communication method used for the listed agent,

which can be either Agent initiated, or Orion Server initiated.

Version

Displays the version of the agent software. This is helpful in

determining which agents should be updated.

The following tools for the Manage Agents page are listed below:
Manage Agent Toolbar:

856

Managing Agents
l

Add Agent: Takes you to the Add Agent page, allowing you to choose to
deploy the agent on a network, or connect to a previously installed agent
Edit Settings: Takes you to the Edit Agent Settings page, allowing you to
adjust the agent name and automatic updating
Delete: Allows you to delete the selected agent. Deleting an agent from
within this toolbar or the Manage Nodes page provides you the option to
remotely uninstall the agent. For more information, see Managing Nodes
from the Web ConsoleUnmanaging Nodes
Choose Resources: This is only available for agents that are also nodes.
l For a Single Agent: This will take you to the List Resources page,
allowing you to choose items on the node you wish to monitor.
l For Multiple Agents: From here, Orion will discover available
resources on the agents you have selected using Network Sonar Discovery. From here, you can choose items on the nodes you wish to
monitor.
Manage as Node: This will manage the agent as a new node by navigating
to the Add Node page with pre-configured agent details.
More Actions: Provides a drop down list with the following available
actions:
l View installed agent plug-ins: Displays a dialog detailing the following: Node, Agent Status, Connection Status, Plug-in, Status, and
Plug-in version.
l View installed plug-ins report: Generates a report detailing the following: Node Status, Agent DNS Name, Automatic Update enabled,
Connection Status, Agent Status, Agent Version, Plugin, Plugin
status, and Plugin Version.
l Retry agent installation: Will attempt to install the agent in the event
of a file transfer timeout due to network connectivity issues.
l Reboot agent machine: This will reboot the server that hosts the
selected agent.
Note: This option only becomes available should the agent be in a
pending reboot state.
l Update: This will update the agent software to the latest version available.
Note: This button is disabled by default. It becomes enabled when:
l Automatic updates for the agent is disabled
l The selected agent requires an update.
l Reconnect to passive agent: For Passive agents, the server will try
to re-establish the connection to the passive agent in the event the con-

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Chapter 17: Agents

nection was lost and automatic reconnection failed. This can also be
used for connecting to an agent that was deleted but not uninstalled.
For more information, see Agent Requirements.

Editing Agent Settings in the Control Panel

If the agent loses connectivity to the Orion server, or is unable to connect after
being manually installed, you can still configure the agent's settings via the
Windows Control Panel that will allow the agent to re-connect to the Orion server.
Settings for the agent for the local computer can be found in the Windows Control
Panel, as shown. this is installed on the server where the Agent is installed.
Editing Agent Settings via the Control Panel:
1. Navigate to Start >Control Panel > Orion Agent Settings.

2. Double-click the Orion Agent Settings icon. the following screen appears:
3. Select and Agent Communication Mode:
a. Agent initiated Communication: Also known as an Active Agent.

858

Editing Agent Settings in the Control Panel

b. Orion Server Initiated Communication: Also known as a Passive

Agent.

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Chapter 17: Agents

4. Complete the Connection Settings field as necessary to your environment.

Note: A field for an Agent Passphrase (shared secret) is provided for security. When the agent is installed, you must set a passphrase. When the Orion
server connects to that agent, it verifies the passphrase to successfully connect.
a. Both Agent initiated Communication and Orion Server Initiated
Communication offer the use of an optional proxy. To access the
proxy settings, click Proxy Settings. Fill out the fields as needed and
then click OK.
Note: To have the Orion server go through a proxy to reach the agent

860

Agent Alerting
(passive agent) refer to the following SolarWinds article: SWKB5346.

5. When done, Click OK.

Agent Alerting
There are no predefined alerts for agents; however, when creating a new alert,
options to alert on agents do exist., as shown

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Chapter 17: Agents

For more information, see Alerting.

Certificates and the Agent

The Verisign Root Certificate Authority (CA) must be current. This is required
because the agent software is signed using a Verisign certificate. If your
certificate is not current, you will need to manually download the Root CA
certificate and install it into the Local Computer\Trusted Root Certification
Authority store on the server hosting the agent. The entire Verisign root certificate
package can be downloaded from the following link.
http://www.verisign.com/support/roots.zip.
Installing a new Certificate:
1. Open a new Microsoft Management Console (MMC) by navigating to Start,
then type MMC followed by Enter.
2. In the MMC, click File > Add/Remove Snap-in

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Certificates and the Agent

3. Add the Certificates Snap-in. Select Computer Account, and then click Next.

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Chapter 17: Agents

4. Select Computer Account, and then click Next.

5. Ensure Local Computer is selected. (The computer this console is running

on).
6. Click Finish.

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Certificates and the Agent

7. Click OK to add the snap-in into the MMC window.

8. Expand the certificate store tree.
9. Right click the Trusted Root Certification Authorities store.

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Chapter 17: Agents

10. Select All Tasks/Import to import the previously downloaded certificate(s).

11. Follow the prompts of the wizard to import the certificate(s).

12. Verify the Verisign Class 3 Public Primary Certification Authority G5
certificate is present in the Trusted Root Certification Authorities store (It
is recommended that you import all missing Root CA certificates).

866

Changing the Agent Port

To change the default port for agent communication, take the following
steps:
1. On the server with the agent, edit the following configuration file using a text
editor: c:\Program Files (x86)
\SolarWinds\Orion\AgentManagement\SolarWinds.AgentManagement.Servi
ceCore.dll.config

2. Change the port number in the following tag to the desired port number:
<agentManagementServiceConfiguration messagingPort="17778" />.

3. Save your changes. Once the port is changed, the agent can start using the
new port number.
4. Restart the SolarWinds Orion Module Engine service.
Notes:
l

If you installed the agent manually, you can change the port number during
installation through the wizard in the web console.
If you deployed the agent from the server, the port number is set automatically.
If you used the .MST file for deployment for mass-deployment, you will need
to download a new .MST file from the server after the port number was
changed.

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Chapter 17: Agents

For agents already installed, the port number can be changed two ways:
1. The port number can be changed by navigating to Start >Control Panel >
Orion Agent Settings.
a. From the Orion Agent Settings, enter a new port number in the field
provided.

b. When done, click OK.

Changing Agent Modes

To switch between Server initiated mode and Agent initiated mode, take the
following steps:
1. For nodes polled through the agent, from the web console, navigate to the
Node Details page:
a. Home >Node.
b. From the Management resource, click Edit Node.

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c. Select the WMI option, enter your WMIcredentials, then click Submit.

2. Navigate to the Agent Management page and delete the Agent record:
a. From the web console, navigate to Settings >Manage Agents.
b. Check the box next to the Agent you want to uninstall, and then click
Delete on the toolbar. Confirm deletion when prompted.
3. Install the Agent in the desired mode.
a. From the web console, navigate to Settings >Manage Agents >Add
Agent > Deploy the agent on my network.
b. Select the desired node by checking its box, then click Next.
c. Assign credentials then select the agent mode, Active or Passive.
l Active: The Agent initiates communication with the server on
the default port of 17778. (This can be changed if needed.) This
port must be opened on the server firewall so the Agent can connect. No change to the Agent firewall is required.
l Passive: The Agent waits for requests from the server on the
default port of 17790. (This can be changed if needed.) This port
must be opened on the Agent computer's firewall so the server
can connect. No change to the server firewall is required.

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d. Click Deploy agent.

4. Once the Agent is installed, navigate to the Node Details page:
a. Home >Node.
b. From the Management resource, click Edit Node.
c. Change the polling method from WMI to Agent, then click Submit.

Keeping Track of Polling Methods

If different nodes are using different polling methods, you may want to keep track
of which node is using which polling method for troubleshooting purposes. There
are several methods you can use to identify the polling method of nodes:
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On the Node Details page (View individually)

On the Application Editor (View individually)
On the Manage Nodes page (View as a list)
Creating a report to identify Agent usage

Identifying the polling method from the Node Details page:

1. From the web console, navigate to the Home tab.
2. In the All Nodes resource, expand a node tree and click a node to be taken
to the Node Details page.

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Keeping Track of Polling Methods

3. On the Polling Details resource, find the Polling Method field, as shown:

Identifying the polling method from the Application Editor:

1. From the web console, navigate to the Application tab.
2. In the All Applications resource, expand an application tree and click an
application to be taken to the Application Details page.
3. In the Management resource, click Edit Application Monitor.
4. Expand the Advanced tree to reveal the polling method being used.

Identifying the polling method from the Manage Nodes page:

1. From the web console, navigate to Settings >Manage Nodes.
2. If not already visible, add the Polling Method field by clicking >> at the topright of the table, as shown:
Note: Once added, the fields can be sorted by clicking their respective
column heads.

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Creating a report to identify Agent usage:

1. From the web console, navigate to Home >Reports.

2. Search for Agent in the Search box.

3. Select the Agent Inventory report.

4. Click View Report, as shown above.

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Connecting to a previously installed agent

5. Your report should look similar to the following:

Connecting to a previously installed agent

To connect to a previously installed agent or to modify which poller the
agent is assigned, complete the following steps:
1.
2.
3.
4.

On the Add Agent page, enter the name of the agent you want to connect to.
Select the agent from the Agent drop-down list.
To view the poller, click Advanced.
Select Allow automatic agent updates to have the agent automatically
upgraded when upgrading to new versions of Orion modules that support
the agent.
Note: Disabling this option will require you to manually upgrade agents
after upgrading your Orion products and modules.
5. Click Submit to complete the process.
When the connection is successful, the agent will appear in the agent list on the
Manage Agents page.

Agent Performance Counters

The following performance counters are associated with the agent:
SolarWinds: Agent Service

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Messages Sent: This counter displays the number of messages sent to the
Agent Management Service.
Messages Received: This counter displays the number of messages
received from the Agent Management Service.
Exchange Received: This displays the number of times the Exchange
Receive method was called.
Exchange Sent: This displays the number of times the Exchange Send
method was called.

SolarWinds: Agent Management Service

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Messages Sent to Agent Count: Number of messages sent to the Agent.

Messages Received From Agent Count: Number of messages received
from the Agent.
Incoming Timed Out Messages Count: Number of incoming messages
that timed out before being processed by the recipient.
Outgoing Timed Out Messages Count: Number of outgoing messages
that timed out before they were sent to the target agent.
Incoming Failed Messages Count: Number of incoming messages that
failed to be processed.
Outgoing Failed Messages Count: Number of outgoing messages that
failed to be processed.
Total Agents Fully Connected: Number of Total Agents Fully Connected.
Active Agents Fully Connected: Number of Active Agents Fully Connected
Passive Agents Fully Connected: Number of Passive Agents Fully Connected.
Passive Agents Disconnected: Number of Passive Agents Disconnected.
Total Agents Connected To Messaging Hub: Number of Agents Connected To the Messaging Hub.
Total Agents Connected To Files Hub: Number of Agents Connected To
the Files Hub.
Messages Processed Per Second: Messages processed/sec.
Incoming Messages Processed Per Second: Incoming messages processed/sec.
Outgoing Messages Processed Per Second: Outgoing messages processed/sec.
Incoming Processing Queue Size: Number of messages waiting in the
incoming processing queue.
Outgoing Processing Queue Size: Number of messages waiting in the outgoing processing queue.

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Editing Agent Configuration

Incoming Persistence Queue Size: Number of messages waiting in the

incoming persistence queue.
Outgoing Persistence Queue Size: Number of messages waiting in the
outgoing persistence queue.
Incoming SignalR Messages: Number of messages received from SignalR.
Outgoing SignalR Messages: Number of messages passed to SignalR for
sending.
Incoming Exchange Queue Size: Number of messages in the incoming
queue with Exchange items.

As displayed in the Windows Performance Monitor:

Editing Agent Configuration

Editing an agent's configuration may be necessary if you experience problems
and need to collect diagnostics. To change these settings, take the following

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steps:
Editing Agent Configuration:
1. From the web console, navigate to Settings > Agent Settings >Manage
Agents
2. On the Manage Agents page, select an agent and then click Edit.
3. Check Allow automatic agent updates to allow automatic updates to the
agent.
4. Expand the Troubleshooting heading.
a. Optional: Select a log level. The default is Warn.
b. Click Download to download the most recent troubleshooting files, or
click Collect new diagnostics to generate current diagnostics.
5. When done, click Submit.
For more information, see Editing Agent Settings in the Control Panel.
Changing between 32-bit and 64-bit polling methods:
Using AppInsight applications with 32-bit polling on 64-bit computers via an agent
may prevent certain performance counters from collecting information and should
be changed to 64-bit polling.
To make this change at the application level, take the following steps:
1. From the web console, navigate to Home > Applications > Select an
AppInsight Application.
2. Click Edit Application Monitor.
3. Expand Advanced, and then click Override Template.
4. In the Platform to run polling job field, change the value to x64.
5. When done, click Submit.
To make this change at the template level, take the following steps:
1. From the web console, navigate to Settings >SAMSettings >Manage
Templates.
2. Select an AppInsight application and click Edit.
3. Expand Advanced, and in the Platform to run polling job field, change
the value to x64.
Note: Applications assigned to 32-bit hosts with the x64bit option will continue to poll using 32-bit, regardless of this setting.

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Agent Alerting

4. When done, click Submit.

Agent Alerting
There are no predefined alerts for agents; however, when creating a new alert,
options to alert on agents do exist., as shown

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For more information, see Alerting.

Troubleshooting Agents and Deployment

The following sections will help you identify and correct Agent errors concerning
configuration:
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Troubleshooting Server Push Deployment

Troubleshooting Manual Deployment
Troubleshooting Mass Deployment
Passive Agent: Connection Refused.
Passive Agent: Agent is not Running in Passive Mode.
Invalid Agent Version
Agent GUIDis Different than the Requested ID.

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Troubleshooting Server Push Deployment

Following is a list of possible server push deployment errors with their respective
resolutions:
l

Credential test for deployment fails:

l Ensure that the used account can access the following folder: \\<hostname_or_ip>\admin$\temp. Also ensure that a folder can be created
at that location.
l Ensure that Remote Procedure Call (RPC), a Windows service, is running
l Ensure the required ports are open
l If you are using a domain account, use the complete name when entering credentials. For example: "Domain\Username"
Agent deployment fails:
l Ensure there are no other installations in progress. For example, Windows updates and installations prevents other installations from finishing successfully. If this is the case, retry agent installation when
other installations have completed.
l On the target machine, check if the SolarWinds Agent service is
installed and running. If it is, the agent may be experiencing connectivity issues with the Orion server. Ping the Orion server from the
client machine and ensure that port 17778 is open on the Orion server.
(Note: This is not required for passive agents. You should verify the
Orion server can ping the host where the agent is installed.) Also
check that the client machine can connect to the Orion server web
interface. (Note: This is not required for passive agents. In this case,
the Orion server should be able to access the appropriate agent port.)
l If possible, try to install the agent manually on the target machine,
ensuring that permissions are set correctly.
Note: Agent deployment failure can also occur if a previous installation or upgrade is awaiting a reboot. To resolve this issue you will
need to reboot the server before the installation of the agent can proceed on that machine.

Troubleshooting Manual Deployment

Following is a list of possible deployment errors with their respective resolutions:

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Agent is not able to connect to the Orion server.

l Ensure that you can ping the Orion server from the client machine
l Ensure that port 17778 is open on the Orion server and that the client
machine can connect to it. (Note: This is not required for passive
agents. You should verify the Orion server can ping the host where the
agent is installed.)
l Ensure that you are using the correct Orion administrator credentials

Troubleshooting Mass Deployment

Following is a list of possible errors with their respective resolutions:
l

Agent deployment fails:

l On the target computer, check if the SolarWinds Agent service is
installed and running. If it is, the agent may be experiencing connectivity issues with the Orion server. Ping the Orion server from the
client machine and ensure that port 17778 is open on the Orion server.
(Note: This is not required for passive agents. Verify the Orion server
can ping the host where the agent is installed.)
l Also check that the client machine can connect to the Orion Server's
web interface.
(Note: This is not required for passive agents. The Orion server
should be able to access the appropriate agent port.)
l If possible, try to install the agent manually on the target machine,
ensuring that permissions are set correctly.
l If a host name or Fully Qualified Domain Name was used, ensure that
it can be resolved from the client computer.
l For Active mode, if the Orion server or the additional poller is behind a
NAT, ensure that the IP address specified in the creation of the MST
file is the correctly routed IP address the client would use to access
the Orion server. For Passive mode, the Orion server must be able to
resolve the endpoints DNS name if one was used to managed the
host.

For more information, see Agents.

Passive Agent: Connection Refused.

Error: Connection refused.
Resolution: Specify an Agent password to connect to a passive Agent or specify
a proxy. Also, verify that the agent port is accessible.

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Passive Agent: Agent is not Running in Passive Mode.

Error: Agent is not running in passive mode.
Information: The agent is running in an active connection mode and you cannot
connect to it.
Resolution: Switch the agent mode to active. This can be done via redeployment
by first uninstalling the current agent or by manual re-installation. Agents can
switch modes via the Agent control panel on the server where the agent is
installed.
For more information, see Deploying an Agent.

Invalid Agent Version

Error: Agent is not running in passive mode.
Information: Agent version is empty or zero. This indicates that something is
wrong with the agent.
Resolution: Re-installation of the agent is required.
For more information, see Deploying an Agent.

Agent GUIDis Different than the Requested ID.

Error: Agent GUID is different than the requested ID.
Information: That means that the agent is probably connected to another Orion
server or is broken.
Resolution: Re-installation of the agent is recommended.
For more information, see Deploying an Agent.

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Chapter 18:
Alerting and Reporting
Alerts can provide you real time information on that status of all of your systems,
allowing you to take corrective action before a system fails. Reports provide an
on-demand summary of your environment and can be tailored to suit your specific
needs.
The following sections provide an in-depth look into the alerting and reporting
capabilities built into SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor.
Refer to the following sections for more information:
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Alerting
Introduction to the Alert Wizard
Web Console Based Reports

Alerting
SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor provides application and component
alerts you can use with SolarWinds Alert Manager in the web console to actively
monitor and respond to detected issues.
For more information, see:
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Understanding Alerts
Managing Alerts
Managing Actions
Adding Alerts
Introduction to the Alert Wizard
Viewing Alerts in the SolarWinds Web Console
Viewing Alerts from Mobile Devices
Acknowledging Alerts in the Web Console
Understanding Condition Groups
SolarWinds SAM Alerts
Adding Alert Actions

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Chapter 18: Alerting and Reporting

Understanding Alerts
Alerts can be useful by informing you of potential problems before the problems
worsen. A variety of alerts exist that can be customized to suit your needs. You
can also create custom alerts based on your specifications. Alerts can be created,
edited, acknowledged, and fully managed via the web console on the Manage
Alerts page.
Some of Alert Manager's capabilities include the following:
l
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Actions can be edited independently from alerts

Trigger conditions can be built off of multiple object types

Navigating to the Manage Alerts page:

1. From the web console, navigate to the Home tab and then click Alerts.

2. Click Manage Alerts in the upper right-hand corner of the web console.
Note: This option only appears for administrators.

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Managing Alerts
3. The Manage Alerts page appears:

Managing Alerts
SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor employs an easy to use Alert Manager
in order to aid in the editing of alerts.
Managing and Editing Alerts:
1. From the web console, navigate to the Home tab and then click Alerts.

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2. Click Manage Alerts in the upper right-hand corner of the web console.

3. Click the Alert Manager tab and check the box next to the alert you want to
edit in the Alert Name list, and then click Edit Alert.

4. Complete the wizard and make changes as needed.

Note: For help in configuring specific actions, see Adding Alert Actions
For more information, see Adding Alerts.

Managing Actions
SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor employs an easy to use Action
Manager in order to aid in the editing of alert actions. The Action Manager is
primarily used to Enable, Disable, or Delete, multiple alert actions at one time.
Each action can be edited individually.

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Managing Actions
Important: If an action is disabled or deleted, that action will not fire when alerts
that use these actions are triggered.
Action Manager Toolbar:
The following toolbar exists for modifying alert actions:

l
l

Edit Action: Once an action is checked, clicking Edit Action opens a dialog allowing you to modify the action.
Note: For help in configuring specific actions, see Adding Alert Actions
Test: Allows you to test the action selected.
Enable/Disable: Multiple actions may be checked, allowing you toggle the
actions between being Enabled and Disabled.
Delete: Deletes the actions that are checked.

Managing and Editing Alert Actions:

1. From the web console, navigate to the Home tab and then click Alerts.

2. Click Manage Alerts in the upper right-hand corner of the web console.

3. Click the Action Manager tab and check the box next to the Action you want
to edit in the Action Name list, and then click Edit Action.

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4. Complete the wizard and make changes as needed.

Note: For help in configuring specific actions, see Adding Alert Actions
For more information, see Adding Alerts.

Introduction to the Alert Wizard

By creating an alert with the Alert Wizard, SolarWinds Server & Application
Monitor enables you to customize a series of alerts to trigger successive actions
as an alert condition persists. There are seven screens associated with the Alert
Wizard. Each screen contains different options and fields that need to be
completed before proceeding to the next screen in the wizard. Once an alert has
been fully created, the tabs of each section of the wizard becomes a link, allowing
you to quickly edit various sections of the alert.

The following sections introduce you to each section of the Alert Wizard,
providing information about each field:
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Alert Properties
Trigger Conditions
Reset Condition
Time of Day
Trigger Actions
Reset Actions
Summary

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Introduction to the Alert Wizard

For more information, see Adding Alerts.
Alert Properties
The Properties screen contains basic options and fields concerning the alert.
These fields need to be completed before proceeding to the next screen in the
wizard. Following is a definition for each field:

For more information, see Adding Alert Actions.

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Trigger Conditions
The Trigger Conditions screen allows you to define the conditions that need to be
met that will trigger the alert, along with the ability to build conditions off of
multiple object types. Following is the definition for each field:

Custom SQL/SWQL Alerts:

If you are an advanced user and are comfortable using SQLor SolarWinds Query
Language (SWQL), Server & Application Monitor offers you the ability to create
your own custom SQL/SWQL trigger conditions for use in alerts. Once an object is
selected from the drop down list, pre-defined SQL/SWQL statements will populate
the read-only statement box. Enter your custom conditions in the lower box, as
shown:

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Introduction to the Alert Wizard

For more information, see Adding Alert Actions.

Reset Condition
The Reset Condition screen allows you to define how the alert is reset once the
alert is triggered. Following is a definition for each field:

For more information, see Adding Alert Actions.

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Time of Day
The Time of Day screen allows you to define when your objects should be
monitored. Following is a definition for each field:

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Introduction to the Alert Wizard

For more information, see Adding Alert Actions.
Trigger Actions
The Trigger Actions screen allows you to define what actions will be taken once
the alert is triggered. Following is a definition for each field:

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Introduction to the Alert Wizard

For more information, see Adding Alert Actions.
Reset Actions
The Reset Actions screen allows you to define what actions will be taken once
the reset condition of the alert is triggered. Following is a definition for each field:

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Available Alerts
For more information, see Adding Alert Actions.
Summary
The Summary screen details the conditions and actions for your alert. You can
edit any section of the alert from this screen.

For more information, see Adding Alert Actions.

Available Alerts
The following table provides a list of available pre-configured alerts with their
respective definitions.

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Alert Name

Alert Description

Alert me when a
component goes
down

This alert will write to the event log when a component goes
down and when a component comes back up.

Alert me when a
This alert will write to the event log when a component goes
component goes into warning or critical state and when a component comes
into warning or crit- back up.
ical state
Alert me when a
This alert reports when a server warranty will expire in less
node warranty
than 30 days.
expires in 30 days
Alert me when an
application goes
down

This alert will write to the event log when an application

goes down and when an application comes back up.

Alert me when an This alert will write to the event log when an application
application goes goes into a warning or critical state and when the applicinto warning or crit- ation comes back up.
ical state
AppInsight for IIS: This alert will notify you when the average execution time
Alert me when the any URL as monitored by AppInsight for IIS exceeds a preAverage Server
defined acceptable limit.
Execution Time for
any URL Exceeds
an acceptable limit
Alert me when the This alert reports when the free space of a volume is less
free space of a
than 5%.
volume is less
than 5%
AppInsight for
Exchange: Alert
me when a replication status
check fails

This alert will write to the NetPerfMon event log when a replication status check fails.

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Available Alerts
AppInsight for
This alert should be raised when available free space for
Exchange: Alert
mailbox database copy drops below 5%.
me when mailbox
database file is
low on space
AppInsight for
This alert should be raised when mailbox database goes to
Exchange: Alert
warning or critical state.
me when mailbox
database is in
warning or critical
state
AppInsight for
This alert should be raised when a mailbox database
Exchange: Alert
switches to a non-preferred server.
me when mailbox
database is not on
preferred server
AppInsight for
This alert should be raised when the available free space for
Exchange: Alert
the transaction log for a mailbox database copy drops below
me when mailbox 5%.
database transaction log is low
on space
AppInsight for
Exchange: Alert
me when an
application goes
down

This alert will write to the event log when an application

goes down and when the application comes back up.

AppInsight for
Exchange: Warn
me when database failover
occurs

This alert should be raised when mailbox database

switches/fails from one database copy to another.

AppInsight for
SQL: Alert me

This alert will write to the event log when an application

goes down and when the application comes back up.

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when an application goes down

AppInsight for
SQL: Alert me
when my database file disk I/O
latency is high

This alert should be raised if a database file disk I/O latency

is high

AppInsight for
This alert should be raised if a database file is running low
SQL: Alert me
on space
when my database file is running low on space
Email me when a
Node goes down

This alert will email the specified recipient(s) when a node

goes down.

Email me when a
Router reboots

This alert will email the specified recipient(s) when a router

reboots.

Email me when an This alert will email the specified recipient(s) when an interInterface goes
face goes down.
down
Email me when
This alert will email the specified recipient(s) when an intersomeone shuts
face is shut down.
down an Interface
Group is down

This alert will write to the event log when a group goes
down and when an application comes back up again.

Group is in warn- This alert will write to the event log when a group goes into
ing or critical state warning or critical state and when a group comes back up
again.
Hardware comThis will alert when a hardware component is in a critical or
ponent is in warn- warning state. This is for both Network and Server harding or critical state ware.
High CPU Utilization with Top
10 Processes

This alert reports the percentage of CPU usage for

Linux/Unix hosts running NET-SNMP as well as Windows

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Available Alerts
devices. It also shows the top ten processes running to help
you troubleshoot why this alert was triggered.
High Packet Loss This alert will write to the SolarWinds event log when packet
loss rises above 40% and when it drops back below 5%.
High Physical
Memory Utilization
with Top 10 Processes

This alert reports the percentage of physical memory being

used for Linux/Unix hosts running NET-SNMP as well as
Windows devices. It also shows the top ten processes running to help you troubleshoot why this alert was triggered.

High Response
Time

This alert will write to the SolarWinds event log when the
average response time for a node goes above 200ms and
when the average response time drops back down below
100ms after being above 200ms.

High Transmit Per- This alert writes to the SolarWinds event log when the curcent Utilization
rent percent utilization on the transmit side of an interface
rises above 75% or drops back down below 50%.
High Virtual
This alert reports the percentage of virtual memory being
Memory Utilization used. It also shows the top ten processes running to help
with Top 10 Pro- you troubleshoot as to why this alert was triggered.
cesses
Interface is down

This alert will write to the SolarWinds event log when an

interface goes down and again when the interface comes
back up.

Interface shut
down

This alert will write to the SolarWinds event log when an

interface is shutdown and again when a shutdown interface
is brought back up.

IOS Image Family This alert will write the NetPerfMon event log when the IOS
Change
Image family changes.
IOS version
changed

This alert will write to the NetPerfMon event log anytime the
IOS Version changes.

No polling engine This alert is triggered when a polling engine is down or has
update in last 10 not communicated with the Orion database for the last 10
minutes
minutes.

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Node deleted

This alert will write to the SolarWinds event log when a

node was removed.

Node is down

This alert will write to the SolarWinds event log when a

node goes down and when a node comes back up again.

Node not polled in This alert is triggered when there is no update for a manlast 10 minutes
aged node in the last 10 minutes.
Node polling
failed on last 5
tries

This alert is triggered when the last five polling cycles have
failed.

Node rebooted

This alert will write to the NetPerfMon event log when the
date and time a machine last booted changes.

Restart a service

This alert will attempt to restart the Windows Service when

the SAM Component Monitor has a status of down.

AppInsight for IIS: This alert will restart any failed IIS Application Pool that is
Restart Failed IIS configured to be "AlwaysRunning". As configured this alert
Application Pool will not trigger for Application Pools that are configured to
start "OnDemand" as these Application Pools stop normally
when not in use, or when the site that is configured to use
the Application Pool has no activity and is dormant.
AppInsight for IIS: This alert will attempt to restart any site that is monitored by
Restart Failed IIS AppInsight for IIS that is found to be in a Stopped state.
Site
Windows Sched- This alert should be raised if the result for the task last run is
uled Tasks: Alert unsuccessful.
me when task last
run result is unsuccessful

Adding Alerts
SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor employs an easy to use Add Alert
wizard in order to aid in the creation of alerts.
Creating and Adding Alerts:
1. From the web console, navigate to Home >Alerts:

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Adding Alerts

2. Click Manage Alerts in the upper right-hand corner of the web console.

3. Click Add New Alert.

4. The wizard begins on the Add Alert Properties tab by asking for the alert
name, description, comments, whether or not it should be enabled, and the
alert frequency. Complete these fields as needed. When done, click Next.
The Trigger Condition tab is displayed.
5. From the Iwant to alert on drop down list, select the object that should
have an alert.
Note: Once selected, the drop down lists will re-populate with objects
included in that category.
6. If you want to apply certain conditions to the alert, select Only on following
sets of objects; otherwise, select On all objects in my environment.
7. Make your selections from the drop down fields provided and enter values
as needed:

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8. Next, select the trigger condition by selecting from the drop down fields
provided. The trigger condition is the event that will fire the alert. (For
example: If CPU Load > 90%, then trigger an alert.)

9. When complete, click Next.

10. On the Reset Condition tab, choose to either reset the alert when the trigger
condition is no longer true, or create a special reset condition. (If creating a
special reset condition, refer to Step 8.) When done, click Next.

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11. On the Trigger Actions tab, select a trigger action from the pop-up list, and
then click Configure Action.
Note: An action is an event that will be performed when the alert is
triggered.

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12. Once an action is selected and added, a pop-up form will appear asking you
to detail the action. Each action will contain different fields. Complete the
form as required. When done, click Save.
Note: For help in configuring specific actions, see Adding Alert Actions
13. You can then review the action once the page has been saved. When done,
click Next.
14. On the Reset Action tab, choose the desired reset action for the pop-up list,
fill out the form as needed, and the click Configure Action. When done,
click Save.
15. You can then review the action once the page has been saved. Click Next
to review the entire alert.
16. When done, click Submit.

Adding Alert Actions

SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor provides a variety of actions to signal
an alert condition on your network. For information on configuring each action,
refer to the following list.
The following actions are available through the web console:
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Sending an E-mail / Page

Playing a Sound
Logging an Alert to a File
Logging an Alert to the Windows Event Log
Logging an Alert to the NetPerfMon Event Log
Sending a Syslog Message
Executing an External Program
Executing a Visual Basic Script
Emailing a Web Page
Using Text to Speech Output
Sending a Windows Net Message
Sending an SNMP Trap
Restart IIS Site/Application Pool
Using Get or Post URL Functions
Dial Paging or SMS Service
Change Custom Property
Set Custom Status

Sending an E-mail / Page

The following procedure configures an e-mail/page action for an alert.

Using Get or Post URL Functions

SolarWinds can be configured to communicate alerts using HTTP GET or POST
functions. As an example, a URL may be used as an interface into a trouble ticket
system, and, by correctly formatting the GET function, new trouble tickets may be
created automatically. The following procedure configures SolarWinds to use
GET or POST HTTP functions to communicate alert information.
To configure SolarWinds to use GET or POST URL functions with alerts:
1. When editing or adding an alert, click Add Action in an Action section of
the Alert Wizard.
2. Select the Send a GETor POST Request to a Web Server option, then
click Configure Action.
3. Enter a name for the action in the Name of Action field.

919

Adding Alert Actions

4. Expand HTTPrequest settings..
a. Enter a URL in the field provided.
b. Select either Use HTTP GET or Use HTTP POST.
5. Expand Time of Day.
a. Select either Schedule is controlled on the alert level, no additional schedule for this action needed or Use special Time of
Day schedule for this action. If you choose the latter, Click Add
Schedule and then enter the time period over which you want to
activate your alert action, and then select the days on which you want
to activate your alert action.
6. Expand Execution Settings.
a. Check either Do not execute this action if the alert has been
acknowledged already (Recommended) or Repeat this action
every X minutes until the alert is acknowledged. If you choose the
latter, specify the frequency to have this action repeated.
7. When done, click Add Action.
Dial Paging or SMS Service
If NotePager Pro is installed, SolarWinds can be configured to communicate
alerts using paging and SMS services. For more information about installation
and configuration, see SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor Integration at
www.notepage.net.
Change Custom Property
The following procedure configures a Change Custom Property action for an
alert.
To configure an email/page action for an alert:
1. When editing or adding an alert, click Add Action in an Action section of
the Alert Wizard.
2. Select the Change Custom Property option, then click Configure
Action.
3. Enter a name for the action in the Name of Action field.
4. Expand Change Property Settings.
a. Select the Custom Property Name from the drop down list.
b. Enter a Custom Property Value in the field provided.
5.
a. Optionally click Insert Variable to add variables using the following
procedure:

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Chapter 18: Alerting and Reporting

i. Select a Variable Category, and then select the variable to
add.
ii. To define a SQL variable, check Define SQL Variable, and
then click Insert Variable.
iii. Click [+] to add one or more variables to the Custom
SQLVariable window.
iv. When done, click Insert Variable.
6. Expand Time of Day.
a. Select either Schedule is controlled on the alert level, no additional schedule for this action needed or Use special Time of
Day schedule for this action. If you choose the latter, Click Add
Schedule and then enter the time period over which you want to
activate your alert action, and then select the days on which you want
to activate your alert action.
7. Expand Execution Settings.
a. Check either Do not execute this action if the alert has been
acknowledged already (Recommended) or Repeat this action
every X minutes until the alert is acknowledged. If you choose the
latter, specify the frequency to have this action repeated.
8. When done, click Add Action.
Set Custom Status
The following procedure configures a Set Custom Status action for an alert.
To configure an email/page action for an alert:
1. When editing or adding an alert, click Add Action in an Action section of
the Alert Wizard.
2. Select the Set Custom Status option, then click Configure Action.
3. Enter a name for the action in the Name of Action field.
4. Expand Change Object Status Manually.
a. Select either Change to a specific status or Use polled status.
i. If you select, Change to a specific status, select the status
from the drop down list.
6. Expand Time of Day.
a. Select either Schedule is controlled on the alert level, no additional schedule for this action needed or Use special Time of
Day schedule for this action. If you choose the latter, Click Add
Schedule and then enter the time period over which you want to
activate your alert action, and then select the days on which you want
to activate your alert action.

921

Alert Details
7. Expand Execution Settings.
a. Check either Do not execute this action if the alert has been
acknowledged already (Recommended) or Repeat this action
every X minutes until the alert is acknowledged. If you choose the
latter, specify the frequency to have this action repeated.
8. When done, click Add Action.

Alert Details
To navigate to the Alert Details page, see Viewing Alerts in the SolarWinds Web
Console.

The Alert Details page contains the following resources concerning alert details:
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Management
Alert Status Overview
Alert Definition Details
History of this Alert on this Object
Other Objects currently Experiencing the same Alert
Top 10 Objects by trigger count of this alert
Alert notes

Management
This resource contains controls that are actionable for the listed alert.

922

Chapter 18: Alerting and Reporting

Acknowledge Alert: Acknowledging an alert prevents all associated

actions from firing. You can add a note that displays on the Alert Details
page.
Turn off this alert definition: Allows you to delete the selected active alert
definition.
Unmanage: Allows you to stop the polling of the current alert for a userdefined period of time.

Alert Status Overview

This resource provides an overview of the selected alert. Hovering over the value
in the Triggered by field brings up a detailed tooltip, as shown. You can also
click the listed value to be taken to that page for further investigation.

923

Alert Details

This alert can be acknowledged from this resource by clicking, Acknowledge.

Alert Definition Details
This resource reports all the details concerning the alert's definition.

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Chapter 18: Alerting and Reporting

925

Alert Details
History of this Alert on this Object
This resource displays the history of the current alert, including the events that
triggered it, as well as the time and date.

Other Objects currently Experiencing the same Alert

This resource displays other objects experiencing the current alert, including the
Object, Alert, Active Time, Trigger Time, and whether or not the alert was
acknowledged. Clicking Show will take you to the Alert Details page for the listed
alert.

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Chapter 18: Alerting and Reporting

Top 10 Objects by trigger count of this alert

This resource displays the top ten objects that were triggered the most frequently,
including the Object, the number of times the alert was triggered, Active Time, and
the Last Trigger Date and Time. Clicking an object in the list will take you to that
object's details page for further investigation.

Paging controls are located at the bottom of the resource, allowing you to
navigate through all data available for this resource. Respectively, the controls

927

Viewing Alerts in the SolarWinds Web Console

are: Fist Page, Previous Page, Page Number, Next Page, Last Page, Items on
Page, as shown:

Alert notes
This resource allows you to add and update notes for this alert.

Viewing Alerts in the SolarWinds Web Console

The Triggered Alerts for All Network Devices page provides a table view of your
alerts log. You can customize the list view by using the following procedure to
select your preferred alert grouping criteria.

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Chapter 18: Alerting and Reporting

To view alerts in the Web Console:
1. From the web console, navigate to Home >Alerts:

2. Select the check box next to an alert and click View Alert Details.

3. You will be taken to the Alert Details page where you can view all information associated with this alert.:

929

Acknowledging Alerts in the Web Console

SolarWinds SAM allows you to acknowledge alerts in the SolarWinds Web
Console, allowing you to eliminate time lost either when multiple users attempt to
resolve the same issue or when a user tries to address an issue that has already
been resolved.
To acknowledge alerts using the SolarWinds Web Console:
1. From the web console, navigate to the Home tab and then click Alerts.

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Chapter 18: Alerting and Reporting

2. You will be taken to the All Currently Triggered Alerts page:
3. Check the boxes next to the alerts you want to acknowledge, then click
Acknowledge in the toolbar. A box for notes will appear with the option to
disable the note feature. You can also acknowledge alerts by pressing
Acknowledge in the row for that alert under the Acknowledged by column.

4. When done, click Acknowledge.

From this page, you also have the following options available from the toolbar:

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l

Acknowledge: Acknowledging an alert prevents all associated actions

from firing. You can add a note that displays on the Alert Details page.
View Alert Details: This will take you to the Alert Details page where you
can view all information associated with this alert.
Edit Alert Definition: Allows you to edit the definition of the selected alert.
Clear Triggered Instance of Alert: Allows you to delete the selected active
alert.

Viewing Alerts from Mobile Devices

SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor is capable of detecting when you are
accessing the SolarWinds Web Console from a mobile device. This mobile alerts
view allows you to view and acknowledge existing active alerts.
To view and acknowledge alerts from a mobile device:
1. Using a browser on your mobile device, log in to your SolarWinds Web Console as a user with alert management rights.

931

Understanding Condition Groups

2. Click Alerts in the Views toolbar.
Note: If you want to view the mobile alerts view from a desktop or server
browser, add ?IsMobileView=true to the URL of the Alerts view in your
SolarWinds Web Console.
3. Check alerts you want to acknowledge, and then click Acknowledge.
Clickable links in alert messages provide more information about triggered alerts.

Understanding Condition Groups

A condition group is a set of user-defined rules governing alert triggers and
resets. By default, the condition group Trigger Alert when all of the following
apply is added when new alert triggers or reset conditions are created. Four
different logical descriptors are used to create conditions: all, any, none, and not
all, and clicking the word all and enables you to select different values. The
following sections describe these logical descriptors.
All Condition Group
Trigger Alert when all of the following apply means that every
condition in the group must be true before the alert is triggered.
In the following example, there are three conditions within the
condition group:
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Node Status is equal to Up

Percent Loss is greater than or equal to 75
CPU Load is greater than or equal to 85
This alert will not trigger unless the Node is Up, packet loss is greater
than or equal to 75%, and CPU load is greater than or equal to 85%.
When setting the condition group to all, picture every condition as
being separated by an and statement. So, in this example, the alert
trigger would read:
Alert when: (Node Status=Up) and (Percent Loss>=75) and
(CPU Load>=85)

Any Condition Group

Changing the condition group to Trigger Alert when any of the
following apply changes the logic to or statements. In this example,
changing the condition group to any would change the alert trigger to:

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Chapter 18: Alerting and Reporting

Alert when: (Node Status=Up) or (Percent Loss>=75) or (CPU
Load>=85)
In this situation, if any of the three conditions become true, the alert
will trigger.
None Condition Group
Changing the condition group to Trigger Alert when none of the
following apply means that all conditions in the group must be false
before the alert is triggered.
In this example the alert trigger would read: Alert when: (Node
Status=Down) and (Percent Loss<=75) and (CPULoad<=85)
Each condition is separated by an and statement just like the all
condition group; however, the conditions have been inverted (Node
Status = Down instead of Node Status = Up).
Not All Condition Group
Changing the condition group to Trigger Alert when not all of the
following apply means that any condition in the group must be false
before the alert is triggered. So, in this example the alert trigger would
read: Alert when: (Node Status=Down) or (Percent Loss<=75) or
(CPU Load<=85)
Each condition is separated by an or statement just like the any
condition group; however, the conditions have been inverted (Node
Status=Down instead of Node Status=Up).
Note: The states of Down and Unreachable are not equivalent. They
are two distinct states. For example: If the trigger condition, Status is
not equal to Up, is met, an alert will be triggered for Unreachable
applications.

SolarWinds SAM Alerts

Your installation of SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor supplements the
alerting abilities of SolarWinds common components with a number of
SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor-specific configurable alerts.
The following list provides the SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor
properties on which you can trigger alerts:

933

SolarWinds SAM Alerts

Component Monitor Alerting Properties
Provides the following alert possibilities:
Component Name
This allows you to base your alert criteria on component names.
Component Type
This allows you to base your alert criteria on component types. Specify the
component monitor type by value using the following table.
Component Monitor Type

Value

None

DHCP User Experience Monitor

Directory Size Monitor

DNS Monitor - TCP

DNS Monitor - UDP

DNS User Experience Monitor

Download Speed Monitor

File Age Monitor

File Change Monitor

File Count Monitor

File Existence Monitor

File Size Monitor

FTP Monitor

FTP User Experience Monitor

HTTP Form Login Monitor

HTTP Monitor

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Chapter 18: Alerting and Reporting

HTTPS Monitor

IMAP4 Monitor

IMAP4 User Experience Monitor

JMX Monitor

LDAP User Experience Monitor

Linux/Unix Script Monitor

MAPI User Experience Monitor

Nagios Script Monitor

NNTP Monitor

ODBC User Experience Monitor

Oracle User Experience Monitor

Performance Counter Monitor

POP3 Monitor

POP3 User Experience Monitor

Process Monitor SNMP

Process Monitor - WMI

RADIUS User Experience Monitor

SMTP Monitor

SNMP Monitor

SQL User Experience Monitor

TACACS+ User Experience Monitor 41

TCP Port Monitor

935

SolarWinds SAM Alerts

Tomcat Server Monitor

Web Link Monitor

Windows Event Monitor

Windows PowerShell Monitor

Windows Script Monitor

Windows Service Monitor

WMI Monitor

Component Status
This allows you to alert on Critical, Down, Unknown, Up, and Warning
status.
Response Time
This allows you to alert on response time.
Statistic Data
This allows you to alert on statistic data.
Process (Service) Name
This allows you to alert on the process or service name. For example:
dns.exe, or AlertingEngine.
Process Instance Count
This allows you to alert on the instance count of a process.
Percent CPU
This allows you to alert on the percentage of CPU in use of a monitored
process or service.
Percent Physical Memory
This allows you to alert on the percentage of physical memory in use of a
monitored process or service.
Percent Memory Used

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Chapter 18: Alerting and Reporting

This allows you to alert on the percentage of total memory in use of a
monitored process or service.
Percent Virtual Memory
This allows you to alert on the percentage of virtual memory in use of a
monitored process or service.
Virtual Memory Used
This allows you to alert on the amount of virtual memory in use, in bytes, of
a monitored process or service.
Application Monitor Alerting properties
Below are alert possibilities:
Application Name
This allows you to select the names of currently configured application
templates as values.
Application Status
This allows you to select whether the application is in a Critical, Down,
Unknown, Up, or Warning status.
Application Monitor Variables for Alerts
SolarWinds SAM adds the following variables to the core SolarWinds Orion
variables when selecting APM-Application as the property type. For a complete
list of Core variables, see SolarWinds Variables and Examples

Application Variable

Macro

Defi
nitio
n

${APM:Application ${N=SwisEntity;M=DetailsUrl}
DetailsURL}

937

Hyp
erlin
k to
the
Appl
icati

SolarWinds SAM Alerts

on
Deta
ils
pag
e
that
trigg
ered
the
alert,
or
the
Deta
ils
pag
e of
the
appli
catio
n
that
trigg
ered
the
com
pon
ent.
${Availability}

${N=SwisEntity;M=ApplicationAler
t.ApplicationAvailability}

938

Prov
ides
the
statu
s of
the
appli
catio
n.

Chapter 18: Alerting and Reporting

${ComponentsWithP ${N=SwisEntity;M=ApplicationAler
roblems}
t.ComponentsWithProblems}

Prov
ides
a
com
madeli
mite
d list
of
com
pon
ents
in a
Dow
n,
Unk
now
n,
War
ning,
or
Criti
cal
stat
e.

${ComponentsWithP ${N=SwisEntity;M=ApplicationAler
roblemsFormatted} t.ComponentsWithProblemsFormatte
d}

List
of
com
pon
ents
that
are
not
Up
alon

939

SolarWinds SAM Alerts

g
with
the
com
pon
ent
statu
s,
form
atted
with
HTM
L
tags.
HTM
L
form
attin
g is
used
for
the
Sen
d email
actio
n to
provi
de
an
impr
oved
app
eara
nce
of
the

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Chapter 18: Alerting and Reporting

liste
d
com
pon
ents.
${ComponentsWithP ${N=SwisEntity;M=ApplicationAler
roblemsFormattedH t.ComponentsWithProblemsFormatte
tml}
dHtml}

941

List
of
com
pon
ents
that
are
not
Up
alon
g
with
the
com
pon
ent
statu
s.
For
matt
ed
with
HTM
L
tags
for
even
ts
that
app
ear
on

SolarWinds SAM Alerts

the
web
cons
ole.
${ComponentsWithS ${N=SwisEntity;M=ApplicationAler
tatus}
t.ComponentsWithStatus}

Prov
ides
a
com
madeli
mite
d list
of all
com
pon
ents
and
their
curr
ent
statu
s.

${ComponentsWithS ${N=SwisEntity;M=ApplicationAler
tatusFormatted}
t.ComponentsWithStatusFormatted}

List
of
com
pon
ents
with
com
pon
ent
statu
s
inclu
ded

942

Chapter 18: Alerting and Reporting

form
atted
with
html
tags.
Html
form
attin
g is
used
for
send
email
actio
n to
provi
de
impr
oved
app
eara
nce
of
liste
d
com
pon
ents.
${ComponentsWithS ${N=SwisEntity;M=ApplicationAler
tatusFormattedHtm t.ComponentsWithStatusFormattedH
l}
tml}

943

List
of
com
pon
ents
with
the

SolarWinds SAM Alerts

com
pon
ent
statu
s.
For
matt
ed
with
HTM
L
tags
for
even
ts
that
app
ear
in
the
web
cons
ole.
${ID}

${N=SwisEntity;M=Application.App
licationID}

944

Prov
ides
the
num
eric
appli
catio
n ID
of
the
spec
ific
appli
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Chapter 18: Alerting and Reporting

n.
${LastTimeUp}

${N=SwisEntity;M=CurrentStatus.L
astTimeUp}

Prov
ides
the
date
and
time
the
appli
catio
n
was
last
seen
in an
Up
stat
e.

${Name}

${N=SwisEntity;M=Application.App
licationAlert.ApplicationName}

Prov
ides
the
nam
e of
the
appli
catio
n
that
is
trigg
erin
g the
alert.

${NodeID}

${N=SwisEntity;M=Application.Nod
e.NodeID}

Prov

945

SolarWinds SAM Alerts

ides
the
num
eric
nod
e ID
of
the
serv
er
on
whic
h the
appli
catio
n is
moni
tore
d.
${SystemSummaryFo ${N=SwisEntity;M=Application.App
rmatted}
licationAlert.SystemSummaryForma
tted}

946

Syst
em
sum
mar
y.
HTM
L
form
attin
g is
used
for
the
Sen
d email
actio

Chapter 18: Alerting and Reporting

n to
provi
de
an
impr
oved
app
eara
nce
of
the
liste
d
com
pon
ents.
${SystemSummaryFo ${N=SwisEntity;M=ApplicationAler
rmattedHtml}
t.SystemSummaryFormattedHtml}

947

Syst
em
sum
mar
y.
For
matt
ed
with
HTM
L
tags
for
even
ts
that
app
ear
in
the
web

SolarWinds SAM Alerts

cons
ole.
${TimeStamp}

${N=SwisEntity;M=Application.Cur
rentStatus.ObservationTimestamp}

Prov
ides
the
last
polli
ng
date
and
time
of an
appli
catio
n.

Component Monitor Variables for Alerts

SolarWinds SAM adds the following variables to the core SolarWinds Orion
variables when selecting APM-Component as the property type.
Component
Monitor Variable

Macro

Defin
ition

${APM:Componen
tDetailsURL}

${N=SwisEntity;M=DetailsUrl}

Hype
rlink
to the
Com
pone
nt
Detai
ls
page
that
trigge
red
the
alert.

948

Chapter 18: Alerting and Reporting

${ApplicationI
d}

${N=SwisEntity;M=Application.Appli Provi
cationID}
des
the
uniqu
e
nume
ric
identi
fier of
the
appli
catio
n.
This
value
is
analo
gous
to the
node
ID.

${ApplicationN
ame}

${N=SwisEntity;M=Application.Appli Provi
cationAlert.ApplicationName}
des
the
name
of the
monit
ored
appli
catio
n.

${ApplicationS
tatus}

${N=SwisEntity;M=Application.Statu Provi
s}
des
the
statu
s of

949

SolarWinds SAM Alerts

the
appli
catio
n.
${ComponentId}

${N=SwisEntity;M=ComponentAlert.Co Provi
mponentID}
des
the
nume
ric
comp
onent
ID of
the
speci
fic
appli
catio
n.

${ComponentMes
sage}

${N=SwisEntity;M=ComponentAlert.Co Mess
mponentMessage}
age
sent
when
alerti
ng on
comp
onent
statu
s.

${ComponentNam
e}

${N=SwisEntity;M=ComponentAlert.Co Provi
mponentName}
des
the
name
of the
comp
onen

950

Chapter 18: Alerting and Reporting

t, for
exam
ple,
SW
Modu
le
Engi
ne.
Provi
des
the
statu
s of
the
speci
fic
comp
onen
t.

${StatisticDat
a}

${N=SwisEntity;M=ComponentAlert.St Provi
atisticData}
des

956

Chapter 18: Alerting and Reporting

the
statis
tics
data
value
of a
comp
onen
t.
${StatusOrErro
rDescription]

${N=SwisEntity;M=ComponentAlert.St Provi
atusOrErrorDescription}
des
the
statu
s of
the
comp
onen
t,
inclu
ding
the
full
text
of
any
error
mess
ages.

${ThresholdCPU-Critical}

${N=SwisEntity;M=ComponentAlertThr Provi
esholds.ThresholdCPUCritical}
des
the
critic
al
thres
hold
for

957

SolarWinds SAM Alerts

CPU.
${ThresholdCPU-Warning}

${N=SwisEntity;M=ComponentAlertThr Provi
esholds.ThresholdCPUWarning}
des
the
Warn
ing
thres
hold
for
the
CPU.

${ThresholdPhysicalMemor
y-Critical}

${N=SwisEntity;M=ComponentAlertThr Provi
esholds.ThresholdPhysicalMemoryCri des
tical}
the
Critic
al
thres
hold
for
physi
cal
mem
ory.

${ThresholdPhysicalMemor
y-Warning}

${N=SwisEntity;M=ComponentAlertThr Provi
esholds.ThresholdPhysicalMemoryWar des
ning}
the
Warn
ing
thres
hold
for
physi
cal
mem
ory.

958

Chapter 18: Alerting and Reporting

${ThresholdResponseTimeCritical}

${N=SwisEntity;M=ComponentAlertThr Provi
esholds.ThresholdResponseTimeCriti des
cal}
the
Critic
al
thres
hold
for
respo
nse
time.

${ThresholdResponseTimeWarning}

${N=SwisEntity;M=ComponentAlertThr Provi
esholds.ThresholdResponseTimeWarni des
ng}
the
Warn
ing
thres
hold
for
respo
nse
time.

${ThresholdStatisticCritical}

${N=SwisEntity;M=ComponentAlertThr Provi
esholds.ThresholdStatisticCritica
des
l}
the
Critic
al
thres
hold
for
statis
tics.

${ThresholdStatisticWarning}

${N=SwisEntity;M=ComponentAlertThr Provi
esholds.ThresholdStatisticWarning} des
the

959

SolarWinds SAM Alerts

Warn
ing
thres
hold
for
statis
tics.
${ThresholdVirtualMemoryCritical}

${N=SwisEntity;M=ComponentAlertThr Provi
esholds.ThresholdVirtualMemoryCrit des
ical}
the
Critic
al
thres
hold
for
virtua
l
mem
ory.

${ThresholdVirtualMemoryWarning}

${N=SwisEntity;M=ComponentAlertThr Provi
esholds.ThresholdVirtualMemoryWarn des
ing}
the
Warn
ing
thres
hold
for
virtua
l
mem
ory.

${TimeStamp}

${N=SwisEntity;M=CurrentStatus.Obs Provi
ervationTimestamp}
des
the
last

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Chapter 18: Alerting and Reporting

pollin
g
date
and
time
of a
comp
onen
t.
${UserDescript
ion}

${N=SwisEntity;M=ComponentAlert.Us Provi
erDescription}
des a
descr
iption
of the
comp
onen
t.
Note:
A
defau
lt
descr
iption
is
given
by
Solar
Wind
s.
Any
chan
ges
you
make
will
overri

961

SolarWinds SAM Alerts

de
the
defau
lt
descr
iption
and
be
auto
matic
ally
save
d.
${UserNotes}

${N=SwisEntity;M=ComponentAlert.Us Provi
erNotes}
des
notes
from
the
user
about
a
comp
onen
t.
Chan
ges
you
make
will
auto
matic
ally
be
save
d.

${WindowsEvent

${N=SwisEntity;M=ComponentAlert.Wi Full

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Chapter 18: Alerting and Reporting

detail
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Web Console Based Reports

Over time, your SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor database accumulates
a great deal of information. SolarWinds has developed web console based
Report Writer to provide a quick and easy way for you to extract data from your
database and present it in a useful form. SAM comes with over 100 standard
reports that you can modify to suit your needs. In addition to standard reports,
Report Writer includes powerful tools to help you format your information and
easily preview your reports before you display them. When you have finished
editing your reports, you can print them with the click of a button.
Refer to the following sections for more information:
l
l
l

Using Predefined Web Console Based Reports

Predefined Server & Application Monitor Web Console Based Reports
Creating and Editing Web Based Reports

963

Using Predefined Web Console Based Reports

l
l

Edit Report Screen

Creating a Scheduled Report

Using Predefined Web Console Based Reports

Report Writer capabilities are further enhanced when they are used in conjunction
with the Custom Property Editor. Custom properties are available for report
sorting and filtering.
Navigating to the Report Writer:
1. From the web console, click Reports in the toolbar.

Predefined Server & Application Monitor Web Console Based

Reports
The following standard reports are available within Server & Application Monitor .
You can modify these reports to suit your needs.
Note: The data can be sorted by clicking the headers of each column.
Application Reports
The following reports are predefined for reporting historical data on your
monitored applications.
Application Availability Last Month
Generates a report that displays the availability of each application for each
node for the last month.
Application Availability This Month
Generates a report that displays the availability of each application for each
node for the current month.
Application Availability This Year
Generates a report that displays the availability of each application for each
node for the current year.
Average Response Time of each Component

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Generates a report displaying the maximum and average response times for
each component. The node and application the listed component belongs to
is also displayed.
CPU Load for each Application Monitor Last Month
Generates a hierarchal report grouped by node, application, and component
monitor, that displays CPU load statistics in percentage format for the last
month.
CPU Load for each Application Monitor This Month
Generates a hierarchal report grouped by node, application, and component
monitor, that displays CPU load statistics in percentage format for the
current month.
CPU Load for each Application Monitor This Year
Generates a hierarchal report grouped by node, application, and component
monitor, that displays CPU load statistics in percentage format for the
current year.
Current CPU Load of each Component
Generates a hierarchal report grouped by node, application, and component
monitor, that displays CPU load statistics in percentage format.
Current Memory Utilization of each Component
Generates a hierarchal report grouped by node, application, and component
monitor, that displays memory statistics.
Current Status of each Application
Generates a hierarchal report grouped by node and application that
displays the current application status for each application.
Current Status of each Component
Generates a hierarchal report grouped by node, application, and component
monitor, that displays the current component status for each component.
Memory Load for each Application Monitor Last Month
Generates a hierarchal report grouped by node, application, and component
monitor, that displays memory statistics for each component monitor for the
last month.
Memory Load for each Application Monitor This Month

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Predefined Server & Application Monitor Web Console Based Reports

Generates a hierarchal report grouped by node, application, and component
monitor, that displays memory statistics for each component monitor for the
current month.
Memory Load for each Application Monitor This Year
Generates a hierarchal report grouped by node, application, and component
monitor, that displays memory statistics for each component monitor for the
current year
Page file Usage Last 7 Days
Generates a report that displays page file usage for the last seven days.
Page file Usage Last Month
Generates a report that displays page file usage for the last month.
Page file Usage This Month
Generates a report that displays page file usage for the current month.
Agent Reports
The following reports are predefined for reporting data on installed agents.
Agent Inventory
Generates a report that displays information about all agents.
Agent Plugin Version
Generates a report that displays information about plugins deployed on
individual agents.
Group Reports
The following reports are predefined for reporting historical data for groups.
Current Status of each Group
Generates a report that displays the status of each group.
Current Status of each Group Member
Generates a report that displays the status of each group member.
Group Availability Last Month
Generates a report that displays the availability status of each group for the
last month.
Group Availability This Month

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Generates a report that displays the availability status of each group for the
current month.
Group Availability This Year
Generates a report that displays the availability status of each group for the
current year.
Group Availability (with members) Last Month
Generates a report that displays the availability status of each group and the
group's members for the last month.
Group Availability (with members) This Month
Generates a report that displays the availability status of each group and the
group's members for the current month.
Group Availability (with members) This Year
Generates a report that displays the availability status of each group and the
group's members for the current year.
Group and Group Members
Generates a report that displays group and group member statuses.
Historical Status of each Group Last 7 Days
Generates a report that displays the historical status of each group for the
last seven days.
Historical Status of each Group Last Month
Generates a report that displays the historical status of each group for the
last month.
Historical Status of each Group This Month
Generates a report that displays the historical status of each group for the
current month.
Hardware Health Reports
The following reports are predefined for reporting historical data for hardware
health.
Current Hardware Status
Generates a report displaying hardware information about the listed node
including its current status.

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Predefined Server & Application Monitor Web Console Based Reports

Current Status of each Hardware Sensor
Generates a hierarchal report grouped by IP address displaying hardware
information about the listed hardware sensor including its name and current
status.
Hardware Sensor Availability Last Month
Generates a report displaying hardware sensor availability for the last
month.
Hardware Sensor Availability This Month
Generates a report displaying hardware sensor availability for the current
month.
Hardware Sensor Availability This Year
Generates a report displaying hardware sensor availability for the current
year.
Interface Reports
The following reports are predefined for reporting historical data for interfaces.
95th Percentile Traffic Rate Last 7 Days
Generates a report displaying interfaces with the highest traffic rates (top
5%) for the last seven days.
95th Percentile Traffic Rate Last Month
Generates a report displaying interfaces with the highest traffic rates (top
5%) for the last month.
95th Percentile Traffic Rate This Month
Generates a report displaying interfaces with the highest traffic rates (top
5%) for the current month.
Average and Peak Traffic Rates Last 7 Days
Generates a report displaying the average and peak traffic rates for
interfaces for the last seven days.
Average and Peak Traffic Rates Last Month
Generates a report displaying the average and peak traffic rates for
interfaces for the last month.
Average and Peak Traffic Rates This Month

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Generates a report displaying the average and peak traffic rates for
interfaces for the current month.
Average and Peak Traffic Rates WAN Interfaces Last 7 Days
Generates a report displaying the average and peak traffic rates for each
WAN interface for the last seven days.
Current Percent Utilization Top 25 Interfaces
Generates a report displaying the top 25 utilized interfaces.
Down Interfaces
Generates a report displaying interfaces that are down.
Interface Availability Last 7 Days
Generates a report displaying the availability status of interfaces for the last
seven days.
Interface Availability Last Month
Generates a report displaying the availability status of interfaces for the last
month.
Interface Availability This Month
Generates a report displaying the availability status of interfaces for the
current month.
Interface Bandwidth
Generates a report displaying the configured bandwidth for each interface.
Interface Types
Generates a report displaying the number of types of interfaces that are
being monitored.
Total Bytes Transferred by Cisco Devices Last 7 Days
Generates a report displaying the total number of bytes that were transferred
over Cisco devices for the last seven days.
Total Bytes Transferred by Interface Last Month
Generates a report displaying the total number of bytes that were transferred
over all interfaces for the last month.
Total Bytes Transferred by Interface This Month

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Predefined Server & Application Monitor Web Console Based Reports

Generates a report displaying the total number of bytes that were transferred
over all interfaces for the current month.
Total Bytes Transferred by Node Last 7 Days
Generates a report displaying the total number of bytes that were transferred
for each node for the last seven days.
Total Bytes Transferred by Node Last Month
Generates a report displaying the total number of bytes that were transferred
for each node during the last month.
Total Bytes Transferred by Node This Month
Generates a report displaying the total number of bytes that were transferred
for each node during the current month.
Node Reports
The following reports are predefined for reporting historical data for nodes.
% of CPU by VM for Last 7 Days
Generates a report displaying the percentage of CPU usage for virtual
machines for the last seven days.
% of CPU by VM for Last Month
Generates a report displaying the percentage of CPU usage for virtual
machines for the last month.
% of Memory by VM for Last 7 Days
Generates a report displaying the percentage of memory usage for virtual
machines for the last seven days.
% of Memory by VM for Last Month
Generates a report displaying the percentage of memory usage for virtual
machines for the last month.
All Disk Volumes
Generates a report grouped by node displaying detailed volume
information.
All Down Events
Generates a report displaying events that we down for the last 12 months.
Availability Last Month

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Generates a report showing the availability of nodes for the last month.
Availability This Year
Generates a report showing the availability of nodes for the current year.
Availability Yesterday
Generates a report showing the availability of nodes for the previous day.
Availability of Entire Network Last Month
Generates a report showing the average availability of the entire network for
the last month.
Available Space on Each Volume
Generates a report grouped by node displaying space statistics for each
volume.
Available Disk Performance Last 7 Days
Generates a report grouped displaying average and peak disk space for the
past seven days.
Available Disk Performance Last 12 Months
Generates a report grouped displaying average and peak disk space for the
past 12 months.
Average Response Time
Generates a report grouped by node displaying average and peak response
times.
CPU Load Last Month
Generates a report displaying the average CPU loads for all nodes during
the past month.
Current CPU Load
Generates a report displaying the current CPU load for each node.
Current Response Time
Generates a report displaying the current, average, and peak response
times for each node.
Current Status of each Node
Generates a report displaying the current status of each node.
Device Polling Details

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Predefined Server & Application Monitor Web Console Based Reports

Generates a report displaying the next rediscovery and next poll time for
each node.
Device Types
Generates a report displaying the number of device types being monitored.
Down events Windows Devices
Generates a report displaying the Down events for all Windows devices for
the past 30 days.
Down Nodes
Generates a report displaying all nodes that are currently down.
IOS Versions of Cisco Devices
Generates a report displaying the IOS version and image for each Cisco
Device.
Last 100 Audit Events
Generates a report displaying the last 100 audit events.
Last 250 Events
Generates a report displaying the last 250 events.
Last Boot Time for each Node
Generates a report displaying the time of the last reboot for each node.
Network Traffic by VM for Last 7 Days
Generates a report displaying the network traffic of virtual machines for the
last seven days.
Network Traffic by VM for Last Month
Generates a report displaying the network traffic of virtual machines for the
last month.
Node Availability Last Month
Generates a report that displays the availability of each node for the last
month.
Node Availability This Month
Generates a report that displays the availability of each node for the current
month.
Node Availability This Year

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Generates a report that displays the availability of each node for the current
year.
Node that went Down Last 24 Hours
Generates a report that displays the nodes that went down in the last 24
hours.
Response Time Last Month
Generates a report that displays the average and peak response times for
all nodes in the past month.
Response Time Top 10 Last Month
Generates a report that displays the response times for the top 10 nodes in
the past month.
Top 25 Percent Down Last Month
Generates a report that displays the top 25% nodes that were down based
on the amount of time they were down in the past month.
Triggered Alerts Last 30 Days
Generates a report that displays all alerts that were triggered for the last 30
days.
Triggered and Reset Alerts Last 30 Days
Generates a report that displays all alerts that were triggered and reset for
the last 30 days.
Asset Inventory Reports
General Asset Inventory
Generates a report concerning Asset Inventory.
Inventory Fixed Asset Report
Generates a report fixed assets.
Out of Band Management Report
Generates a report concerning Out of Band Management.
Software Inventory Report
Generates a report concerning installed software.
Triggered Alerts - Last 30 Days web-based
Generates a report displaying alerts over the past 30 days.

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Predefined Server & Application Monitor Web Console Based Reports

Warranty Status Report
Generates a report concerning warranty status.
AppInsight for Exchange Reports
Users By Mailbox Quota
Generates a report displaying the mailbox quota by user.
Users By Mailbox Size
Generates a report displaying the mailbox size by user.
IIS SSL Certificate Expiration Report
Generates a report displaying all certificates monitored by the SSL
Certificate Date Expiration Monitor, the nodes the certificates are assigned
to, their Common Names, the starting and expiration dates of the
certificates, and the number of days remaining until the certificates expires.
Users By Messages Sent This Week
Generates a report displaying the messages sent this week by user.
Mobile Devices
Generates a report displaying information about mobile devices.
AppInsight for SQL Reports
Top Nonclustered Indexes By Fragmentation
Generates a report displaying the top most non-clustered fragmented
database indexes.
Top Clustered Indexes By Fragmentation
Generates a report displaying the top most clustered fragmented database
indexes.
Transaction Log Size by File
Generates a report displaying transaction log file sizes.
Top Tables by Size
Generates a report displaying the largest database tables by size.
Database Size by File

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Chapter 18: Alerting and Reporting

Generates a report displaying the largest database by size.
Database Backup Report
Generates a report displaying the last database backup.
Most Expensive Queries
Generates a report displaying the most expensive database queries for the
last hour.
Database Status
Generates a report displaying all databases and their statuses.
AppInsight for IISReports
Site Connections Report
Generates a report displaying site connection information
Site Log Size by File
Generates a report displaying the web site log directory size and file
count.
Site Size by File
Generates a report displaying the web site directory size and file
count.

Creating and Editing Web Based Reports

Editing existing reports is the easiest way of creating new reports to suit your
needs since existing reports have many fields replete with data and rules. In this
way, much of the work is already done for you. You can however, create custom
reports based on your own criteria.
Important: If you edit a predefined report and save it, you will not be able to
recover the predefined report in its default state. If you intend to create a new
report based on a predefined report, it is recommended you use the Duplicate &
Edit button, as opposed to the Edit button.
Creating a New Report by Editing an Existing one:
1. Navigate to the web based report writer:
a. From the web console, click Reports in the toolbar under the Home
tab:

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Creating and Editing Web Based Reports

2. Click Manage Reports in the upper right-hand corner of the web console.
3. From the Manage Reports screen, locate a Web-based report as indicated
by the Type column:

4. Check the box next to the name of the report to select it. (In this example,
the All Disk Volumes Inventory Report will be used.)
5. Click Duplicate & Edit on the toolbar above the list of reports.
6. The following screen appears which divides the report into three sections:
Header, Content, and Footer:

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Edit Report Screen

The fields displayed here provide you with the following options:
2. Database Column: The database column added to custom table
l Display Name: Allows you to change the text of the column head.
o Hide column by default in web console: Checking this box will
hide the current column.
l Display Setting: Shows the transformation of the display of data in the
column.
l Add Display Setting: drop down selection.
l Data Aggregation: Allows you to choose how the current data is displayed.
l Alignment: Allows you to choose how the data is aligned within the
column,

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Display Settings

Time-based settings: If you select Yes, you will be prompted to add a

Date/Time column if one has not been added already.
Sort Results By: You can sort the results by clicking Ascending or Descending and choose a second column to sort by from the drop down list. If
you choose to click X to close this sorting option, you can then choose to
sort by the available columns.
Group Results By: You can group the results by the available options and
choose a second column to sort by from the drop down list. If you choose to
click X to close this grouping option, you can then choose to group by the
available columns.
Filter Results: You can choose to show all records, a specific number of
records, or a percentage of the available records by selecting the available
radio buttons and entering a number where applicable.

Creating a Scheduled Report

The following procedures are included in this page:
l
l
l

Scheduling a Web-Based Report

Creating a Web-Based Report Schedule
Using an Existing Web-Based Report Schedule

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Creating a Scheduled Report

Scheduling a Web-Based Report
The following procedure regularly schedules a printed or emailed web-based
report.
Note: The following procedure assumes that you are scheduling an existing
report.
To schedule a web-based report:
1. From the Web Console, log in using an account with administrative privileges.
2. Click Home > Reports.
3. Click Manage Reports.
4. Select a report grouping criterion in the Group by: field.
5. Click the desired report group from the list in the left pane.
6. Select the report you want to schedule from the list in the main pane.
a. If you need to create a new schedule, click Schedule Report >
Create New Schedule.
b. If you need to assign an existing schedule, click Schedule Report >
Assign Existing Schedule.
Creating a Web-Based Report Schedule
The following procedure configures a new web-based report schedule.
Note: The following procedure assumes that you are scheduling an existing
report.
To create a new schedule for a web-based report:
1. On the Schedule Properties view, provide an appropriate Schedule Name
and Description.
a. If you want to add any additional reports to this schedule, click Assign
another Report, select the report(s) to add, and then click Assign
Reports(s).
b. If you want to add any additional websites to this schedule, click
Assign Webpage, and then provide the URL you want to view.
Note: Click the eye icon to see a preview of the provided website as it
is currently published.
c. If you want to apply any account limitations to this schedule, click [+]
to expand Advanced Settings, select Another user, and then provide
the corresponding user credentials.
Note: Click Test to confirm the provided credentials.
2. Click Next.

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3. If a schedule frequency is not listed on the Schedule Frequency view, click
Add Frequency, and then complete the following steps:
Note: The Specific Date(s) option enables you to designate specific, though
not necessarily regular, date(s) and time(s) for your schedule.
a. In the Add Frequency wizard, provide an appropriate Frequency
Name, and then select an appropriate Frequency.
b. If you selected Specific Date(s), select the date(s) and time(s) when
you want to run your report or view your website, and then click Add
Frequency.
Note: Click Add Time to select additional dates and times.
c. If you selected Daily, complete the following steps:
i. Select the number of days between publications.
Note: If you only want to run the report on work days, select
Working Day (Mon - Fri).
ii. Select the time(s) when you want to run your report or view your
website.
Note: Click Add Time to add additional dates and times.
a. If you do not want the schedule to start immediately upon
completion, select Specific Date(s) in the Starting On
field, and then select the date and time when you want the
report schedule to start.
b. If you want the schedule to end at some point, check Ending On, and then select the date and time when you want
the report schedule to end.
iii. Click Add Frequency.
d. If you selected Weekly, complete the following steps:
i. Check the days of the week on which you want to publish.
ii. Select the time(s) when you want to run your report or view your
website.
Note: Click Add Time to add additional dates and times.
a. If you do not want the schedule to start immediately upon
completion, select Specific Date(s) in the Starting On
field, and then select the date and time when you want the
report schedule to start.
b. If you want the schedule to end at some point, check Ending On, and then select the date and time when you want
the report schedule to end.
iii. Click Add Frequency.

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Creating a Scheduled Report

e. If you selected Monthly, complete the following steps:
i. Check the months in which you want to publish.
ii. Select a day of the month, either by calendar day number or
week order, when you want to run your report or view your website.
iii. Select the time(s) when you want to run your report or view your
website.
Note: Click Add Time to add additional dates and times.
a. If you do not want the schedule to start immediately upon
completion, select Specific Date(s) in the Starting On
field, and then select the date and time when you want the
report schedule to start.
b. If you want the schedule to end at some point, check Ending On, and then select the date and time when you want
the report schedule to end.
iv. Click Add Frequency.
4. Click Next.
5. Click Add Action, select an action (Email, Print, or Save to Disk) to
execute on the configured schedule, and then click Configure Action.
6. If you selected Email, complete the following steps:
a. Provide an email Name of action.
b. In the To field, provide the email addresses of all recipients.
Note: Separate email addresses with a semicolon.
i. If you need to add CC or BCC addresses, click CC and/or BCC
field, and then provide the email addresses of all recipients.
Note: Separate email addresses with a semicolon.
c. Provide the Name of Sender and an appropriate Reply Address.
d. Click Message, and then provide an appropriate Subject and Message.
Note: You may compose the message either as HTML or as Plain
Text.
i. If you also want a printable version of your emailed reports,
check Retrieve a Printable Version of Reports.
ii. Check the format(s) in which you want to provide the emailed
report (PDF, CSV, Excel, or HTML).
e. If you want to include the URL of the emailed report to access it
remotely, check Include Report's URL.
f. Click SMTP Server.
i. If you have already configured an SMTP server, select the Name
of SMTP Server, and then click Save.

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9.
10.

ii. If you have not already configured an SMTP server, select Add
New Server, and then complete the following steps:
a. Provide the Hostname or IP Address of your SMTP
Server and the designated SMTP Port Number.
Note: The SMTP server hostname or IP address field is
required. You cannot send an email without identifying the
SMTP server.
i. If you want to use SSL encryption for your emailed
report, check Use SSL.
Note: Opting to use SSL automatically changes the
SMTP port number to 465.
ii. If your SMTP server requires authentication, check
This SMTP Server requires Authentication, and
then provide requested credentials.
b. Click Save.
If you selected Print, complete the following steps:
a. Provide a Windows User name, using Domain\Username format, and
Password for a user with access to the printer on which you want to
print your report.
b. Click Printer Settings.
c. Click Select, and then select a Destination printer.
d. Enter the number of Copies, and then select appropriate Layout,
Color, and Margins options.
e. Click Save.
If you selected Save to Disk, complete the following steps:
a. Provide a Network Share Location where you want to save the
report.
i. If you also want a printable version of your saved report, check
Retrieve a Printable Version of Reports.
b. Provide a Windows User name, using Domain\Username format, and
Password for a user with access to the printer on which you want to
print your report.
c. Check the format(s) in which you want to provide the saved report
(PDF, CSV, or Excel).
d. Click Save.
Click Next.
Review the summary, and then click Create.

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Adding a Custom Table to a Web-Based Report Column

Using an Existing Web-Based Report Schedule
The following procedure configures a web-based report to use an existing report
schedule.
Note: The following procedure assumes that you are scheduling an existing
report, as directed in the section "Scheduling a Web-Based Report" above. For
more information about creating or editing reports, see "Creating Reports in the
Web Console".
To use an existing schedule for a web-based report:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Select a schedule grouping criterion in the Group by: field.

Click the desired schedule group from the list in the left pane.
Select the schedule(s) you want to assign from the list in the main pane.
Click Assign.
a. If you want to apply any account limitations to this schedule, click [+]
to expand Advanced Settings, select Another user, and then
provide the corresponding user credentials.
Note: Click Test to confirm the provided credentials.
5. Click Next.
6. Review the summary, and then Save

Adding a Custom Table to a Web-Based Report Column

Web-based reporting allows you to include custom table resources in your new
web-based report, as indicated in the following procedure.
Note: The following procedure assumes that you are already creating or editing a
report in the web console report Layout Builder. For more information, see
Creating Reports in the Web Console.
To add a custom table to a web-based report column:
1. If you want to create a table for a predefined group of objects, complete
the following steps:
a. Select Use previously specified objects.
b. Select the predefined object group you want to chart
c. Click Add to Layout.
d. Continue editing your report, as indicated in the section, see Creating
Reports in the Web Console.
2. If you want to create a table for a new, custom group of objects, select
Create new object selection, and then select the objects you want to
include in your table using one of the following Selection methods:

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Select Specific Objects (static selection) if you know precisely
which objects you want to include in your table.
Note: This is the most straightforward selection method, and it is preferred both for newer users and for relatively permanent network
objects.
l Select Dynamic Query Builder to select objects based on object properties.
Note: This is the preferred selection method for groups of objects of a
specified type that may change over time. "All Cisco nodes in Austin"
is an example of a group best defined using the Dynamic Query
Builder.
l Select Advanced DataBase Query (SQL, SWQL) only if you are comfortable querying your SolarWinds database directly, using SQL or
SWQL.
3. If you selected the Specific Objects (static selection) method, select
objects as indicated in the following steps:
a. Select the object type to include in your table from the Show dropdown.
b. Select an appropriate grouping criterion from the Group by dropdown.
c. Select objects by checking or expanding appropriate groups, and
checking objects to include in your table.
d. After selecting all objects to include in your table, provide a name for
the selected group of objects in the Selection Name field
e. Click Add to Layout.
f. Continue editing your report, as indicated in the section, see Creating
Reports in the Web Console.
4. If you selected the Dynamic Query Builder method, define objects to
include in your table as indicated in the following steps:
a. Select the type of selector query you want to use (Basic or
Advanced).
Note: Though the Advanced Selector provides access to all network
object characteristics, the Basic Selector provides access to a smaller subset of the most frequently used network object characteristics.
b. Select the type of objects to include in your table.
c. Click Add Condition.
d. Build conditions to define your selection group, as follows:
i. Select whether All child conditions must be satisfied (AND)
or if only At least one child condition must be satisfied (OR).
ii. Select an object characteristic, an appropriate relation, and then
provide a value.
l

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Desktop Notification Tool

Note: The Advanced Selector enables you to select any database column name as a selection condition.
iii. Add additional conditions, as required, to define your object
group.
iv. Provide a name for the selected group of objects in the Selection Name field, and then click Add to Layout.
5. If you selected the Advanced Database Query (SQL. SWQL), provide a
selection query, as follows:
a. Select the Query Type (SWQL or SQL).
Note: For more information about SWQL and SQL queries, click How
to use SWQL / SQL.
b. Enter a query, and then click Preview Results to confirm that your
query provides expected results.
c. After confirming that your query provides expected results, provide a
name for the selected group of objects in the Selection Name field.
d. Click Add to Layout.

Desktop Notification Tool

The Desktop Notification Tool is an application that is installed on an
administrator's desktop that can be used to notify administrators when there is an
alert in Orion without the need for a web browser to be opened to the Orion web
page. This tools available for download through the web based alert manager
when you select. Play a sound as your alert action. This is especially useful for
dedicated NOC computers.

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Using the Desktop Notification Tool:

1. Navigate to Start >SolarWinds Orion >Desktop Notification Tool >
Desktop Notification Tool.
2. Enter the correct Orion server and credentials. When done, click Connect.

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Desktop Notification Tool

3. From the Preferences screen, select the options you want.

4. When done, click Save.

Note: SolarWinds Free Mobile Monitor is a mobile application that allows you to
view alerts, acknowledge alerts, view the status of nodes, and applications from
your mobile device. This is a free download that can be found in your Customer

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Chapter 18: Alerting and Reporting

Portal. The Quick Start Guide for Mobile Monitor can be found on thwack.com:
Free Mobile Monitor Quick Start V2.pdf
Free Mobile Monitor supports the following mobile device operating
systems:
l
l
l

Android
Apple iOS
Older Blackberry devices)

Mobile Admin is a product that includes all the functionality of Free

Mobile Monitor, but extends that functionality by allowing you to
resolve issues from your mobile device. This download can be found
in your Customer Portal. The Administrator's Guide for Mobile Admin
can be found at: Mobile Admin Documentation.

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Chapter 19: Monitoring Quality of

Experience
Quality of Experience (QoE) is a new dashboard within Orion that allows you to
monitor traffic on your network. QoE uses Packet Analysis Sensor to provide
packet-level traffic information about key devices and applications that you
specify.

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Introduction
With Quality of Experience, you can:
l

Compare statistics like network response time (TCP Handshake) and application response time (Time to First Byte) to determine if a perceived bottleneck is actually on your network, or if you need to call the server team.
Use data volume trends to pinpoint traffic anomalies and investigate the
cause.
Monitor "risky" types of traffic.

There are three steps you must complete to start monitoring traffic on your
network:
1. Deploy Packet Analysis Sensors (network and/or server) to Windows nodes
where you want to collect traffic data.
2. In the web console, specify the nodes and applications for which you want
to collect traffic.
Note: Packet Analysis Sensors do not automatically discover nodes and
applications. You must indicate the nodes and applications to monitor
before you will see traffic data in the web console.
3. Allocate appropriate CPU cores and memory for the traffic load for each
sensor.
Traffic data is captured using packet analysis sensors. These sensors collect
packets using either a dedicated Windows SPAN or Mirror port monitor or directly
on your Windows server. Packet Analysis Sensors capture packets from the local
network interface (NIC) and then analyzes collected packets to calculate metrics
for application performance monitoring. These metrics provide information about
application health and allow you to identify possible application performance
issues before they are reported by end-users.
With the ability to analyze packet traffic, QoE provides real observed network
response time (NRT) and application response time (ART). In addition, Packet
Analysis Sensors have the ability to classify and categorize traffic for over 1000
different applications by associated purpose and risk-level.

Requirements
Quality of Experience (QoE) is a component of the Orion Web Console that does
not require any additional hardware beyond what is required by Orion. Before
deploying a packet analysis sensor to any device, review the following system

999

Network Packet Analysis Sensor Requirements

requirements and confirm that your SolarWinds monitoring environment meets or
exceeds them.

Network Packet Analysis Sensor Requirements

Hardware/Software Requirements
Operating System

Windows 7, 64-bit or later

Windows Server 2008, 64-bit or later
Note: 32-bit operating systems are not supported.

Hard Drive Space

500 MB

RAM

1GB, but 2GB is recommended

Network Bandwidth

1GB maximum throughput

Other

SPAN, mirror, or trap port or in-line tap on the monitored

device

Server Packet Analysis Sensor Requirements

Hardware/Software

Requirements
Windows 7, 64-bit or later
Operating System Windows Server 2008, 64-bit or later
Note: 32-bit operating systems are not supported.
Hard Drive Space 500 MB
RAM
1GB, but 2GB is recommended
Network Bandwidth 1GB maximum throughput
SPAN, mirror, or trap port or in-line tap on the monitored
Other
device

Port Requirements
Port

Notes
Required: This port must be open to enable communication with your
17778
Orion server.
This port must be open to deploy packet analysis sensors from your Web
135
Console.

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Chapter 19: Monitoring Quality of Experience

User Scenarios
The following scenario serves as an example of how sensors can monitor
network performance.

Scenario: High Response Time

A web server is providing an important web application. Your users are
encountering response times that are too long and also encountering outages.
Use the following procedure to troubleshoot the high response time issue:
1. Remotely deploy a Server sensor directly on the web server.
2. Define which application(s) should be monitored, and let the data be collected for a period of time to establish some trends.
3. Determine if the issue is on the network side or if there is a problem with the
application.
4. Check related statistics and historical data.

Quality of Experience Licensing

QoE is available without limitation or license for SolarWinds Network
Performance Monitor and SolarWinds Server and Application Monitor.

Common Packet Analysis Sensor Deployment

Scenarios
After you install your Orion-platform product, deploy network sensors on a server
dedicated to monitoring a network switch, and deploy server sensors directly to
servers or workstations with applications for which you want to monitor traffic.
There are three main deployment scenarios based on how you want to aggregate
the returned QoE metrics.

Aggregation level

Sensor Deployment

Managed Node
Configuration

Ihave access to my network (NPAS)

Per application

Deploy an NPAS to a port mirror that monitors all traffic to

and from the application

1001

Add the application

server to the NPAS as
a managed node

Aggregation per application

Aggregation level

Sensor Deployment

Managed Node
Configuration

Per site

Deploy an NPAS to a port mirror that monitors all traffic to

and from the site

Add a sampling of endpoints to the NPAS as

managed nodes

Per computer

Deploy an NPAS to a port mirror that monitors all traffic to

and from the site

Add all of the endpoints to the NPAS as

managed nodes

I have access to my application servers (SPAS)

Per application

Deploy the SPASdirectly on

the application server

Add the application

server to the SPAS as
a managed node

Per site

Deploy the SPAS to select end- Add the endpoints to

points
the SPAS as a managed node

Per computer

Deploy the SPAS to all endpoints

Add the endpoints to

the SPAS as a managed node

Notes:
l

When deploying network and server sensors, ensure that you do not monitor the same node with multiple sensors. This impacts the QoE metrics.
All monitored nodes must be managed by your Orion Platform product
before they can be added to the sensors.
These deployment scenarios also apply to virtual networks.

Aggregation per application

This deployment scenario provides a broad indication of the overall response
time between computers and the monitored application.

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Chapter 19: Monitoring Quality of Experience

Aggregation with access to network (NPAS)

Notes:
l

Create a port mirror, SPAN, or network tap on the switch with all the network
traffic to or from the application.
You can monitor multiple applications using the same NPAS.

To deploy the network sensor:

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

From the web console, navigate to Settings > QoE Settings.

Click Manage QoE PacketAnalysis Sensors.
Click Add Packet Analysis Sensor.
Select the Network option.
Click Add Nodes.

1003

Aggregationwith access to application servers (SPAS)

6. Choose the node with the port mirror, SPAN or network tap set up to monitor
your network switch.
7. Test the credentials for the selected node.
8. Click Add Node(s) and Deploy Agent(s) to deploy the network sensor to
the node.
9. Configure the sensor to monitor the application(s).

Aggregationwith access to application servers (SPAS)

To Deploy from your Web Console:

1. From the web console, navigate to Settings > QoE Settings.
2. Click Manage QoE PacketAnalysis Sensors.
3. To specify a node as a packet analysis sensor, click Add Packet Analysis
Sensor.

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Chapter 19: Monitoring Quality of Experience

4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

Select the Server option.

Click Add Nodes.
Choose the nodes with the application you want to monitor.
Test the credentials for each node.
Click Add Node(s) and Deploy Agent(s) to deploy an agent on the node.
Configure the sensor to monitor specific applications on the server.

Aggregation per site

This deployment scenario provides an aggregated response time per monitored
site or network to the application. For example, the response time from your
Detroit office to your datacenter is 1 second, but the response time from Boston to
your datacenter is 7 seconds. If you used the aggregation per application
deployment method, the response time for the application is 4 seconds.
This method requires you to identify users who best represent how the application
is used. You then use the users' computers as data points to monitor with the
Packet Analysis Sensors.

1005

Aggregation per site with access to network (NPAS)

Notes:
l

l
l

Create a port mirror, SPAN, or network tap on the switch with all the network
traffic to or from the site.
Identify a sample set of users whose computers are monitored by the NPAS
You can monitor multiple applications using the same NPAS.

To deploy the network sensor:

1.
2.
3.
4.

From the web console, navigate to Settings > QoE Settings.

Click Manage QoE PacketAnalysis Sensors.
Click Add Packet Analysis Sensor.
Select the Network option.

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Chapter 19: Monitoring Quality of Experience

5. Click Add Nodes.
6. Choose the node with the port mirror, SPAN or network tap set up to monitor
your network switch.
7. Test the credentials for the selected node.
8. Click Add Node(s) and Deploy Agent(s) to deploy the network sensor to
the node.
9. Configure the sensor to monitor the selected computers and application(s).

Aggregation per site with access to application servers (SPAS)

Note: Identify a sample set of users whose computers are monitored by the SPAS
To Deploy from your Web Console:

1007

Aggregation per computer

1. From the web console, navigate to Settings > QoE Settings.
2. Click Manage QoE PacketAnalysis Sensors.
3. To specify a node as a packet analysis sensor, click Add Packet Analysis
Sensor.
4. Select the Server option.
5. Click Add Nodes.
6. Select the sampled set of user computers to monitor.
7. Test the credentials for each node.
8. Click Add Node(s) and Deploy Agent(s) to deploy an agent on the nodes.
9. Configure the sensor to monitor specific applications on the server.

Aggregation per computer

This deployment scenario provides highly granular response times for the
application. In previous deployment types, QoE provides aggregated information
either per application or site. In this deployment scenario, metrics for each
computer are recorded. One or two workstations can be experiencing long
response times, which may not be caught when aggregated per site or per
application.
This method requires all workstations to be a managed node within your Orion
Platform product.

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Chapter 19: Monitoring Quality of Experience

Aggregation per computer with access to network (NPAS)

Notes:
l

Create a port mirror, SPAN, or network tap on the switch with all the network
traffic to or from the site.
You can monitor multiple applications using the same NPAS.

To deploy the network sensor:

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

From the web console, navigate to Settings > QoE Settings.

Click Manage QoE PacketAnalysis Sensors.
Click Add Packet Analysis Sensor.
Select the Network option.
Click Add Nodes.

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Aggregation per computer with access to application servers (SPAS)

Aggregation per computer with access to application servers

(SPAS)

To deploy from your Web Console:

1. From the web console, navigate to Settings > QoE Settings.
2. Click Manage QoE PacketAnalysis Sensors.

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3. To specify a node as a packet analysis sensor, click Add Packet Analysis
Sensor.
4. Select the Server option.
5. Click Add Nodes.
6. Select the all user computers to monitor.
7. Test the credentials for each node.
8. Click Add Node(s) and Deploy Agent(s) to deploy an agent on the nodes.
9. Configure the sensor to monitor specific applications on the server.

Deploying a Network Sensor

Network sensors must be deployed on any server connected to a switched
SPAN/mirror port or in-line tap. One complimentary network sensor is included
per licensed Orion Platform installation.
Note: If you deploy from the AdditionalWebConsole, the node must be
reachable from the main polling engine during deployment.Data from sensors are
directed to the polling engine assigned to the node when the sensor was
deployed.
To Deploy a Network Sensor:
1. From the Orion Website Administration page, navigate to Settings > QoE
Settings.
2. Click Manage QoE PacketAnalysis Sensors.
3. To specify a node as a packet analysis sensor, click Add Packet Analysis
Sensor.
4. Select the Network option.
5. Click Add Nodes.
6. Choose the node set up to monitor your network switch.
7. Test the credentials for the selected node:
a. From the Add Packet Analysis Sensor page, select the newly added
node, and click Assign Credentials.
b. Select an existing administrative credential or create a new one.
c. Click Submit.
d. Click Test to test the credential.
8. Click Add Node(s) and Deploy Agent(s) to deploy an agent on the node.
9. Specify which nodes and applications to monitor.
When sensor deployment is complete, the installation wizard displays a
message.

1011

Deploying a Server Sensor

Note: Network Sensors do not automatically discover nodes and applications.
You must configure the sensor to monitor nodes and applications manually before
traffic can be collected and data appear in the QoE dashboard.

Deploying a Server Sensor

Deploy server sensors to any server that supports an application for which you
want to analyze traffic. Ten complimentary server sensors are included with each
Orion Platform installation.
Note: If you deploy from the AdditionalWebConsole, the node must be
reachable from the main polling engine during deployment.Data from sensors are
directed to the polling engine assigned to the node when the sensor was
deployed.
To Deploy a Server Sensor:
1. From the Orion Website Administration page, navigate to Settings > QoE
Settings.
2. Click Manage QoE PacketAnalysis Sensors.
3. To specify a node as a packet analysis sensor, click Add Packet Analysis
Sensor.
4. Select the Server option.
5. Choose the Windows nodes that you want to deploy your Server sensors
on.
6. Test the credentials for each selected node:
a. From the Add Packet Analysis Sensor page, select the newly added
node, and click Assign Credentials.
b. Select an existing administrative credential or create a new one.
c. Click Submit.
d. Click Test to test the credential.
7. Click Add Node(s) and Deploy Agent(s) to deploy an agent on the node.
When sensor deployment is complete, the installation notification bar displays a
message.
Note: Server Sensors automatically begin monitoring the HTTPapplication on
the node on which they are installed. You can add applications or change the
monitored application after the Server sensor has been deployed.

Configuring Nodes and Applications to Monitor

After you have deployed Network and Server sensors, you must specify the
nodes and applications whose traffic you want to monitor. QoE does not

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automatically discover nodes or applications.
l

You must specify which nodes and applications you want the network
sensors to monitor before traffic for these nodes can be collected and data
appear in the QoE dashboard.
Server Sensors automatically monitor pre-selected applicationsincluding
CIFS, FTP, HTTP, MS SQL, RDP, and SNMPon the node they are
installed on. You can change which applications are monitored after the
sensor is deployed.

For each node you choose to monitor, you must also select specific applications.
Packet Analysis Sensors can categorize over 1,000 pre-defined applications,
such as FTP, RDP, CIFS, SQL, and Exchange. You can also define your own
custom HTTP applications.
Note: Because of the hardware requirements needed to process large amounts of
traffic, SolarWinds recommends that you preferentially monitor business-critical
nodes and applications. You can monitor up to 50 applications per node.

Monitoring QoE Applications

For each monitored node you choose to add to QoE, you will also select specific
applications to monitor. QoE installs with the ability to monitor over 1000 predefined applications, including FTP, RDP, CIFS, SQL, and Exchange. Selecting
one of these applications is as easy as choosing from the list of all available
applications. You can also define your own custom HTTP applications.
Notes:
l Because of the hardware requirements needed to process large amounts of
traffic, SolarWinds recommends that you preferentially monitor businesscritical nodes and applications.
l You should not assign more than 50 applications to a single node due to the
potential for performance issues.
To select specific applications for monitoring:
1.
2.
3.
4.

1013

Defining Custom HTTP Applications

Applications listed with the Enabled/Disabled toggle "ON" are currently being monitored on at least one node.
l Applications can be disabled (the Enabled/Disabled toggle "OFF")
which means that no traffic for the application is currently collected on
any node.
Click Add New.
Select Choose a pre-configured application.
Note: The list of available applications displays. Applications, either predefined or custom HTTP applications, that are already enabled will not
appear in the list.
Use the Search or Group By options to find the application you want to
monitor, select it, and then click Next.
On the Configure Application view, edit the Category, Risk Level, or Productivity Rating as necessary, and then click Next.
On the Configure Data Collection view, choose the node(s) you want to
monitor for this type of traffic.
Note: Only nodes that have already been specified as nodes to monitor on
the Manage QoE Nodes page appear in this list.
Click Next.
Review your choices on the Summary page, then click Finish.
l

5.
6.

7.
8.
9.

10.
11.

Your newly enabled application will appear on the Manage QoE Applications
page in alphabetical order.

Defining Custom HTTP Applications

In addition to choosing from pre-defined applications, you can also define custom
HTTP applications, and then add them to nodes you are monitoring.
To create a custom HTTP application:
1. From the web console, navigate to Settings, then select Manage QoE
Applications.

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Chapter 19: Monitoring Quality of Experience

2. Click Add New.

3. On the Select Application page, select Create a new HTTP application,

then click Next.
4. On the Configure Application page, enter the name and description of the
application youre creating, then choose the Category, Risk Level, and Productivity Rating appropriate for the application.
5. Set the URL Filter. This specifies the HTTP application traffic to monitor.
When you choose which filter to use in the drop-down, notice that the
example changes to indicate how the accompanying text field will be used.

6. For example, selecting Hostname contains changes the help text to

http://*...*/path/page.html. Any text you enter will be included in the filter
where the appears.

1015

Advanced Sensor Configuration

7. Enter the hostname or URL for your filter, then click Next.
8. On the Configure Data Collection page, choose the node(s) you want to
monitor for this type of traffic. Only nodes that have already been specified
as nodes to monitor (on the Manage QoE Nodes page) will appear in this
list.
9. Click Next. Review your choices on the Summary page, then click Finish.
10. Your new application will appear on the Manage QoE Applications page
in alphabetical order.

Advanced Sensor Configuration

Sensors cannot be edited until they are fully deployed. You are notified when
your sensor is deployed, or you can check the Manage QoE Nodes page. The
status of completely deployed sensors is Connected.
You can configure:
l
l

The monitored interface

The allocated CPU cores and memory

Configuring the Monitored Interface

When you deploy a sensor, the first available interface is monitored for traffic.
Once the sensor is installed, you can go back and change the monitored
interface, as indicated in the following procedure.
To change the interface monitored by a sensor:
1. Using an account with administrative credentials, log in to your Orion Web
Console.
2. In the top right corner of the web console, click Settings.
3. In the Settings grouping, click QoE Settings.
4. Click Manage QoE Packet Analysis Sensors.
5. Select the sensor to edit.
6. Click Edit Sensor.
7. Select the desired interface from the Interface to capture QoE data drop-

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down list.
8. Click Save.

Configuring the Number of CPU Cores and Allocated Memory

When a sensor is deployed, QoE automatically allocates one CPU core and one
GB of memory to the sensor. After the sensor is installed, you can change the
allocated CPU cores and memory.
For sensors, the memory usage scales with the traffic load. The more flows that
are going on the line, the more memory you need.
Number of
CPU Cores

Guidelines

Not Recommended

Suitable for 100 Mbps links

3-4

Gigabit links with low utilization

5-6

Gigabit links with medium utilization

Gigabit links with high utilization

To change the number of CPU cores and memory allocated to the sensor:
1. Using an account with administrative credentials, log in to your Orion Web
Console.
2. In the top right corner of the web console, click Settings.
3. In the Settings grouping, click Manage QoE Packet Analysis Sensors.
4. Select the sensor to edit.
5. Click Edit Sensor.
6. In the Memory field, select the number of GB you want to allocate to the
sensor.
Note: If you allocate less than the recommended amount of memory, you
may see reduced performance.
7. In the CPU Cores field, select the number of CPU cores you want to allocate to the sensor.
Note: If you allocate fewer than the recommended number of CPU cores,
you may see reduced performance.
8. Click Save.

1017

Packet Analysis Sensor Agents

The software that provides a communication channel between your SolarWinds
server and the monitored object to which you have deployed your Packet analysis
Sensor is referred to as the agent. Agents are used to provide packet-level traffic
information about key devices and applications that you specify. The agent runs
as a service on Windows 2008, Windows 2008 R2, and Windows 2012, and it
has a relatively small footprint (under 100MB installed).
For more information, see Agents.

Quality of Experience Resources

Following is a list of resources associated with QoE:
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l

All Nodes with QoE Traffic

Application Response Time (Time to First Byte)
Application Response Time (Time to First Byte)
Business Related vs. Social Traffic
Data Volume By Application
Data Volume By Node
Network Response Time (TCP Handshake) by Application
Network Response Time (TCP Handshake) by Node
QoE Applications/Nodes Exceeding Thresholds
Quality of Experience Application Details
Quality of Experience Application Stats
Top XX Application Response Time
Top XX Data Volume
Top XX Network Response Time (TCP Handshake)
Top XX Transactions
Traffic By Category
Traffic By Risk Level
Transactions By Application
Transactions By Node

All Nodes with QoE Traffic

This resource provides a list of all monitored nodes that have QoE traffic. Click [+[
to expand a list of the applications that are monitored on a listed node.
To manage the QoE packet sensors that collect QoE data, click Manage.
To modify the node listing:

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Chapter 19: Monitoring Quality of Experience

1. Click Edit.
2. Edit the chart Title and Subtitle, as appropriate.
Note: Leave the Subtitle field blank for automatic grouping.
3. Select appropriate options from the following drop-down lists to customize
the list of monitored nodes:
l Grouping Nodes
l Category
l Risk Level
l Productivity Rating
4. Click Submit.

Application Response Time (Time to First Byte)

The Top 10 Application Response Time (Time to First Byte) resource displays the
response time, over time, for the currently viewed application.
To customize this resource for viewing in the web console:
1. Click Edit.
2. Edit the chart Title and Subtitle, as appropriate.
3. Select appropriate values for the Default zoom range, Amount of historical data to load, and Sample interval.
4. Click Submit to commit customizations.
To export or print chart data:
1. Click Export.
2. Customize the chart to format it for export, as follows:
a. Edit the chart Title and Subtitle, as appropriate, in the Chart Titles
section.
b. Select appropriate values for the Default zoom range, Time Period,
and Sample Interval.
c. Resize the chart by selecting appropriate Width (pixels) and Height
(pixels).
Note: To maintain the same aspect ratio, enter 0 for the Height and
vary the Width, as needed.
d. Click Refresh to review customizations.
e. Click Submit to commit customizations.
3. Select the appropriate option on the Custom Chart view:
l Click Export to PDF in the top right.
l Click Printable Version in the top right.
l Click Export to XLS in the Display Chart Data section.
l Click Export to HTML in the Display Chart Data section.

1019

Application Response Time (Time to First Byte)

The Application Response Time (Time to First Byte) resource displays the
response time, over time, for the currently viewed node.
To customize this resource for viewing in the web console:
1. Click Edit.
2. Edit the chart Title and Subtitle, as appropriate.
3. Select appropriate values for the Default zoom range, Amount of historical data to load, and Sample interval.
4. Click Submit to commit customizations.
To export or print chart data:
1. Click Export.
2. Customize the chart to format it for export, as follows:
a. Edit the chart Title and Subtitle, as appropriate, in the Chart Titles
section.
b. Select appropriate values for the Default zoom range, Time Period,
and Sample Interval.
c. Resize the chart by selecting appropriate Width (pixels) and Height
(pixels).
Note: To maintain the same aspect ratio, enter 0 for the Height and
vary the Width, as needed.
d. Click Refresh to review customizations.
e. Click Submit to commit customizations.
3. Select the appropriate option on the Custom Chart view:
l Click Export to PDF in the top right.
l Click Printable Version in the top right.
l Click Export to XLS in the Display Chart Data section.
l Click Export to HTML in the Display Chart Data section.

Business Related vs. Social Traffic

This resource provides a pie chart showing the types of application traffic the
currently viewed node is routing. Application traffic is categorized in terms of
productivity rating. Productivity ratings are listed in terms of either data volume or
number of transactions. Application productivity ratings are assigned when the
application is defined, and they may be changed.
To view traffic data for all applications of any listed productivity rating, click the
color corresponding to the desired productivity rating.
To customize this resource:

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1. Click Edit.
2. Edit the chart Title and Subtitle, as appropriate.
3. In the Data to summarize field, select the type of data by which you want to
list productivity ratings (Data Volume or Number of Transactions).
4. Select an appropriate value for theSelected time period.
Note: This is the time period for which data is displayed in the resource.
5. Click Submit to commit customizations.

Changing an Application Productivity Rating

Application productivity ratings are assigned when an application is initially
defined, but they may also be changed at any time, as indicated in the following
procedure.
To change an application productivity rating:
1.
2.
3.
4.

5.
6.
7.

8.
9.

Log into the web console using an account with administrative privileges.
Click Settings in the top right of the web console.
In the Settings grouping, click QoE Settings.
Click Manage QoE Applications.
Notes:
l Applications are only listed if there are monitored nodes. You must
first add a QoE Network or Server Sensor before you can enable any
applications.
l Applications listed with the Enabled/Disabled toggle "ON" are currently being monitored on at least one node.
l Applications can be disabled (the Enabled/Disabled toggle "OFF")
which means that no traffic for the application is currently collected on
any node.
Select the application you want to edit, and then click Edit.
On the Configure Application view, edit the Productivity Rating as necessary, and then click Next.
On the Configure Data Collection view, choose the node(s) you want to
monitor for this type of traffic.
Note: Only nodes that have already been specified as nodes to monitor on
the Manage QoE Nodes page appear in this list.
Click Next.
Review your choices on the Summary page, then click Finish.

Data Volume By Application

The Data Volume resource displays the total amount of monitored traffic related to
the viewed application over time.

1021

Data Volume By Node

To customize this resource for viewing in the web console:
1. Click Edit.
2. Edit the chart Title and Subtitle, as appropriate.
3. Select appropriate values for the Default zoom range, Amount of historical data to load, and Sample interval.
4. Click Submit to commit customizations.
To export or print chart data:
1. Click Export.
2. Customize the chart to format it for export, as follows:
a. Edit the chart Title and Subtitle, as appropriate, in the Chart Titles
section.
b. Select appropriate values for the Default zoom range, Time Period,
and Sample Interval.
c. Resize the chart by selecting appropriate Width (pixels) and Height
(pixels).
Note: To maintain the same aspect ratio, enter 0 for the Height and
vary the Width, as needed.
d. Click Refresh to review customizations.
e. Click Submit to commit customizations.
3. Select the appropriate option on the Custom Chart view:
l Click Export to PDF in the top right.
l Click Printable Version in the top right.
l Click Export to XLS in the Display Chart Data section.
l Click Export to HTML in the Display Chart Data section.

Data Volume By Node

The Data Volume resource displays the total amount of traffic monitored on the
viewed node over time.
To customize this resource for viewing in the web console:
1. Click Edit.
2. Edit the chart Title and Subtitle, as appropriate.
3. Select appropriate values for the Default zoom range, Amount of historical data to load, and Sample interval.
4. Click Submit to commit customizations.
To export or print chart data:

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Chapter 19: Monitoring Quality of Experience

1. Click Export.
2. Customize the chart to format it for export, as follows:
a. Edit the chart Title and Subtitle, as appropriate, in the Chart Titles
section.
b. Select appropriate values for the Default zoom range, Time Period,
and Sample Interval.
c. Resize the chart by selecting appropriate Width (pixels) and Height
(pixels).
Note: To maintain the same aspect ratio, enter 0 for the Height and
vary the Width, as needed.
d. Click Refresh to review customizations.
e. Click Submit to commit customizations.
3. Select the appropriate option on the Custom Chart view:
l Click Export to PDF in the top right.
l Click Printable Version in the top right.
l Click Export to XLS in the Display Chart Data section.
l Click Export to HTML in the Display Chart Data section.

Network Response Time (TCP Handshake) by Application

This resource displays network response time via TCP handshake for the viewed
application over time.
To customize this resource for viewing in the web console:
1. Click Edit.
2. Edit the chart Title and Subtitle, as appropriate.
3. Select appropriate values for the Default zoom range, Amount of historical data to load, and Sample interval.
4. Click Submit to commit customizations.
To export or print chart data:
1. Click Export.
2. Customize the chart to format it for export, as follows:
a. Edit the chart Title and Subtitle, as appropriate, in the Chart Titles
section.
b. Select appropriate values for the Default zoom range, Time Period,
and Sample Interval.
c. Resize the chart by selecting appropriate Width (pixels) and Height
(pixels).
Note: To maintain the same aspect ratio, enter 0 for the Height and
vary the Width, as needed.

1023

Network Response Time (TCP Handshake) by Node

d. Click Refresh to review customizations.
e. Click Submit to commit customizations.
3. Select the appropriate option on the Custom Chart view:
l Click Export to PDF in the top right.
l Click Printable Version in the top right.
l Click Export to XLS in the Display Chart Data section.
l Click Export to HTML in the Display Chart Data section.

Network Response Time (TCP Handshake) by Node

This resource displays network response time via TCP handshake for the viewed
node over time.
To customize this resource for viewing in the web console:
1. Click Edit.
2. Edit the chart Title and Subtitle, as appropriate.
3. Select appropriate values for the Default zoom range, Amount of historical data to load, and Sample interval.
4. Click Submit to commit customizations.
To export or print chart data:
1. Click Export.
2. Customize the chart to format it for export, as follows:
a. Edit the chart Title and Subtitle, as appropriate, in the Chart Titles
section.
b. Select appropriate values for the Default zoom range, Time Period,
and Sample Interval.
c. Resize the chart by selecting appropriate Width (pixels) and Height
(pixels).
Note: To maintain the same aspect ratio, enter 0 for the Height and
vary the Width, as needed.
d. Click Refresh to review customizations.
e. Click Submit to commit customizations.
3. Select the appropriate option on the Custom Chart view:
l Click Export to PDF in the top right.
l Click Printable Version in the top right.
l Click Export to XLS in the Display Chart Data section.
l Click Export to HTML in the Display Chart Data section.

1024

Chapter 19: Monitoring Quality of Experience

QoE Applications/Nodes Exceeding Thresholds

This resource lists all monitored nodes, by application, that are exceeding
specified, response time thresholds. Click [+], as necessary, to fully expand the
list of monitored applications and nodes. Response times that exceed the
specified Warning Level threshold are highlighted in yellow. Response times that
exceed the specified Critical Level threshold are highlighted in red.
The grouping criterion is selected on the Edit Resource view for this resource, as
indicated in the following procedure:
To modify the node listing:
1. Click Edit.
2. Edit the chart Title and Subtitle, as appropriate.
Note: Leave the Subtitle field blank for automatic grouping.
3. Select appropriate options from the following drop-down lists to customize
the list of monitored nodes:
l Selected Time Period
l Grouping Nodes
l Category This option is only available on the QoE Nodes Exceeding
Thresholds resource.
l Risk Level This option is only available on the QoE Nodes Exceeding
Thresholds resource.
l Productivity Rating This option is only available on the QoE Nodes
Exceeding Thresholds resource.
4. Click Submit.
Configuring Response Time Thresholds
Response time thresholds are set on the Orion General Thresholds view, as
follows:
To configure response time thresholds for monitored nodes and
applications:
1. Log into the Orion Web Console using an account with administrative privileges.
2. Click Settings in the top right of the web console.
3. Click Orion Thresholds in the Settings grouping.
4. Under Response Time, set Critical and Warning Levels, as required.
5. Click Submit.

1025

Quality of Experience Application Details

This resource provides QoE-related monitoring details for the viewed application.
The listed details are configured when the application is initially selected for
monitoring, but they may be changed.
Managing QoE Applications
The following procedure configures a monitored application.
To configure a monitored application:
1. Click Manage.
Notes:
l Applications are only listed if there are monitored nodes. You must
first add a QoE Network or Server Sensor before you can enable any
applications.
l Applications listed with the Enabled/Disabled toggle "ON" are currently being monitored on at least one node.
l Applications can be disabled (the Enabled/Disabled toggle "OFF")
which means that no traffic for the application is currently collected on
any node.
2. Select the application you want to edit, and then click Edit.
3. Edit the Application Name and Description, as desired.
4. Using the Enabled/Disabled toggle, confirm that the application is enabled
or disabled, as desired.
5. Select desired options for the Category, Risk Level, and Productivity Rating of the application.
6. Edit the URL Filter, as needed.
Note: The URL filter specifies the HTTP application traffic to monitor.
Changing the hostname or URL conditions changes the provided example
accordingly. For example, selecting Hostname contains changes the help
text to http://*...*/path/page.html. Any text you enter will be included in the filter where the ellipses () appears, as indicated in the following example.

7. Click Next.

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Chapter 19: Monitoring Quality of Experience

8. On the Configure Data Collection page, choose the node(s) you want to
monitor for this type of traffic.
Note: Only nodes that have already been specified as nodes to monitor on
the Manage QoE Nodes page will appear in this list.
9. Click Next.
10. Review your choices on the Summary page, and then click Finish.

Quality of Experience Application Stats

This resource lists all monitored applications with QoE-related statistics that are
currently collected over time. Click [+], as necessary, to fully expand the list of
monitored applications and nodes.
The grouping criterion is selected on the Edit Resource view for this resource, as
indicated in the following procedure:
To modify the node listing:
1. Click Edit.
2. Edit the chart Title and Subtitle, as appropriate.
Note: Leave the Subtitle field blank for automatic grouping.
3. Select an appropriate Selected Time Period.
4. Click Submit.
Managing QoE Applications
The following procedure configures a monitored application.
To configure a monitored application:
1. Click Manage.
Notes:
l Applications are only listed if there are monitored nodes. You must
first add a QoE Network or Server Sensor before you can enable any
applications.
l Applications listed with the Enabled/Disabled toggle "ON" are currently being monitored on at least one node.
l Applications can be disabled (the Enabled/Disabled toggle "OFF")
which means that no traffic for the application is currently collected on
any node.
2. Select the application you want to edit, and then click Edit.
3. Edit the Application Name and Description, as desired.
4. Using the Enabled/Disabled toggle, confirm that the application is enabled
or disabled, as desired.

1027

Top XX Application Response Time

5. Select desired options for the Category, Risk Level, and Productivity Rating of the application.
6. Edit the URL Filter, as needed.
Note: The URL filter specifies the HTTP application traffic to monitor.
Changing the hostname or URL conditions changes the provided example
accordingly. For example, selecting Hostname contains changes the help
text to http://*...*/path/page.html. Any text you enter will be included in the filter where the ellipses () appears, as indicated in the following example.

7. Click Next.
8. On the Configure Data Collection page, choose the node(s) you want to
monitor for this type of traffic.
Note: Only nodes that have already been specified as nodes to monitor on
the Manage QoE Nodes page will appear in this list.
9. Click Next.
10. Review your choices on the Summary page, and then click Finish.

Top XX Application Response Time

This resource lists a specified number of monitored applications by average
response time, from highest to lowest, over a specified period of time.
Applications with an average response time that exceeds configured thresholds
are indicated as follows:
l

Applications exceeding the configured Warning Level for response time are
listed with values highlighted in yellow.
Applications exceeding the configured Critical Level for response time are
listed with values highlighted in red.

The chart displays response time for selected applications over time. Graphed
lines match the colors assigned to listed applications.
To customize this resource for viewing in the web console:
1. Click Edit.
2. Edit the chart Title and Subtitle, as appropriate.
3. Select the Number of Items you want to display.

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Chapter 19: Monitoring Quality of Experience

4. Select appropriate options from the following drop-down lists to customize
the list of monitored applications:
l Group by
l Category
l Risk Level
l Productivity Rating
5. Select appropriate values for the Default zoom range, Amount of historical data to load, and Sample interval.
6. Click Submit to commit customizations.
To export or print chart data:
1. Click Export.
2. Customize the chart to format it for export, as follows:
a. Edit the chart Title and Subtitle, as appropriate, in the Chart Titles
section.
b. Select appropriate values for the Default zoom range, Time Period,
and Sample Interval.
c. Resize the chart by selecting appropriate Width (pixels) and Height
(pixels).
Note: To maintain the same aspect ratio, enter 0 for the Height and
vary the Width, as needed.
d. Click Refresh to review customizations.
e. Click Submit to commit customizations.
3. Select the appropriate option on the Custom Chart view:
l Click Export to PDF in the top right.
l Click Printable Version in the top right.
l Click Export to XLS in the Display Chart Data section.
l Click Export to HTML in the Display Chart Data section.

Top XX Data Volume

This resource lists a specified number of monitored applications by average data
volume, from highest to lowest, over a specified period of time. The chart displays
data volume for selected applications over time. Graphed lines match the colors
assigned to listed applications.
To customize this resource for viewing in the web console:
1. Click Edit.
2. Edit the chart Title and Subtitle, as appropriate.
3. Select the Number of Items you want to display.

1029

Top XX Network Response Time (TCP Handshake)

This resource lists a specified number of monitored applications by average
network response time, from highest to lowest, over a specified period of time.
Applications with an average network response time that exceeds configured
thresholds are indicated as follows:
l

1030

Chapter 19: Monitoring Quality of Experience

The chart displays network response time for selected applications over time.
Graphed lines match the colors assigned to listed applications.
To customize this resource for viewing in the web console:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Click Edit.
Edit the chart Title and Subtitle, as appropriate.
Select the Number of Items you want to display.
Select appropriate options from the following drop-down lists to customize
the list of monitored applications:
l Group by
l Category
l Risk Level
l Productivity Rating
5. Select appropriate values for the Default zoom range, Amount of historical data to load, and Sample interval.
6. Click Submit to commit customizations.
To export or print chart data:
1. Click Export.
2. Customize the chart to format it for export, as follows:
a. Edit the chart Title and Subtitle, as appropriate, in the Chart Titles
section.
b. Select appropriate values for the Default zoom range, Time Period,
and Sample Interval.
c. Resize the chart by selecting appropriate Width (pixels) and Height
(pixels).
Note: To maintain the same aspect ratio, enter 0 for the Height and
vary the Width, as needed.
d. Click Refresh to review customizations.
e. Click Submit to commit customizations.
3. Select the appropriate option on the Custom Chart view:
l Click Export to PDF in the top right.
l Click Printable Version in the top right.
l Click Export to XLS in the Display Chart Data section.
l Click Export to HTML in the Display Chart Data section.

Top XX Transactions
This resource lists a specified number of monitored applications by average
number of transactions per minute, from highest to lowest, over a specified period

1031

Traffic By Category
of time. The chart displays the number of transaction for selected applications
over time. Graphed lines match the colors assigned to listed applications.
To customize this resource for viewing in the web console:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Traffic By Category
This resource provides a pie chart showing the categories of application traffic
that are currently monitored. Application traffic is characterized in terms of
predefined application categories. Application categories are listed in descending

1032

Chapter 19: Monitoring Quality of Experience

order of total data volume monitored. Application productivity ratings are assigned
when the application is defined, and they may be changed.
To view traffic data for all applications of any listed category, click the color
corresponding to the desired category.
To customize this resource:
1. Click Edit.
2. Edit the chart Title and Subtitle, as appropriate.
3. In the Data to summarize field, select the type of data by which you want to
list categories (Data Volume or Number of Transactions).
4. Select an appropriate value for theSelected time period.
Note: This is the time period for which data is displayed in the resource.
5. Click Submit to commit customizations.
Changing an Application Category
Application categories are assigned when an application is initially defined, but
they may also be changed at any time, as indicated in the following procedure.
To change an application category:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Log into the web console using an account with administrative privileges.
Click Settings in the top right of the web console.
In the Settings grouping, click QoE Settings.
Click Manage QoE Applications.
Notes:
l Applications are only listed if there are monitored nodes. You must
first add a QoE Network or Server Sensor before you can enable any
applications. For more information, see "Deploying Packet Analysis
Sensors".
l Applications listed with the Enabled/Disabled toggle "ON" are currently being monitored on at least one node.
l Applications can be disabled (the Enabled/Disabled toggle "OFF")
which means that no traffic for the application is currently collected on
any node.
5. Select the application you want to edit, and then click Edit.
6. On the Configure Application view, edit the Productivity Rating as necessary, and then click Next.
7. On the Configure Data Collection view, choose the node(s) you want to
monitor for this type of traffic.
Note: Only nodes that have already been specified as nodes to monitor on
the Manage QoE Nodes page appear in this list.

1033

Traffic By Risk Level

8. Click Next.
9. Review your choices on the Summary page, then click Finish.

Traffic By Risk Level

This resource provides a pie chart showing the risk levels of all application traffic
that are currently monitored. Application traffic is characterized in terms of
predefined risk levels. Application risk levels are listed in descending order of
total data volume monitored. Application risk levels are assigned when the
application is defined, and they may be changed, as indicated in the section .
To view traffic data for all applications of any listed category, click the color
corresponding to the desired category.
To customize this resource:
1. Click Edit.
2. Edit the chart Title and Subtitle, as appropriate.
3. In the Data to summarize field, select the type of data by which you want to
list categories (Data Volume or Number of Transactions).
4. Select an appropriate value for theSelected time period.
Note: This is the time period for which data is displayed in the resource.
5. Click Submit to commit customizations.
Changing an Application Risk Level
Application risk levels are assigned when an application is initially defined, but
they may also be changed at any time, as indicated in the following procedure.
To change an application risk level:
1.
2.
3.
4.

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Chapter 19: Monitoring Quality of Experience

6. On the Configure Application view, edit the Productivity Rating as necessary, and then click Next.
7. On the Configure Data Collection view, choose the node(s) you want to
monitor for this type of traffic.
Note: Only nodes that have already been specified as nodes to monitor on
the Manage QoE Nodes page appear in this list.
8. Click Next.
9. Review your choices on the Summary page, then click Finish.
Transactions By Application
The Transactions resource displays the total number of monitored transactions
related to the viewed application over time.
To customize this resource for viewing in the web console:
1. Click Edit.
2. Edit the chart Title and Subtitle, as appropriate.
3. Select appropriate values for the Default zoom range, Amount of historical data to load, and Sample interval.
4. Click Submit to commit customizations.
To export or print chart data:
1. Click Export.
2. Customize the chart to format it for export, as follows:
a. Edit the chart Title and Subtitle, as appropriate, in the Chart Titles
section.
b. Select appropriate values for the Default zoom range, Time Period,
and Sample Interval.
c. Resize the chart by selecting appropriate Width (pixels) and Height
(pixels).
Note: To maintain the same aspect ratio, enter 0 for the Height and
vary the Width, as needed.
d. Click Refresh to review customizations.
e. Click Submit to commit customizations.
3. Select the appropriate option on the Custom Chart view:
l Click Export to PDF in the top right.
l Click Printable Version in the top right.
l Click Export to XLS in the Display Chart Data section.
l Click Export to HTML in the Display Chart Data section.

1035

Transactions By Node

Transactions By Node
The Transactions resource displays the total number of transactions monitored on
the viewed node over time.
To customize this resource for viewing in the web console:
1. Click Edit.
2. Edit the chart Title and Subtitle, as appropriate.
3. Select appropriate values for the Default zoom range, Amount of historical data to load, and Sample interval.
4. Click Submit to commit customizations.
To export or print chart data:
1. Click Export.
2. Customize the chart to format it for export, as follows:
a. Edit the chart Title and Subtitle, as appropriate, in the Chart Titles
section.
b. Select appropriate values for the Default zoom range, Time Period,
and Sample Interval.
c. Resize the chart by selecting appropriate Width (pixels) and Height
(pixels).
Note: To maintain the same aspect ratio, enter 0 for the Height and
vary the Width, as needed.
d. Click Refresh to review customizations.
e. Click Submit to commit customizations.
3. Select the appropriate option on the Custom Chart view:
l Click Export to PDF in the top right.
l Click Printable Version in the top right.
l Click Export to XLS in the Display Chart Data section.
l Click Export to HTML in the Display Chart Data section.

1036

Chapter 20:
Monitoring Hardware Health
SAM monitors hardware by polling nodes and utilizing the Hardware Monitoring
Agent software provided by the hardware manufacturer. SAM can monitor
hardware from VMware hosts, HP ProLiant, Dell PowerEdge, and the IBM XSeries using this software, which can be found using the links below:
l
l
l

HP System Insight Manager (SIM v6.2 or higher is recommended)

Dell OpenManage Server Administrator
IBM Director (Common Agent, v6.3 or higher is recommended)

SAM can also monitor the health of the following Server Blade Chassis without
the need for additional software:
l
l
l

HP C7000
HP C3000
Dell M1000e

Hardware monitoring is achieved by polling via SNMP or WMI, depending upon

the node. For SNMP and WMI nodes, hardware monitoring must be enabled
manually through SAM's web console. For more information, see "Adding Server
Hardware Monitoring" on page 1040.
If you run a scheduled Network Sonar Discovery of your existing servers, SAM
will automatically collect any servers that support hardware health information the
next time the discovery runs. For more information, see: "Managing Scheduled
Discovery Results" on page 229
Monitoring your hardware's health does not count against your allotted licenses.
Note: Only SAM administrators can enable hardware health monitoring.
________________________

HP Insight Management WBEM Providers for Windows Server 2003/2008 is an optional component for
HP System Insight Manager that must be installed for SAM to monitor hardware via WMI. This component
can be found using the following link:
HP Insight Management WBEM Providers for Windows Server 2003/2008
Additionally, you may need to install the HP ProLiant Support Pack for Windows. This link can be found here:
HP Proliant Support Pack

1037

Chapter 20: Monitoring Hardware Health

Hardware monitoring has been tested on HP's firmware versions 7.50.0.0 and 7.51.0.0.
Dell does not make array and hard disk health information visible from WMI managed nodes. To monitor storage

health on Dell servers, use SNMP. Hardware monitoring has been tested on Dell's OpenManage firmware versions
6.2.0, 6.3.0, 6.5.0, 7.0.0, and 7.1.0.
IBM's ServeRAID Manager must be installed on IBM X-Series servers for storage hardware health information to
be displayed in SolarWinds SAM. Installation instructions can be found using the following links:
IBM's ServeRAID ManagerMegaRAID Storage Management Application (Optional: Only needed for MegaRAID
Controller support.)
Hardware monitoring has been tested on IBM's Director Platform Agent 6.3.
Hardware monitoring has been tested on HP's BladeSystem Onboard Administrator 3.10.
Hardware monitoring has been tested on Dell's Chassis Management Controller (CMC) 3.01 and higher.

Hardware Items Monitored by SAM

The following hardware items can be monitored by SAM:
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l

Fan status
Power Supply status
Temperature
Disk status
Battery status
Array Controller status
Physical Memory status
Chassis Intrusion status
CPU Temperature and/or status

Hardware Monitoring and VMware

Hardware monitoring is automatically enabled for VMware ESX and ESXi
servers. Monitoring of VMware servers uses the CIM protocol which should be
enabled by default after the installation of ESX/ESXi hosts. If installing Hardware
Monitoring Agent software on a VMware host, hardware information will be
detected by SAM and the check box to monitor Hardware Health of Servers will
be displayed, even where hardware information might already be collected via
the vCenter using the VMWare API. When this option is displayed for a VMware
host, checking it will not change the hardware polling method when Poll for
VMware is also selected.
If you are polling your hosts though the vCenter, you will not see the hardware
option listed when you click List Resources as these nodes tend to be ICMP.
This information is automatically collected by SAM, when available, through the
VMware API.You will need to ensure you have the vCenter Hardware Status

1038

Accessing Hardware Monitoring Agent Software

plug-in enabled on your V-Center for this information to be available though the
VMware API, as shown below:

Note: Port 5989 must be opened when polling VMware servers using the CIM
protocol.
If you run a scheduled Network Sonar Discovery of your existing servers, SAM
will automatically collect any servers that support hardware health information the
next time the scheduled discovery runs.
For more information, see:
l
l

Managing Scheduled Discovery Results

Virtualization

Accessing Hardware Monitoring Agent Software

Each vendors hardware monitoring agent software includes a web server that
operates on a unique port.
Note: Server Blade Chassis (HP C7000, HP C3000, and Dell M1000e) does not
use hardware monitoring agent software.
Navigating to https://{remote.ip.address}:{Port} successfully will validate that
the agent software is installed. Refer to the table below for the list of ports used by
each vendor:
Vendor: HP
Port:

2381

Dell

IBM

1311

423

1039

Chapter 20: Monitoring Hardware Health

For example: Navigating to https://10.186.16.100:1311 in your web browser will

take you to the Dell OpenManage Server Administrator page on the remotely
monitored host.
___________________________________

If HP Insight Management WBEM Providers for Windows Server 2003/2008 is installed for HP System
Insight Manager, the Data Source in the SIM web interface will read "WBEM." If this component is not
installed, the Data Source will read "SNMP."

The IBM Director web-based access is an optional component for version 6.x and is not installed by
default.
For information on troubleshooting hardware health polling, see "Troubleshooting Hardware Health" on
page 1573.

Adding Server Hardware Monitoring

There are two ways for administrators to add server hardware monitoring for
nodes; through the Add Node wizard, and through the Node Details group of the
Node Details page.
Add Node Wizard
From the Add Node wizard, the option to display Hardware Health of Servers is
available after a node has been defined. Check this box to enable hardware
health monitoring.

Manually Add Hardware Monitoring

To add hardware health monitoring without using the Add Node wizard,
follow these steps:
1. Click the Home tab in the SAM web console.
2. In the All Nodes group, click the node you want to monitor.

1040

Hardware Details
3. In the Node Details group of the Node Details page, click the List
Resources button as shown below:

The following screen appears:

Here you can select the available hardware you want to monitor by checking the
appropriate boxes and then clicking Submit.
To disable hardware monitoring, navigate back to this screen and uncheck
Hardware Health of Servers, then click Submit.
For information on troubleshooting hardware health polling, see "Troubleshooting
Hardware Health".

Hardware Details
Once you have chosen the hardware you want to monitor, the Hardware Health
Details group appears on the Node Details page and looks similar to the
following illustration, providing general information about your hardware and its
status:

1041

Chapter 20: Monitoring Hardware Health

Note: This view will be hidden if hardware monitoring is disabled.

For more information, see "Current Hardware Health Status".
For information on troubleshooting hardware health polling, see "Troubleshooting
Hardware Health".

Current Hardware Health Status

The current status of your hardware's health can be determined by the Current
Hardware Health grouping, as shown below. The status for most items will read
OK, Warning, or Critical, depending upon the set threshold values and the
returned values. The icon colors for each item will change between green, yellow,
and red, respectively. Gray icons indicate a status of Unknown, which suggests a
polling failure.
You can click on the [+] and [-] icons to expand and collapse a particular tree
branch of hardware that is being monitored. When collapsed, the top level view
(or roll-up status) of each hardware item will display the worst status of an item in
that branch.

1042

Hardware Health Overview Chart

Note: The default temperature measurement is in degrees, Fahrenheit (F). To

change this to Celsius (C), from the web console, navigate to Settings >
Manage Accounts > Select Account > Edit. The Temperature Unit drop down
menu can be found under the Server & Application Monitor Settings category.

Hardware Health Overview Chart

This resource provides a status overview of your monitored hardware's health.
Mousing over each pie segment will provide a tooltip with more detailed
information.

1043

Chapter 20: Monitoring Hardware Health

Clicking a server icon in the Overview Chart will bring up a list of the servers with
the indicated status, as shown below. From here, you can navigate to the Details
page of each server by clicking any icon in the list.

Changing Threshold Values

Hardware thresholds can be enabled, disabled, or modified via the Manage
Hardware Sensors screen. From this screen, you can hover over any node to
view the detailed tooltip. Clicking any node in the list will take you to the Details

1044

Changing Threshold Values

page for that node. All hardware that can be monitored is enabled by default.

To change hardware thresholds, take the following steps:

1. From the web console, navigate to Settings >Manage Hardware Sensors.
2. To enable/disable objects from being monitored, check the boxes for the
objects, then click either Enable or Disable.
3. To modify hardware thresholds, check the boxes for the objects, then click
Edit Thresholds.
4. Choose from the following three options:
a. Use Orion defaults: Use the built-in Orion logic for translating sensor
reading to status.
b. Force to Up: Ignore sensor readings when calculating status. The
status is always Up.
c. Set custom thresholds: Create your own logic for mapping sensor
readings to Orion status.
Note: Threshold modification may not be available for certain objects
where information is not available.

1045

Chapter 20: Monitoring Hardware Health

d. Complete the logic form for both the Warning threshold and the Critical
threshold as needed to satisfy your requirements.

5. When done, click Submit.

Additionally, some values can be configured through the Hardware Monitoring
Agent Software installed on your hardware. Dell OpenManage Server
Administrator is one such example. The illustration below shows how threshold
values for the temperature can be changed from the default values using Dell's
software.

1046

Hardware Health Chart

Different default thresholds exist for different items in the Hardware Monitoring
Agent Software. Some of these thresholds may be accessible and open to
editing, some may not. Consult your Hardware Monitoring Agent Software user
guide for specific information about editing thresholds.

Hardware Health Chart

This chart allows you to visualize multiple hardware statistics simultaneously.
The advantage of this view is that you can easily see how your hardware objects
are performing over a given period of time in relation to one another.
Tabs at the top of the chart allow you to quickly navigate between different groups
of hardware, allowing you to see the performance and status of an entire group of
the same hardware on a single page.

1047

Chapter 20: Monitoring Hardware Health

Note: This view will be hidden if hardware monitoring is disabled.

Customizing the Hardware Health Chart

Click Edit at the top-right of the chart to be taken to the following screen. You can
customize the following user-specific aspects of the chart display:
l

l
l
l

Sample Interval: This is the interval of time that will be displayed on the
chart.
Title: This will give a title to display for your chart.
Subtitle: This will give a subtitle to display for your chart.
Temperature Display: This allows you to set the temperature units. This
will affect all charts that display temperature for the current user.
Note: For information on changing the measurement units between
Fahrenheit and Celsius, see "Server & Application Monitor Settings".

1048

Customizing the Hardware Health Chart

Time Period for Chart: This allows you to select the span of time the chart
will display.

Click Submit to save the settings.

Clicking the chart itself opens the following screen which allows you to edit
multiple, self-explanatory settings pertaining to the Hardware Chart.

1049

Chapter 20: Monitoring Hardware Health

Click Submit to save the settings.

Note: The Raw Data button will deliver the chart data by downloading an Excel
spreadsheet. The Chart Data button displays the data in a web page.
For information on troubleshooting hardware health polling, see "Troubleshooting
Hardware Health".

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Chapter 21:
Viewing Performance and Status
The following sections provide a short list and overview of the views and
resources provided with Server & Application Monitor that reveal performance
and status information:
l
l
l
l
l
l

Understanding the SAM Application Summary

Understanding SAM Application Details
Understanding SolarWinds SAM Component Details
Showing SolarWinds SAM Data in Node Details
Customizing SAM Application Summary Views
Customizing Application Details Views

Understanding the SAM Application Summary

The SAM Application Summary view provides the following resources. You can
customize which of these resources appear on the page by clicking Customize
Page.
All Applications Tree
Provides an expandable list of applications that allows custom grouping.
Additionally provides the number of problem applications and the duration
of the problem state for each application.
Applications with Problems
Provides a list of applications with the status of down, unknown, warning, or
critical.
Active Application Alerts
Provides a list of the active alerts associated with applications.
Application Health Overview
Provides an overview of the status of all assigned Application Monitors.
Last 25 Application Events

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Chapter 21: Viewing Performance and Status

Provides a list of the last twenty-five events associated with applications.
For more information about creating alerts for these events, see Creating
Alerts on page1.
thwack Community Latest Application Monitor Templates
Provides a list of the newest Application Monitor templates that have been
added to the thwack community web site. Click a template to open its
download web page.
Top XX Components by Statistic Data
Provides a list of the monitors with the highest reported statistic data values.
Because comparing disparate statistic measurements is of limited use, we
suggest you create Statistic Data resource containing filters to limit the
statistic sources. For example, you can show the statistic values only of the
mail queue size of your Exchange servers.
Top XX Components by Response Time
Provides a list of the monitors with the slowest response time on the
selected node.
Top XX Processes by CPU Load
Provides a list of the monitors consuming the most CPU on the selected
node.
Top XX Processes by Physical Memory
Provides a list of the monitors consuming the most physical memory on the
selected node.
Top XX Processes by Virtual Memory
Provides a list of the monitors consuming the most virtual memory on the
selected node.
SAM Sample Map
Provides a sample map for SolarWinds SAM.
All Groups
Displays information for the selected SAM Groups.
Custom Object Resource
Provides information for an object you select. Allows you to monitor a
specific node, volume, application and component resources in a summary

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Understanding SAM Application Details

view. For example, you can now create a custom object resource to monitor
Application Availability in a Network Summary view.
For more information about a resource, click Help in the resource.

Understanding SAM Application Details

The SAM Application Details view provides the following resources. You can
customize which of these resources appear on the page by clicking Customize
Page. You may see different resources depending on the item you are viewing.
Note: You can also add SolarWinds SAM node resources to the application
details view. For example, you can add the CPU Load & Memory Utilization
charts or Packet Loss gauges. For more information about adding resources to
views, see Editing Views" on page 149.
Application Details
Provides a list of application properties, including the application name,
application status, application server status, component names, component
types, and component status.
Buttons are provided to Edit Application Monitor, Unmanage the
application, or Poll Now.
Last XX Application Events
Provides a customizable list of the most current XX events specific to the
application.
Active Application Alerts
Provides a list of the active alerts specific to the application.
Components
Provides a list of the components included in the application and their
response times.
Processes and Services
Provides a list of the process and service monitors included in the
application and the response time for the application you are viewing.
Application Availability
Provides a bar chart of the application availability percentage. To modify the
chart, click the title of the chart. Ensure you adjust your polling to less than

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Chapter 21: Viewing Performance and Status

the interval you want displayed in charts. Not adjusting your polling will
result in gaps in your charts.
For more information about a resource, click Help in the resource.

Understanding SolarWinds SAM Component

Details
The Component Details view provides the following resources. You can
customize which of these resources appear on the page by clicking Customize
Page.

Component Statistics
Provides a number of gauges that pertain to the selected component.
Response time is provided for port components. CPU load, physical
memory, and virtual memory gauges are provided for process and service
components.
Note: SNMP process components do not include the virtual memory
gauge.
Component Details
Provides a number of details about the component, including application
status, component status, component type, component-specific properties,
last up time, next poll time, and any warning or critical thresholds.

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Understanding SolarWinds SAM Component Details

Component Availability
Provides a chart of component availability. To modify the chart, click the
chart title. Ensure you adjust your polling to less than the interval you want
displayed in charts. Not adjusting your polling will result in gaps in your
charts.
Last 25 Component Events
Provides the last 25 events specific to the component.
Min/Max Average Response Time
Provides a chart of the minimum, maximum, and average response times of
the component. To modify the chart, click the chart title. This chart is
available for port components only. Ensure you adjust your polling to less
than the interval you want displayed in charts. Not adjusting your polling will
result in gaps in your charts.
Min/Max Average CPU Load
Provides a chart of the minimum, maximum, and average CPU loads of the
component. To modify the chart, click the chart title. This chart is available
for access and process components only. Ensure you adjust your polling to
less than the interval you want displayed in charts. Not adjusting your
polling will result in gaps in your charts.
Min/Max Average Physical Memory
Provides a chart of the minimum, maximum, and average physical memory
of the component. To modify the chart, click the chart title. This chart is
available for access and process components only. Ensure you adjust your
polling to less than the interval you want displayed in charts. Not adjusting
your polling will result in gaps in your charts.
Min/Max Average Virtual Memory
Provides a chart of the minimum, maximum, and average virtual memory of
the component. To modify the chart, click the chart title. This chart is
available for access and process components only. Ensure you adjust your
polling to less than the interval you want displayed in charts. Not adjusting
your polling will result in gaps in your charts.
Min/Max Average Statistic Data
Provides a chart of the minimum, maximum, and average statistic data of the
component. To modify the chart, click the chart title. This chart is available

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Chapter 21: Viewing Performance and Status

for access and process components only. Ensure you adjust your polling to
less than the interval you want displayed in charts. Not adjusting your
polling will result in gaps in your charts.
For more information about a resource, click Help in the resource.

Understanding SolarWinds SAM Component Settings

This resource provides a view of the current settings for a particular component.
When editing a component, any changes made will appear in this resource for
quick reference.

Showing SolarWinds SAM Data in Node Details

You have the option of adding the SolarWinds SAM application resources to the
Node Details pages.
To enable SolarWinds SAM-specific resources:
Click Yes when SAM asks on first log on whether you want to include SAM
resources on the Node Details page.
- or 1. Log on to your SolarWinds Web Console with an Administrator account.
2. Click Settings near the top right corner of the window, and then click Manage Views.
3. Select Node Details on the Manage Views page, and then click Edit.
4. Click [+] next to the column in which you want to display SAM resources.

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Customizing SAM Application Summary Views

5. Click [+] to expand the Node Detail Reports category, and then check the
resources you want to add, for example:
l Applications
l Top XX Processes by CPU Load
l Top XX Components by Response Time
6. Click Submit.
7. Click Done on the Customize Node Details page.
8. Navigate to a node with which you have associated an application and
review the new resources.
Additionally, the Management resource is located on the Node Details page and
provides a variety of self-explanatory options for that particular node, as shown
below:

Customizing SAM Application Summary Views

Filtering SAM Application Summary Views lets you create custom summary
views that limit the displayed information to applications or nodes that match
certain criteria. For example, you can create a filtered application summary view
that shows only information from applications containing Linux in the application
name. After creating filter limited views, you can add them as menu items under
the Applications tab.
Pre-configured Summary Views
SolarWinds SAM ships with seven pre-configured summary view menu items. To
access these views, move your pointer to the menu bar at the top of the
Applications tab in your SolarWinds Web Console and then click one of the
following items:
SAM Summary
This is an unfiltered summary view.
Active Directory

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Chapter 21: Viewing Performance and Status

Summary information for applications with Active Directory in the
application name.
Exchange
Summary information for applications with Exchange in the application
name.
SQL Server
Summary information for applications with SQL Server in the application
name.
IIS
Summary information for applications with Internet Information in the
application name.
Windows
Summary information for applications with Windows in the application
name.
Linux
Summary information for applications with Linux in the application name.
Summary View Filtering Criteria
Each summary view may be filtered by only one view limitation entry, but some
view limitation entries allow you to select more than one criteria. For example, the
Group of Application Names limitation allows you to select multiple application
names.
In addition to the standard view limitations of SolarWinds common components,
the following view limitations are also available in SolarWinds SAM:
Application Name Pattern
Limit the view to an assigned application or applications fitting a certain
naming pattern. Enter the naming pattern and then click Submit. The
asterisk (*) is a valid wildcard for this view limitation type.
Group of Application Names
Limit the view to a group of assigned applications that share the same
application names. You may select multiple application names for this
group. Select the applications from the list and then click Submit.
Specific Applications

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Customizing SAM Application Summary Views

Limit the view to individual applications assigned to specific nodes. Select
the assigned applications, and then click Submit.
To create a Filtered Applications Summary view based on the default SAM
Application Summary view:
1. Log on to your SolarWinds Web Console with an Administrator account.
2. Click Settings near the top right corner of the window, and then click Manage Views.
3. Select SAM Application Summary and then click Copy.
4. Select Copy of SAM Application Summary and then click Edit.
5. Click Edit in the View Limitation section.
6. Select a view limitation and click Continue. For example, Application
Name Pattern.
7. Enter the view limitation criteria and then click Submit. For example:
*Oracle*
8. Enter a new name for this summary view and then click Update. For
example: SAM Oracle Application Summary
9. Click Done.
To add a summary view menu item to the menu bar in the Applications tab:
1. Log on to your SolarWinds Web Console with an Administrator account.
2. Click Settings near the top right corner of the window, and then click Manage Views.
3. Select the summary view you want to add and then click Edit. For
example: SAM Oracle Application Summary.
4. Click Preview.
5. On the preview page, make note of the URL field of the browser. For
example, http://SolarWinds/SolarWinds/SummaryView.aspx?viewid=27
6. Click Settings near the top right corner of the window, and then click Customize Menu Bars.
7. Click Edit in the Admin Menu Bar section.
8. Scroll to the bottom of the Available Items list and then click Add.
9. Enter a name for the menu item. For example: Oracle
10. Enter the URL of the summary view.
11. Click OK.
12. Drag the new menu item from the Available Items list to the Selected
Items list and then click Submit.

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Chapter 21: Viewing Performance and Status

Customizing Application Details Views

Applications initially share a generic, default application details view. You can
add, remove, or rearrange resources in this default view, or you can create
completely new views that you can apply to groups of applications according to
their templates.
Default Application Details View
Application Details

Processes and Services

Last 25 Application Events Components

Active Application Alerts

Application Availability

Node Details

CPU Load & Memory Statistics

Availability Statistics
To customize the default SAM application details view:
1. Find an Application Monitor that is using the default view by following
these steps:
a. Click Settings and then click SAM Settings.
b. Click Manage Application Monitors.
c. Find an assigned Application Monitor without a Custom View.
d. Return to Applications > SAM Summary.
2. Click the Application Monitor to view its application details page.
3. Click Customize Page.
4. Proceed with your customizations.
Custom Application Details View
You can select and create a custom application details view. This custom view is
applied at the template level. Applications inherit the custom view setting from
their templates in the same way as other template settings.
To customize an application details view for an assigned Application Monitor:
1. Click Settings and then click SAM Settings.
2. Click Manage Application Monitors.
3. Check the check box next to an Application Monitor and then click Edit
Properties.

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Customizing Application Details Views

4. Click Modify Template Settings in the field Custom Application Details
View.
5. Select Yes, use <TemplateName> Details View in the field Custom Application Details View, where TemplateName is the name of the selected
Application Monitor template.
6. Click Submit.
7. Click the name of the assigned Application Monitor to view its application
details page.
8. Click Customize Page.
9. Proceed with your customizations.
After creating a customized application details view for a template, you can
change the Custom Application Details View setting in the template properties
to switch between the default view and the custom view.
Managing Custom Application Details Views
For each template or application based upon a template, you can select either the
default application details view or the template's custom details view.
To select a view for a template:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Click Settings and then click SAM Settings.

Click Manage Templates.
Check the check box next to a template and then click Edit.
If you want applications based on this template to use the default view,
set Custom Application Details View to No, use Default Application
Details View.
5. If you want applications based on this template to use the custom view, set
Custom Application Details View to Yes, use <TemplateName> Details
View, where TemplateName is the name of the selected template.
6. Click Submit.
To select a view for an application:
1. Click Settings and then click SAM Settings.
2. Click Manage Application Monitors.
3. Check the check box next to an Application Monitor and then click Edit
Properties.
4. Click Modify Template Settings in the field Custom Application Details
View.
5. If you want this application to use the default view, set Custom Application
Details View to No, use Default Application Details View.

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Chapter 21: Viewing Performance and Status

6. If you want this application to use the custom view, set Custom Application
Details View to Yes, use <TemplateName> Details View, where TemplateName is the name of the selected template.
7. Click Submit.

Viewing Node and Application Data in Tooltips

Node and application tooltips in SolarWinds SAM provide immediate status
overviews of monitored nodes and applications. To view a quick overview of any
monitored node or application in the web console, hover over the name of the
item. Depending on the selected device, the information in the following tables is
displayed immediately.
Node Tooltips
Hover
over

To see

Node
Status

Current status of the node (up, down, warning, unplugged, or

unmanaged)
Note: SolarWinds SAM now supports the ability to include
applications in calculation of node child status. So if node is up,
but application on that device is down, you will see a child status
icon indicating there is a problem.

IP
Address

The IP address currently assigned to the selected node

Machine
Type

The vendor icon and vendor description of the selected node

Average
The measured average response time of the selected node as of
Response the last node poll
Time
Packet
Loss

The percent of all transmitted packets that are lost by the selected
node as of the last node poll

CPU
Load

The percent of available processing capacity on the selected node

that is currently used as of the last node poll

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Monitoring Network Events in the Web Console

Memory
Used

The percent of available memory on the selected node that is

currently used as of the last node poll

# of
Running
VMS

Number of running VMS and total VMS

ESX Host
Status

Status of the ESX Host

Application Tooltips
Hover over

To see

App Name

The name of the application.

App Status

The status of the application (up, down, unknown,

warning, or critical).

Server Status

Operational status of the server (up, down, warning,

unplugged, or unmanaged).

Components with
Problems

List of the components with problems and their statuses.

Monitoring Network Events in the Web Console

SolarWinds SAM automatically logs all events that occur to any monitored
devices on your network. These events are then displayed in the SolarWinds
Web Console, so you can view and acknowledge them as your network
management policies require.

Viewing Event Details in the Web Console

SolarWinds logs network events and lists them in the readily customizable Events
view of the Web Console. Events are shown in order of occurrence, and they may
be viewed by device, date and time, and event or device type.

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Chapter 21: Viewing Performance and Status

Note: The Network Event Log is maintained as part of the Nightly Database
Maintenance plan defined within the Database Settings area of the SolarWinds
Polling Setting page in the SolarWinds Web Console. Records are kept for the
number of days specified Events Retention field (the default is 30 days). For more
information, see SolarWinds Polling Settings.
To view event details in the Web Console:
1. Click Start> All Programs> SolarWinds > SolarWinds Web Console.
2. Log in to the SolarWinds Web Console, and then click Events in the Views
toolbar.
3. If you want to filter your events view by object, select the Network
Object or Type of Device to which you want to limit your view in the Filter
Devices area.
4. If you want to limit your events view to show only events of a specific
type, select the appropriate Event Type in the Filter Events area.
5. If you only want to see events from a specific period of time, complete
either of the following options:
l Select a predefined period from the Time Period menu.
l Select Custom from the Time Period menu, and then click the appropriate fields to provide Begin and End dates and times.
6. In the Show X Events field, provide the maximum number of events you
want to view.
7. If you want to show all events, including events that have already been
cleared, check Show Cleared Events.
8. Click Refresh to complete your events view configuration.

Acknowledging Events in the Web Console

Acknowledging network events is straightforward in the Web Console, as shown
in the following procedure.
To acknowledge events in the Web Console:
1. Click Start> All Programs> SolarWinds> SolarWinds Web Console.
2. Log in to the SolarWinds Web Console, and then click Events in the Views
toolbar.
3. Provide appropriate filter criteria for the displayed events. For more information, see Viewing Event Details in the Web Console.
4. Click Refresh to ensure that all selected view criteria take effect.
5. Check individual events to acknowledge or click Select All.
6. Click Clear Selected Events.

1064

Understanding Volume Details

SAM has the ability to monitor Disk Volume with great detail. Windows mount
points are treated as regular volumes.
Note: Monitoring mount points can only be done on nodes that are monitored via
WMI
To navigate to the Volume Details page:
1. From the web console click the Home tab.
2. In the All Nodes resource, click any node.
3. From the Node Details page, click any volume in the Disk Volumes
resource.
The Volume Details page comes with a variety of resources and charts that
provide details about the volume being monitored.
If this resource is not shown, you can add it to the current view by taking the
following steps:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Click Customize Page.

Click [+] in either column.
Search for Disk Volumes, and then click Add Selected Resources.
Click Done.

Volume Details Resource

This resource provides detailed memory information about the current volume
being monitored.

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Chapter 21: Viewing Performance and Status

Volume Polling Details

This resource provides detailed polling information about the current volume
being monitored.

Total Disk IOPS

This resource provides detailed read/write information about the current volume
being monitored and is located on the Volume Details page. This chart lets you
see the number of disk reads and writes
This chart is interactive. Hovering over any part of the chart will provide detailed
information. You can check or uncheck any box in the legend to add or remove
that element from the chart, as shown below:

1066

Avg. Disk sec/Transfer

Zooming
You can have the chart show a predetermined time period of data by clicking on
any one of the three Zoom buttons; 1 hour, 12 hours, or 24 hours.
Once you have a time period selected, the lower chart will zoom to the starting
and ending values of the selected time period. With the lower chart you can zoom
in further by fine tuning the view with the sliders, highlighted above. The main
view of the chart will display the selected time period between the two sliders of
the lower chart.
Note: The Export button will allow you to export this data to both MS Excel and
HTML.

Avg. Disk sec/Transfer

This resource provides average data transfer rate information about the current
volume being monitored and is located on the Volume Details page.

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Chapter 21: Viewing Performance and Status

This chart is interactive. Hovering over any part of the chart will provide detailed
information. You can check or uncheck any box in the legend to add or remove
that element from the chart, as shown below:

Zooming
You can have the chart show a predetermined time period of data by clicking on
any one of the three Zoom buttons; 1 hour, 12 hours, or 24 hours. Alternatively,
you can have the chart show a specific time range by dragging the mouse over a
small area of the chart, or by adjusting the sliders, also highlighted.
Once you have a time period selected, the lower chart will zoom to the starting
and ending values of the selected time period. With the lower chart you can zoom
in further by fine tuning the view with the sliders, highlighted above. The main
view of the chart will display the selected time period between the two sliders of
the lower chart.
Note: The Export button will allow you to export this data to both MS Excel and
HTML.

1068

Disk queue length

This resource provides information about the length of the disk queue for the
current volume being monitored and is located on the Volume Details page.
This chart is interactive. Hovering over any part of the chart will provide detailed
information. You can check or uncheck any box in the legend to add or remove
that element from the chart, as shown below:

Zooming
You can have the chart show a predetermined time period of data by clicking on
any one of the three Zoom buttons; 1 hour, 12 hours, or 24 hours. Alternatively,
you can have the chart show a specific time range by dragging the mouse over a
small area of the chart, or by adjusting the sliders, also highlighted.
Once you have a time period selected, the lower chart will zoom to the starting
and ending values of the selected time period. With the lower chart you can zoom
in further by fine tuning the view with the sliders, highlighted above. The main
view of the chart will display the selected time period between the two sliders of
the lower chart.

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Chapter 21: Viewing Performance and Status

Note: The Export button will allow you to export this data to both MS Excel and
HTML.

Avg. Disk Space Used - Today

This resource shows the average amount of disk space used on the current
volume being monitored and is located on the Volume Details page.
This chart is interactive. Hovering over any part of the chart will provide detailed
information. You can check or uncheck any box in the legend to add or remove
that element from the chart, as shown below:

1070

Percent Disk Space Used - Today

Once you have a time period selected, the lower chart will zoom to the starting
and ending values of the selected time period. With the lower chart you can zoom
in further by fine tuning the view with the sliders, highlighted above. The main
view of the chart will display the selected time period between the two sliders of
the lower chart.
Note: The Export button will allow you to export this data to both MS Excel and
HTML.

Percent Disk Space Used - Today

This resource shows the percentage of disk space used on the current volume
being monitored and is located on the Volume Details page.
This chart is interactive. Hovering over any part of the chart will provide detailed
information. You can check or uncheck any box in the legend to add or remove
that element from the chart, as shown below:

Zooming
You can have the chart show a predetermined time period of data by clicking on
any one of the three Zoom buttons; 1 hour, 12 hours, or 24 hours. Alternatively,

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Chapter 21: Viewing Performance and Status

you can have the chart show a specific time range by dragging the mouse over a
small area of the chart, or by adjusting the sliders, also highlighted.
Once you have a time period selected, the lower chart will zoom to the starting
and ending values of the selected time period. With the lower chart you can zoom
in further by fine tuning the view with the sliders, highlighted above. The main
view of the chart will display the selected time period between the two sliders of
the lower chart.
Note: The Export button will allow you to export this data to both MS Excel and
HTML.

Volume Size
This resource shows the size of the current volume being monitored and is
located on the Volume Details page.
This chart is interactive. Hovering over any part of the chart will provide detailed
information. You can check or uncheck any box in the legend to add or remove
that element from the chart, as shown below:

Zooming

1072

Volume Size
You can have the chart show a predetermined time period of data by clicking on
any one of the three Zoom buttons; 1 hour, 12 hours, or 24 hours. Alternatively,
you can have the chart show a specific time range by dragging the mouse over a
small area of the chart, or by adjusting the sliders, also highlighted.
Once you have a time period selected, the lower chart will zoom to the starting
and ending values of the selected time period. With the lower chart you can zoom
in further by fine tuning the view with the sliders, highlighted above. The main
view of the chart will display the selected time period between the two sliders of
the lower chart.
Note: The Export button will allow you to export this data to both MS Excel and
HTML.
Volume Thresholds and Planning
SAM offers the following resources on the Node Details page with the ability to
forecast capacity level:
l
l
l
l
l

CPUCapacity Forecast Chart

Memory Capacity Forecast Chart
Node Resource Capacity Forecast
Volume Capacity Forecast
Top XX Capacity Problems

For more information, see Editing Capacity Planning Thresholds.

Editing Capacity Planning Thresholds
SAMoffers you the ability to employ capacity planning thresholds.
To edit capacity planning thresholds, take the following steps:
1. From the web console, navigate to the Node Details page for any node.
(Home >Node).
2. In the Management resource, click Edit Node.
3. Click the Manage Orion General Thresholds link.
4. The Capacity Planning options appear under each object:

5. Make your selections, then click Submit, on both the Orion General
Thresholds screen and the Edit Properties screen.

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Chapter 21: Viewing Performance and Status

CPUCapacity Forecast Chart
This resource graphically details the CPUpeak trend and average trend history of
the current CPU. Hovering over any time period within the chart will display
detailed information about that time period in the tooltip.
The colors of the main chart correspond to the table in the legend, which provide
details about trend slopes and thresholds.

The columns for this resource are defined as follows:

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Volume Size
l
l

Resource:Lists the trends monitored

Trend Slope: Graphically and numerically displays the percent load for the
listed trend.
Warning: Displays the percentage and time remaining for the Warning
threshold to be breached.
Critical: Displays the percentage and time remaining for the Critical
threshold to be breached.
At Capacity: Displays the percentage and time remaining for the listed
resource to be at capacity.

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Chapter 21: Viewing Performance and Status

The columns for this resource are defined as follows:

l
l

Resource:Lists the trends monitored

1076

Volume Size
Zooming
You can have the chart show a predetermined time period of data by clicking on
any one of the three Zoom buttons in the head of the Zoom column. Alternatively,
you can have the chart show a specific date range by dragging the mouse over an
area of the chart or manipulating the sliders of the lower chart.
Node Resource Capacity Forecast
The resource predicts when the node will trend into both the Warning range and
Critical range.

The columns for this resource are defined as follows:

l
l

Resource:Lists the resource that is being monitored

Last 7 Days: Graphically and numerically displays the capacity trend for the
listed resource for the last seven days.
Warning: Displays the percentage remaining for the Warning threshold to
be breached.
Critical: Displays the percentage remaining for the Critical threshold to be
breached.
At Capacity: Displays the percentage remaining for the listed resource to
be at capacity.

Volume Capacity Forecast

The resource predicts when the volume will trend into both the Warning range
and Critical range.

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Chapter 21: Viewing Performance and Status

The columns for this resource are defined as follows:

l
l

Resource:Lists the resource that is being monitored

Last 7 Days: Graphically and numerically displays the capacity trend for the
listed resource for the last seven days.
Warning: Displays the percentage and time remaining for the Warning
threshold to be breached.
Critical: Displays the percentage and time remaining for the Critical
threshold to be breached.
At Capacity: Displays the percentage and time remaining for the listed
resource to be at capacity.

Paging controls are located at the bottom of the resource, allowing you to
navigate through all data available for this resource. Respectively, the controls
are: Fist Page, Previous Page, Page Number, Next Page, and Last Page. You
can also specify the number of items to show on the resource or Show All.
Top XX Capacity Problems
This resource displays the top nodes with capacity problems. Clicking a node in
the list will take you to the Node Details page for that node. Clicking an objec tin
the list will take you to the Details page for that object. When an object's capacity
breaches the Warning threshold, the background of the warning value will
become yellow. When an object's capacity breaches the Critical threshold, the
background of the critical value will become red.

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Understanding Interface Details

The columns for this resource are defined as follows:

l
l

Node:Lists the node that is being monitored with its colored icon indicating
its current status.
Detail: Lists the object with the capacity problem.
Warning: Displays the time remaining for the Warning threshold to be
breached.
Critical: Displays the time remaining for the Critical threshold to be
breached.
At Capacity: Displays the time remaining for the listed object to be at capacity.

Understanding Interface Details

SAM offers the added ability to monitor Windows based interfaces using WMI.
To navigate to the Interface Details page:
1. From the web console click the Home tab.
2. In the All Nodes resource, click Manage Nodes.

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3. From the Show drop down list, select Interfaces.
4. Click on an interface in the list.
The Interface Details page comes with a variety of resources and charts that
provide details about the interface being monitored. Most are self-explanatory.
Those that are not are listed below:
Note: Using the Enterprise Operations Console (EOC) with a standalone version
of SAM 5.5 or earlier will not allow interfaces to be monitored via WMI. For more
information, refer to the following KB article:
http://knowledgebase.solarwinds.com/kb/questions/4464/

Interface Details Resource

This resource provides detailed information about the current interface being
monitored. You also have the ability to manage this interface with the four buttons,
Edit Interface, Unmanage, Poll Now, and Rediscovery, located at the top in the
Management section, as shown below:

Percent Utilization
These gauges provide a visual representation showing the percentage of utilized
bandwidth when transmitting and receiving data. The Thresholds button allows
you to configure these thresholds to suit your needs.

1080

Min/Max Average bps In/Out Chart

The Min/Max Average bps In/Out Chart is located on the Interface Details page.
This chart lets you see the average amount of bits per second being transmitted
and received. It also shows the values for the lowest number and highest number
where this data is concerned.
This chart is interactive. Hovering over any part of the chart will provide detailed
information. You can check or uncheck any box in the legend to add or remove
that element from the chart, as shown below:

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Chapter 21: Viewing Performance and Status

Zooming
You can have the chart show a predetermined time period of data by clicking on
any one of the three Zoom buttons; 1 hour, 12 hours, or 24 hours. Alternatively,
you can have the chart show a specific time range by dragging the mouse over a
small area of the chart, or by adjusting the sliders, also highlighted.
Once you have a time period selected, the lower chart will zoom to the starting
and ending values of the selected time period. With the lower chart you can zoom
in further by fine tuning the view with the sliders, highlighted above. The main
view of the chart will display the selected time period between the two sliders of
the lower chart.
Note: The Export button will allow you to export this data to both MS Excel and
HTML.

Percent Utilization - Line Chart

The Percent Utilization Line Chart is located the Interface Details page. This
chart lets you see the percent of bandwidth being utilized when transmitting and
receiving data.
This chart is interactive. Hovering over any part of the chart will provide detailed
information. You can check or uncheck any box in the legend to add or remove
that element from the chart, as shown below:

1082

Percent Utilization - Line Chart

Zooming
You can have the chart show a predetermined time period of data by clicking on
any one of the three Zoom buttons; 1 hour, 12 hours, or 24 hours. Alternatively,
you can have the chart show a specific time range by dragging the mouse over a
small area of the chart, or by adjusting the sliders, also highlighted.
Once you have a time period selected, the lower chart will zoom to the starting
and ending values of the selected time period. With the lower chart you can zoom
in further by fine tuning the view with the sliders, highlighted above. The main
view of the chart will display the selected time period between the two sliders of
the lower chart.

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Chapter 21: Viewing Performance and Status

Note: The Export button will allow you to export this data to both MS Excel and
HTML.

In/Out Errors and Discards

The In/Out Errors and Discards chart is located the Interface Details page. This
chart lets you see the number of errors/discards the occurred when data was
transmitted and received.
This chart is interactive. Hovering over any part of the chart will provide detailed
information. You can check or uncheck any box in the legend to add or remove
that element from the chart, as shown below:

1084

Total Bytes Transferred

The Total Bytes Transferred chart is located the Interface Details page. This chart
lets you see the total amount of data transmitted, measured in bytes
This chart is interactive. Hovering over any part of the chart will provide detailed
information. You can check or uncheck any box in the legend to add or remove
that element from the chart, as shown below:

Zooming

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Chapter 21: Viewing Performance and Status

You can have the chart show a predetermined time period of data by clicking on
any one of the three Zoom buttons; 1 hour, 12 hours, or 24 hours. Alternatively,
you can have the chart show a specific time range by dragging the mouse over a
small area of the chart, or by adjusting the sliders, also highlighted.
Once you have a time period selected, the lower chart will zoom to the starting
and ending values of the selected time period. With the lower chart you can zoom
in further by fine tuning the view with the sliders, highlighted above. The main
view of the chart will display the selected time period between the two sliders of
the lower chart.
Note: The Export button will allow you to export this data to both MS Excel and
HTML.

Min/Max/Average Packets In/Out

The Min/Max/Average Packets In/Out chart is located the Interface Details page.
This chart lets you see the total number of packets per second that was both
transmitted and received. It also shows the values for the lowest number, highest
number, and average number where this data is concerned.
This chart is interactive. Hovering over any part of the chart will provide detailed
information. You can check or uncheck any box in the legend to add or remove
that element from the chart, as shown below:

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Min/Max/Average Packets In/Out

Zooming
You can have the chart show a predetermined time period of data by clicking on
any one of the three Zoom buttons; 1 hour, 12 hours, or 24 hours. Alternatively,
you can have the chart show a specific time range by dragging the mouse over a
small area of the chart, or by adjusting the sliders, also highlighted.
Once you have a time period selected, the lower chart will zoom to the starting
and ending values of the selected time period. With the lower chart you can zoom
in further by fine tuning the view with the sliders, highlighted above. The main
view of the chart will display the selected time period between the two sliders of
the lower chart.

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Chapter 21: Viewing Performance and Status

Note: The Export button will allow you to export this data to both MS Excel and
HTML.

1088

Chapter 22:
Creating Account Limitations
The Account Limitation Builder application allows you to create and customize
account limitations for the SolarWinds Web Console. These limitations ensure
that users of the web console can only view the network objects that are pertinent
to their job duties. The following are but a few examples of the uses of account
limitation in the SolarWinds Web Console:
l
l
l
l

Limit customer views to specific network nodes

Limit views by department or functional area
Limit views by device type or device role
Limit views based on the geographic location of devices

SolarWinds SAM provides predefined account limitations that use built-in

SolarWinds SAM property to limit user access. For greater flexibility, however,
you can use the Account Limitation Builder to create your own account limitations
based on predefined or custom properties. For more information about enabling
account limitations in the SolarWinds Web Console, see Setting Account
Limitations on page257. For more information about custom properties, see
Creating Custom Properties.

Using the Account Limitation Builder

Before you can use the Account Limitation Builder, you must have first created the
custom property that you want to use to limit the Server & Application Monitor
Web Console view. For more information, see Creating Custom Properties. After
you have defined custom properties and populated them with data, you may use
the Account Limitations Builder as directed in the following procedure.

Creating an Account Limitation

The following steps create an account limitation.
To create an account limitation:
1. Click Start> All Programs> SolarWinds> Grouping and Access
Control> Account Limitation Builder.

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Chapter 22: Creating Account Limitations

2. Click Start on the splash screen.
3. Click Edit> Add Limitation.
4. Select a Custom Property.
Notes:
l If Custom Property is empty, you need to define a custom property.
For more information, see Creating Custom Properties
l The remaining boxes are populated automatically, based upon your
selection.
5. Choose a Selection Method.
Note: This is the selection format that will appear when you are choosing
values for the account limitation through the web Account Manager. For
more information, see Setting Account Limitations.
6. If you want to include your own description of your account limitation, type
your description over the default text provided in the Description field.
7. Click OK.
Your newly defined account limitation is added to the top of the table view. You
may now use the new limitation in the SolarWinds Web Console Account
Manager. For more information, see Setting Account Limitations".

Deleting an Account Limitation

The following steps delete an account limitation using the Account Limitation
Builder utility.
To delete an account limitation:
1. Click Start> All Programs> SolarWinds> Grouping and Access
Control> Account Limitation Builder.
2. Click Start on the splash screen.
3. Click the row of the limitation that you want to delete.
Note: Use Shift+click to highlight multiple consecutive rows or Ctrl+Click
to highlight multiple non-consecutive rows.
4. Click Edit> Delete Selected Limitations.
Note: Although SolarWinds deletes the selected limitations from the table,
ensuring that they will no longer be available through the web Account Manager,
if you delete a limitation using the Account Limitation Builder, all accounts that
have been assigned that limitation will remain limited. Deleting a limitation makes
it unavailable for future use in the SolarWinds Web Console.

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Chapter 23:
Managing Processes, Services,
Tasks, and Events in Real Time
l

l
l

To manage and monitor real time processes, see "Real Time Process
Explorer"
To manage and monitor real time services, see "Service Control Manager"
To manage and monitor scheduled tasks, sWindows Scheduled Task Monitor
To view and monitor real time events, see "Real Time Event Viewer"

Real Time Process Explorer

The Real Time Process Explorer (RTPE) is available for WMI and SNMP
monitored nodes. This feature is similar to the Processes tab found in the
Windows Task Manager. The advantage of the RTPE is that you no longer need
to physically, or remotely, log in to a particular computer and run the Task
Manager to retrieve that machine's vital statistics. Information for both monitored
and unmonitored processes is displayed directly through SAM using the RTPE.

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Chapter 23: Managing Processes, Services, Tasks, and Events in Real Time
Notes:
l

l
l

Only SAM administrators can end processes as well as enable and disable
the RTPE.
The User Name and Command Line columns are hidden by default.
Using the RTPE on a node monitored via ICMP, which has no working component, will require you to select Windows credentials manually. Consider
promoting the selected node to SNMP or WMI to avoid this prompt. For
more information, see:
l Promoting a Node from ICMP to SNMP Monitoring
l Promoting a Node to WMI Monitoring

Accessing the Real Time Process Explorer

There are three places within SAM that you can access the RTPE: the Node
Details page, the Application Details page, and the Component Details page.
Node Details page
On the Node Details page, the Real-Time Process Explorer button can be found
at the bottom of each Top 10 list, as highlighted below:

To navigate to the Node Details page:

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Using the Real Time Process Explorer

Physical Memory

Yes

Virtual Memory

Yes

Disk I/O

Yes

User Name

Yes

Command Line

Yes

Polling interval

Five seconds

Up to two minutes

Notes:
l

Windows servers do not update their SNMP statistics more frequently than
every two minutes. It takes at least two updates to these statistics to provide
an accurate calculation. This means data displayed in the RTPE via SNMP
can take up to four minutes to display. If this is unacceptable, consider changing the protocol to WMI.
SNMP uses significantly less bandwidth than WMI.

____________________________________
Information on certain processes may not be exposed which can result in certain rows being blank.

Each column can be sorted by clicking the column head or hovering over the
column name and clicking the drop down arrow. Columns can also be added or
removed this way. Each column can also be resized and/or re-arranged by
dragging the separators between each column head to change the width, or the
column heads themselves to change their position.
Note: By default, all available columns, with the exception of the User Name and
Command Line, are shown for the top ten running processes.

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Chapter 23: Managing Processes, Services, Tasks, and Events in Real Time

To show all running processes:

1. Click Show All at the bottom-left of the window.
To show a set number of running processes:
1. Change the number in the text box next to the Show All button from 10 to
any number that suits your needs.
To pause polling:
1. Click Pause Polling at the top-left of the window when available.
To end processes:
1. Check the boxes next to the processes you want to end and then click End
Process.
Note: This option is only available when the RTPE is using a WMI connection.

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Real Time Process Explorer Alerts

To start polling:
1. Click Start Polling at the top-left of the window.

For Windows based nodes, you can change the credentials used by clicking the
Use Different Credentials button to bring up the credential library dialog box.
Clicking Refresh

will re-poll the running processes.

Real Time Process Explorer Alerts

Three alerts are included with the Real Time Process Explorer:
l

High CPU Percent Utilization with Top 10 Processes. (This alert will
send an email when the CPU utilization is greater than 80%.)
High Physical Memory Utilization with Top 10 Processes. (An alert will
be sent when physical memory usage is at or above 90%.)
High Virtual Memory Utilization with Top 10 Processes. (An alert will be
sent when virtual memory usage is at or above 90%.)

These alerts can be found in the Alert Wizard. For more information, see Adding
Alerts.
Note: Alerts may lag if you are monitoring hardware via SNMP. It takes at least
two updates to these statistics to provide an accurate calculation, meaning an
alert can take up to four minutes to reach its recipient. If this is unacceptable,
consider changing the protocol to WMI, which updates every five seconds. Also
consider adjusting the trigger time to a value greater than two minutes. For more
information, see "Using the Real Time Process Explorer".

Real Time Process Information in Top XX Alerts

SAM provides additional troubleshooting information for high CPU, memory, and
virtual memory by sending email alerts. This is done by utilizing the Top
Offending Processes metric running on the server at the time of the alert. For more
information, see Adding Alerts.

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Chapter 23: Managing Processes, Services, Tasks, and Events in Real Time
Following is the path where the executable
SolarWinds.APM.RealTimeProcessPoller.exe is located along with its
command line arguments:
C:\Program Files (x86)
\SolarWinds\Orion\APM\SolarWinds.APM.RealTimeProcessPoller.exe

Command line argument syntax:

SolarWinds.APM.RealTimeProcessPoller.exe -n=<NodeID> [count=<NumberOfProcesses>] [-sort=<SortBy>] [timeout=<PollingTimeout>] [-alert=<AlertDefID>]

Command line argument variables:

Variable

Definition

-n

Defines the ID of a Node

(NodeID), which will be
polled.

-count

Defines the number of

processes to show.

-sort

Defines the criteria to

use for the selection of
top processes. Possible
values:
Process
CPU

Processor time.
This is the
default value if
the command
line argument
is not specified.

PhysicalMemory

Process physical memory.

VirtualMemory

Process virtual

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Real Time Process Information in Top XX Alerts

memory.
DiskIO

Process disk
I/O per second.

-timeout

Defines timeout for

polling in seconds.

-alert

Defines AlertDefID of
associated triggered
alert. If this argument is
provided, then alert
notes are updated with
the results from polling.

-activeObject

Defines the ActiveObject

property of the
associated triggered
alert. If this argument is
not provided, NodeID is
used.

Example 1:
This example will return the top 20 processes with the highest virtual memory
consumption running on the host with node ID 123.
SolarWinds.APM.RealTimeProcessPoller.exe -n=123 -count=20 sort=VirtualMemory -timeout=300

Example 2:
This example uses the Execute an External Program alert action:
SolarWinds.APM.RealTimeProcessPoller.exe
t=${AlertDefID}

-n=${NodeID} -aler-

Example 3:
This example uses the Execute an External Program alert action for an alert
defined for the Volume object type:
SolarWinds.APM.RealTimeProcessPoller.exe -n=${NodeID} alert=${AlertDefID} -activeObject=${NetObjectID} -sort=VirtualMemory

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Chapter 23: Managing Processes, Services, Tasks, and Events in Real Time

Service Control Manager

The Service Control Manager (SCM) is similar to the Real Time Process
Explorer, with the main difference being that it allows you to manage the services
of monitored Windows nodes, as opposed to processes. The advantage of the
SCM is that you no longer need to physically, or remotely, log in to a particular
Windows computer to view and control its services. Information for both running
and stopped services is displayed directly through SAM using the Service Control
Manager.
Note: Services viewed in the Service Control Manager are polled every 25
seconds using WMI.

Accessing the Service Control Manager

There are four places within SAM that you can access the SCM: the Application
Details page, the Component Details page, the Node Details, and the
Management Resource page.
Application Details page
On the Application Details page, the Service Control Manager button can be
found at the top of the Application Details resource, as highlighted below:

1100

Accessing the Service Control Manager

To navigate to the Application Details page:
1. Click the Home tab in the SAM web console.
2. In the All Applications group, click an Application.
Note: Pop-ups must be enabled in your browser to view the Service Control
Manager.
Component Details page
On the Component Details page, the Service Control Manager button can be
found at the top of the Component Details resource, as highlighted below:

To navigate to the Application Details page:

1. Click the Home tab in the SAM web console.
2. In the All Applications group, click an Application.
3. Click a component.
Node Details page
On the Node Details page, the Service Control Manager button can be found at
the bottom of each Top 10 list, as highlighted below:

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Chapter 23: Managing Processes, Services, Tasks, and Events in Real Time
To navigate to the Node Details page:
1. Click the Home tab in the SAM web console.
2. In the All Nodes group, click a node.
Note: The Service Control Manager button will not be available on the Node
Details page in situations where Top 10 lists are hidden. Clicking Service Control
Manager will open the SCM in a new window and the services will be sorted
alphabetically.
Note: Pop-ups must be enabled in your browser to view the Service Control
Manager.
Management Resource
On the Node Details page, the Service Control Manager button can be found in
the Management resource, as highlighted below:

Using the Service Control Manager

The Service Control Manager (SCM) shows all the services, running or not, that
are on the monitored computer. Hovering the mouse over the row of any service
will give you detailed information about that service in a tool tip, as shown below:

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Using the Service Control Manager

Starting and Stopping a Service:
1. Click the row of a service to select it.
2. At the top of the window, Select either Stop Service, Start Service or
Restart service.
Services currently monitored by SAM are indicated by the application icon with
the name of the assigned application beside it. Services that are not currently
monitored by SAM are indicated by the [+] symbol, followed by the words, Start
monitoring this service.
To Monitor a Service with SAM:
1. Click Start monitoring this service in the row of the service you want to
monitor.
2. From here, you will be taken to the Edit Properties section of the Component Monitor Wizard wizard. At this point, you can begin customizing the
selected component monitor.
Once the Service Control Manager is activated, each column can be sorted by
clicking the column head or hovering over the column name and clicking the drop
down arrow. Columns can also be added or removed this way. Each column can
also be resized and/or re-arranged by dragging the separators between each
column head to change the width, or the column heads themselves to change
their position.
The table below shows the default settings for the Service Control Manager:
Action

Description

Default
Setting

Service Job
Life Time

This is used to specify how long the information

for a service exists.

3
minutes

Service Poll
Interval

This is used to specify the refresh frequency of the

information reported by the service.

25
seconds

Service Action
Job Timeout

This reports the timeout for a service.

3
minutes

Note: By default, all available columns are shown.

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Chapter 23: Managing Processes, Services, Tasks, and Events in Real Time

Windows Scheduled Task Monitor

The Windows Scheduled Task Monitor (WSTM) is a resource designed to
provide you with quick visual access to the status of scheduled tasks configured
on your Windows nodes.
Note: Only tasks from root directory can be monitored. The WSTM will not work
for tasks from every level of the Task Scheduler Library.

The WSTM comes with an alert which will notify you of any task execution
failures, as well as web based reports that allow you to view all scheduled tasks
configured across all servers in your environment. Additionally, there is a
dedicated Task Failure Report you can view or have emailed to you on a regular
basis.
Note: This resource is hidden when the WSTM is not being monitored on a node.
For more information, refer to the following sections:
l
l
l
l
l

Requirements for the Windows Scheduled Task Monitor

Enabling the Windows Scheduled Task Monitor
Accessing the Windows Scheduled Task Monitor
Understanding the Windows Scheduled Task Monitor
Alerting Using Windows Scheduled Task Monitor Macros

Requirements for the Windows Scheduled Task Monitor

The WSTM supports monitoring tasks on the following operating systems:
l
l
l
l
l

Windows 2003 R2 SP2

Windows 2008
Windows 2008 R2
Windows 2012
Windows 2012 R2

1104

Enabling the Windows Scheduled Task Monitor

Notes:
l

l
l

When SAM is installed on Windows 2003 R2 SP2, scheduled tasks on Windows 2008 or later cannot be polled by the Windows Scheduled Task Monitor (WSTM).
The WSTM consumes five license units per node.
Only tasks from root directory can be monitored. The WSTM will not work for
tasks from every level of the Task Scheduler Library.

Enabling the Windows Scheduled Task Monitor

There are several locations available that allow you to enable the WSTM:
l
l
l

When adding a new WMI managed node.

When listing resources on an existing WMI managed node.
When employing the Network Sonar Discovery Wizard. (Both one-time discovery, and scheduled discovery options are available using this method.)

Notes:
l

The Windows Scheduled Tasks option is hidden when a task is not found
on the target machine.
The Windows Scheduled Tasks option is unchecked by default when at
least one task is found on the target machine.
The Windows Schedule Tasks option is checked when tasks are already
being monitored.

To enable the WSTM via adding a WMI managed node:

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Chapter 23: Managing Processes, Services, Tasks, and Events in Real Time
1. From the web console, navigate to Settings > Manage Nodes.
2. Click [+] Add Node.
3. Select the Windows Servers: WMI and ICMP option and enter the proper
credentials.
4. Click Next.
5. Check Windows Scheduled Tasks.
To enable the WSTM via listing the resources of a WMI managed node:
1. From the web console's Home tab, find the All Nodes resource.
2. Expand the Windows tree by clicking Windows.
3. Click a Windows node to be taken to the Node Details page for that node.

4. From the Management resource, click List Resources, as shown:

1106

Accessing the Windows Scheduled Task Monitor

5. Check Windows Scheduled Tasks, and then click Submit.

To enable the WSTM via Network Sonar Discovery:

1. From the web console, click Settings in the upper right-hand corner of the
screen.
2. In the Getting Started with Orion grouping, click Network Sonar Discovery.
3. Continue through the wizard.
4. When prompted, on the Scheduled Discovery Results tab, check Windows
Scheduled Tasks, as highlighted, and then click Submit:

Accessing the Windows Scheduled Task Monitor

When monitored, you will find the Windows Schedule Task Monitor resource only
on the Node Details view of the monitored server.
To view the WSTM on the Node Details page:

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Chapter 23: Managing Processes, Services, Tasks, and Events in Real Time
1.
2.
3.
4.

From the web console's Home tab, find the All Nodes resource.
Expand the Windows tree by clicking Windows.
Click a Windows node to be taken to the Node Details page for that node.
On the Node Details page, find the Windows Scheduled Task resource, as
shown:

Note: The WSTM is not shown in the All Applications resource.

Understanding the Windows Scheduled Task Monitor

Only tasks from root directory can be monitored. The WSTM will not work for tasks
from every level of the Task Scheduler Library.

The WSTM has four columns that provide the following information:
l
l

l
l

Task Name: This column displays the detailed name of the scheduled task.
Status: This displays the current status of the listed task. For more information, see WTSM Status
Last Run Time: This displays the last time the listed task executed.
Last Run Result: This displays the result of the listed task's last execution
as an icon.

Tips:

1108

Alerting Using Windows Scheduled Task Monitor Macros

l
l

Hovering over any item in the Task Name column will provide a tooltip with
detailed information about the listed task.
You can sort the display by clicking the head of each column.
Clicking >>Edit Settings at the bottom of the resource will allow you to:
l Change the polling frequency.
l Change the polling timeout period.
l Change credentials.
l Add custom notes.

Alerting Using Windows Scheduled Task Monitor Macros

The following variables are associated with the Windows Scheduled Task
Monitor and can be used in alerting:
l

Alert me when task last run result is non successful

To View Alerts:
1. From the web console, navigate to Home >Alerts >Manage Alerts.

2. Select the alerts you want to view from the list, or type a keyword in the text
box and click the Search button:

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Chapter 23: Managing Processes, Services, Tasks, and Events in Real Time

For more information, see:

l
l
l
l

SolarWinds SAM Alerts

Creating Alerts
Predefined Server & Application Monitor Web Console Based Reports
Adding Alerts

Windows Scheduled Task Monitor Returned Status Codes

Following is a list of status codes and their meanings that may appear in the
WSTM resource:
Hex Status
Code

Description

(0x0)

The operation completed successfully.

(0x1)

Incorrect or unknown function called.

(0x2)

File not found.

(0xA)

The environment is incorrect.

(0x41300)

The task is ready to run at its next scheduled time.

(0x41301)

The task is currently running.

(0x41302)

The task will not run at the scheduled times because it has
been disabled.

(0x41303)

The task has not yet run.

(0x41304)

There are no more runs scheduled for this task.

(0x41305)

One or more of the properties that are needed to run this task on
a schedule have not been set.

1110

Windows Scheduled Task Monitor Returned Status Codes

(0x41306)

The last run of the task was terminated by the user.

(0x41307)

Either the task has no triggers or the existing triggers are

disabled or not set.

(0x41308)

Event triggers do not have set run times.

(0x4131B)

The task is registered, but not all specified triggers will start the
task.

(0x4131C)

The task is registered, but may fail to start. Batch logon privilege
needs to be enabled for the task principal.

(0x41325)

The Task Scheduler service has asked the task to run.

(0x8004020D) Cannot modify or delete an object that was not added using the
COM+ Admin SDK.
(0x80041309) A task's trigger is not found.
(0x8004130A) One or more of the properties required to run this task have not
been set.
(0x8004130B) There is no running instance of the task.
(0x8004130C) The Task Scheduler service is not installed on this computer.
(0x8004130D) The task object could not be opened.
(0x8004130E) The object is either an invalid task object or is not a task object.
(0x8004130F) No account information could be found in the Task Scheduler
security database for the task indicated.
(0x80041310) Unable to establish existence of the account specified.
(0x80041311) Corruption was detected in the Task Scheduler security
database; the database has been reset.
(0x80041312) Task Scheduler security services are available only on
Windows NT.
(0x80041313) The task object version is either unsupported or invalid.
(0x80041314) The task has been configured with an unsupported combination
of account settings and run time options.

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Chapter 23: Managing Processes, Services, Tasks, and Events in Real Time

(0x80041315) The Task Scheduler Service is not running.

(0x80041316) The task XML contains an unexpected node.
(0x80041317) The task XML contains an element or attribute from an
unexpected namespace.
(0x80041318) The task XML contains a value which is incorrectly formatted or
out of range.
(0x80041319) The task XML is missing a required element or attribute.
(0x8004131A) The task XML is malformed.
(0x8004131D) The task XML contains too many nodes of the same type.
(0x8004131E) The task cannot be started after the trigger end boundary.
(0x8004131F) An instance of this task is already running.
(0x80041320) The task will not run because the user is not logged on.
(0x80041321) The task image is corrupt or has been tampered with.
(0x80041322) The Task Scheduler service is not available.
(0x80041323) The Task Scheduler service is too busy to handle your request.
Please try again later.
(0x80041324) The Task Scheduler service attempted to run the task, but the
task did not run due to one of the constraints in the task
definition.
(0x80041327) The task has properties that are not compatible with earlier
versions of Windows.
(0x80041328) The task settings do not allow the task to start on demand.
(0x80070002) The system cannot find the file specified.
(0x800700C1) Not valid Win32 application.
(0x800704C7) The operation was canceled by the user.
(0x800704DD) The operation being requested was not performed because the
user has not logged on to the network. The specified service
does not exist.

1112

WTSM Status
(0xC000013A) The application terminated.
(0xC06D007E) Unknown software exception.
For a complete list of error codes, see http://msdn.microsoft.com/enus/library/windows/desktop/aa383604%28v=vs.85%29.aspx

WTSM Status
The following table lists the conditions that must be met in order for a status of
Available, Not Available, or Undefined, to be triggered:
Available

Not Available

Undefined

Task Success

Trigger Not Found

Default

Task Ready

Task Not Ready

Task Running

Task Not Running

Task Disabled

Service Not Installed

Task Has Not Run

Cannot Open Task

Task No More Runs

Invalid Task

Task Not Scheduled

Account Information Not Set

Task Terminated

Account Name Not Found

Task No Valid Triggers Account Database Corrupt

Event Trigger

No Security Services

Some Triggers Failed

Unknown Object Version

Batch Logon Problem

Unsupported Account Option

Task Queued

Service Not Running

Unexpected Node
Name space
Invalid Value
Missing Node

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Chapter 23: Managing Processes, Services, Tasks, and Events in Real Time

Malformed Xml
Too Many Nodes
Past End Boundary
Already Running
User Not Logged On
Invalid Task Hash
Service Not Available
Service Too Busy
Task Attempted
Task Not V1 Compatible
Start On Demand
Service Does not Exist
No File Specified
Cannot Delete Object
Not Valid Application
Incorrect Function
File Not Found
Environment Is Incorrect
Application Terminated
Unknown Software Exception
Operation Canceled

Real Time Event Viewer

The Real Time Event Viewer (RTEV) allows you to view Windows event logs in
real time using the WMI protocol. Event logs can be filtered by log type, event
source, and the level of severity. You can also select which event logs you want
to monitor from within this resource.

1114

Accessing the Real Time Event Viewer

The RTEV is accessible from the Management resource found on the Node
Details page and the Application Details page, as shown below. It is also
available on the Component Details view of the Windows Event Log component,
as well as from every component within an application assigned to a node
recognized as being Windows.

To navigate to the Node Details page:

1. Click the Home tab in the SAM web console.
2. In the All Nodes group, click a node.
To navigate to the Application Details page:
1. Click the Home tab in the SAM web console.
2. In the All Applications group, click an application.

1115

Filtering Events
Different events are displayed in the RTEV depending upon the log type and
filters you choose.
Once you select a Log Type from the drop down list, SAM will immediately begin
collecting these logs and display them in the message window to the right, as
shown:

To Select a Log Type:

1. Select a Log Type from the drop down menu.
Once the events of the selected Log Type are collected and displayed in the right
window, you can filter the results with various criteria.
To Filter Collected Events:
1. Select Custom Sources from the Event Sources drop down menu.

1116

Filtering Events
2. Check only the sources you want to keep when the filter is applied, as highlighted below:

3. Select the type of messages you want the filter to keep by checking the
appropriate Event Level check boxes. (Note that the icons in this legend
correspond to messages in the display window.)

4. Click Apply Filter to have the events filtered and displayed.

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Chapter 23: Managing Processes, Services, Tasks, and Events in Real Time

Reading Events
Once filtering is complete, you can hide and unhide the filtering pane on the left
by clicking either of the two arrows, highlighted in red:

The display window shows a list of the most recent events. Should any new
events occur while this window is open, a green bar at the top of the window will
indicate that new events have arrived, as shown in the above image. You can
click the green bar to add these new events to the display window.
Note: The Level column icons correspond to the Event Level icons in the legend
of the events pane.
Clicking on any message in the display window will bring up a message box
providing the entire message along with additional details, as shown:

Monitoring Events
There are three ways to begin monitoring events from within the RTEV:
l
l

Click Start Monitoring in the Message Details view.

Click [+] Start Monitoring in the Assigned Application column in the row of
the event you want to monitor.
Select multiple events from the list window by checking the appropriate
boxes and then click [+] Start Monitoring at the top of the window.

All three methods (highlighted below) will take you to the Add Component Monitor
wizard and allow you to create an application based on your selection.

1118

Monitoring Events

Component Monitor Wizard

Once you begin the Component Monitor Wizard, you will encounter the option to
Disable Keyword Matching.

This drop down menu will help you better filter the results you want.

1119

Chapter 24:
Monitoring Syslog Messages
Syslog messages are one type of real time notification that network devices can
send in response to designated network events. SolarWinds SAM provides the
SolarWinds Syslog Service, allowing SolarWinds to receive Syslog messages
from any monitored network device. The SolarWinds Syslog Service also has the
ability to open multiple connections to your SQL server, so it can handle large
numbers of simultaneously incoming Syslog messages from all your monitored
devices.
SolarWinds SAM uses the SolarWinds Syslog Service to listen on UDP port 514
for incoming Syslog messages. Received messages are then decoded and
stored in the Orion database. Until they are acknowledged, Syslog messages are
available for viewing either in the web console Syslog view or in the Syslog
Viewer application. The Syslog view in the SolarWinds Web Console provides
quick access to current messages, filtered by any or all of the following criteria:
l
l
l

Name or type of network object sending the message.

Message Severity, Facility, Type, or Pattern
Time Period in which the message was sent.

The Syslog Viewer application also allows you to tailor your view of Syslog
messages using fully customizable rules. Additionally, the Syslog Viewer gives
you the ability both to search your Orion database and to configure
Syslog-specific alerts for received Syslog messages.
Note: When configuring your network devices to send Syslog messages, confirm
that messages are sent to the IP address assigned to your SolarWinds SAM
server. To ensure the proper configuration of a network device for Syslog
messaging, refer to the documentation supplied by the device vendor.

Configuring the SolarWinds Syslog Port

SolarWinds listens for Syslog messages on port 514 (UDP). You can configure
this port in the SyslogService.exe.config file, as indicated in the following
procedure.

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Chapter 24: Monitoring Syslog Messages

Note: Running the Configuration Wizard will revert any and all changes made to
the SyslogService.exe.config file. If you run the Configuration Wizard, you must
repeat this procedure to restore your required port setting.
To configure the Syslog port:
1. Log on to your SolarWinds server using an account with administrative privileges.
2. Open SyslogService.exe.config in a text editor.
Note: By default, SyslogService.exe.config is located in C:\Program
Files\SolarWinds\Orion\.
3. Locate the following line: <add key="UDPListenPort" value="514">
4. Edit value="514" as required to indicate the port on which your monitored
devices are configured to send Syslog messages to your SolarWinds
server.
5. Save SyslogService.exe.config.

Syslog Messages in the Web Console

The SolarWinds Web Console provides both Syslog-specific resources and a
Syslog view that provides a table of Syslog messages received by your
SolarWinds server. The following sections provide an overview of available
Syslog resources and procedures for viewing and acknowledging Syslog
messages within the SolarWinds Web Console.

Syslog Resources
SolarWinds SAM provides the following Syslog-related resources for inclusion
within web console views.
Advanced Syslog Counts
Every Syslog message has a designated severity. For more information
about Syslog severities, see Syslog Severities on page1133. The
Advanced Syslog Counts resource groups by severity all Syslog messages
received by the currently viewed node. For each severity, this resource
provides the number of received Syslog messages.
Advanced Syslog Parser
The Advanced Syslog Parser resource provides a comprehensive view of
the Syslog messages most recently received by the viewed node. The most
recent messages of each severity are listed. For more information about
Syslog severities, see Syslog Severities on page1133.

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Viewing Syslog Messages in the Web Console

Advanced Syslog Summary
The Advanced Syslog Summary resource groups by message type all
Syslog messages received by the currently viewed node, where the
message type is encoded in the Syslog message packet. For each
message type, this resource provides the severity, the hostname or IP
address of the message originator, and the total number of Syslog
messages received.
Last 25 Syslog Messages
The Last 25 Syslog Messages resource provides a list of the last 25 syslog
messages that have been sent by monitored network devices to the viewed
node. For each message, this resource presents the date and time the
message was sent, the hostname and IP address of the device sending the
message, and the message text.
Clicking the hostname, IP address, or message text opens the
corresponding Object Details page, providing extensive diagnostic
information about the monitored network object sending the message.
Clicking Edit opens the Edit Last 25 Syslog Messages page where you can
set the maximum number of displayed messages, select the time period for
viewing messages, and establish filters to limit the messages this resource
displays. For more information, see Using Node Filters on page182.
Syslog Summary
The Syslog Summary resource lists the number of Syslog messages
received by the viewed node from monitored network devices over a
specified period of time.

Viewing Syslog Messages in the Web Console

You can customize the list view by using the following procedure to select your
preferred message grouping criteria.
To view Syslog messages in the Web Console:
1. Click Start> All Programs> SolarWinds> SolarWindsWeb Console.
2. Log in to the SolarWinds Web Console, and then click Syslog in the
Views toolbar.
3. If you want to view Syslog messages for a specific Syslogenabled network object, specify the selected object in the Network Object field.

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Chapter 24: Monitoring Syslog Messages

4.
5.

9.
10.
11.
12.

Note: Only objects that have sent a Syslog message to the SolarWinds
server will be listed in this field.
If you want to filter your Syslog messages table by device type, select
the type to which you want to limit your view in the Type of Device field.
If you want to filter your Syslog messages table by severity, select the
severity level to which you want to limit your view in the Select Severity
field.
Note: For more information, see Syslog Severities on page1133.
If you want to filter your Syslog messages table by facility, select the
facility to which you want to limit your view in the Select Facility field.
Note: For more information, see Syslog Facilities on page1132.
If you want to limit your Syslog messages table to show only messages of a designated type, type the appropriate string in the Message
Type field.
If you want to limit your Syslog messages table to show only messages containing a designated pattern, provide the appropriate string in
the Message Pattern field.
Note: An asterisk (*) is required as a wildcard character, both before and
after the pattern string, unless the provided pattern is any of the following:
l The beginning of the message
l The end of the message
l The full message
If you only want to see Syslog messages from a specific period of
time, select a time period from the Time Period menu.
Confirm the number of messages displayed in the Show Messages field.
If you want cleared or acknowledged messages to remain in the Syslog view, check Show Cleared Messages.
Click Refresh to update the Syslog messages list with your new settings.

Acknowledging Syslog Messages in the Web Console

Acknowledging Syslog messages is straightforward in the SolarWinds Web
Console, as shown in the following procedure.
To acknowledge Syslog messages in the SolarWinds Web Console:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Click Start> All Programs> SolarWinds> SolarWindsWeb Console.

Log in to the SolarWinds Web Console.
Click Syslog in the Views toolbar.
Provide filter criteria for the Syslog messages table. For more information,
see Viewing Syslog Messages in the Web Console..
5. Click Refresh to ensure that all selected view criteria take effect.

1123

Using the Syslog Viewer

6. Check the messages you want to acknowledge, and then click Clear Selected Messages.

Using the Syslog Viewer

SolarWinds also provides the standalone Syslog Viewer application for viewing
and acknowledging Syslog messages on your network. Syslog Viewer collects
Syslog messages from your network and presents them in a readily reviewable
and searchable list so that you can easily monitor your network. The following
sections provide a guide to using the Syslog Viewer application for viewing,
acknowledging, and triggering alerts in response to Syslog messages on your
network.
To open the Syslog Viewer, click Start> All Programs> SolarWinds> Syslog
and SNMP Traps> Syslog Viewer.

Viewing and Acknowledging Current Messages

The Syslog Viewer makes it easy to view and acknowledge messages. The
following procedure views and then acknowledges current Syslog messages.
To view and acknowledge current Syslog messages:
1. Click View> Current Messages
2. Acknowledge current messages using either of the following methods:
l Right-click any message, and then select Acknowledge Selected.
l Add an Acknowledged column to the Syslog Viewer, and then check
each message that you want to acknowledge. For more information,
see Syslog Server Settings.

Searching for Syslog Messages

Collected Syslog messages may be searched within Syslog Viewer. The
following steps both search for Syslog messages and format search results.
To search the Syslog message list:
1. Click View> Search Messages.
2. Enter appropriate search criteria, and then click Search Database.
3. If you want to group messages for easier navigation, select the type of
grouping from the Grouping list.
Note: Messages can be acknowledged in the search results just as they

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Chapter 24: Monitoring Syslog Messages

can be acknowledged in the Current Messages view. For more information, see Syslog Server Settings.
4. If you want to limit the number of messages that are shown, enter or
select a number in the Maximum number of messages to display field.
5. If you want to view messages that meet your search criteria as they
arrive, select a number for the Auto Refresh every number seconds field.
Note: Auto Refresh is only available when you are viewing current messages. The Date/Time Range must be set to Today, Last 24 Hours, Last 2
Hours, or Last Hour.

Syslog Server Settings

Use the following procedure as a guide to starting and configuring the Syslog
Viewer.
To start and configure the Syslog Viewer:
1. Click Start> All Programs> SolarWinds> Syslog and SNMP Traps>
Syslog Viewer.
2. Click File> Settings.
3. Click the General tab in the Syslog Server Settings window.
4. Adjust the Maximum number of messages to display in Current Messages view slider to set the number of messages you want to display.
5. If you want to Automatically Refresh the Current Messages View, check
the option accordingly, and then set the refresh rate with the middle slider.
6. Adjust Retain Syslog messages for how many days? to set the length of
time Syslog messages should stay in the database.
7. Click the Displayed Columns tab.
8. Use the arrow keys to select and order the fields of information you want to
see in the Current Messages view.
Note: You can make it easier to acknowledge Syslog messages by selecting the Acknowledged column to add to your view.
9. If you want to wrap Syslog message text in the Current Messages view,
check Word wrap long messages.
10. If you do not expect to use Syslog Server as your primary viewer for
Syslog messages, select the Message Parsing tab, and then complete the
following steps:
Note: The following data points are saved within the Syslog tables in your
Orion database. Removing the added data from each record helps you to
proactively reduce the size of your database.

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Configuring Syslog Viewer Filters and Alerts

11. Check Remove embedded Date/Time from Syslog Messages, Remove
Message Type from Syslog Messages, and Remove Domain Name
from DNS Lookups.

Configuring Syslog Viewer Filters and Alerts

The Syslog Viewer can be configured to signal SolarWinds alert actions when
Syslog messages that are received from network devices match defined rules.
The steps in the following procedure establish rules that filter Syslog messages
and initiate alert actions as you determine.
Note: Syslog rules may not be applied to nodes in an unmanaged state. For more
information about designating nodes as unmanaged, see Setting Node
Management States on page140.
To configure Syslog Viewer filters and alerts:
1. Click Start> All Programs> SolarWinds> Syslog and SNMP Traps>
Syslog Viewer.
2. Click File> Settings.
3. Click Alerts/Filter Rules.
4. If you are creating a new rule, click Add New Rule.
5. If you are editing an existing rule, select the rule, and then click Edit
Selected Rule.
6. On the General tab, complete the following steps:
a. Provide or edit the Rule Name, and then check Enabled.
b. Select appropriate servers from the Apply this Rule to list.
c. Enter the IP addresses or subnets to which this rule applies in the
Source IP Addresses area.
Note: Use the examples provided on this tab to ensure that the list of
source IP addresses is properly formatted.
7. If you want to limit the rule to only messages from specific hosts,
domains, or hostname patterns, on the DNS Hostname tab enter a DNS
Hostname Pattern.
Notes:
l The DNS Hostname Pattern rule is case sensitive.
l When Use Regular Expressions in this Rule is checked, you may
use regular expressions in place of like statements. For more information about using regular expressions in SolarWinds SAM, see
Regular Expression Pattern Matching on page1204.

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Chapter 24: Monitoring Syslog Messages

8. If you want to limit the rule to only specific message types or text within
a Syslog message, on the Message tab enter rules as appropriate for Message Type Pattern and Syslog Message Pattern.
Notes:
l Use the examples listed on this tab to format the list properly.
l When Use Regular Expressions in this Rule is checked, regular
expressions can be used in place of like statements. For more
information about using regular expressions in SolarWinds SAM, see
Regular Expression Pattern Matching on page1204.
9. If you want to apply specific severity or facility types, on the Severity /
Facility tab check the severity and facility types you want to apply.
Note: By default, all message severities and facilities are selected. For
more information about Syslog severities and facilities, see Syslog Message Priorities on page1132.
10. If you want to limit rule application to within a specific period of time,
select the Time of Day tab, check Enable Time of Day checking, enter the
time period, and then check the days of the week on which to apply the rule.
Notes:
l Enabling Time of Day checking creates more overhead for the CPU.
l Messages received outside the specified time frame will not trigger
alerts.
11. If you want to suppress alert actions until a specified number of messages arrive that match the rule, complete the following procedure:
a. Select the Trigger Threshold tab.
b. Check Define a Trigger Threshold for this Rule.
c. Enter option values as appropriate.
Note: When Suspend further Alert Actions for is checked, alert
actions are not sent until the specified amount of time has expired.
Once the time period has expired, only new alerts are sent. All alerts
suppressed during the time period are discarded.
12. Configure Syslog alert actions on the Alert Actions tab, as shown in the following steps:
a. If you are associating a new action to the rule, click Add New
Action. For more information about available actions, see Available
Syslog Alert Actions on page1128.
b. If you want to edit an existing action for the rule, select an action
from the list, and then click Edit Selected Action.
c. Configure the action as appropriate. For more information about available actions, see Available Syslog Alert Actions on page1128.
Note: Syslog alerts use a unique set of variables.

1127

Available Syslog Alert Actions

Previous reboot was at ${LastBoot-Previous}.Alert:
${NodeName} has exceptionally high response time. Average
Response Time is ${AvgResponseTime} and is varying from
${MinResponseTime} to ${MaxResponseTime}.Current packet
loss for ${NodeName} is ${%Loss}. Average Response time is
${AvgResponseTime} and is varying from ${MinResponseTime} to ${MaxResponseTime}.Alert: The SNMP Community string used to query ${NodeName} has been changed
from ${Community-Previous} to ${Community}. SolarWinds
uses the new Community String to query ${NodeName}.
d. If you need to delete an action, select the action, and then click
Delete Action.
e. Use the arrow buttons to set the order in which actions are performed.
Note: Actions are processed in the order listed, from top to bottom.
f. Click OK to save all changes and return to Syslog Viewer Settings.
13. Use the arrow buttons to arrange the order in which the rules are applied.
Note: Rules are processed in the order they appear, from top to bottom.

Available Syslog Alert Actions

The following list provides definitions of the actions available for each Syslog
alert type. For more information about how to assign alert actions, see
Configuring Syslog Viewer Filters and Alerts.
Discard the Syslog Message
Allows you to delete unwanted Syslog messages sent to the Syslog server.
Tag the Syslog Message
Allows you to add a custom tag to received Syslog messages. Ensure you
include the Tag column in the viewer when assigning a tag.
Modify the Syslog Message
Modify the severity, facility, type, or contents of a Syslog message.
Log the Message to a file
Allows you to specify a file and a series of variables with which to tag
Syslog messages sent to the file. Ensure you have already created the log
file you want to use. The alert cannot create a file.
Windows Event Log
Write a message to local or remote Windows Event Logs.

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Chapter 24: Monitoring Syslog Messages

Forward the Syslog message
Specify the IP address or hostname and the port to forward a Syslog event.
Send a new Syslog message
Trigger a new Syslog message, sent to a specific IP address or hostname,
on a specific port, with a customizable severity, facility, and message.
Send an SNMP Trap
Allows you to send a trap to an IP address following a specific trap template
and using a specific SNMP community string.
Play a sound
Allows you to play a sound when a matching Syslog message is received.
Text to Speech output
Define the speech engine, speed, pitch, volume, and message to read.
Execute an external program
Allows you to specify an external program to launch using a batch file. This
action is used when creating real time change notifications in SolarWinds
SAM.
Execute an external VB Script
Allows you to launch a VB Script using the selected script interpreter engine
and a saved script file.
Send a Windows Net Message
Allows you to send a net message either to a specific computer or to an
entire domain or workgroup.
Note: The only operating systems supporting Windows Net Messaging on
which SolarWinds supports SolarWinds installations are Windows Server
2003 and Windows XP. SolarWinds only supports evaluation installations
of SolarWinds on Windows XP.
Send an E-mail / Page
Send an email from a specified account to a specified address, using a
specific SMTP server, and containing a customizable subject and message.
Stop Processing Syslog Rules
Stops the processing of Syslog rules for the matching Syslog message.

1129

Forwarding Syslog Messages

The Syslog message forwarding action allows you to forward received Syslog
messages. Additionally, if you have WinPCap version 3.0 or higher installed on
your SolarWinds SAM server, you can forward Syslog messages as spoofed
network packets. The following procedure configures available options for
forwarded Syslog messages.
Note: The following procedure assumes you are editing a Forward the Syslog
Message alert action. For more information about Syslog alert actions, see
Configuring Syslog Viewer Filters and Alerts on page1126.
To configure the forward Syslog message action:
1. Provide the hostname or IP address of the destination to which you want to
forward the received Syslog message.
2. Provide the UDP Port you are using for Syslog messaging.
Note: The default is UDP port 514.
3. If you want to retain the IP address of the source device, complete the
following steps:
a. Check Retain the original source address of the message.
b. If you want to designate a specific IP address or hostname as the
Syslog source, check Use a fixed source IP address (or hostname),
and then provide the source IP address or hostname.
c. If you want to spoof a network packet, check Spoof Network
Packet, and then select an appropriate Network Adapter.
4. Click OK to complete the configuration of your Syslog forwarding action.

Syslog Alert Variables

The following variables can be used in Syslog alert messages. Each variable
must begin with a dollar sign and be enclosed in curly braces as, for example,
${VariableName}. Syslog alerts also support the use of Node alert variables. For
more information, see SolarWinds Variables and Examples.

Syslog Date/Time Variables

Syslog Date/Time
Description
Variable
${AbreviatedDOW} Current day of the week. Three character abbreviation.
AM or PM corresponding to current time (before or after
${AMPM}
noon)

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Chapter 24: Monitoring Syslog Messages

Current day of the month
Current day of the month (two digit number, zero padded)
Current date. (Short Date format)
Current date and time. (Windows control panel defined
${DateTime}
Short Date and Short Time format)
${DayOfWeek}
Current day of the week.
${DayOfYear}
Numeric day of the year
${H}
Current hour
${HH}
Current hour. Two digit format, zero padded.
${Hour}
Current hour. 24-hour format
${LocalDOW}
Current day of the week. Localized language format.
${LongDate}
Current date. (Long Date format)
${LocalMonthName} Current month name in the local language.
${LongTime}
Current Time. (Long Time format)
${M}
Current numeric month
${MM}
Current month. Two digit number, zero padded.
${MMM}
Current month. Three character abbreviation.
${MediumDate}
Current date. (Medium Date format)
${Minute}
Current minute. Two digit format, zero padded.
${Month}
Full name of the current month
${N}
Current month and day
${S}
Current second.
${Second}
Current second. Two digit format, zero padded.
${Time}
Current Time. (Short Time format)
${Year2}
Two digit year
${Year}
Four digit year
${D}
${DD}
${Date}

Other Syslog Variables

Syslog Variable

Description

${Application} SolarWinds application information

${Copyright}

${DNS}

Fully qualified node name

${Hostname}

Host name of the device triggering the alert

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Syslog Message Priorities

${IP_Address}

IP address of device triggering alert

${Message}

Status of device triggering alert

${MessageType} The name of the triggered alert

${Severity}

A number (0-7) corresponding to the designated severity

of a message. For more information, see Syslog
Severities on page1133.

${Version}

Version of the SolarWinds software package

Syslog Message Priorities

Included at the beginning of each Syslog message is a priority value. The priority
value range spans between 0 and 191 and is enclosed in angle bracket (< and >)
delimiters. The priority value is calculated using the following formula:
Priority = Facility * 8 + Severity

Syslog Facilities
The facility value indicates which machine process created the message. The
Syslog protocol was originally written on BSD Unix, so Facilities reflect the
names of UNIX processes and daemons, as shown in the following table.
Note: If you are receiving messages from a UNIX system, consider using the
User Facility as your first choice. Local0 through Local7 are not used by UNIX
and are traditionally used by networking equipment. Cisco routers, for example,
use Local6 or Local7.
Number Source

Number Source

kernel messages

NTP subsystem

user-level messages

log audit

mail system

log alert

system daemons

clock daemon

security/authorization messages

local use 0
(local0)

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Chapter 24: Monitoring Syslog Messages

messages generated internally by

Syslog

local use 1
(local1)

line printer subsystem

local use 2
(local2)

network news subsystem

local use 2
(local3)

UUCP subsystem

local use 2
(local4)

clock daemon

local use 2
(local5)

security/authorization messages

local use 2
(local6)

FTP daemon

local use 2
(local7)

Syslog Severities
The following table provides a list of Syslog severity levels with descriptions and
suggested actions for each.
Number Severity

Suggested Actions

Emergency

A "panic" condition affecting multiple applications,

servers, or sites. System is unusable. Notify all
technical staff on call.

Alert

A condition requiring immediate correction, for

example, the loss of a backup ISP connection. Notify
staff who can fix the problem.

Critical

A condition requiring immediate correction or

indicating a failure in a primary system, for example,
a loss of a primary ISP connection. Fix CRITICAL
issues before ALERT-level problems.

1133

Syslog Severities

Error

Non-urgent failures. Notify developers or

administrators as errors must be resolved within a
given time.

Warning

Warning messages are not errors, but they indicate

that an error will occur if required action is not taken.
An example is a file system that is 85% full. Each
item must be resolved within a given time.

Notice

Events that are unusual but are not error conditions.

These items might be summarized in an email to
developers or administrators to spot potential
problems. No immediate action is required.

Informational Normal operational messages. These may be

harvested for network maintenance functions like
reporting and throughput measurement. No action is
required.

Debug

Information useful to developers for debugging an

application. This information is not useful during
operations.

1134

Chapter 25:
Monitoring SNMP Traps
SNMP traps signal the occurrence of significant events by sending unsolicited
SNMP messages to a monitoring device. The SolarWinds Trap Server listens for
incoming trap messages on UDP port 162 and then decodes, displays, and stores
the messages in the SolarWinds SAM database. The SolarWinds Trap Service
allows SolarWinds SAM to receive and process SNMP traps from any type of
monitored network device, and, because the SolarWinds Trap Service is multithreaded, it can handle large numbers of simultaneously incoming traps.
You can view SNMP traps in the Trap Viewer application. The Trap Viewer
application allows you to configure trap-specific alerts, to view and search traps,
and to apply powerful trap filtering.
Note: When configuring devices to send SNMP traps, confirm that traps are sent
to the IP address assigned to the SolarWinds SAM server. To ensure proper
configuration, refer to the documentation supplied by the vendor of your devices.

The SNMP Trap Protocol

SNMPv1 (Simple Network Management Protocol) and SNMPv2c, along with the
associated Management Information Base (MIB), allow you to take advantage of
trap-directed notification. When monitoring a large number of devices, where
each device may have a large number of its own connected objects, it can
become impractical to request information from every object on every device.
Consider having each managed device notify the SolarWinds SAM SNMP Trap
Server of any issues without solicitation. In this configuration, a problem device
notifies the server by sending a message. This message is known as a trap of the
event. After receiving the event, the Trap Viewer displays it, allowing you to
choose to take action or automatically trigger an action based on the nature of the
event.

Viewing SNMP Traps in the Web Console

Customize the Traps view as shown in the following procedure.

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Chapter 25: Monitoring SNMP Traps

To view SNMP traps in the Web Console:
1. Click Start> All Programs> SolarWinds> SolarWinds Web Console.
2. Click Traps in the Views toolbar.
3. If you want to filter your traps table view by device, select the device to
which you want to limit your view in the Network Object field.
4. If you want to filter your traps table by device type, select the device
types you want to view in the Type of Device field.
5. If you want to limit your traps table to show only traps of a designated
type, select the appropriate type in the Trap Type field.
6. If you want to limit your traps table to show only traps originating from
a specific IP address, type the IP Address in the Source IP Address field.
7. If you want to limit your traps table to show only traps with a designated community string, select the appropriate community string in the
Community String field.
8. If you only want to see traps from a specific period of time, select the
time period from the Time Period menu.
9. Confirm the number of traps displayed in the Show Traps field.
10. Click Refresh to update the Traps view with your new settings.

Using the Trap Viewer

After the monitored devices on your network are configured to send traps to the
SolarWinds SAM server, configure the SolarWinds Trap Viewer to display
received trap information, as shown in the following sections.
Notes:
l To ensure proper configuration of your network devices, refer to the documentation supplied by the vendor of your network devices.
l The SolarWinds Trap Viewer receives traps on UDP port 162.

Viewing Current Traps

Trap Viewer makes it easy to view trap messages, as shown in the following
steps.
To view current trap messages:
1. Click Start> All Programs> SolarWinds > Syslog and SNMP Traps>
Trap Viewer.
2. Click View> Current Traps.

1136

Searching for Traps

3. Click a column header to order listed traps by the selected trap characteristic.
4. Configure the Trap Viewer by clicking and dragging columns to order the
presentation of trap characteristics.

Searching for Traps

Collected trap messages may be searched within Trap Viewer. The following
steps both search for trap messages and format the search results list.
To search the trap message list:
1. Click Start> All Programs> SolarWinds > Syslog and SNMP Traps>
Trap Viewer.
2. Click View> Search Traps.
3. Enter appropriate search criteria, and then click Search Database.
4. If you want to group messages for easier navigation, select the type of
grouping from the Grouping list.
5. If you want to limit the number of messages that are shown, enter or
select a number in the Maximum number of messages to display field.
6. If you want to view messages that meet your search criteria as they
arrive, select a number for the Auto Refresh every number seconds field.
Note: Auto Refresh is only available when you are viewing current messages. The Date/Time Range must be set to Today, Last 24 Hours, Last 2
Hours, or Last Hour.
7. If you want to hide the search criteria pane, toggle the pane open and
closed by clicking the double up arrows in the top right of the page.

Trap Viewer Settings

Use the following procedure to start and configure the Trap Viewer.
To start and configure the Trap Viewer:
1. Click Start> All Programs> SolarWinds> Syslog and SNMP Traps>
Trap Viewer.
2. Click File> Settings.
3. On the General tab, configure the following Trap server settings:
a. Position the top slider to set the Maximum number of traps to display
in Current Traps view.
b. If you want SolarWinds SAM to Automatically Refresh the Current
Traps View, check the option accordingly, and then position the middle
slider to set the refresh rate.

1137

Chapter 25: Monitoring SNMP Traps

c. Position the Retain Trap messages for how many days? slider to set
the length of time that traps remain in the database.
4. On the Displayed Columns tab, use the arrow keys to select and order the
fields of information you want to see in the Current Traps view.
5. If you do not need the domain name from your trap messages, check
Remove Domain Name from DNS Lookups on the Message Parsing
tab.
Note: Checking this option will remove the domain name from your trap
messages, and this will help to reduce the size of your database.

Configuring Trap Viewer Filters and Alerts

The Trap Viewer can be configured to trigger SolarWinds SAM alert actions when
received trap messages match defined rules. The following steps establish rules
to filter trap messages and initiate alert actions as you determine.
Notes:
l With the exception of the asterisk (*) wildcard, SolarWinds recommends
against using non-alphanumeric characters in filter definitions.
l Trap rules are not applied to unmanaged nodes. For more information, see
Setting Node Management States.
To configure SolarWinds to send an SNMP trap upon alert:
1. When editing or adding an alert, click Add Action in an Action section of
the Alert Wizard.
2. Select the Send SNMP Trap option, then click Configure Action.
3. Enter a name for the action in the Name of Action field.
4. Expand Send SNMP Trap settings.
a. Enter an SNMPTrap Destination in the field provided.
Note: Multiple IPAddresses should be separated by commas or
semicolons.
b. Select a Trap Template from the drop down lists.
5. Enter the Message of your alert trigger in the field provided.
a. Optionally click Insert Variable to add variables using the following
procedure:
i. Select a Variable Category, and then select the variable to
add.
ii. To define a SQL variable, check Define SQL Variable, and
then click Insert Variable.

1138

Available Trap Alert Actions

iii. Click [+] to add one or more variables to the Custom

SQLVariable window.
iv. When done, click Insert Variable.
Expand SNMP Properties.
a. Enter a UDPPort number in the field frovided.
b. Select an SNMPVersion from the drop down list.
c. Enter the SNMPCommunity String in the field provided.
Expand Time of Day.
a. Select either Schedule is controlled on the alert level, no additional schedule for this action needed or Use special Time of
Day schedule for this action. If you choose the latter, Click Add
Schedule and then enter the time period over which you want to
activate your alert action, and then select the days on which you want
to activate your alert action.
Expand Execution Settings.
a. Check either Do not execute this action if the alert has been
acknowledged already (Recommended) or Repeat this action
every X minutes until the alert is acknowledged. If you choose the
latter, specify the frequency to have this action repeated.
When done, click Add Action.

For more information, see Adding Alerts.

Available Trap Alert Actions

The following actions are available for trap alerts. For more information about
assigning and configuring alert actions, see Adding Alert Actions.
Discard the Trap
Allows you to delete unwanted traps sent to the SNMP Trap server.
Tag the Trap
Allows you to add a custom tag to received traps. Ensure you include the
Tag column in the viewer when assigning a tag.
Flag the Trap with a specific color
Allows you to assign a specific color for display in the SolarWinds Web
Console and the Trap Viewer to flag traps matching the rule.
Log the Trap to a file

1139

Chapter 25: Monitoring SNMP Traps

Allows you to specify a file and a series of variables with which to tag traps
sent to the file. Ensure you have already created the log file you want to use.
The alert cannot create a file.
Windows Event Log
Allows you to write a message to the local Windows Event Log or to a
remote Windows Event Log.
Forward the Trap
Allows you to specify the IP address or hostname and the port on which to
forward the trap. Specify the IP address or hostname of the trap destination
and the port on which the trap should be sent. Check Include Source
Address to include the IP address of the trap source.
Play a sound
Allows you to play a sound when a matching SNMP trap is received.
Text to Speech output
Allows you to define a specific speech engine, the speed, pitch, volume,
and message to read.
Execute an external program
Allows you to specify an external program to launch using a batch file. This
action is used when creating real time change notifications in SolarWinds
SAM.
Execute an external VB Script
Allows you to launch a VB Script using the selected script interpreter engine
and a saved script file.
Send a Windows Net Message
Allows you to send a Windows Net message either to a specific computer or
to an entire domain or workgroup.
Note: The only operating systems supporting Windows Net Messaging on
which SolarWinds supports SolarWinds installations are Windows Server
2003 and Windows XP. SolarWinds only supports SolarWinds evaluations
on Windows XP.
Send an E-mail / Page
Allows you to send an email from a specified account to an address, using a
specific SMTP server, and containing a customizable subject and message.

1140

Trap Alert Variables

Stop Processing Trap Rules
Stops the processing of SNMP trap rules for the matching trap.

Trap Alert Variables

The following variables can be used in trap alert messages with the SolarWinds
SAM Trap Server. You must begin each variable with a dollar sign and enclose
each variable identifier in curly braces as, for example, ${VariableName}.
Note: Trap alerts may also use any valid node variables. For more information
about node alert variables, see SolarWinds Variables and Examples.

Trap Date/Time Variables

Trap Date/Time
Variable
${AbbreviatedDOW}
${AbbreviatedMonth}
${AMPM}
${D}
${DD}
${Date}
${DateTime}
${Day}
${DayOfWeek}
${DayOfYear}
${H}
${HH}
${Hour}
${LocalDOW}
${LongDate}
${LongTime}
${M}
${MM}
${MMM}
${MMMM}
${MediumDate}
${MediumTime}

Description
Current day of the week. Three character abbreviation.
Current month of the year. Three character abbreviation.
AM or PM corresponding to current time (before or after
noon)
Current day of the month
Current day of the month (two digit number, zero padded)
Current date. (MM/DD/YYYY format)
Current date and time. (MM/DD/YYYY HH:MM format)
Current day of the month
Current day of the week.
Numeric day of the year
Current hour
Current hour. Two digit format, zero padded.
Current hour. 24-hour format
Current day of the week. Localized language format.
Current date. (DAY NAME, MONTH DAY, YEAR format)
Current Time. (HH:MM:SS AM/PM format)
Current numeric month
Current month. Two digit number, zero padded.
Current month. Three character abbreviation.
Full name of the current month
Current date. (DD-MMM-YY format)
Current time. (HH:MM AM/PM format)

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Chapter 25: Monitoring SNMP Traps

Trap Date/Time
Variable
${Minute}
${MonthName}
${S}
${Second}
${Time}
${Year}
${Year2}

Description
Current minute. Two digit format, zero padded.
Full name of the current month
Current second.
Current second. Two digit format, zero padded.
Current Time. (HH:MM format)
Four digit year
Two digit year

Other Trap Variables

Trap Variable
${Application}
${Community}
${Copyright}
${DNS}
${Hostname}
${IP_Address}

Description
SolarWinds application information
Node community string
Copyright information
Fully qualified node name
Host name of the device triggering the trap
IP address of device triggering alert
Message sent with triggered trap and displayed in Trap Details
${Message}
field of Trap Viewer
${MessageType} Name or type of trap triggered
Raw numerical values for properties sent in the corresponding
${Raw}
incoming trap.
Raw numerical values for properties sent in the corresponding
${RawValue}
incoming trap. The same as ${Raw}.
${vbData1}
Trap variable binding value
${vbName1}
Trap variable binding name

1142

Chapter 26:
Managing the SolarWinds SAM Database
All SolarWinds network monitoring and management products use a Microsoft
SQL Server database to store web console settings and collected network
performance and configuration data. The following database utilities are
packaged with SolarWinds products to help you manage your Orion database.
Database Manager
Allows you to perform queries, edit database values, export data, and
perform database repair and compaction on your Orion database. For more
information, see Using Database Manager.
Database Maintenance
Allows you to summarize, clean, and compact your Orion database. For
more information, see Database Maintenance.
The database SolarWinds uses is hosted on a Microsoft SQL Server. When
installing SQL Server, you have the option of installing the SQL Server
Management Studio. If you are the database administrator for the SQL Server
hosting your Orion database, SolarWinds generally recommends that you install
this utility as it provides a number of features that are not currently available in the
Orion database Manager. For more information, see Using SQL Server
Management Studio.
Note: SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager maintains its own additional
database for device configurations and user activity logging.

Using Database Manager

The Database Manager can be used to perform queries, view database and table
details, export data, and edit database values. You may also repair, compact,
restore, or backup the database from the Database Manager application. The

1143

Chapter 26: Managing the SolarWinds SAM Database

following procedures present some of the basic database management
operations that are available with Database Manager.

Adding a Server
If you have not already designated a database for use with SolarWinds as a
backup or supplement, use the following steps to add a SQL server to the
Database Manager. Once added, your selected server and associated databases
display in the tree structure in the left pane of Database Manager.
To add a SQL server to Database Manager:
1. Click Start> All Programs> SolarWinds> Advanced Features> Database Manager.
2. Click File> Add Server.
3. Select from the SQL Server list or enter the IP address of the SQL server.
4. Select the login style.
Note: You may choose to Log in using Windows NT Integrated Security
to automatically pass the Windows user ID and password to the SQL server,
or select Log in using an SQL Server userid and password to use a separate login. Upon selecting the latter option, the window changes to provide
fields to enter the separate SQL Server User Name and Password that you
want to use.
5. Click Connect to Database Server.

Creating Database Backups

You should periodically back-up your databases. For more information about
scheduling regular database backups, refer to the steps outlined in the SQL
Server Management Studio guide.

Restoring a Database
The following steps restore a database that you have backed up.
To restore a database from backup:
1. Click Start> All Programs> SolarWinds> Advanced Features> Database Manager.
2. If the SQL Server hosting your Orion database is not listed in the left
pane, you must add the SQL Server hosting your Orion database. For more
information, see Adding a Server.
3. Click [+] in the left pane to expand the SQL Server hosting your Orion database, and then click your Orion database.

1144

Compacting your Database

4. Click Database> Restore Database.
5. Click Browse () to navigate to the database that you want to restore, or
enter a valid SQL backup database name and path.
Note: Typically, the default location for a Orion database backup is
C:\ProgramFiles\SolarWinds\.
6. Click Verify to ensure that you have selected a valid SQL database.
Notes:
l When you select a database, the remaining fields are completed for
you. The Database Name field is populated with the name that SQL
Server uses to refer to the specified database. The remaining two
fields display the data (.mdf) and transaction log (.ldf) files for the database. You can change the values provided.
l Database Manager does not create directories. You may only specify
a path that already exists.
l You also cannot restore a database that is currently in use.
7. Click OK to restore the selected database.

Compacting your Database

Compacting a database shrinks it, re-indexes it, and removes whitespace. You
can compact a database by referring to the steps outlined in the SQL Server
Management Studio guide.

Compacting Individual Tables

If you are not able to perform a full database compaction due to limited server disk
space, you can compact database by referring to the steps outlined in the SQL
Server Management Studio guide.

Viewing Database Details

The Database Details window in Database Manager presents two tabs that
display property and tables information about a selected database. The following
procedure is a guide to the information that is available in the Database Details
window.
To view database details:
1. Click Start> All Programs> SolarWinds> Advanced Features> Database Manager.
2. If the SQL Server hosting your Orion database is not listed in the left
pane, you must add the SQL Server hosting your Orion database. For
more information, see Adding a Server.

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Chapter 26: Managing the SolarWinds SAM Database

3. Click [+] in the left pane to expand the SQL Server hosting your Orion database, and then click your Orion database.
Note:SolarWinds Orion is the default name of the Orion database.
4. Click Database> Database Details.
Notes:
l

The Properties tab provides general statistics and descriptions

of the selected database.
The Tables tab shows a list of the tables in the selected database and their respective sizes.

5. If the Last Backup field on the Properties tab is blank, you have not
generated a backup of the selected database. For more information about
scheduling a recommended regular database backup, see Creating a Database Maintenance Plan.

Viewing Table Details

The Database Manager Table Details window provides property, column, and
index information about the selected table. You can also query the selected table
directly from the Table Details window., as shown in the following procedure.

1146

Editing Database Fields

To view table details:
1. Click Start> All Programs> SolarWinds> Advanced Features> Database Manager.
2. If the SQL Server hosting your Orion database is not listed in the left
pane, you must add the SQL Server hosting your Orion database. For more
information, see Adding a Server.
3. Click [+] in the left pane to expand the SQL Server hosting your Orion database, and then click [+] to expand your Orion database.
Note:SolarWinds Orion is the default name of the Orion database.
4. Click a table to view in the expanded database.
5. Click Table> Table Details.
Note: The Properties tab includes general statistics relating to the table
size and creation date; the Columns tab describes the columns in the
table, table keys, and field types; and the Indexes tab lists indexes
used within the table.
6. If you want to query the open table, click Query in the tool bar.
Warning: Special care should be taken while editing database values as
you can easily compromise the integrity of your database. For more information, see Editing Database Fields.
Note: A default SQL statement is provided, as well as radio buttons for displaying the data in read or read/write view.

Editing Database Fields

Database fields may be edited within the Database Manager application from the
query view. The following procedure directs you in editing database fields in
Orion database Manager.
Warning: Be very careful when you are editing database values as you can
jeopardize the integrity of your database.
To edit database fields with Database Manager:
1. Stop the SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor service as follows:
a. Click Start> All Programs> SolarWinds> Advanced Features>
Orion Service Manager
b. Click SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor under Services,
and then click Stop.
2. Click Start> All Programs> SolarWinds> Advanced Features> Database Manager.

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Chapter 26: Managing the SolarWinds SAM Database

3. If the SQL Server hosting your Orion database is not listed in the left
pane, you must add the SQL Server hosting your Orion database. For
more information, see Adding a Server on page1144.
4. Click [+] in the left pane to expand the SQL Server hosting your Orion database, and then click [+] to expand your Orion database.
Note:SolarWinds Orion is the default name of the Orion database.
5. Click a table to view in the expanded database.
6. Click Table> Query Table.
7. Use the provided SQL statement or enter your own in the query field.
8. If you want to view the query results in table view, click Refresh.
9. If you want to edit table fields, select Read/Write at the top of the window, and then edit fields as necessary.
10. If you use the same SQL query often, you can save time by making the
query a favorite, as follows:
a. Enter the query in the query field.
b. Click Add to Favorites.
c. Enter a name for the command, and then click OK.
Note: Database Manager saves the command with the name that you
have provided. You can now use this command again, directly, by clicking Paste from Favorites.

Detaching a Database
Detaching a database removes its reference from the SQL Server, allowing you to
safely move files to different locations. Database Manager allows you to detach a
database and leave the data files of a database intact, as shown in the following
procedure.
Note: SolarWinds does not recommend using the Detach Database option to
migrate a database from one SQL Server to another. For more information, see
Migrating your Database.
To detach a database:
1. Click Start> All Programs> SolarWinds> Advanced Features> Database Manager.
2. If the SQL Server hosting your Orion database is not listed in the left
pane, you must add the SQL Server hosting your Orion database. For more
information, see Adding a Server.
3. Click [+] in the left pane to expand the SQL Server hosting your Orion database, and then click your Orion database.

1148

Using SQL Server Management Studio

Note:SolarWinds Orion is the default name of the Orion database.
4. Click Database> Detach Database from the menu.

Using SQL Server Management Studio

If you have a licensed, Standard or Enterprise Edition copy of SQL Server 2008
with SQL Server Management Studio installed, you can use it to maintain your
SolarWinds SAM database. The following procedure is a basic guide to
configuring a daily Orion database maintenance plan in SQL Server Management
Studio.
Notes:
l
l

Your specific environment may require additional configuration.

You may need to contact your database administrator to gain access to SQL
Server Management Studio for your Orion database.
The following procedure clears historical maintenance records and creates
a backup of your Orion database. In general, however, SolarWinds recommends that you contact your database administrator and reference the
Microsoft documentation provided with SQL Server for instructions on using
SQL Server Management Studio to manage your Orion database.

To use SQL Server Management Studio to manage your database:

1. Click Start> Microsoft SQL Server> SQL Server Management Studio.
2. Click View> Object Explorer.
3. Expand the SQL Server instance containing your Orion database in the
Object Explorer pane on the left.
Note: Expand the Databases folder for any instance to confirm included
databases. By default, the Orion database is named SolarWinds Orion.
4. Expand the Management folder, right-click the Maintenance Plans folder,
and then click Maintenance Plan Wizard.
5. Click Next to start the SQL Server Maintenance Plan Wizard.
6. Provide an appropriate Name and Description for your maintenance plan.
7. Click Browse () next to the Server field.
8. Check your SQL Server\Instance, and then click OK.
Note: If your SQL Server\Instance is not in the list, provide it manually.
9. Select the authentication type that is used to connect to the SQL server,
and, if required, provide appropriate User name and Password credentials.
Note: Use the same authentication type and credentials you provided in
the SolarWinds Configuration Wizard to access your Orion database.

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Chapter 26: Managing the SolarWinds SAM Database

10. Check Clean Up History and Back Up Database (Full)
Note: When a task is clicked, the Maintenance Plan Wizard provides a
brief task description.
11. Click Next.
12. Set the order of task execution, top to bottom, by selecting tasks and clicking Move Up and Move Down as needed.
Note: The following steps assume the Clean Up History task precedes the
Back Up Database (Full) task.
13. Click Next when the task execution order is set.
14. On the Define Cleanup History Task view, check the types of historical
data to delete, and then set the threshold age for historical data removal.
15. Click Next.
16. On the Database Back Up (Full) view, complete the following steps:
a. Click the Databases field.
b. Select These databases.
c. Check your Orion database.
17. Click OK.
18. Select Database in the Backup component area.
19. In the Destination area, complete the following steps:
a. Select Disk.
b. Select Create a backup file for every database.
c. Click Browse () to select an appropriate database backup file destination with sufficient free space.
20. Click Next.
21. On the Select Plan Properties view, click Change.
22. Configure the database maintenance job schedule as follows:
a. Provide an appropriate Name for the new job schedule.
b. Select Recurring as the Schedule type.
c. Check Enabled, and then select Daily in the Occurs field.
d. Provide an off-peak network usage time in the Occurs once at field.
e. Select a Start date, and then select No end date.
23. Click OK.
24. Click Next, and then check Write a report to a text file.
25. Click Browse () to select an appropriate maintenance report file destination.
26. Review wizard results, click Finish, and then, when the wizard successfully finishes, click Close.
For additional help with using SQL server Management Studio, visit the Microsoft
Support Website at http://support.microsoft.com.

1150

Database Maintenance

Database Maintenance
The primary tasks that are available for maintaining a SQL database are data
summarization and database compaction. Data summarization occurs
automatically as a part of the nightly maintenance program. You can also run
database maintenance on demand from the Windows Start menu.

Running Database Maintenance

Database maintenance performs a series of data summarizations that help you
optimize the size of your Orion database. Data summarization consists of
gathering all the collected network data for a defined period of time, calculating
statistics from the data, and then discarding the data itself while retaining the
statistics. By regularly running database maintenance, you can realize significant
space savings and performance improvements.
Database maintenance can either be run directly from the Start menu, or
scheduled for a set Archive Time and initiated from the SolarWinds Polling
Settings view in the SolarWinds Web Console. In either case, once started,
database maintenance normally proceeds without further attention. For more
information about setting the Archive Time for database maintenance on the
SolarWinds Polling Settings view, see SolarWinds Polling Settings on
page266. The following procedure provides the steps to perform Database
Maintenance:
Note: Administrative privileges are required to run Database Maintenance.
To run the Database Maintenance utility:
1. If you want to run database Maintenance from the SolarWinds Web
Console, complete the following steps:
a. Click Settings in the top right of the web console, and then click
Polling Settings in the Settings group.
b. Select the Archive Time field in the Database Settings area and adjust
the time accordingly, then click Submit. (Note: If you want to run this utility immediately, set the time to one minute in the future).
2. If you want to run database Maintenance from the Start menu, click
Start> All Programs> SolarWinds> Advanced Features> Database
Maintenance, and then click Start.

9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.

16.
17.
18.
19.
a.
b.
c.
20.
21.

Leave To database blank.

Select From device, and then click Browse ().
Confirm that File is selected as the Backup media.
Click Add.
Navigate to the .bak file, select it, and then click OK.
Click OK on the Specify Backup window.
In the Destination for restore area, select the name of your database from
the To database field.
Note: The To database field is now populated with the correct name. For
example, select NetPerfMon.
Check Restore next to the database backup you are restoring.
Click Options in the left Select a page pane.
Check Overwrite the existing database (WITH REPLACE).
For each Original File Name listed, complete the following steps to ensure
a successful restoration:
Click Browse ().
Select a directory that already exists.
Provide a name for the Restore As file that matches the Original File
Name, and then click OK.
Select Leave the database ready to use by rolling uncommitted transactions(RESTORE WITH RECOVERY), and then click OK.
Open and run the configuration wizard to update your installation.
Note: Due to the nature of security identifiers (SIDs) assigned to SQL
Server 2008 database accounts, SolarWinds recommends that you create
and use a new account for accessing your restored database on the Database Account window of the Orion Configuration Wizard.

To update SAM to use a new database:

1. Log on to your SAM server, and then
2. Click Start> All Programs> SolarWinds Orion> Configuration and
Auto-Discovery> Configuration Wizard.
Note: In older versions of SAM/APM, the correct path may be Start> All
Programs> SolarWinds Orion> Configuration Wizard.
3. Check Database, and then click Next.
4. Specify your new database server in the SQL Server field.
5. If you want to use SQL authentication, check Use SQL Server Authentication, and then provide the appropriate credentials.
Note: SolarWinds recommends that you use the SA login and password
for your database server to ensure that you are able to properly configure
the SAM database user account.

1156

Migrating your Database

6. Click Next.
7. Select Use an existing database, select or type the Existing Database
name, and then click Next.
8. If you are prompted to use the existing database, click Yes.
9. Select Create a new account, and then provide a New Account name.
Notes:
l Creating a new account ensures that SAM has required access to
your migrated database.
l The New Account must be a member of the securityadmin server
role.
l The sysadmin role and the SA user account are always members of
securityadmin.
10. Provide and confirm an account Password.
11. Click Next to start database configuration, and then click Finish to exit the
Configuration Wizard
Moving SAM to a New Server
Orion users that have SAM as a module installed will need to follow the steps in
this section. SAM encrypts your sensitive data with a security certificate stored on
the original Orion server. To grant a new server access to this encrypted data, you
must copy the original security certificate to the new server.
Warning: If you do not replicate the original certificate, SAM on the new server
cannot access any credentials used by your component monitors, and all of those
component monitors will fail.
To replicate the original certificate:
1. Export the credential from the original server.
a. On the Start Menu, click Run, type MMC, and then click OK.
b. On the File menu, click Add/Remove Snapin, and then click Add.
c. Select Certificates and then click Add.
d. Select Computer account and then click Next.
e. Select Local computer and then click Finish.
f. Click Close.
g. Click OK.
h. Expand the Certificates (Local Computer) group.
i. Expand the Personal group.
j. Expand the Certificates group.
k. Right-click SolarWinds SAM Engine, point to All Tasks on the shortcut menu, and then click Export.

1157

Chapter 26: Managing the SolarWinds SAM Database

l. Click Next in the Certificate Export Wizard.
m. Select Yes, export the private key, click Next, and then click Next
again.
n. Type and confirm a password for this private key, and then click Next.
o. Specify the file name to which you want to save the certificate, click
Next, and then click Finishthe certificate is saved with a .pfx file
name extension.
2. Copy the .pfx certificate file to the new server.
3. Import the certificate to the new server.
a. On the Start Menu, click Run, type MMC, and then click OK.
b. On the File menu, click Add/Remove Snapin, and then click Add.
c. Select Certificates, and then click Add.
d. Select Computer account, and then click Next.
e. Select Local computer, and then click Finish.
f. Click Close.
g. Click OK.
h. Expand the Certificates (Local Computer) group.
i. Expand the Personal group.
j. Expand the Certificates group.
k. If there is a SolarWinds SAM Engine item in the list, right-click
SolarWinds SAM Engine and select Delete from the shortcut menu.
l. Right-click the CertificatesPersonalCertificates node, point to All
Tasks in the shortcut menu, and then click Import.
m. Click Next in the Certificate Import Wizard.
n. Specify the .pfx certificate file you copied to the server and then click
Next.
o. Enter the password for the private key, check Mark this key as exportable, and then click Next.
p. Select Place all certificates in the following store, and then select
Personal as the Certificate Store.
q. Click Next and then click Finish.
To export data from one Orion database and import it into another:
1. Connect to your database server with Database Manager. For more information, see Adding a Server on page1144.
2. Select your database, and then click Database> Backup Database.
3. Enter a Description of the database backup.
4. Enter a path or click Browse () and then navigate to a Backup Filename.
5. Click OK.

1158

Migrating your Database

6. Copy the newly created backup file to a folder on the new server.
Note: The backup file is named after your Orion database and given a
.bak extension. For example, if you have designated OrionDB as the
name of your Orion database, the backup is named OrionDB.bak.
7. Click Start> All Programs> SolarWinds> Advanced Features> Database Manager.
8. Click Add Server.
9. Select the name of the SQL instance from the SQL Server list. If your
server is not listed, complete the procedure in Adding a Server on
page1144.
10. Select the appropriate authentication type, and then click Connect to Database Server.
11. Select your new server in the list, and then click Server> Connect to
Server.
12. Click Server> Restore Database.
13. Enter the path to the database backup file on the server or click Browse
() and then navigate to the location of the database backup file.
14. Click OK.
15. Close the Database Manager.
16. Click Start> All Programs> SolarWinds> Configuration and AutoDiscovery> Configuration Wizard.
17. Specify the newly restored database in the Database Setup section of the
wizard.
18. When prompted, click Yes to use the existing database.

1159

Chapter 27:
Creating Custom Properties
SolarWinds SAM allows you to create custom properties using the Manage
Custom Properties Editor. This allows you to add a custom property to any
monitored device. Custom properties are additional fields, such as country,
building, asset tag, or serial number, that you can define and store in your Orion
database. After properties are added, they are available for display and filtering
both within the SolarWinds Web Console and within the Report Writer
application. A few more examples of how custom properties may be used are as
follows:
l
l
l
l
l

Add information to nodes, such as contact, owner, or support contract.

Add a custom property that is used as an account limitation on nodes.
Add a custom property to nodes for grouping them on the web or in a report.
Add a custom property and display it as an annotation on a chart.
Add a custom property to an application to show the severity to your environment if this application is down.

The Manage Custom Properties Editor lets you choose from a provided collection
of the most commonly used properties, or you can easily and efficiently build your
own custom properties. For more information, see Creating a Custom Property.
Once your custom property is defined, the Import Wizard allows you to populate
your new property from either a text- or comma-delimited file. For more
information, see Importing and Exporting Custom Property Data.
Alternatively, if you only have a few individual changes or additions, you may
choose to make those changes using the Edit view. For more information, see
Editing Custom Properties.

Creating a Custom Property

The following procedure provides steps required to create a custom property
using the Manage Custom Properties Editor.

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Chapter 27: Creating Custom Properties

To create a property with Manage Custom Properties Editor:
1. From the web console, navigate to Settings > Manage Custom
Properties.

2. Click Add Custom Property.

3. Select the property object type from the drop down menu, and then
click Next.
4. Select a predefined tag from the Property Templates column to have the
remaining fields populated automatically, or select <Custom> to fill in the
fields yourself, as shown below:

5. Click Next.
6. On the following screen, click Select Nodes to bring up the following
screen, which allows you to select the nodes you want by moving them to
the right-hand column and clicking Add, in green:

1161

Removing a Custom Property

7. Click Submit.
8. Once your nodes are successfully added, the following message appears
with a link:

9. Clicking Show Assignments will take you to the Manage Nodes page, as
shown below:

Removing a Custom Property

Custom properties are easily removed using the Custom Property Editor, as
shown in the following procedure.
To remove a custom property:
1. From the web console, navigate to Settings > Manage Custom
Properties.

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Chapter 27: Creating Custom Properties

2. Select the properties to be removed using the check boxes next to the name
of the property.
3. Click Delete.

Importing and Exporting Custom Property Data

Once you have defined custom properties, the Manage Custom Properties Editor
Import Values and Export Values buttons assists in populating and saving the
custom property data. For example, you may already possess a spreadsheet
listing the asset tags of all your network nodes, and you would like to have this
information available for reporting and publication in the web console. In this
scenario, Asset Tag is added as a custom property, and then the import wizard is
used to populate the asset tag values from the spreadsheet. The following steps
outline the process for importing custom properties data.
To import custom property data:
1. From the web console, navigate to Settings > Manage Custom
Properties.
2. Click Import Values, as highlighted below:

1163

Importing and Exporting Custom Property Data

3. Navigate to the file that contains your custom property data, and then click
Next.
4. Select the Relationship and the Database Column settings from the
provided drop down menus, as shown below, and then click Import.:

To export custom property data:

1. From the web console, navigate to Settings > Manage Custom
Properties.
2. Click Export Values, as highlighted below:

3. Next, select the columns and properties that you would like to have exported.
4. Finally, choose the file type your exported data should be saved as from the
drop down menu, and then click Export.

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Chapter 27: Creating Custom Properties

Editing Custom Properties

The Manage Custom Properties Editor allows you to easily modify custom
properties.
To edit a custom property:
1. From the web console, navigate to Settings > Manage Custom
Properties.
2. Check the properties you want to edit and then click Edit.
3. Click Submit when done.
To edit a custom property's value:
1. From the web console, navigate to Settings > Manage Custom
Properties.
2. Check the properties you want to edit and then click View/Edit Values, as
shown below:

1165

Editing Custom Properties

Note: Selection and editing of multiple properties is permitted if the objects

are of the same type, as highlighted above.
3. Next, edit the cells you want by clicking in them and then click, Save
Changes.

1166

Chapter 28:
Additional Polling Engine and Web
Console
Installing additional pollers and Web Consoles help you extend your SolarWinds
Server & Application Monitor (SAM) implementation. You can install additional
polling engines to aid you in load balancing and configure additional websites to
ensure redundant access through more than one web server. By sharing the
same database, you can also share a unified user interface, making the addition
of polling engines transparent to your staff.
The following sections provide descriptions and installation procedures for
adding polling engines and websites. These components are licensed and
purchased separately from your main SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor
install and require the installation of the SolarWinds SAM Additional Polling
Engine. For more information about purchasing licenses, contact your sales
representative ([email protected]) or customer service.
Refer to the following sections for more information:
l
l
l
l

Understanding How Polling Engines Work

Requirements for Installing an Additional Polling Engine
Installing an Additional Polling Engine
Installing an Additional Web Console

Understanding How Polling Engines Work

Before you install an additional SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor
(SolarWinds SAM) polling engine, review the following sections and ensure you
understand how SolarWinds SAM polls when first installed and how SolarWinds
SAM additional polling engines work.
Refer to the following sections for more information:
l
l

SolarWinds SAM is Poller-Unaware By Default

SolarWinds SAM Additional Polling Engines are Poller-Aware

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Chapter 28: Additional Polling Engine and Web Console

SolarWinds SAM is Poller-Unaware By Default

When you install SolarWinds SAM on your SolarWinds server, SolarWinds SAM
is poller-unaware. This means that SolarWinds SAM can poll all nodes that are
monitored by SAM.

SolarWinds SAM Additional Polling Engines are Poller-Aware

After you install an additional SolarWinds SAM polling engine, the additional
polling engines (as well as the main polling engine) on the SolarWinds SAM
server become poller-aware. Poller-aware means each polling engine, including
the SolarWinds SAM server, polls only those nodes assigned to it.

1168

Requirements for Installing an Additional Polling Engine

Nodes are assigned to particular polling engines by selecting the desired Polling
Engine when adding a node using the Add Node wizard.
An additional method for assigning nodes to polling engines is to use the Poller
Load Balancing option in the Monitor Polling Engines tool. For more information,
see To assign nodes to polling engines:

Requirements for Installing an Additional Polling

Engine
System requirements for adding an additional polling engine are the same as for
installing SolarWinds SAM. For more information about SolarWinds SAM
requirements, refer to Requirements for SolarWinds SAM on page46 and on
page52.

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Chapter 28: Additional Polling Engine and Web Console

Installing an Additional Polling Engine

Download the special installation package for SolarWinds SAM additional polling
engines (SolarWinds-Orion-SAM-vx.y.z-Poller.exe, where x is the major
release number, y is the minor release number, and z is the point release
number) to the server where you want to install the additional polling engine.
Note: You will find the SAM installer for the additional polling engine packaged in
the following product in your customer portal: SolarWinds Additional Polling
Engine v2011.1, or higher.
Note: After completing the following procedure, SolarWinds SAM polling engines
monitor only those applications on nodes associated with the SolarWinds SAM
additional polling engine.

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Installing an Additional Polling Engine

To install the additional polling engine:
1. Log on with a Windows administrator account to the server where you want
to install the additional polling engine.
2. Run the installer for the SolarWinds SAM Poller downloaded above.
3. Review the Welcome page, and then click Next.
4. Accept the license agreement, and then click Next.
5. Chose a destination location (or accept the default), and then click Next.
6. Click Next to start copying files.
7. Click Finish to complete the Installation Wizard.
8. Click Enter Licensing Information to enter your license, or click Continue
Evaluation.
9. Review the Configuration Wizard Welcome page, and then click Next.
10. Configure the database for your environment by selecting the appropriate
SQL Server database and Authentication information, and then click Next.
11. Configure the database by selecting Use an existing database, and then
selecting the name of the SQL Server database for the SolarWinds SAM
server. Then click Next.
12. Select whether to Create a new account, or Use an existing account, and
then enter the account information. Then click Next.
13. If the Website Settings page is displayed, configure the IP Address, Port,
and Website Root Directory as appropriate and select whether you want to
enable automatic login. Then click Next.
14. Ensure that all the services displayed in the Service Settings page are
checked, including the SAM Job Engine Plug-in, and then click Next.
15. Review the Configuration wizard Summary page, and then click Next.
16. Click Finish to complete the Configuration Wizard.
Note: If you encounter any issues with the additional polling engine, rerun
the Configuration Wizard on the SolarWinds SAM server.
To assign nodes to polling engines:
You can assign nodes to the polling engines by selecting the desired Polling
Engine in the Add Node wizard.
You can also perform Poller Load Balancing using the Monitor Polling Engines
tool to assign nodes to polling engines. Click Start> All Programs>
SolarWinds> AdvancedFeatures> Monitor Polling Engines. Then click
Servers > Poller Load Balancing to display a dialog where you can assign
nodes to particular polling engines. For more information, see Understanding
How Polling Engines Work.

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Chapter 28: Additional Polling Engine and Web Console

Installing an Additional Web Console

Download the special installation package for SAM additional web consoles
(SolarWinds-Orion-SAM-vx.y.z-WebOnly.exe, where x is the major release
number, y is the minor release number, and z is the point release number) to the
server where you want to install the additional web console.
Note: You will find the SAM installer for the additional web console packaged in
the following product in your customer portal: SolarWinds Additional Web
Server v2011.1, and higher.
TCP port 17777 must be open on both the SolarWinds SAM server and the
website.
To install an additional Web Console:
1. Log on to your current SolarWinds SAM additional Web Console server with
a Windows administrator account.
2. Run the SolarWinds SAM installerthe installer automatically detects the
SolarWinds SAM Additional Web Console if present.
3. Review the Welcome page, and then click Next.
4. Accept the license agreement, and then click Next.
5. Choose a destination location (or accept the default), and then click Next.
6. Click Next to start copying files.
7. Click Finish to complete the Installation Wizard.
8. Review the Configuration Wizard Welcome window, and then click Next.
9. Specify the appropriate information on the Database Settings window, and
then click Next.
10. Specify the appropriate database to use, and then click Next. Ensure you
have stopped your polling engines before continuing.
11. Specify the appropriate database account on the Database Account window, and then click Next.
12. Select the IP address, port, and Website root directory on the Website Settings window, and then click Next.
13. Review the configuration summary, and then click Next.
14. Click Finish to complete the Configuration Wizard.
Copying the Default Reports
Additional Web Console installations do not include the default SAM reports. To
ensure your default SAM reports are available on your Additional Web Console

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Installing an Additional Web Console

install, copy the Reports folder to your Additional Web Console server. This
folder is typically C:\Program Files\SolarWinds\Orion\Reports

1173

Chapter 29: Orion Variables and

Examples
Orion Platform products, including the Alert Manager, the Traps Viewer, the
Syslog Viewer, and Network Atlas can employ Orion variables. These variables
are dynamic and, in the case of alerts, parse when the alert is triggered or reset.
As of Orion Platform version 2015.1, variables have changed to a more flexible
format. The previous implementation was SQLbased, and the new version is
based on SolarWinds Information Service (SWIS). For example, the variable
${ResponseTime} is now ${N=SwisEntity;M=ResponseTime}.
Tip:Check your version number by scrolling to the bottom of the page in the Orion
Web Console.

Variable Construction
Variables are designated by a $and enclosed in {brackets}. There are three
attributes per variable, but only two are necessary.
Note:All variables are available in the variable picker in the Orion Web Console.
You do not need to create or enter variables manually.
${N=context;M=macroName;F=format}
N
This is the context of the variable and required. You can use the following
contexts:
l
l
l

Alerting - uses variables specific to alerting

OrionGroup- uses variables specific to groups
SwisEntity - uses variables specific to the objects you monitor in the context of the alert
Generic - uses variables specific to general environmental properties

M
This is the variable or macro name and required. You can use entity names
from the SWIS.

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Chapter 29: Orion Variables and Examples

F
This converts the data to a user-friendly format. Use formats that correlate to
the data. For example, use DateTime with AcknowledgedTime, not with
ObjectType. You can convert data to specific formats using the variable
picker.

Variable Modifiers
Variables can be modified by using any of the variable modifiers in the following
table.
Variable
Modifier

Description

-Raw

Displays the raw value for the statistic. For example, if

Transmit Bandwidth is set to 10 Mbps, then the raw value
would be10000000. The cooked value would be 10
Mbps.

-Previous

Displays the previous value for the statistic before the Alert
was triggered

-Cooked

Displays the cooked value for the statistic. For example, if

Transmit Bandwidth is set to 10 Mbps, then the raw value
would be 10000000 and cooked value would be 10
Mbps.

Displays the previous cooked value for the statistic before

PreviousCooked the Alert was triggered
Add modifiers to variables by the following examples below:
${N=context;M=Modifier(macroName)}
${N=Alerting;M=Previous(AcknowledgedBy)}

Orion Alert Variables

This sections how alert variables can be used. Each variable must begin with a
dollar sign and be enclosed in curly braces as, for example, ${VariableName}.
Syslog alerts also support the use of Node alert variables.

1175

General Alert Variables

The following are valid, general alert variables.
General Variable

Description

${N=Alerting; M=AleertID}

The ID of the alert

${N=Alerting; M=AleertName}

The name of the alert from the alert field Name of

alert definition in Alert Properties

${N=Alerting; M=AleertDescription}

The description of the alert from the alert field

Description of alert definition in Alert Properties

${N=Alerting; M=AleertDetailsURL}

The URL used to get more information about the

triggered alert

${N=Alerting; M=AleertMessage}

The alert message from the alert field Message displayed when this alert is triggered in Trigger
Actions

${N=Alerting; M=OObjectType}

The object type that the alert is monitoring

${N=Alerting; M=Seveerity}

The severity of the alert from the alert field Severity

of Alert in Alert Properties

${N=Alerting;
M=LastEdit}

The last time the alert definition has been edited

${N=Alerting;
M=Acknowledged}

Acknowledged status

${N=Alerting;
M=AcknowledgedBy}

Who the alert was acknowledged by

${N=Alerting;
Time the alert was acknowledged
M=AcknowledgedTime}
${N=Alerting; M=Notes}

Information from the Notes field when you acknowledge alerts through the Web Console

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Chapter 29: Orion Variables and Examples

General Variable

Description

${N=Alerting;
M=AlertTriggerCount}

Count of triggers

${N=Alerting;
M=AlertTriggerTime}

Date and time of the last event for this alert.

(Windows control panel defined Short Date and
Short Time)

${N=Generic;
M=Application}

SolarWinds application information

${N=Generic;
M=Copyright}

${N=Generic;
M=Release}

Release information

${N=Generic;
M=Version}

Version of the SolarWinds software package

It is possible to use previous generation variables, for example ${NodeName}.

However, when using the variable picker, the new format is displayed by default.
Previous generation variables can only be entered manually.
Note: Some variables are no longer valid. See "Defunct Alert Variables".

Date Time
The following are valid date and time variables.
Date/Time Variable

Description

${N=Generic;
M=AMPM}

AM/PM indicator

${N=Generic;
M=AbreviatedDOW}

Current day of the week. Three character

abbreviation.

${N=Generic; M=Day}

Current day of the month

${N=Generic; M=Date;

Current date. (Short Date format)

1177

Date Time

Date/Time Variable

Description

F=Date}
${N=Generic;
M=DateTime;
F=DateTime}

Current date and time. (Windows control panel

defined Long Date and Long Time format)

${N=Generic;
M=DayOfWeek}

Current day of the week.

${N=Generic;
M=DayOfYear}

Numeric day of the year

${N=Generic; M=Hour}

Current hour

${N=Generic; M=HH}

Current hour. Two digit format, zero padded.

${N=Generic;
M=Past2Hours}

Last two hours

${N=Generic;
M=Past24Hours}

Last 24 hours

${N=Generic;
M=Last7Days;F=Date}

Last seven days (Short Date format)

${N=Generic;
M=PastHour}

Last hour

${N=Generic;
M=LocalDOW}

Current day of the week. Localized language format.

${N=Generic;
M=LocalMonthName}

Current month name in the local language.

${N=Generic;
M=LongDate}

Current date. (Long Date format)

${N=Generic;
M=Month}

Current numeric month

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Chapter 29: Orion Variables and Examples

Date/Time Variable

Description

${N=Generic; M=MM}

Current month. Two digit number, zero padded.

${N=Generic;
M=AbbreviatedMonth}

Current month. Three character abbreviation.

${N=Generic;
M=MonthName}

Full name of the current month

${N=Generic;
M=MediumDate}

Current date. (Medium Date format)

${N=Generic;
M=Minute}

Current minute. Two digit format, zero padded.

${N=Generic;
M=Second}

Current second. Two digit format, zero padded.

${N=Generic; M=Time}

Current Time. (Short Time format)

${N=Generic;
M=Today; F=Date}

Today (Short Date format)

${N=Generic; M=Year}

Four digit year

${N=Generic;
M=Year2}

Two digit year

${N=Generic;
M=Yesterday; F=Date}

Yesterday (Short Date format)

Group Variables
The following are valid group variables.
Group Variable

Description

${N=OrionGroup;
M=GroupDetailsURL}

URL of the Group Details view for a

selected group

${N=OrionGroup;

Interval on which group membership is

1179

Group Variables

Group Variable

Description

M=GroupFrequency}

evaluated and group snapshots are

taken.

${N=OrionGroup; M=GroupID}

Designated identifier for a defined

group

${N=OrionGroup;
M=GroupMemberDisplayName}

Display name of group member type:

Node, Volume, Component,
Application, etc.

${N=OrionGroup;
Display name of multiple group
M=GroupMemberDisplayNamePlural} members of a type: Nodes,
Components, Applications, etc.
${N=OrionGroup;
M=GroupMemberFullName}

Full name of a group member,

including location

${N=OrionGroup;
M=GroupMemberName}

Name of a group member

${N=OrionGroup;
M=GroupMemberPercentAvailability}

Percent availability of a group member

when group member status is Up,
Warning, or Critical and 0% if status is
anything else.

${N=OrionGroup;
M=GroupMemberSnapshotID}

Unique identifier of group member

snapshot.

${N=OrionGroup;
M=GroupMemberStatusID}

Identifier assigned to a group member

indicating its status. For more
information see Status Values.

${N=OrionGroup;
M=GroupMemberStatusName}

Name of group member status. For

more information see Status Values.

${N=OrionGroup;
M=GroupMemberUri}

Uri used by SolarWinds Information

Service (SWIS) to refer to the selected
group member within the web console.

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Chapter 29: Orion Variables and Examples

Group Variable

Description

${N=OrionGroup; M=GroupName}

Name of the group.

${N=OrionGroup; M=GroupOwner}

Orion product appropriate to the group

type

${N=OrionGroup;
M=GroupPercentAvailability}

100% when group status is Up,

Warning, Critical and 0% if status is
anything else.

${N=OrionGroup;
M=GroupStatusCalculatorID}

Name of roll-up logic calculator that

evaluates status of group based on
member statuses. (0 = Mixed, 1 =
Worst, 2 = Best)

${N=OrionGroup;
M=GroupStatusCalculatorName}

Name of roll-up logic calculator that

evaluates status of group based on
member statuses. (Mixed, Worst,
Best)

${N=OrionGroup; M=GroupStatusID}

Identifier assigned to a group

indicating its status. For more
information see Status Values.

${N=OrionGroup; M=GroupStatus}

Name of group status. For more

information see Status Values.

${N=OrionGroup;
M=GroupStatusRootCause}

A list of all group members that are not

SQL Query
Any value you can collect from the database can be generated, formatted, or
calculated using a SQL query as a variable. To use a SQL query as a variable in
Orion Platform products, use ${SQL:{query}} as shown in the following example
that returns the results of the SQL query:
Select Count(*) From Nodes:
Note:SolarWinds does not support SQL queries directly. Visit our user forums on
thwack for help from our community.

1181

Status Values

Status Values
When using the ${N=SwisEntity;M=Status} variable with a monitored object,
status values are returned, as appropriate. The following table provides a
description for each status value.
Status Value Description
0

Unknown

Down

Warning

Shutdown

Testing

Dormant

Not Present

Lower Layer Down

Unmanaged

Unplugged

External

Unreachable

Critical

Partly Available

Misconfigured

Could Not Poll

Unconfirmed

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Chapter 29: Orion Variables and Examples

Status Value Description

Active

Inactive

Expired

Monitoring Disabled

Disabled

Not Licensed

Other

Not Running

Node Variables
The following are valid node variables.
Node Variable

Description

${N=SwisEntity;M=AgentPort}

Node SNMP port

number

${N=SwisEntity;M=Node.Allow64BitCounters}

Node allows 64-bit

counters (1), or not
(0)

${N=SwisEntity;M=AvgResponseTime}

Average node
response time, in
msec, to ICMP
requests

${N=SwisEntity;M=BlockUntil}

Day, date, and time

until which node
polling is blocked

${N=SwisEntity;M=BufferBgMissThisHour}

Device-dependent
count of big buffer
misses on node in

1183

Node Variables
Node Variable

Description
current hour,
queried with MIB
1.3.6.1.4.9.2.1.30

${N=SwisEntity;M=BufferBgMissToday}

Device-dependent
count of big buffer
misses on node in
current day,
queried with MIB
1.3.6.1.4.9.2.1.30

${N=SwisEntity;M=BufferHgMissThisHour}

Device-dependent
count of huge
buffer misses on
node in current
hour, queried with
MIB
1.3.6.1.4.9.2.1.62

${N=SwisEntity;M=BufferHgMissToday}

Device-dependent
count of huge
buffer misses on
node in current
day, queried with
MIB
1.3.6.1.4.9.2.1.62

${N=SwisEntity;M=BufferLgMissThisHour}

Device-dependent
count of large
buffer misses on
node in current
hour, queried with
MIB
1.3.6.1.4.9.2.1.38

${N=SwisEntity;M=BufferLgMissToday}

Device-dependent
count of large
buffer misses on

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Chapter 29: Orion Variables and Examples

Node Variable

Description
node in current
day, queried with
MIB
1.3.6.1.4.9.2.1.38

${N=SwisEntity;M=BufferMdMissThisHour}

Device-dependent
count of medium
buffer misses on
node in current
hour, queried with
MIB
1.3.6.1.4.9.2.1.22

${N=SwisEntity;M=BufferMdMissToday}

Device-dependent
count of medium
buffer misses on
node in current
day, queried with
MIB
1.3.6.1.4.9.2.1.22

${N=SwisEntity;M=BufferNoMemThisHour}

Count of buffer
errors due to low
memory on node in
current hour

${N=SwisEntity;M=BufferNoMemToday}

Count of buffer
errors due to low
memory on node in
current day

${N=SwisEntity;M=BufferSmMissThisHour}

Device-dependent
count of small
buffer misses on
node in current
hour, queried with
MIB
1.3.6.1.4.9.2.1.14

1185

Node Variables
Node Variable

Description

${N=SwisEntity;M=BufferSmMissToday}

Device-dependent
count of small
buffer misses on
node in current
day, queried with
MIB
1.3.6.1.4.9.2.1.14

${N=SwisEntity;M=Caption}

User friendly node

name

${N=SwisEntity;M=Community}

Node community
string

${N=SwisEntity;M=Contact}

Contact information
for person or group
responsible for
node

${N=SwisEntity;M=CPULoad}

Node CPU
utilization rate at
last poll

${N=SwisEntity;M=CustomPollerLastStatisticsPoll}

Day, date, and time

of last poll attempt
on node

${N=SwisEntity;M=CustomPollerLastStatisticsPollSuccess} Day, date, and time

that node was last
successfully polled
${N=SwisEntity;M=NodeDescription}

Node hardware
and software

${N=SwisEntity;M=DNS}

Fully qualified
node name

${N=SwisEntity;M=DynamicIP}

If node supports
dynamic IP
address

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Chapter 29: Orion Variables and Examples

Node Variable

Description
assignment via
BOOTP or DHCP
(1); static IP
address return (0)

${N=SwisEntity;M=EngineID}

Internal unique
identifier of the
polling engine to
which node is
assigned

${N=SwisEntity;M=GroupStatus}

Filename of status
icon for node and,
in Orion NPM, its
interfaces

${N=SwisEntity;M=IOSImage}

Family name of
Cisco IOS on node

${N=SwisEntity;M=IOSVersion}

Cisco IOS version

on node

${N=SwisEntity;M=IP_Address}

Node IP address

${N=SwisEntity;M=IPAddressType}

Node IP address
version (IPv4 or
IPv6)

${N=SwisEntity;M=LastBoot}

Day, date and time

of last node boot

${N=SwisEntity;M=LastSync}

Time and date of

last node database
and memory
synchronization

${N=SwisEntity;M=Location}

Physical location of
node

${N=SwisEntity;M=MachineType}

Node manufacturer
or distributor and

1187

Node Variables
Node Variable

Description
family or version
information

${N=SwisEntity;M=MaxResponseTime}

Maximum node
response time , in
msec, to ICMP
requests

${N=SwisEntity;M=MemoryUsed}

Total node memory

used over polling
interval

${N=SwisEntity;M=Stats.MinResponseTime}

Minimum node
response time , in
msec, to ICMP
requests

${N=SwisEntity;M=NextPoll}

Day, date and time

of next scheduled
node polling

${N=SwisEntity;M=NextRediscovery}

Time of next node

rediscovery

${N=SwisEntity;M=NodeID}

Internal unique
identifier of node

${N=SwisEntity;M=PercentLoss}

ICMP packet loss

percentage when
node last polled

${N=SwisEntity;M=PercentMemoryUsed}

Percentage of total
node memory used
over polling
interval

${N=SwisEntity;M=PollInterval}

Node polling
interval, in seconds

${N=SwisEntity;M=RediscoveryInterval}

Node rediscovery
interval, in minutes

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Chapter 29: Orion Variables and Examples

Node Variable

Description

${N=SwisEntity;M=ResponseTime}

Node response
time, in
milliseconds, to
last ICMP request

${N=SwisEntity;M=SNMPv3Credentials.

SNMPv3 read/write
credential
authentication key

RWAuthenticationKey}
${N=SwisEntity;M=SNMPv3Credentials.
RWAuthenticationKeyIsPassword}

${N=SwisEntity;M=SNMPv3Credentials.
RWAuthenticationMethod}

${N=SwisEntity;M=SNMPv3Credentials.
RWContext}
${N=SwisEntity;M=SNMPv3Credentials.
RWPrivacyKey}
${N=SwisEntity;M=SNMPv3Credentials.
RWPrivacyKeyIsPassword}

${N=SwisEntity;M=SNMPv3Credentials.
RWPrivacyMethod}
${N=SwisEntity;M=SNMPv3Credentials.
RWUsername}

1189

States if the
SNMPv3 read/write
credential
authentication key
is the password
SNMPv3 read/write
credential
authentication
method
SNMPv3 read/write
security context
information
SNMPv3 read/write
credential key
States if the
SNMPv3 read/write
credential privacy
key is the
password
SNMPv3 read/write
credential privacy
encryption method
User friendly name
for SNMPv3
read/write

Node Variables
Node Variable

Description
credential

${N=SwisEntity;M=Severity}

A network health
score determined
additively by
scoring the status
of monitored
objects. In Orion
NPM 1 point is
provided for an
interface in a
warning state,
1000 points for a
down interface,
and 1 million points
for a down node. In
SAM, 100 points is
provided for an
application in a
warning state, 200
points for an
application in
critical state, 500 is
status is unknown,
and 1000 for a
down application.

${N=SwisEntity;M=SNMPv3Credentials.

SNMPv3
authentication key

AuthenticationKey}
${N=SwisEntity;M=SNMPv3Credentials.
AuthenticationKeyIsPassword}

${N=SwisEntity;M=SNMPv3Credentials.
AuthenticationMethod}

1190

States if node
SNMPv3
authentication key
is password
SNMPv3
authentication type

Chapter 29: Orion Variables and Examples

Node Variable

Description

${N=SwisEntity;M=SNMPv3Credentials.
Context}
${N=SwisEntity;M=SNMPv3Credentials.
PrivacyKey}
${N=SwisEntity;M=SNMPv3Credentials.
PrivacyKeyIsPassword}

${N=SwisEntity;M=SNMPv3Credentials.
PrivacyMethod}
${N=SwisEntity;M=SNMPv3Credentials.
Username}

Group or domain of
user with SNMPv3
access to node
SNMPv3 credential
key
States if node
SNMPv3 credential
key is the
password
SNMPv3 credential
key type
User friendly name
for SNMPv3
credential

${N=SwisEntity;M=SNMPVersion}

States the version

of SNMP used by
the node

${N=SwisEntity;M=StatCollection}

Statistics collection
frequency, in
minutes

${N=SwisEntity;M=Status;F=Status}

Numerical node
status. For more
information, see
Status Values.

${N=SwisEntity;M=StatusDescription}

User friendly node

status

${N=SwisEntity;M=StatusLED}

Filename of node
status icon

${N=SwisEntity;M=SysName}

String reply to
SNMP SYS_

1191

Node Variables
Node Variable

Description
NAME OID request

${N=SwisEntity;M=SysObjectID}

Vendor ID of the
network
management
subsystem in OID
form. Clearly
determines the
type of node.

${N=SwisEntity;M=SystemUpTime}

Time, in
hundredths of a
second, either
since network
monitoring started
(WMI) or since the
monitored device
rebooted (SNMP).

${N=SwisEntity;M=TotalMemory}

Total node memory

available

${N=SwisEntity;M=UnManaged}

States if node is
currently
unmanaged

${N=SwisEntity;M=UnManageFrom}

Day, date, and time

when node is set to
Unmanaged

${N=SwisEntity;M=UnManageUntil}

Day, date, and time

when node is
scheduled to be
managed

${N=SwisEntity;M=Vendor}

Node manufacturer
or distributor

${N=SwisEntity;M=VendorIcon}

Filename of node
vendor logo

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Chapter 29: Orion Variables and Examples

Example Messages Using Variables

The following examples illustrate messages that you can create using variables.
You can use variables in the message body or the subject. You can also use
variables in alert conditions.
SolarWinds recommends using the variable picker by clicking Insert Variable.
Message with resolved
variables

Message with variables

Previous reboot was at ${NN=SwisEntity;M=Previous(LastBoot)}.

Previous reboot was at

10/29/2014 12:02:00
PM.

Alert: The SNMP Community string used to query

${N=SwisEntity;M=Caption} has been changed
from ${N=SwisEntity;M=Previous(Community)}
to ${N=SwisEntity;M=Community}.

Alert:The
SNMPCommunity string
used to query Houston_
backup has been
changed from 1234 to
5678.

Alert: ${N=SwisEntity;M=Caption} has

exceptionally high response time. Average
Response Time is
${N=SwisEntity;M=AvgResponseTime} and is
varying from
${N=SwisEntity;M=MinResponseTime} to
${N=SwisEntity;M=MaxResponseTime}.

Alert: DevOP_VMs has

exceptionally high
response time. Average
Response Time is 1200
ms and is varying from
500 ms to 1700 ms.

Current packet loss for

${N=SwisEntity;M=Caption} is
${N=SwisEntity;M=PercentLoss}. Average
Response time is
${N=SwisEntity;M=AvgResponseTime} and is
varying from
${N=SwisEntity;M=MinResponseTime} to
${N=SwisEntity;M=MaxResponseTime}.

Current packet loss for

MainWebServer is 43%.
Average Response time
is 500 ms and is varying
from 200 ms to 800 ms.

You can also manually add a repeater when you expect multiple objects to be
included in an alert. For example, if you have an alert set up to notify you when 5

1193

Using Macro Formatters

nodes go down, you can use <<< >>> to repeat both text and variables. See the
examples below.
This message with no repeater displays every node that is down in a separate
sentence:${N=SwisEntity;M=Caption} is
${N=SwisEntity;M=Status;F=Status}.
This message displays only the text included in the repeater, in this case each
node that is down: <<< ${N=SwisEntity;M=Caption}>>> is
${N=SwisEntity;M=Status;F=Status}.
This message displays each node that is down and the status of each node: <<<
${N=SwisEntity;M=Caption} is ${N=SwisEntity;M=Status;F=Status}.>>>
Note: When using a repeater, you cannot use the PREVIOUS variable.

Using Macro Formatters

Be aware that using macro formatters can significantly change the macro result.
For example:
${N=Generic;M=Date;F=Date} - Tuesday, December 2, 2014
${N=Generic;M=Date;F=OriginalValue} - 12/2/2014
These formatters are available in the UI from the macro variable picker, and a
different set of formatters is available depending on the variable value type.

Syslog Alert Variables

Syslog Date/Time Variables

Syslog Date/Time
Variable

Description

${AbbreviatedDOW} Current day of the week. Three character abbreviation.

${AMPM}

AM or PM corresponding to current time (before or after

noon)

1194

Chapter 29: Orion Variables and Examples

Syslog Date/Time
Variable

Description

${D}

Current day of the month

${DD}

Current day of the month (two digit number, zero

padded)

${Date}

Current date. (Short Date format)

${DateTime}

Current date and time. (Windows control panel defined

Short Date and Short Time format)

${DayOfWeek}

Current day of the week.

${DayOfYear}

Numeric day of the year

${H}

Current hour

${HH}

Current hour. Two digit format, zero padded.

${Hour}

Current hour. 24-hour format

${LocalDOW}

Current day of the week. Localized language format.

${LongDate}

Current date. (Long Date format)

${LocalMonthName} Current month name in the local language.

${LongTime}

Current Time. (Long Time format)

${M}

Current numeric month

${MM}

Current month. Two digit number, zero padded.

${MMM}

Current month. Three character abbreviation.

${MediumDate}

Current date. (Medium Date format)

${Minute}

Current minute. Two digit format, zero padded.

${Month}

Full name of the current month

1195

Other Syslog Variables

Syslog Date/Time
Variable

Description

${N}

Current month and day

${S}

Current second.

${Second}

Current second. Two digit format, zero padded.

${Time}

Current Time. (Short Time format)

${Year2}

Two digit year

${Year}

Four digit year

Other Syslog Variables

Syslog Variable

Description

${Application}

SolarWinds application information

${Copyright}

${DNS}

Fully qualified node name

${Hostname}

Host name of the device triggering the alert

${IP_Address}

IP address of device triggering alert

${Message}

Status of device triggering alert

${MessageType} The name of the triggered alert

${Severity}

A network health score indicating node states as follows:

INTERFACE_UNKNOWN = 1
INTERFACE_WARNING = 1
INTERFACE_DOWN = 1000
NODE_UNKNOWN = 1000000
NODE_WARNING = 1000000
NODE_DOWN = 100000000

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Chapter 29: Orion Variables and Examples

Syslog Variable

Description

The Up score for Nodes and Interfaces is zero.

${Version}

Version of the SolarWinds software package

Trap Alert Variables

Trap Date/Time Variables

Trap Date/Time
Variable

Description

${AbbreviatedDOW}

Current day of the week. Three character

abbreviation.

${AbbreviatedMonth}

Current month of the year. Three character

abbreviation.

${AMPM}

AM or PM corresponding to current time (before or

after noon)

${D}

Current day of the month

${DD}

Current day of the month (two digit number, zero

padded)

${Date}

Current date. (MM/DD/YYYY format)

${DateTime}

Current date and time. (MM/DD/YYYY HH:MM format)

${Day}

Current day of the month

1197

Trap Date/Time Variables

Trap Date/Time
Variable

Description

${DayOfWeek}

Current day of the week.

${DayOfYear}

Numeric day of the year

${H}

Current hour

${HH}

Current hour. Two digit format, zero padded.

${Hour}

Current hour. 24-hour format

${LocalDOW}

Current day of the week. Localized language format.

${LongDate}

Current date. (DAY NAME, MONTH DAY, YEAR

format)

${LongTime}

Current Time. (HH:MM:SS AM/PM format)

${M}

Current numeric month

${MM}

Current month. Two digit number, zero padded.

${MMM}

Current month. Three character abbreviation.

${MMMM}

Full name of the current month

${MediumDate}

Current date. (DD-MMM-YY format)

${MediumTime}

Current time. (HH:MM AM/PM format)

${Minute}

Current minute. Two digit format, zero padded.

${MonthName}

Full name of the current month

${S}

Current second.

${Second}

Current second. Two digit format, zero padded.

${Time}

Current Time. (HH:MM format)

${Year}

Four digit year

1198

Chapter 29: Orion Variables and Examples

Trap Date/Time
Variable

Description

${Year2}

Two digit year

Other Trap Variables

Trap Variable

Description

${Application}

SolarWinds application information

${Community}

Node community string

${Copyright}

${DNS}

Fully qualified node name

${Hostname}

Host name of the device triggering the trap

${IP_Address}

IP address of device triggering alert

${Message}

Message sent with triggered trap and displayed in Trap

Details field of Trap Viewer

${MessageType} Name or type of trap triggered

${Raw}

Raw numerical values for properties sent in the

corresponding incoming trap.

${RawValue}

Raw numerical values for properties sent in the

corresponding incoming trap. The same as ${Raw}.

${vbData1}

Trap variable binding value

${vbName1}

Trap variable binding name

1199

Chapter 30: Status Icons and Identifiers

The following table lists SAM icons with associated status indications:
Icon Status Indication
Application is Up
Application s in a Warning state
Application is in a Critical state
Application is Down
Application is in an Unknown state
Component is Up
Component is in a Warning state
Component is in a Critical state
Component is Down
Component is in an Unknown state
Database is offline
Not Running
Unmanaged
Unreachable

1200

Chapter 30: Status Icons and Identifiers

The status of an application is determined by these rules (in order of
priority):
1. If an application has a down component, the application status is Down.
2. If an application has an unknown component, the application status is
Unknown.
3. If an application has a critical component, the application status is Critical.
4. If an application has a warning component, the application status is Warning.
5. Otherwise, the application status is Up.

1201

Chapter 31:
SolarWinds Variables and Examples
SolarWinds SAM product components, including the Alert Manager, both the
Traps Viewer and the Syslog Viewer, and Network Atlas can employ SolarWinds
variables. These variables are dynamic and, in the case of alerts, parse when the
alert is triggered or reset. For example, the variable ${ResponseTime} will parse
with the current response time of the node that is triggering the alert.
Note: In some cases, the database table name may be required for alert
variables, as in ${Nodes.CPULoad}. If a variable does not respond as intended,
include the relevant table name for the desired variable.

Variable Modifiers
The variables in the following sections can be modified by appending any of the
variable modifiers in the following table:
Variable Modifier

Description

-Raw

Displays the raw value for the statistic. For example, if

Transmit Bandwidth is set to 10 Mbps, then the raw value
would be10000000. The cooked value would be 10
Mbps.

-Previous

Displays the previous value for the statistic before the

Alert was triggered

-Cooked

Displays the cooked value for the statistic. For example,

if Transmit Bandwidth is set to 10 Mbps, then the raw
value would be 10000000 and cooked value would be
10 Mbps.

Displays the previous cooked value for the statistic

PreviousCooked before the Alert was triggered

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Chapter 31: SolarWinds Variables and Examples

95th Percentile Calculations

Calculation of the 95th percentile, a well-known statistical standard used to
discard maximum spikes, is based on 5 minute data samples. The calculation
gathers these values every 5 minutes for however long you select, throws away
the top 5%, yielding the 95th percentile value at the beginning of the list.
Consider the following example of how the 95th percentile is calculated for a 10
hour work day from 8am to 6pm (600 minutes):
1. Over the 10 hours, the following 120 values were collected for inbound
traffic (Mb/s):
0.149 0.623 0.281 0.136 0.024 0.042 0.097 0.185 0.198 0.243 0.274 0.390 0.971
0.633 0.238 0.142 0.119 0.176 0.131 0.127 0.169 0.223 0.291 0.236 0.124 0.072
0.197 0.105 0.138 0.233 0.374 0.290 0.871 0.433 0.248 0.242 0.169 0.116 0.121
0.427 0.249 0.223 0.231 0.336 0.014 0.442 0.197 0.125 0.108 0.244 0.264 0.190
0.471 0.033 0.228 0.942 0.219 0.076 0.331 0.227 0.849 0.323 0.221 0.196 0.223
0.642 0.197 0.385 0.098 0.263 0.174 0.690 0.571 0.233 0.208 0.242 0.139 0.186
0.331 0.124 0.249 0.643 0.481 0.936 0.124 0.742 0.497 0.085 0.398 0.643 0.074
0.590 0.771 0.833 0.438 0.242 0.092 0.376 0.231 0.627 0.249 0.663 0.181 0.636
0.224 0.342 0.697 0.285 0.108 0.211 0.074 0.490 0.271 0.133 0.338 0.242 0.519
0.376 0.331 0.227
2. When reordered from high to low:
0.971 0.942 0.936 0.871 0.849 0.833 0.771 0.742 0.697 0.690 0.663 0.643 0.643
0.642 0.636 0.633 0.627 0.623 0.590 0.571 0.519 0.497 0.490 0.481 0.471 0.442
0.438 0.433 0.427 0.398 0.390 0.385 0.376 0.376 0.374 0.342 0.338 0.336 0.331
0.331 0.331 0.323 0.291 0.290 0.285 0.281 0.274 0.271 0.264 0.263 0.249 0.249
0.249 0.248 0.244 0.243 0.242 0.242 0.242 0.242 0.238 0.236 0.233 0.233 0.231
0.231 0.228 0.227 0.227 0.224 0.223 0.223 0.223 0.221 0.219 0.211 0.208 0.198
0.197 0.197 0.197 0.196 0.190 0.186 0.185 0.181 0.176 0.174 0.169 0.169 0.149
0.142 0.139 0.138 0.136 0.133 0.131 0.127 0.125 0.124 0.124 0.124 0.121 0.119
0.116 0.108 0.108 0.105 0.098 0.097 0.092 0.085 0.076 0.074 0.074 0.072 0.042
0.033 0.024 0.014
3. Drop the first 6, as these equal the top 5% of the values:
0.771 0.742 0.697 0.690 0.663 0.643 0.643 0.642 0.636 0.633 0.627 0.623 0.590
0.571 0.519 0.497 0.490 0.481 0.471 0.442 0.438 0.433 0.427 0.398 0.390 0.385
0.376 0.376 0.374 0.342 0.338 0.336 0.331 0.331 0.331 0.323 0.291 0.290 0.285
0.281 0.274 0.271 0.264 0.263 0.249 0.249 0.249 0.248 0.244 0.243 0.242 0.242

1203

Regular Expression Pattern Matching

0.242 0.242 0.238 0.236 0.233 0.233 0.231 0.231 0.228 0.227 0.227 0.224 0.223
0.223 0.223 0.221 0.219 0.211 0.208 0.198 0.197 0.197 0.197 0.196 0.190 0.186
0.185 0.181 0.176 0.174 0.169 0.169 0.149 0.142 0.139 0.138 0.136 0.133 0.131
0.127 0.125 0.124 0.124 0.124 0.121 0.119 0.116 0.108 0.108 0.105 0.098 0.097
0.092 0.085 0.076 0.074 0.074 0.072 0.042 0.033 0.024 0.014
4. The 95th percentile is 0.771.

Regular Expression Pattern Matching

When editing comparison criteria, the following regular expressions can be used
for pattern matching. Examples are provided at the end of this section.
Characters
Character

Description

Example

Any character
except
[,\,^,$,.,|,?,*,+,
(,),

All characters except the listed special

characters match a single instance of
themselves.

a matches a

\ (backslash)
followed by
any of
[,\,^,$,.,|,?,*,+,
(,),

A backslash escapes special characters to

suppress their special meaning.

\+ matches +

\xFF where FF
are 2
hexadecimal
digits

Matches the character with the specified

ASCII/ANSI value, which depends on the
code page used. Can be used in character
classes.

\xA9 matches
when using the
Latin-1 code
page.

\n, \r and \t

Match an LF character, CR character and a

tab character respectively. Can be used in
character classes.

\r\n matches a
DOS/Windows
CRLF line
break.

Character Classes or Character Sets [abc]

Character

Description

Example

1204

Chapter 31: SolarWinds Variables and Examples

Classes or
Sets
[(opening
square
bracket)

Starts a character class. A character class

matches a single character out of all of the
possibilities offered by the character class. Inside
a character class, different rules apply. The rules
in this section are only valid inside character
classes. The rules outside this section are not
valid in character classes, except \n, \r, \t and
\xFF

Any
character
except ^,-,],\
add that
character to
the possible
matches for
the character
class.

All characters except the listed special

characters.

[abc]
matches a,
b or c

\ (backslash)
followed by
any of ^,-,],\

A backslash escapes special characters to

suppress their special meaning.

[\^\]]
matches ^
or ]

- (hyphen)
except
immediately
after the
opening [

Specifies a range of characters. (Specifies a

hyphen if placed immediately after the opening [)

[a-zA-Z0-9]
matches
any letter
or digit

^ (caret)
immediately
after the
opening [

Negates the character class, causing it to match a

single character not listed in the character class.
(Specifies a caret if placed anywhere except after
the opening [)

[^a-d]
matches x
(any
character
except a, b,
c or d)

1205

Regular Expression Pattern Matching

\d, \w and \s

Shorthand character classes matching digits 0-9,

word characters (letters and digits) and
whitespace respectively. Can be used inside and
outside character classes

[\d\s]
matches a
character
that is a
digit or
whitespace

Anchors
Anchors Description

Example

^ (caret)

Matches at the start of the string to which the regular

expression pattern is applied. Matches a position rather
than a character. Most regular expression flavors have
an option to make the caret match after line breaks (i.e.
at the start of a line in a file) as well.

^.
matches
a in
abc\ndef.
Also
matches
d in
"multiline"
mode.

$(dollar)

Matches at the end of the string to which the regular

expression pattern is applied. Matches a position rather
than a character. Most regular expression flavors have
an option to make the dollar match before line breaks
(i.e. at the end of a line in a file) as well. Also matches
before the very last line break if the string ends with a
line break.

.$
matches
f in
abc\ndef.
Also
matches
c in
"multiline"
mode.

Matches at the start of the string to which the regular

\A.
expression pattern is applied to. Matches a position
matches
rather than a character. Never matches after line breaks. a in abc

Matches at the end of the string to which the regular

expression pattern is applied. Matches a position rather

1206

.\Z
matches

Chapter 31: SolarWinds Variables and Examples

than a character. Never matches before line breaks,

except for the very last line break if the string ends with
a line break.

f in
abc\ndef

Matches at the end of the string to which the regular

expression pattern is applied. Matches a position rather
than a character. Never matches before line breaks.

.\z
matches
f in
abc\ndef

Quantifiers
Quantifiers Description

Example

? (question
mark)

Makes the preceding item optional. The optional item

is included in the match, if possible.

abc?
matches
ab or abc

Makes the preceding item optional. The optional item

is excluded in the match, if possible. This construct is
often excluded from documentation due to its limited
use.

abc??
matches
ab or abc

* (star)

Repeats the previous item zero or more times. As

many items as possible will be matched before trying
permutations with fewer matches of the preceding
item, up to the point where the preceding item is not
matched at all.

.*
matches
"def"
"ghi" in
abc "def"
"ghi" jkl

*? (lazy
star)

Repeats the previous item zero or more times. The

engine first attempts to skip the previous item before
trying permutations with ever increasing matches of
the preceding item.

.*?
matches
"def" in
abc "def"
"ghi" jkl

#NAME?

Repeats the previous item once or more. As many

items as possible will be matched before trying
permutations with fewer matches of the preceding
item, up to the point where the preceding item is

.+
matches
"def"
"ghi" in

1207

Regular Expression Pattern Matching

matched only once.

abc "def"
"ghi" jkl

+? (lazy
plus)

Repeats the previous item once or more. The engine

first matches the previous item only once, before
trying permutations with ever increasing matches of
the preceding item.

.+?
matches
"def" in
abc "def"
"ghi" jkl

{n} where n
is an
integer >=
1

Repeats the previous item exactly n times.

a{3}
matches
aaa

{n,m}
where n >=
1 and m >=
n

Repeats the previous item between n and m times.

Will try to repeat m times before reducing the
repetition to n times.

a{2,4}
matches
aa, aaa
or aaaa

{n,m}?
where n >=
1 and m >=
n

Repeats the previous item between n and m times.

Will try to repeat n times before increasing the
repetition to m times.

a{2,4}?
matches
aaaa,
aaa or
aa

{n,} where
n >= 1

Repeats the previous item at least n times. Will try to

match as many items as possible before trying
permutations with fewer matches of the preceding
item, up to the point where the preceding item is
matched only m times.

a{2,}
matches
aaaaa in
aaaaa

{n,}? where
n >= 1

Repeats the previous item between n and m times.

The engine first matches the previous item n times
before trying permutations with ever increasing
matches of the preceding item.

a{2,}?
matches
aa in
aaaaa

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Chapter 31: SolarWinds Variables and Examples

Dot
Dot
Description
Character
. (dot)

Example

Matches any single character except line . matches x or most

break characters \r and \n.
any other character

Word Boundaries
Word Boundary

Description

Example

Matches at the position

.\b
between a word character
matches
(anything matched by \w)
c in abc
and a non-word character
(anything matched by [^\w] or
\W) as well as at the start
and/or end of the string if the
first and/or last characters in
the string are word
characters.

Matches at the position

\B.\B
between two word characters matches
(i.e the position between
b in abc
\w\w) as well as at the
position between two nonword characters (i.e. \W\W).

Alternation
Alternation Character

Description

Example

Causes the regular

expression engine to
match either the part
on the left side or the

abc|def|xyz
matches
abc, def or
xyz

(vertical bar or pipe)

1209

Regular Expression Pattern Matching

part on the right side.

Can be strung
together into a series
of options.
|
(vertical bar or pipe)

The vertical bar has

the lowest precedence
of all operators. Use
grouping to alternate
only part of the regular
expression.

abc
(def|xyz)
matches
abcdef or
abcxyz

Regular Expression Pattern Matching Examples

The following examples illustrate uses of regular expression pattern matching:
snmp-server community public
Finds any line that includes the text snmp-server community public.
There can be text before and/or after the string on the same line. service
tcp-keepalives-in.*\n(.*\n)*.*service tcp-keepalives-out

Finds the first line service tcp-keepalives-in and then looks for service
tcp-keepalives-out on any line after that. The regular expression string .*\n
(.*\n)*.* is used to search any number of lines between strings. access-list
105 deny.*tcp any any eq 139 log
Finds the line with access-list 105 deny, followed by any number of
characters of any type, followed by tcp any any eq 139 log on the same
line. The regular expression string .* finds any character and any number of
characters on the same line. This expression can be used to find spaces,
tabs, numbers, letters, or special characters. ntp clock-period \d*
Finds any line that includes ntp clock-period, followed by any number. The
regular expression string \d* will find any number at any length, such as 3,
48, or 2394887.
user \x2a

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Chapter 31: SolarWinds Variables and Examples

Finds any line that includes user *. The regular expression string \x,
followed by a hexadecimal value, specifies an individual character. In this
example, \x2a represents the asterisk character, which has a hexadecimal
value of 2a.

Alert Engine Variables

The following variables can be used in alert messages within SolarWinds SAM
and SolarWinds modules. You must begin each variable with a dollar sign and
enclose each variable identifier in braces as, for example, ${ObjectName}.

General
The following are valid, general alert variables:
General Variable

Description

${Acknowledged}

Acknowledged status

${AcknowledgedBy}

Who the alert was acknowledged by

${AcknowledgedTime}

Time the alert was acknowledged

${AlertTriggerCount} Count of triggers

${AlertTriggerTime}

Date and time of the last event for this Alert.

(Windows control panel defined Short Date
and Short Time)

${Application}

SolarWinds application information

${CR}

Line Feed Carriage Return

${Copyright}

${ObjectName}

Description/Name of the object in the alert

${Release}

Release information

${Version}

Version of the SolarWinds software package

1211

Date/Time

Date/Time
The following are valid date and time variables:
Date/Time Variable

Description

${AMPM}

AM/PM indicator

${AbreviatedDOW}

Current day of the week. Three character

abbreviation.

${D}

Current day of the month

${DD}

Current day of the month (two digit number, zero

padded)

${Date}

Current date. (Short Date format)

${DateTime}

Current date and time. (Windows control panel

defined Long Date and Long Time format)

${DayOfWeek}

Current day of the week.

${DayOfYear}

Numeric day of the year

${H}

Current hour

${HH}

Current hour. Two digit format, zero padded.

${Last2Hours}

Last two hours

${Last24Hours}

Last 24 hours

${Last7Days}

Last seven days (Short Date format)

${LastHour}

Last hour

${LocalDOW}

Current day of the week. Localized language format.

${LocalMonthName} Current month name in the local language.

${LongDate}

Current date. (Long Date format)

${M}

Current numeric month

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Chapter 31: SolarWinds Variables and Examples

${MM}

Current month. Two digit number, zero padded.

${MMM}

Current month. Three character abbreviation.

${MMMM}

Full name of the current month

${MediumDate}

Current date. (Medium Date format)

${Minute}

Current minute. Two digit format, zero padded.

${S}

Current second.

${Second}

Current second. Two digit format, zero padded.

${Time}

Current Time. (Short Time format)

${Today}

Today (Short Date format)

${Year}

Four digit year

${Year2}

Two digit year

${Yesterday}

Yesterday (Short Date format)

Group Variables
The following are valid group variables:
Group Variable

Description

${GroupDetailsURL}

URL of the Group Details

view for a selected group

${GroupFrequency}

Interval on which group

membership is evaluated and
group snapshots are taken.

${GroupID}

Designated identifier for a

defined group

${GroupMemberDisplayName}

Display name of group

member type: Node, Volume,
Component, Application, and

1213

Group Variables

so on.
${GroupMemberDisplayNamePlural}

Display name of multiple

group members of a type:
Nodes, Components,
Applications, and so on.

${GroupMemberFullName}

Full name of a group member,

including location

${GroupMemberName}

Name of a group member

${GroupMemberPercentAvailability} Percent availability of a group

member when group member
status is Up, Warning, or
Critical and 0% if status is
anything else.
${GroupMemberSnapshotID}

Unique identifier of group

member snapshot.

${GroupMemberStatusID}

Identifier assigned to a group

member indicating its status.
For more information see
Status Variables on
page1216.

${GroupMemberStatusName}

Name of group member

status. For more information
see Status Variables on
page1216.

${GroupMemberUri}

Uri used by SolarWinds

Information Service (SWIS) to
refer to the selected group
member within the web
console.

${GroupName}

Name of the group.

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Chapter 31: SolarWinds Variables and Examples

${GroupOwner}

SolarWinds product
appropriate to the group type

${GroupPercentAvailability}

100% when group status is

Up, Warning, Critical and 0%
if status is anything else.

${GroupStatusCalculatorID}

Name of roll-up logic

calculator that evaluates
status of group based on
member statuses. (0 = Mixed,
1 = Worst, 2 = Best)

${GroupStatusCalculatorName}

Name of roll-up logic

calculator that evaluates
status of group based on
member statuses. (Mixed,
Worst, Best)

${GroupStatusID}

Identifier assigned to a group

indicating its status. For more
information see Status
Variables on page1216.

${GroupStatusName}

Name of group status. For

more information see Status
Variables on page1216.

${GroupStatusRootCause}

A list of all group members

that are not Up

${NodeID}

NULL every time - just for

legacy support.

SQL Query
Any value you can collect from the database can be generated, formatted, or
calculated using a SQL query as a variable. To use a SQL query as a variable in
SolarWinds SAM, use ${SQL:{query}} as shown in the following example that
returns the results of the SQL query Select Count(*) From Nodes:
${SQL:Select Count(*) From Nodes}

1215

Status Variables

Status Variables
When using the ${Status} variable with a monitored object, status values are
returned, as appropriate. The following table provides a description for each
status value:
Status Value Description
0

Unknown

Down

Warning

Shutdown

Testing

Dormant

Not Present

Lower Layer Down

Unmanaged

Unplugged

External

Unreachable

Critical

Mixed Availability

Misconfigured

Could Not Poll

Unconfirmed

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Chapter 31: SolarWinds Variables and Examples

Active

Inactive

Expired

Monitoring Disabled

Disabled

Not Licensed

Node Variables
The following are valid node variables:
Node Variable

Description

${AgentPort}

Node SNMP port

number

${Allow64BitCounters}

Node allows 64-bit

counters (1), or not
(0)

${AvgResponseTime}

Average node
response time , in
msec, to ICMP
requests

${BlockUntil}

Day, date, and time

until which node
polling is blocked

${BufferBgMissThisHour}

Device-dependent
count of big buffer
misses on node in
current hour,
queried with MIB
1.3.6.1.4.9.2.1.30

1217

Node Variables

${BufferBgMissToday}

Device-dependent
count of big buffer
misses on node in
current day, queried
with MIB
1.3.6.1.4.9.2.1.30

${BufferHgMissThisHour}

Device-dependent
count of huge buffer
misses on node in
current hour,
queried with MIB
1.3.6.1.4.9.2.1.62

${BufferHgMissToday}

Device-dependent
count of huge buffer
misses on node in
current day, queried
with MIB
1.3.6.1.4.9.2.1.62

${BufferLgMissThisHour}

Device-dependent
count of large buffer
misses on node in
current hour,
queried with MIB
1.3.6.1.4.9.2.1.38

${BufferLgMissToday}

Device-dependent
count of large buffer
misses on node in
current day, queried
with MIB
1.3.6.1.4.9.2.1.38

${BufferMdMissThisHour}

Device-dependent
count of medium
buffer misses on
node in current

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Chapter 31: SolarWinds Variables and Examples

hour, queried with

MIB
1.3.6.1.4.9.2.1.22
${BufferMdMissToday}

Device-dependent
count of medium
buffer misses on
node in current day,
queried with MIB
1.3.6.1.4.9.2.1.22

${BufferNoMemThisHour}

Count of buffer
errors due to low
memory on node in
current hour

${BufferNoMemToday}

Count of buffer
errors due to low
memory on node in
current day

${BufferSmMissThisHour}

Device-dependent
count of small buffer
misses on node in
current hour,
queried with MIB
1.3.6.1.4.9.2.1.14

${BufferSmMissToday}

Device-dependent
count of small buffer
misses on node in
current day, queried
with MIB
1.3.6.1.4.9.2.1.14

${Caption}

User friendly node

name

${Community}

Node community

1219

Node Variables

string
${Contact}

Contact information
for person or group
responsible for
node

${CPULoad}

Node CPU
utilization rate at
last poll

${CustomPollerLastStatisticsPoll}

Day, date, and time

of last poll attempt
on node

${CustomPollerLastStatisticsPollSuccess} Day, date, and time

that node was last
successfully polled
${Description}

Node hardware and

software

${DNS}

Fully qualified node

name

${DynamicIP}

If node supports
dynamic IP address
assignment via
BOOTP or DHCP
(1); static IP
address return (0)

${EngineID}

Internal unique
identifier of the
polling engine to
which node is
assigned

${GroupStatus}

Filename of status
icon for node and,

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Chapter 31: SolarWinds Variables and Examples

in SolarWinds
NPM, its interfaces
${IOSImage}

Family name of
Cisco IOS on node

${IOSVersion}

Cisco IOS version

on node

${IP_Address}

Node IP address

${LastBoot}

Day, date and time

of last node boot

${LastSync}

Time and date of

last node database
and memory
synchronization

${Location}

Physical location of
node

${MachineType}

Node manufacturer
or distributor and
family or version
information

${MaxResponseTime}

Maximum node
response time , in
msec, to ICMP
requests

${MemoryUsed}

Total node memory

used over polling
interval

${MinResponseTime}

Minimum node
response time , in
msec, to ICMP
requests

1221

Node Variables

${NextPoll}

Day, date and time

of next scheduled
node polling

${NextRediscovery}

Time of next node

rediscovery

${NodeID }

Internal unique
identifier of node

${ObjectSubType}

States if node
supports SNMP or
is ICMP-only

${PercentLoss}

ICMP packet loss

percentage when
node last polled

${PercentMemoryUsed}

Percentage of total
node memory used
over polling interval

${PollInterval}

Node polling
interval, in seconds

${RediscoveryInterval}

Node rediscovery
interval, in minutes

${ResponseTime}

Node response
time, in
milliseconds, to last
ICMP request

${RWCommunity}

Node read/write
community string;
acts as security
code for read/write
SNMP access

${RWSNMPV3AuthKey}

SNMPv3 read/write

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Chapter 31: SolarWinds Variables and Examples

credential
authentication key
${RWSNMPV3AuthKeyIsPwd}

States if the
SNMPv3 read/write
credential
authentication key
is the password

${RWSNMPV3AuthMethod}

SNMPv3 read/write
credential
authentication
method

${RWSNMPV3Context}

SNMPv3 read/write
security context
information

${RWSNMPV3PrivKey}

SNMPv3 read/write
credential key

${RWSNMPV3PrivKeyIsPwd}

States if the
SNMPv3 read/write
credential privacy
key is the password

${RWSNMPV3PrivMethod}

SNMPv3 read/write
credential privacy
encryption method

${RWSNMPV3Username}

User friendly name

for SNMPv3
read/write
credential

${Severity}

A network health
score determined
additively by
scoring the status of

1223

Node Variables

monitored objects.
For example, in
SolarWinds NPM 1
point is provided for
an interface in a
warning state, 1000
points for a down
interface, and 1
million points for a
down node.
${SNMPV2Only}

States if node only

supports SNMPv1
or SNMPv2

${SNMPV3AuthKey}

SNMPv3
authentication key

${SNMPV3AuthKeyIsPwd}

States if node
SNMPv3
authentication key
is password

${SNMPV3AuthMethod}

SNMPv3
authentication type

${SNMPV3Context}

Group or domain of
user with SNMPv3
access to node

${SNMPV3PrivKey}

SNMPv3 credential
key

${SNMPV3PrivKeyIsPwd}

States if node
SNMPv3 credential
key is the password

${SNMPV3PrivMethod}

SNMPv3 credential
key type

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Chapter 31: SolarWinds Variables and Examples

${SNMPV3Username}

User friendly name

for SNMPv3
credential

${SNMPVersion}

States the version

of SNMP used by
the node

${StatCollection}

Statistics collection
frequency, in
minutes

${Status}

Numerical node
status. For more
information, see
Status Variables
on page1216.

${StatusDescription}

User friendly node

status

${StatusLED}

Filename of node
status icon

${SysName}

String reply to
SNMP SYS_NAME
OID request

${SysObjectID}

Vendor ID of the
network
management
subsystem in OID
form. Clearly
determines the type
of node.

${SystemUpTime}

Time, in hundredths
of a second, since
network monitoring
started

1225

Volume Variables

${TotalMemory}

Total node memory

available

${UnManaged}

States if node is
currently
unmanaged

${UnManageFrom}

Day, date, and time

when node is set to
Unmanaged

${UnManageUntil}

Day, date, and time

when node is
scheduled to be
managed

${Vendor}

Node manufacturer
or distributor

${VendorIcon}

Filename of node
vendor logo

Volume Variables
The following are valid volume variables:
Volume Variable

Description

${Caption}

User friendly volume name

${FullName}

User friendly volume name

including captions of
parent node and, in
SolarWinds NPM, interface

${LastSync}

Time and date volume last

synchronized in database
and memory models

${NextPoll}

Day, date and time of next

scheduled volume polling

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Chapter 31: SolarWinds Variables and Examples

${NextRediscovery}

Scheduled time of next

volume rediscovery

${NodeID}

Internal unique identifier of

parent node

${PollInterval}

Volume status polling

interval, in seconds

${RediscoveryInterval}

Volume rediscovery
interval, in minutes

${StatCollection}

Statistics collection
frequency, in minutes

${Status}

Numerical volume status:

(0=Unknown, 1=Up,
2=Shutdown,
3=Testing)

${StatusLED}

Filename of volume status

icon

${VolumeAllocationFailuresThisHour} Number of volume

allocation errors for this
volume in last hour
${VolumeAllocationFailuresToday}

Number of volume
allocation errors for this
volume in current day

${VolumeDescription}

User friendly volume

description

${VolumeID}

Internal unique identifier of

volume

${VolumeIndex}

Unique index of this

volume within the parent
node

1227

Hardware Specific Variables

${VolumePercentUsed}

Percentage of volume
currently in use

${VolumeResponding}

(Y) = volume is currently

responding to SNMP
queries

${VolumeSize}

Size of volume, in bytes

${VolumeSpaceAvailable}

Total space available on

volume, in bytes

${VolumeSpaceUsed}

Total space used on

volume, in bytes

${VolumeType}

Volume type, as reported

by hrStorageType OID
(Removable Disk/Fixed
Disk/Compact Disc/Virtual
Memory/RAM/and so on)

${VolumeTypeIcon}

Filename of icon for

volume type

Hardware Specific Variables

Variables for hardware come in three groups; Hardware Status, Node Hardware
Type, and Node Hardware Status. Use these variables to receive specific alerts
and reports on various aspects of your hardware.
Note: Hardware variables intentionally have the "APM" prefix.
Hardware Status
The following are valid hardware status variables:
Hardware Variable

Description

${APM_HardwareAlertData.HardwareStatus}

Current
hardware status

${APM_
Current
HardwareAlertData.HardwareStatusDescription} description of

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Chapter 31: SolarWinds Variables and Examples

hardware status
${APM_HardwareAlertData.Manufacturer}

Manufacturer

${APM_HardwareAlertData.Model}

Hardware model

${APM_HardwareAlertData.ServiceTag}

Service
tag/Serial
Number

${APM_HardwareAlertData.LastPollTime}

Time of the last

poll

${APM_HardwareAlertData.LastPollMessage}

Message or
error message
returned from
the last poll

${APM_HardwareAlertData.NodeName}

Name of the
node

${APM_HardwareAlertData.IsPollingDisabled}

Information
relating to nodes
for which polling
is disabled

${APM_HardwareAlertData.SensorsWithStatus}

Comma
separated list of
all child
hardware
components and
their statuses

${APM_HardwareAlertData.SensorsWithProblems} Comma
separated list of
all child
hardware
components (in
status other than
"Up") and their
statuses

1229

Hardware Specific Variables

Node Hardware Type
The following are valid node hardware type variables:
Hardware Variable

Descripti
on

${APM_
HardwareTypeAlertData.HardwareTypeStatus}

Rollup
status for
this
hardware
type

${APM_
HardwareTypeAlertData.HardwareTypeStatusDescri
ption}

Current
hardware
description

${APM_HardwareTypeAlertData.TypeName}

Type of
hardware
(Fan,
Battery,
and so
on.)

${APM_HardwareTypeAlertData.NodeName}

Name of
the node

${APM_HardwareTypeAlertData.SensorsWithStatus}

Comma
separated
list of all
child
hardware
componen
ts and their
statuses

${APM_
HardwareTypeAlertData.SensorsWithProblems}

Comma
separated
list of all
child

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Chapter 31: SolarWinds Variables and Examples

hardware
componen
ts (in
status
other than
"Up") and
their
statuses
Node Hardware Sensor
The following are valid node hardware sensor variables:
Hardware Variable

Description

${HardwareTypeStatus}

Status of the parent object

${HardwareTypeStatusDescription} Description of the status of the

parent object
${CategoryName}

Name of the parent hardware

type (Fan, Battery, and so on.)

${NodeName}

Name of the node

${SensorUniqueName}

Unique name of the sensor

${SensorDisplayName}

Display name of the sensor

${SensorValue}

Value returned from the last

poll

${SensorUnit}

Sensor unit (Degree F, Watts,

and so on.)

${SensorOrionStatus}

Sensor status

${SensorOrionStatusDescription}

Sensor status description

${SensorOriginalStatus}

Original status returned by the

remote node

1231

I/O Operations Macros

Message or error message

from the last poll

${SensorMessage}

I/O Operations Macros

These Macros are related to processes and services only. Do not confuse these
with similar macros used for volumes:
Macro

Description

${IOReadOperationsPerSec}

Number of I/O read operations per

second

${IOWriteOperationsPerSec}

Number of I/O write operations per

second

${IOTotalOperationsPerSec}

Total I/O operations per second

${Threshold-IOReadOperationsPerSec-Warning}

Warning threshold for the number of I/O

read operations per second

${Threshold-IOReadOperationsPerSec-Critical}

Critical threshold for the number of I/O

read operations per second

${Threshold-IOWriteOperationsPerSec-Warning}

Warning threshold for the number of I/O

write operations per second

${Threshold-IOWriteOperationsPerSec-Critical}

Critical threshold for the number of I/O

write operations per second

${Threshold-IOTotalOperationsPerSec-Warning}

Warning threshold for the total number

of I/O operations per second

${Threshold-IOTotalOperationsPerSec-Critical}

Critical threshold for the total number of

I/O operations per second

Asset Inventory Alert Macros

The following are based on the Node Warranty object:
Macro

Description

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Chapter 31: SolarWinds Variables and Examples

${Contact}

Contact is a default custom property for

the node

${CriticalThresholdDays}

Number of days set for Critical threshold

for the Warranty Summary resource

${DeviceTimeZone}

Current time zone of the node

${DNSName}

DNS name of the node

${Domain}

Domain of the node

${HardwareSerialNumber}

Serial number of the current node

${HostName}

Host name of the current node

${Manufacturer}

Manufacturer of the current node

${Model}

Model of the current node

${NodeID}

ID number of the current node

${NodeName}

Name of the current node

${NodeWarrantyDetailsURL} URL of warranty details for the current

node
${OperatingSystem}

Operating system of the current node

${OSArchitecture}

Architecture (32-bit or 64-bit) of the

current node

${OSVersion}

Operating system of the current node

${ServicePack}

Service pack version of the current node

${SystemName}

System name of the current node

${WarningThresholdDays}

Number of days set for the Warning

threshold for the Warranty Summary
resource

1233

Example Messages Using Variables

${WarrantyExpirationDate} Date of the warranty expiration

${WarrantyExpirationDays} Number of days until the Warranty
expires
Status for the warranty of the current
node

${WarrantyStatus}

Example Messages Using Variables

The following examples illustrate some of the uses of variables:
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Previous reboot was at ${LastBoot-Previous}.Alert

Current packet loss for ${NodeName} is ${%Loss}.
Average Response time is ${AvgResponseTime} and is varying from
${MinResponseTime} to ${MaxResponseTime}.
Alert: The SNMP Community string used to query ${NodeName} has been
changed from ${Community-Previous} to ${Community}.
SolarWinds SAM uses the new Community String to query ${NodeName}.
${NodeName} has an exceptionally high response time. Average
Response Time is ${AvgResponseTime} and is varying from ${MinResponseTime} to ${MaxResponseTime}.

Syslog Alert Variables

The following variables can be used in Syslog alert messages within Server &
Application Monitor applications. You must begin each variable with a dollar sign
and enclose each variable identifier in curly braces as, for example,
${ObjectName}.

Syslog Date/Time Variables

Syslog Date/Time
Variable

Description

${AbreviatedDOW}

Current day of the week. Three character abbreviation.

${AMPM}

AM or PM corresponding to current time (before or after

noon)

${D}

Current day of the month

${DD}

Current day of the month (two digit number, zero

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Chapter 31: SolarWinds Variables and Examples

padded)
${Date}

Current date. (Short Date format)

${DateTime}

Current date and time. (Windows control panel defined

Short Date and Short Time format)

${DayOfWeek}

Current day of the week.

${DayOfYear}

Numeric day of the year

${H}

Current hour

${HH}

Current hour. Two digit format, zero padded.

${Hour}

Current hour. 24-hour format

${LocalDOW}

Current day of the week. Localized language format.

${LongDate}

Current date. (Long Date format)

${LocalMonthName} Current month name in the local language.

${LongTime}

Current Time. (Long Time format)

${M}

Current numeric month

${MM}

Current month. Two digit number, zero padded.

${MMM}

Current month. Three character abbreviation.

${MediumDate}

Current date. (Medium Date format)

${Minute}

Current minute. Two digit format, zero padded.

${Month}

Full name of the current month

${N}

Current month and day

${S}

Current second.

${Second}

Current second. Two digit format, zero padded.

${Time}

Current Time. (Short Time format)

${Year2}

Two digit year

${Year}

Four digit year

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Other Syslog Variables

Syslog Variable

Description

${Application} SolarWinds application information

${Copyright}

${DNS}

Fully qualified node name

${IP_Address}

IP address of device triggering alert

${Message}

Status of device triggering alert

${MessageType} Assigned alert name

${Release}

Release information

${Severity}

A network health score providing 1 point for an interface

in a warning state, 1,000 points for a down interface, and
1 million points for a down node.

${Version}

Version of the SolarWinds software package.

Trap Alert Variables

Other Trap Variables

Trap Variable

Description

${Application}

SolarWinds application information

${Community}

Node community string

${Copyright}

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Chapter 31: SolarWinds Variables and Examples

Trap Variable

Description

${DNS}

Fully qualified node name

${Hostname}

Host name of the device triggering the trap

${IP_Address}

IP address of device triggering alert

${Message}

Message sent with triggered trap and displayed in Trap

Details field of Trap Viewer

${MessageType} Name or type of trap triggered

${Raw}

Raw numerical values for properties sent in the

corresponding incoming trap.

${RawValue}

Raw numerical values for properties sent in the

corresponding incoming trap. The same as ${Raw}.

${vbData1}

Trap variable binding value

${vbName1}

Trap variable binding name

Trap Date/Time Variables

Trap Date/Time Variable

Description

${AbbreviatedDOW}

Current day of the week. Three character

abbreviation.

${AbbreviatedMonth} Current month of the year. Three character

abbreviation.
${AMPM}

AM or PM corresponding to current time (before or

after noon)

${D}

Current day of the month

${DD}

Current day of the month (two digit number, zero

padded)

${Date}

Current date. (MM/DD/YYYY format)

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Trap Date/Time Variables

${DateTime}

Current date and time. (MM/DD/YYYY HH:MM

format)

${Day}

Current day of the month

${DayOfWeek}

Current day of the week

${DayOfYear}

Numeric day of the year

${H}

Current hour

${HH}

Current hour. Two digit format, zero padded.

${Hour}

Current hour. 24-hour format

${LocalDOW}

Current day of the week. Localized language

format.

${LongDate}

Current date. (DAY NAME, MONTH DAY, YEAR

format)

${LongTime}

Current Time. (HH:MM:SS AM/PM format)

${M}

Current numeric month

${MM}

Current month. Two digit number, zero padded.

${MMM}

Current month. Three character abbreviation.

${MMMM}

Full name of the current month

${MediumDate}

Current date. (DD-MMM-YY format)

${MediumTime}

Current time. (HH:MM AM/PM format)

${Minute}

Current minute. Two digit format, zero padded.

${MonthName}

Full name of the current month

${S}

Current second.

${Second}

Current second. Two digit format, zero padded.

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Chapter 31: SolarWinds Variables and Examples

${Time}

Current Time. (HH:MM format)

${Year}

Four digit year

${Year2}

Two digit year

Script Macros
the following can be used with Windows, Linux/Unix, Nagios, and PowerShell
Script Monitors:
Macro

Description

${IP}

Current IP address

${USER}

Current User

${PASSWORD}

Current Password. (Supported only in

Windows, Linux, and Nagios scripts)

${CREDENTIAL}

Use in place of ${USER} and ${PASSWORD} when

working with PowerShell Script Monitors

${PORT}

Current Port. (Supported only in Linux and

Nagios scripts.)

${Node.SysName}

System name of the node

${Node.Caption}

User defined node name

${Node.DNS}

DNS of the node

${Node.ID}

ID of the node

${Component.ID}

ID of the component

${Component.Name}

Name of the component

${Application.Id}

ID of the Application

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Node Custom Property Macros

Note: When passing ${Application.Id} into script

arguments, the test will fail because the macro
will not be replaced. Edit the script with constant
string values and replace them with macros
when the script is ready.
${Application.Name}

Name of the Application

${Application.TemplateId}

Template ID of the Application

${Threshold.Warning.XXX} Threshold values for the Warning state

${Threshold.Critical.XXX}

Threshold values for the Critical state

Node Custom Property Macros

Macro

Description

${Node.Custom.XXX} Custom Property Name for Node

Application Custom Property Macros

Macro

Description

${Application.Custom.XXX} Custom Property Name for Application

Baseline Threshold Macros

The baseline threshold macros can only be used when editing an application or a
template. These macros cannot be used in alerts.
Macro

Description

${USE_
Currently used baseline. Cannot be used with math functions.
BASELINE} Can only be used in the threshold fields of individual SAM
component monitors.
${MEAN}

Current Mean or Average. Can be used with math functions.

${STD_
DEV)

Standard Deviation. Can be used with math functions.

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Chapter 31: Interface Variables and Errors

Notes:
${USE_BASELINE} cannot be used with math functions. To have this information
available for use as Warning and Critical thresholds, replace ${USE_BASELINE}
with the following formulas:
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Warning: ${MEAN} + 2 * ${STD_DEV} (or ${MEAN} - 2 * ${STD_DEV})

Critical: ${MEAN} + 3 * ${STD_DEV} (or ${MEAN} - 3 * ${STD_DEV})

Chapter 31: Interface Variables and

Errors
Interfaces
The following are valid interface-related variables.
Interface Variable

Description

${Caption}

Description of the interface.

${InterfaceID}

Unique ID of the interface. Network Performance

Monitor assigns a unique ID to every network
object.

${Interface.Caption} User-assigned name for this interface

${Index}

Index of the interface within the network node.

${InterfaceType}

Numerical type of the interface. This information

is collected by NPM when discovering the
network node.

${MAC}

Physical address (MAC Address) of the interface

${MTU}

Maximum Transmission Unit

${InterfaceSpeed}

Speed of the Interface discovered by Network

Performance Monitor when scanning the
network node

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Interface Traffic

Interface Variable

Description

${InterfaceName}

Name of the interface discovered from the node

${InterfaceIcon}

Icon depicting the type of interface (Ethernet,

Frame-Relay, ATM, Token Ring, wireless, etc).

${NodeID}

ID of the Node to which this interface belongs.

NPM assigns a unique ID to every network
object.

${InterfaceTypeName} Type of interface. Discovered from ifType.

${FullName}

Full name of the interface including the name of

the network node it is in

${Counter64}

Interface supports IF-MIB high-capacity counters

Interface Traffic
The following are valid interface traffic-related variables.
Interface Traffic
Variable

Description

${OutBandwidth}

User-defined transmit bandwidth of the Interface.

The Transmit and Receive bandwidth can each be
set independently in order to accurately monitor
asymmetric circuits.

${OutBps}

Current amount of traffic being transmitted by the

interface

${InBps}

Current amount of traffic being received by the

interface

${OutPps}

Current rate of transmitted packets per second by the

interface

${InPps}

Current rate of received packets per second by the

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Chapter 31: Interface Variables and Errors

Interface Traffic
Variable

Description
interface

${InPktSize}

Average packet size of the packets currently being

received by the interface

${OutUcastPps}

Current rate of transmitted unicast packets per

second

${OutMCastPps}

Current rate of transmitted multicast packets per

second

${InUcastPps}

Current rate of received unicast packets per second

${InMcastPps}

Current rate of received multicast packets per

second

${OutPktSize}

Average packet size of the packets currently being

transmitted by the interface

${InPercentUtil}

Current percentage of utilization on the receive side

of the interface

${OutPercentUtil} Current percentage of utilization on the transmit side

of the interface
${MaxInBpsToday}

Peak received bps today for the interface

${MaxOutBpsToday} Peak transmitted bps today for the interface

${MaxInBpsTime}

Time (today) of the peak bps received

${MaxOutBpsTime}

Time (today) of the peak bps transmitted

${InBandwidth}

User-defined receive bandwidth of the Interface. The

Transmit and Receive Bandwidth can each be set
independently in order to accurately monitor
asymmetric circuits.

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Interface Errors

Interface Errors
The following are valid interface error-related variables.
Interface Error Variable

Description

${InDiscardsToday}

Cumulative number of receive discards for

this interface today

${InErrorsToday}

Cumulative number of receive errors for this

interface today

${OutErrorsToday}

Cumulative number of transmit errors for this

interface today

${OutDiscardsToday}

Cumulative number of transmit discards for

this interface today

${InDiscardsThisHour}

Cumulative number of receive discards for

this in

${InErrorsThisHour}

Cumulative number of receive errors for this

interface this hour (this counter resets at the
top of the hour)

${OutErrorsThisHour}

Cumulative number of transmit errors for this

interface this hour (this counter resets at the
top of the hour)

${OutDiscardsThisHour} Cumulative number of transmit discards for

this interface this hour (this counter resets at
the top of the hour)

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Chapter 32:
Network Atlas
Network Atlas is a powerful tool for creating custom maps and network diagrams.
The maps created in Network Atlas enable users to view a graphical depiction of
their network in the SolarWinds Web Console. You can also use Network Atlas
maps to create your own network documentation, which can then be printed and
exported as needed.

What is in a Map?
Map objects can be SolarWinds SAM applications and components. The
numerous presentation options for your network maps include:
l

A large set of predefined background colors, textures, and images for use in
your maps, and the ability to use your own custom background graphics
The ability to project real time weather or natural disaster maps onto your
network maps using linked web graphics as a background
The ability to customize the shape, size, color, and style of map links to illustrate the status or the relative bandwidth of associated objects
The ability to show map objects in multiple styles to display application
status
Map nesting that selectively reveals increasing levels of map detail with the
status of child objects on nested maps bubbled up to the parent map

Linked Backgrounds
The linked backgrounds feature allows you to create maps with
backgrounds sourced directly from the Internet. Using a linked background,
you can create maps that include dynamic weather information relevant to
your distributed network sites. For more information, see Selecting a
Background Image.
AutoArrange
AutoArrange options allow you to quickly structure or reorganize objects on
your map. For more information, see Selecting Automatic Layout Styles."

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Chapter 32: Network Atlas

Example Maps
The following figures are examples of the types of maps you can create using
Network Atlas:

1246

Installing Network Atlas

Network Atlas is pre-installed on SolarWinds EOC v1.1 and higher. Users can
also run Network Atlas as a standalone application on any remote computer
meeting the stated minimum requirements.

Network Atlas Requirements

The following table provides the minimum requirements for a Network Atlas
installation:
Note: To take full advantage of Network Atlas features, users of Network Atlas
must either have node management rights in SolarWinds SAM or be assigned the
administrator role in SolarWinds EOC.
Server
Requirements
Component
Operating
System

Microsoft Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows

Server 2003, or Windows Server 2008 R2.

Memory

1 GB

Hard Drive
Space

150 MB

Ports

Remote instances of Network Atlas require TCP on port 17777 to

either the SolarWinds NPM or the SolarWinds EOC server.

Network Atlas Requirements

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Chapter 32: Network Atlas

Operating
System

Microsoft Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows

Server 2003, or Windows Server 2008 R2.

Memory

1 GB

Hard Drive
Space

150 MB

Ports

Remote instances of Network Atlas require TCP on port 17777 to

either the SolarWinds NPM or the SolarWinds EOC server.

Creating a Basic Map

Creating a map can be as easy as selecting a background image, dragging
network resources onto the drawing area, and connecting the objects with lines.
This section provides procedures to accomplish the following tasks:
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Starting Network Atlas

The following procedure launches Network Atlas:
Note: To take full advantage of Network Atlas' features, users of Network Atlas
must either have node management rights in Network Atlas or be assigned the
administrator role in SolarWinds EOC.
To start Network Atlas:
1. Log on to the computer hosting your Network Atlas installation.
2. Click Start> SolarWinds> Network Atlas.
3. Connect to your SolarWinds server, as directed in the following procedure:
a. Provide your SolarWinds Login and Password.
Note: Your SolarWinds Login and Password correspond to your

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Adding Map Objects

b.
c.
d.
e.

SolarWinds Web Console User Name and Password.

Provide your SolarWinds server IP address or hostname in the
Address field.
If you are connecting to an Network Atlas server, select Orion as
the Connect to target.
If you are connecting to a SolarWinds EOC server, select EOC as
the Connect to target.
Click Connect.

Adding Map Objects

Any objects monitored by SolarWinds SAM may be added to a Network Atlas
map.
The following procedure adds monitored network objects to your Network Atlas
map:
To add monitored objects to your map:
1. If you are creating a new map, click the Network Atlas button ( ), and
then click New Map.
2. If you are adding objects to an existing map, complete the following
steps:
a. Click the Network Atlas button ( ).
b. Click Open Map.
c. Navigate to your existing map, and then click Open.
3. Expand and navigate the node tree in the left pane to locate the network
nodes and monitored objects you want to add to your map.
Note: All monitored applications, application components, and volumes
associated with monitored nodes, in addition to other maps listed in the left
pane, are available as map objects. Click [+] to expand any listed node
and object types and view associated volumes and/or applications.
4. Drag selected objects onto the drawing area.
Notes:
l If you want to add all the objects of a selected type on a selected
node to your map in a single operation, click [+] next to the node
name to reveal all its associated monitored network objects, and then
drag all objects in the desired object group onto the drawing area.
l A checkmark (
) next to a node indicates you have already added it
to your map.

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Chapter 32: Network Atlas

To view details about a map object, hover over it with the mouse
pointer.

To locate a specific map object in your map, click its network resource in the left
pane. This selects the map object.

Connecting Map Objects Manually

You can represent network links in your map by drawing lines between map
objects. If a connected object is down, any connected links change color to red.
To manually connect map objects:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Click Home.
Click Straight ( ) or Curved Line ( ) in the Lines group, as appropriate.
Click an object with the line drawing tool to begin drawing the link
Click and drag as needed to set optional anchor points along the link path.
Click a second object to finish drawing the link.
If you want the links connecting your mapped objects to communicate the status of connected interfaces, complete the following
steps:
a. Right-click a link, and then select Properties.
b. Select Status in the left pane of the Link Properties page.
c. Drag the appropriate interface objects from the left pane of the
SolarWinds Network window to the link status assignment areas.

Using Object Links to Represent Interface Status

The following procedure configures an object link to represent the status of its
connected interfaces:
To use object links to represent actual interface states:
1. Right-click a link, and then select Properties.
2. Select Status in the left pane of the Link Properties page.
3. Drag the appropriate interface objects from the left pane of the SolarWinds
Network window to the link status assignment areas.

Interpreting Map Links

Links created on maps are not merely connectors between network objects. Map
links display the states of the applications through which your linked objects are

1250

Using Anchor Points to Reshape Map Links

connected. Node states are determined from SolarWinds SAM polling data.

Using Anchor Points to Reshape Map Links

You can use anchor points to change the shape of object links on your map, as
shown in the following procedure:
Note: Use multiple anchor points to create more complex shapes and curves.
To use object link anchor points:
1. Click Select in the Tools group or click the middle mouse button.
2. Click and drag the link you want to reshape.

Adding a Background
You can select colors, textures, and locally-hosted or Internet-hosted images to
serve as your map backgrounds:
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Selecting a Background Color

Selecting a Background Texture
Selecting a Background Image
Clearing the Background

Selecting a Background Color

Network Atlas supports 24-bit color backgrounds.
To set a map background color:
1. Click Home.
2. Click Background > Background Color ( ).
3. Select a color from the palette, or click More Colors to select a custom
color.
Selecting a Background Texture
Network Atlas also provides numerous colored textures that can serve as map
backgrounds.
To set a map background textures:
1. Click Home.
2. Click Background > Background Texture ( ).

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Chapter 32: Network Atlas

3. Enter appropriate values for the Width and Height of your map in the Map
Size in Pixels area.
Note: The default values are the smallest area bounding the existing map
objects and labels.
4. Select a texture to apply as your map background, and then click OK.
Selecting a Background Image
Network Atlas allows you to use images as your map background. The source of
the background image can be a graphics file on your hard drive or a URL link to a
graphics file on the Internet in any of the following graphics formats:
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Graphics Interchange Format (.gif, non-animated)

Tagged Image File Format (.tiff)
Joint Photographic Experts Group (.jpg)
Microsoft Windows Bitmap (.bmp)
Portable Network Graphics (.png)

Linked backgrounds are updated when the map is accessed or when the browser
page is refreshed. In a typical use case, a linked background is used to provide
weather data from an Internet weather service on a network map.
Notes:
l Files used for linked backgrounds must be continuously accessible by
URL reference.
l Files used for static backgrounds must be available within the local file system.
l Background images you supply display at their full size in the SolarWinds
Web Console, so consider their dimensions. You may rescale images
within the application, but images displayed at full scale provide optimal
quality.
l In determining map size and resolution, consider web page layouts and
potential display screen resolutions.
l Example background images are in the NetworkAtlas Backgrounds
folder located in your default shared documents folder. Clicking Background Image always starts you in this background images folder.
To select a background image:
1. Click Home.
2. If you want to use a background image from disk, click Background >
Background Image ( ), and then navigate to the image you want to use.

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Saving Maps
3. If you want to use a background image from the Internet, complete the
following steps:
Note: In the web console, map background images linked from the Internet are
refreshed with the SolarWinds Web Console refresh.
If the SolarWinds SAM server is behind a web proxy, the proxy settings entered
into Microsoft Internet Explorer are used to create the Internet connection. If the
web proxy requires authentication, you cannot link directly to the background
image. A workaround is to write a script that periodically downloads the Internet
image and saves it to a folder on the web server. You can then specify the saved
image as the linked background image.
a.
b.
c.
d.

Click Background > Linked Background (

Type the URL of the image you want to use.
Click Validate.
Click OK.

Clearing the Background

To clear the current map background, click Home, and then click Background >
Clear Background ( ).

Saving Maps
Network Atlas saves your maps directly to the server to which you are connected.
Note: To save a map to your hard drive instead of your SolarWinds server, click
> Export> Export Map.
To save a map:
1. Click the Network Atlas button ( ), and then click Save.
2. If you are saving the map for the first time, name the map, and then click
OK.
3. If you want to save your map to your hard drive, complete the following
steps:
a. Click > Export> Export Map.
b. Navigate to an appropriate location on your hard drive.
c. Provide a File name, and then click Save.

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Chapter 32: Network Atlas

Opening Maps
Maps are loaded from the SolarWinds server to which you are connected. They
appear in the left pane of the Network Atlas window.
To open a map:
1. Click [+] to expand the Maps group in the left pane of the Network Atlas
window.
2. Double-click the map you want to open.

Displaying Maps in the Web Console

You can display saved maps in the SolarWinds web console Network Map
resource. The procedure for selecting Network Maps is different between
SolarWinds EOC and Network Atlas, and maps created for one are not
compatible with the other. Select either of the following procedures, as
appropriate:
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Map Resources in the Network Atlas Web Console

Displaying Maps in the SolarWinds Web Console
Displaying Maps in the SolarWinds EOC Web Console

Map Resources in the Network Atlas Web Console

The following map-related resources are available in the SolarWinds SAM Web
Console:
Network Map
The Network Map resource displays a selected map within the SolarWinds
Web Console. Objects on the map a user is not permitted to see are hidden
from the user, as are any connections to those objects. For more information
about including Network Atlas maps in the SolarWinds Web Console, see
Displaying Maps in the Web Console.
All Maps
This resource provides a list of all available network maps. Clicking any
map name opens a view containing the selected map with a list of the
objects included in the map. Clicking an object name or its description
opens the corresponding SolarWinds SAM device details page, providing
extensive diagnostic information about the selected map object.
Custom List of All Maps

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Displaying Maps in the SolarWinds Web Console

This resource is a customizable version of the All Maps resource.
List of Objects on Network Map
This resource lists all objects displayed on the map shown in the Network
Map resource. Clicking an object name or its description opens the
corresponding SolarWinds SAM Device Details page, providing extensive
diagnostic information about the selected map object.

Displaying Maps in the SolarWinds Web Console

The following procedure opens a saved map in the SolarWinds Web Console:
To display a saved map in the Home view of the SolarWinds Web Console:
1. Log on to the SolarWinds Web Console using an account with administrative privileges..
2. Click Edit in the Network Map resource.
3. Select your map from the Select Network Map list.
4. Click Submit.

Displaying Maps in the SolarWinds EOC Web Console

The following procedure opens a saved map in the SolarWinds EOC Web
Console:
To display a saved map in the Home view of the SolarWinds EOC web console:
1. Log on to the SolarWinds EOC web console with an Administrator
account.
2. Click Settings.
3. Click Manage Views.
4. Select Home, and then click Edit View.
5. Click Resource.
6. Click Network Map in the Added list.
7. Select your map from the Select Network Map list, and then click Save.
8. Click OK, Save Changes.
9. If prompted to confirm your changes, click OK.
10. Click the Home view to see your map.

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Chapter 32: Network Atlas

Advanced Mapping Techniques

You can apply a number of advanced mapping techniques to enhance the
usefulness of your maps. This section discusses the following topics:
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Zooming In and Out of a Map

Creating Nested Maps
Displaying Map Object Metrics
Adding Independent Map Objects and Floating Labels
Changing the Appearance of Map Objects
Changing the Appearance of Links
Changing the Appearance of Labels
Linking Map Objects to URLs
Linking or Embedding Maps in Web Pages

Zooming In and Out of a Map

Network Atlas allows you to zoom into a map to enlarge details or to zoom out to
reduce its size. Zoom level is a visual aid, and it is not saved with the map. Use
any of the following methods to zoom in or out on a displayed map:
l
l

Press and hold CTRL while rotating the mouse wheel button.
Click the Zoom slider on the status bar, and then slide the zoom control to the
zoom level you want

Click View, and then select the type of zoom you want to use from the Zoom
group.

Creating Nested Maps

Nested maps allow you to navigate through a map to see multiple levels of detail.
For example, a map of the United States can include an icon for a child map of
Oklahoma. You can then click the Oklahoma object to open the child map.

1256

Creating Nested Maps

The map of Oklahoma can then become a parent map to a network diagram.

Each child map can include a view of the objects, either devices or other maps,
deployed on it. Any nested objects can then be clicked to view the next level of
map detail, until the level of the final network device is reached and all available
network information is displayed.
Note: The total number of objects on a map, including those displayed on child
maps, affects how fast the map loads in the SolarWinds Web Console. If your
maps load slowly, decrease the number of map objects.

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Chapter 32: Network Atlas

To create a nested map:
1. Drag a map from the Maps group in the left pane onto the parent map, and
then position the map icon appropriately.
2. If you want the status of a child map to also indicate the status of its
child objects, complete the following steps:
a. Right-click the child map icon on the map, and then select Properties.
b. Check Include child status on the Status properties page, and then
click OK. The object status icon now includes the secondary status
indicator.

Displaying Map Object Metrics

The status of a map object icon reflects its current state, such as up or down. You
can add a secondary status indicator to a map object to reflect metrics such as
response time, CPU load, or the state of any child objects. This secondary status
indicator appears at the bottom right corner of the status icon.
To add the secondary status indicator:
1. Right-click the map object, and then select Properties.
2. Check Include child status on the Status properties page, and then click
OK.
To change the thresholds of the metrics:
1. Right-click the map object, and then select Properties.
2. Click Metrics to view the Metrics properties page.
3. If you want to change the warning or critical threshold for a metric,
click the threshold value, and then type a new value.
4. If you want to ignore a metric, uncheck the metric.
5. Click OK.
Notes:
l The secondary status indicator respects the SolarWinds web console
Status Rollup Mode setting for displaying status.
l All child objects and selected metric thresholds are taken into account
to determine secondary status.

1258

Adding Independent Map Objects and Floating Labels

Adding Independent Map Objects and Floating

Labels
You can add independent map objects and labels that do not have associations
to network nodes or resources.
To add an independent object:
1. Click Home.
2. Click Add Object in the Objects group to add a gray map object to the
map.
Independent labels may also be placed anywhere on your map.
To add an independent label:
1. Click Home.
2. Click Add Label in the Labels group. A label is added to the map.

Changing the Appearance of Map Objects

Changing the graphics that represent map objects is an excellent way of
increasing the information density of your map without increasing the map
complexity.
You can set the default representation style for all map object of a certain type, or
you can change the appearance of selected map objects.
To set the default representations of map objects:
1. Click the Network Atlas button , and then click Network Atlas Settings.
2. Click Graphic Styles in the left column.
3. Select an appropriate default style for each available map object.
Changing the representation of selected map objects opens up another level of
graphical information. For example, you can set an object icon to display a
mainframe graphic, visually designating the type of device being monitored. You
can then select a status style, such as 3D Pad Underneath, to illustrate the map
object status.
To change the representation of selected map objects:
1. Right-click a map object, and then select Properties.
2. Click Appearance in the left column of the Properties page.

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3. If you want the map object to appear as a fixed-size, LED-type
graphic, complete these steps:
a. Select SolarWinds LED Status Icon.
b. Select a style from the SolarWinds LED Status Icon Style list, and then
click OK.
4. If you want the map object to appear as a scalable shape, complete
these steps:
a. Select Shape
b. Select a style from the Shape Style list, and then click OK.
c. Drag a corner handle on the map object to resize the shape.
5. If you want the map object to appear as a scalable graphic, complete
these steps.
a. Select Graphic.
b. Click Select Graphic, select an appropriate graphic, and then click OK.
c. Select a status style from the Graphic Style list, and then click OK.
d. Drag a corner handle on the map object to resize the graphic.

Pasting Custom Icons from the Windows Clipboard

You can paste graphics from the Windows clipboard directly into your Network
Atlas maps and then display an overlay behind them to depict the status.
Icons that you paste into Network Atlas are saved to the Orion database, and
made available for reuse in other maps under the "Imported" icon grouping.
Pasted icons saved to the Orion database can be accessed and used by remote
instances of Network Atlas.
To paste a custom icon into Network Atlas:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Open the icon image in a graphics program such as Visio or Photoshop.

Copy the image to the Windows clipboard with the Copy command.
Open the desired map in Network Atlas.
Paste the image as a new object following these steps:
a. Right-click on the map and then click Paste.
b. Select Paste the image from the Clipboard as a new object.
c. Enter a name for the this new image in the Please enter a name for
the new image field.
d. Click OK.

Icons added in this manner are also saved on the SolarWinds SAM server in the
path %APPDATA%\SolarWinds\NetworkAtlas\Maps\Orion\<orion server

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Adding Custom Icons from Graphics Files

address>\NetObjects\Imported. %APPDATA% is typically C:\Documents and
Settings\<logged on user>\Application Data for Windows XP, and
C:\Users\<logged on user>\AppData\Roaming for Windows Server 2008.
To delete a custom icon:
1. Determine which file on the SolarWinds SAM server contains the icon (for
example, mypicture.wmf).
2. Add .del to the file name (for example, mypicture.wmf.del)
3. Start Network Atlas on the SolarWinds SAM server to delete the icons from
the database.

Adding Custom Icons from Graphics Files

You can use any Windows Media File (.wmf) or Graphics Interchange Format
(.gif) format graphic as a custom icon, but you must name the graphic files
according to their roles. The file name must not contain any other dash (-)
characters other than depicted in this table.
Role

File name

Down status

iconName-down.gif

External status

iconName-external.gif

Icon with no status

iconName.gif

Unknown status

iconName-unknown.gif

Unmanaged status

iconName-unmanaged.gif

Unplugged status

iconName-unplugged.gif

Unreachable status iconName-unreachable.gif

Up status

You can change the relative alignment of your map objects using the alignment
tools.
1. Click Edit.
2. Select the map objects you want to align.
3. Click the appropriate button in the Align group to arrange your selected
objects
Button Function

Description

Align Left

Aligns all selected objects on the left edge of

the group

Align Right

Aligns all selected objects on the right edge

of the group

Align Bottom

Aligns all selected objects on the bottom

edge of the group

Align Top

Aligns all selected objects on the top edge of

the group

Center
Vertically

Centers all selected objects vertically

Center
Horizontally

Centers all selected objects horizontally

Distributing Map Objects

You can distribute your map objects evenly across the selection area using the
distribution tools.

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Selecting Automatic Layout Styles

1. Click Edit.
2. Select the map objects you want to distribute.
3. Click the appropriate button in the Distribute group to arrange your selected objects
Button Function

Description

Distribute
Distributes all objects so that they are
Horizontally equidistant from the left edge of the leftmost
object to the right edge of the rightmost object
Distribute
Vertically

Distributes all objects so that they are

equidistant from the top edge of the topmost
object to the bottom edge of the bottommost
object

Selecting Automatic Layout Styles

You can select from the following five styles to automatically change the relative
positioning of objects your map:
Circular
Emphasizes the clusters inherent in the topology of a map. It emphasizes
prominent links between main objects and its peripherals. Object groups
have radial placements. Use circular layouts for maps containing ring and
star network topologies.
Symmetrical
Emphasizes the symmetrical patterns inherent in the map topology. It
emphasizes an even distribution of objects, and minimizes edge crossings.
Object groups have star spiral placements. Use symmetrical layouts for
maps that have fairly homogenous or uniform clusters.
Hierarchical
Emphasizes mapped dependency relationships by placing objects at
different levels. Use hierarchical layouts to depict data dependencies.
Orthogonal

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Emphasizes compact drawings and uses only horizontal and vertical edges.
Objects are enlarged if necessary to provide enough space for edge
connections. Use orthogonal layouts for maps that need to depict multiple
clusters in a space-efficient manner.
Tree
Emphasizes parent and child relationships. Child objects are arranged
farther from the root object than their parent objects. Use tree layouts for
maps that have a central control object.
Reorganize
Moves all mapped objects back to the center of the map view.
Arrange Labels
Restores the default relative position of all object labels.
To arrange map objects according to a layout style:
1. Click Edit.
2. Click an appropriate layout style from the AutoArrange group.

Map Properties
The Map Properties window allows you to configure options regarding the
following aspects of your map:
l
l

Setting the Map Up Status Threshold

Overriding Account Limitations

Setting the Map Up Status Threshold

The UP status threshold is the percentage of map objects that must be in an up
state on a given map for the map to be represented as up on the parent map.
To set the percentage of map objects that determine Up status of a map:
1. Right-click any empty portion of the map, and then select Map Properties.
2. Slide the Map status will be UP slider to configure an appropriate up state
threshold on the Map Properties page.
Overriding Account Limitations
For security reasons, you may wish to prevent web console users who have
account limitations from seeing network nodes on the map they are not allowed to

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Network Atlas Settings

see. By hiding the restricted nodes and links, users with account limitations
remain unaware that the nodes even exist.
To hide nodes from users who have account limitations:
1. Right-click any empty portion of the map, and then select Map Properties.
2. Select Remove nodes that users do not have permission to view.
If you choose to reveal restricted nodes to all users, all web console users can
see the restricted nodes, but users with account limitations cannot retrieve any
additional information about the restricted node.
To reveal nodes to all users:
1. Right-click any empty portion of the map, and then select Map Properties.
2. Select Allow all users to view all nodes on this map.
Note: A SolarWinds SAM user with account limitations, but who has permission to run and use the Network Atlas application, can change this setting in the map and see the presence of restricted nodes. Although the user
cannot retrieve any information regarding the restricted nodes, this can still
be considered a security risk. If this is a concern, do not give node management permissions to SolarWinds SAM users who have account limitations.

Network Atlas Settings

You can customize the default icon styles, map defaults, and node tree
specifications from the Network Atlas Settings window.
To open the Network Atlas Settings window, click the Network Atlas button ( ),
and then click Network Atlas Settings.
The following sections describe the options available in the Network Atlas
Settings window:
Connection Settings
The options in this section allow you to select the default SolarWinds server
details.
Map Defaults
The options in this section allow you to set a device threshold for the overall
map status. The status indicator reflects the state of many objects at once;
therefore, SolarWinds recommends that the map status be set at 100%. At

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this setting, when any device on a map or sub-map is down, the problem
status will be indicated.
Node Tree
The options in this section allow you to customize the view of the node tree
located on the left pane of the Network Atlas main window. Some users find
it helpful to display the status icons of each node and interface, while others
find the vendor network node and interface icons more useful. You may also
specify that node names and/or IP addresses be included in the display.
Graphic Styles
The options in this section allow you to select the default graphical styles
for Network Atlas. You can change the default style types for network
objects, and you can select a color scheme for Network Atlas itself.

Network Atlas Tooltip Variables

Many of the variables that are available for use in SolarWinds SAM alerts are also
available for use in Network Atlas tooltips. These variables are dynamic, and they
parse when the tooltip is opened. For example, the variable ${CPULoad} will
parse with the current processor utilization of the node you are viewing. The
following sections provide tables of variables corresponding to the types of
objects you can map with Network Atlas.
Notes:
l For more information about viewing and customizing Network Atlas tooltips,
see Customizing SolarWinds Web Console Tooltips.
l In some cases, the table name may be required for alert variables, as in
${Nodes.Description}. The following tables provide the table name in listed
variables when it is required.
In earlier versions of Network Atlas, variables were referred to as macros.

Application Variables
The following application variables are valid for use in Network Atlas tooltips:

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Application Component Monitor Variables

Variable

Description

${ApplicationID}

Internal unique identifier of the application

${ApplicationTemplateID Internal unique identifier of the parent

}
template
${Name}

Application name

${NodeID}

Internal unique identifier of assigned node

${Status}

Numerical application status code. For more

information see Status Icons and
Identifiers in the SolarWinds Network
Performance Monitor Administrator Guide.

${StatusDescription}

User friendly application status

${UnManaged}

States if application is currently unmanaged

Application Component Monitor Variables

The following application component monitor variables are valid for use in
Network Atlas tooltips:
Variable

Description

${ApplicationId}

Internal unique identifier of the associated

application

${ComponentId}

Internal unique identifier of the component

${ComponentType}

Numerical component monitor type code. For

more information, see Alerting and Reporting".

${Name}

Component monitor name

${Status}

Numerical application status code. For more

information see Status Icons and Identifiers in
the SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor
Administrator Guide.

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${StatusDescription} User friendly application status

${TemplateID}

Internal unique identifier of the parent template

Date and Time Variables

The following date and time variables are valid for Network Atlas tooltips:
Variable

Description

${AbreviatedDOW}

Abbreviated current day of the week.

${AMPM}

AM/PM indicator

${D}

Current day of the month

${Date}

Current date. (Short Date format)

${DateTime}

Current date and time. (Windows control panel

defined Short Date and Short Time format)

${DayOfWeek}

Current day of the week.

${ DayOfYear}

Numeric day of the year

${DD}

Current day of the month (two digit number, zero

padded)

${H}

Current hour

${HH}

Current hour. Two digit format, zero padded.

${Last24Hours}

Time period: the last 24 hours

${Last2Hours}

Time period: the last 2 hours

${Last7Days}

Time period: the last 7 days

${LastHour}

Time period: the last hour

${LocalDOW}

Current day of the week. Localized language format.

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General Variables

${LocalMonthName} Current month name in the local language.

${LongDate}

Current date. (Long Date format)

${M}

Current numeric month

${MediumDate}

Current date. (Medium Date format)

${Minute}

Current minute. Two digit format, zero padded.

${MM}

Current month. Two digit number, zero padded.

${MMM}

Current month. Three character abbreviation.

${MMMM}

Full name of the current month

${S}

Current second.

${Second}

Current second. Two digit format, zero padded.

${Time}

Current Time. (Short Time format)

${Today}

Time period: today

${Year}

Four digit year

${Year2}

Two digit year

${Yesterday}

Time period: yesterday

General Variables
The following general variables are valid for use in Network Atlas tooltips:
Variable

Description

${Acknowledged}

Acknowledged status

${AcknowledgedBy}

Who the alert was acknowledged by

${AcknowledgedTime}

Time the alert was acknowledged

${AlertTriggerCount} Count of triggers

${AlertTriggerTime}

Date and time of the last event for this Alert.

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Chapter 32: Network Atlas

(Windows control panel defined Short Date and

Short Time)
${Application}

SolarWinds application information

${Copyright}

${CR}

Line Feed Carriage Return

${ObjectName}

Description/Name of the object in the alert

${Release}

Release information

${Version}

Version of the SolarWinds software package

Node Variables
The following node variables are valid for use in tooltips:
Variable

Description

${AgentPort}

Node SNMP port

number

${Allow64BitCounters}

Node allows 64-bit

counters (1), or not
(0)

${AvgResponseTime}

Average node
response time , in
msec, to ICMP
requests

${BlockUntil}

Day, date, and time

until which node
polling is blocked

${Caption}

User friendly node

name

${Community}

Node community
string

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Node Variables

${CPULoad}

Node CPU
utilization rate at
last poll

${CustomPollerLastStatisticsPoll}

Day, date, and time

of last poll attempt
on node

${CustomPollerLastStatisticsPollSuccess} Day, date, and time

that node was last
successfully polled
${DateTime}

Current date and

time. (Windows
control panel
defined Long Date
and Long Time
format)

${Description}

Node hardware and

software

${DNS}

Fully qualified node

name

${DynamicIP}

If node supports
dynamic IP address
assignment via
BOOTP or DHCP
(1); static IP
address return (0)

${EngineID}

Internal unique
identifier of the
polling engine to
which node is
assigned

${External}

States if node is
currently

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Chapter 32: Network Atlas

designated as
external
${GroupStatus}

Filename of status
icon for node and its
interfaces

${IOSImage}

Family name of
Cisco IOS on node

${IOSVersion}

Cisco IOS version

on node

${IP_Address}

Node IP address

${LastBoot}

Day, date and time

of last node boot

${LastSync}

Time and date of

last node database
and memory
synchronization

${MachineType}

Node manufacturer
or distributor and
family or version
information

${MaxResponseTime}

Maximum node
response time , in
msec, to ICMP
requests

${MemoryUsed}

Total node memory

used over polling
interval

${MinResponseTime}

Minimum node
response time , in
msec, to ICMP

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Node Variables

requests
${NextPoll}

Day, date and time

of next scheduled
node polling

${NextRediscovery}

Time of next node

rediscovery

${NodeID}

Internal unique
identifier of node

${NodeName}

Node hostname.
Defaults to node IP
address ${IP_
Address} if
hostname does not
resolve.

${ObjectSubType}

States if node
supports SNMP or
is ICMP-only

${PercentLoss}

ICMP packet loss

percentage when
node last polled

${PercentMemoryUsed}

Percentage of total
node memory used
over polling interval

${PollInterval}

Node polling
interval, in seconds

${RediscoveryInterval}

Node rediscovery
interval, in minutes

${ResponseTime}

Node response
time, in
milliseconds, to last

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Chapter 32: Network Atlas

ICMP request
${RWCommunity}

Node read/write
community string;
acts as security
code for read/write
SNMP access

${Severity}

A network health
score providing 1
point for an
interface in a
warning state, 1000
points for a down
interface, and 1
million points for a
down node.

${SNMPVersion}

States the version

of SNMP used by
the node

${StatCollection}

Statistics collection
frequency, in
minutes

${Status}

Numerical node
status. For more
information see
Status Icons and
Identifiers in the
SolarWinds
Network
Performance
Monitor
Administrator
Guide.

${StatusDescription}

User friendly node

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Node Variables

status
${StatusLED}

Filename of node
status icon

${SysName}

String reply to
SNMP SYS_NAME
OID request

${SysObjectID}

Vendor ID of the
network
management
subsystem in OID
form. Clearly
determines the type
of node.

${SystemUpTime}

Time, in hundredths
of a second, since
monitoring started

${TotalMemory}

Total node memory

available

${UnManaged}

States if node is
currently
unmanaged

${UnManageFrom}

Day, date, and time

when node is set to
Unmanaged

${UnManageUntil}

Day, date, and time

when node is
scheduled to be
managed

${Vendor}

Node manufacturer
or distributor

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Chapter 32: Network Atlas

Filename of node
vendor logo icon

${VendorIcon}

Volume Variables
The following volume variables are valid for use in Network Atlas tooltips.
Variable

Description

${Caption}

User friendly volume name

${FullName}

User friendly volume name

including captions of
parent node and interface

${LastSync}

Time and date volume last

synchronized in database
and memory models

${NodeID}

Internal unique identifier of

parent node

${Status}

Numerical volume status:

(0=Unknown, 1=Up,
2=Shutdown,
3=Testing)

${StatusLED}

Filename of volume status

icon

${VolumeAllocationFailuresThisHour} Number of volume

allocation errors for this
volume in last hour
${VolumeAllocationFailuresToday}

Number of volume
allocation errors for this
volume in current day

${VolumeDescription}

User friendly volume

description

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Wireless Variables

${VolumeID}

Internal unique identifier of

volume

${VolumeIndex}

Unique index of volume

within the parent node

${VolumePercentUsed}

Percentage of volume
currently in use

${VolumeResponding}

(Y) = volume is currently

responding to SNMP
queries

${VolumeSize}

Size of volume, in bytes

${VolumeSpaceAvailable}

Total space available on

volume, in bytes

${VolumeSpaceUsed}

Total space used on

volume, in bytes

${VolumeType}

Volume type, as reported

by hrStorageType OID
(Removable Disk/Fixed
Disk/Compact Disc/Virtual
Memory/RAM/etc)

${VolumeTypeIcon}

Filename of icon for

volume type

Wireless Variables
The following wireless variables are valid for use in Network Atlas tooltips:
Variable

Description

${WirelessAP}

States if node is being polled by the wireless

poller (1) or not (0)

Date and time node last polled by wireless

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Chapter 32: Network Atlas

WirelessLastStatPoll } poller
${
Interval, in minutes, between wireless polling
WirelessPollInterval } attempts on node
${
Date and time node may be polled again by
WirelessStatBlockUntil wireless poller
}

Group Variables
The following group variables are valid for use in Network Atlas tooltips:
Variable

Description

${ContainerID}

Designated identifier for a mapped group

${DetailsURL}

URL of the Group Details view for a mapped group

${Frequency}

Interval on which group membership is evaluated

and group snapshots are taken.

${IsDeleted}

When a group is marked for deletion, it is not

deleted immediately. If a group is marked for
deletion but not yet deleted, ${IsDeleted} returns 1.

${LastChanged}

The date and time of the last change made to the

definition of a group. This does not include
changes made to group members resulting from
dynamic queries.

${Name}

The name assigned to the mapped group

${Owner}

SolarWinds product appropriate to the mapped

group type

${RollupType}

Name of roll-up logic calculator that evaluates

status of the mapped group based on member
statuses. 0 = Mixed, 1 = Worst, 2 = Best. The
Worst method reports group status as the worst
status of any of its members. The Mixed method

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Group Variables

reports group status as Warning when members

are of multiple different statuses. The Best method
reports group status as the best status of any of its
members.
${Status}

Status of the mapped group. For more information,

see Managing the Display of Group Status in the
SolarWinds Common Components Administrator
Guide.

${StatusCollector} Name of roll-up logic calculator that evaluates

status of the mapped group based on member
statuses. 0 = Mixed, 1 = Worst, 2 = Best. The
Worst method reports group status as the worst
status of any of its members. The Mixed method
reports group status as Warning when members
are of multiple different statuses. The Best method
reports group status as the best status of any of its
members.
${Uri}

Uri used by SolarWinds Information Service

(SWIS) to refer to the selected group member
within the web console.

${WebUri}

URL of the Group Details view for a mapped group

For a complete list of SAM specific variables, "Configuring SolarWinds SAM

Alerts" on page 1.

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Chapter 33:
Configuring Automatic Login
The SolarWinds SAM Web Console allows you to log in using any of the
following methods:
l
l

Windows Active Directory Authentication, available in all Orion products.

Windows Pass-through Security. If you choose to employ Windows Passthrough Security, SolarWinds SAM users can be authenticated through Windows Security, with no need to log in using a separate SolarWinds SAM
Account or User Name and Password. For more information, see Using
Windows Pass-through Security on page1284.
DirectLink. If a DirectLink account is activated, any URL referring directly to
an Orion Web Console page will bypass the Orion Web Console login page
by logging the user into the DirectLink account. For more information, see
Using the DirectLink Account on page1287.
URL Pass-through. For more information, see Passing Login Information
Using URL Parameters on page1286.

SolarWinds SAM prioritizes user login in the following manner:

1. Windows Active Directory Authentication is enabled. To enable Windows
Active Directory Authentication, check the Windows Authentication option
when configuring the Orion Web Console in the Configuration Wizard.
2. The Account or User ID and Password passed on the URL.
3. The Account or User ID and Password entered on the login.aspx page.
4. The Windows User if IIS NT Security is enabled, logging the user in using
NT Security.
5. The Windows Domain to which the User belongs, for example, Development\Everyone.
6. The presence of a DirectLink Account.

Using Windows Pass-through Security

On all Orion products released before Orion NPM version 10.1, you may take
advantage of the Windows Pass-through Security functionality when IIS NT
Security is enabled. SolarWinds SAM users can be authenticated through

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Windows Security, with no need to log in using a separate SolarWinds SAM
account or User Id and Password. Pass-through Security can be configured to
employ either Domain or Local computer security. Both may also be used at the
same time. The Server & Application Monitor Account or User ID and Passwords
must then be set up to match the Account or User ID and Passwords that are used
for the Domain and/or Local computer security. Use the following procedure to
enable IIS NT Security for logging in to the SolarWinds Web Console with
Windows Pass-through Security.
Note: When authenticating users with Windows Security, ensure your
SolarWinds server uses the NetBIOS domain name, instead of the fully qualified
domain name.
To enable IIS NT security for Windows Pass-through Security:
1. If you are using NT Domain Authentication Format for pass-through
accounts, create these pass-through accounts in the SolarWinds Web Console Account Manager using Domain\UserID as the User Name, as follows:
Washington\Edward

StLouis\Bill
Note: For more information about creating accounts using the SolarWinds
Web Console Account Manager, see Creating Accounts on page252.
2. If you are using Local Computer Authentication Format for
passthrough accounts, create these accounts in the SolarWinds Web
Console Account Manager using Computer\UserID as the User Name, as
follows:
SolarWindsS2\Edward
Server3\JonesR
Note: For more information about creating accounts using the
SolarWinds Web Console Account Manager, see Creating
Accounts on page252.
3. Click Start> Control Panel> Administrative Tools> Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager.
4. If you are using Windows Server 2003, complete the following steps:
a. Expand Internet Information Services> Local Computer> Web Sites
in the left pane.
b. Select SolarWinds NetPerfMon.
c. Click Action> Properties.
d. Click the Directory Security tab.
e. Click Edit within the Authentication and access control area.

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Passing Login Information Using URL Parameters

f. Clear Enable anonymous access.
g. Check Integrated Windows authentication in the Authenticated
access group.
h. Click OK to close the Authentication Methods window.
i. Click Apply, if available, and then click OK to close the SolarWinds
NetPerfMon Properties window.
j. Collapse Internet Information Services> Local Computer> Web
Sites.
k. Collapse Internet Information Services> Local Computer in the left
pane.
l. Click Action> All Tasks> Restart IIS.
m. Confirm that Restart Internet Services on Local Computer is selected,
and then click OK.
n. Close the IIS Manager.
5. If you are using Windows Server 2008, complete the following steps:
a. Click Start> Administrative Tools> Server Manager.
b. Expand Roles.
c. Click Web Server (IIS).
d. In the Role Services area, confirm that Web Server> Security> Windows Authentication is installed.
e. If Windows Authentication is not installed, click Add Role Services,
check Web Server> Security> Windows Authentication, click Next,
and then complete the service installation.
f. Click Start> Administrative Tools> Internet Information Services
(IIS) Manager.
g. Select your SolarWinds server in the left pane.
h. Click Authentication in the IIS group of the main pane.
i. Right-click Anonymous Authentication, and then click Disable.
j. Right-click Windows Authentication, and then click Enable.
k. Click your SolarWinds server, and then click Restart in the Actions
pane.
6. Close the IIS Manager.
7. Log in to the SolarWinds Web Console using the Windows account credentials you have already established.

Passing Login Information Using URL Parameters

The user ID and password can be passed as parameters within the URL. This
allows you to create a favorite or bookmark within a browser, or on your desktop.
Create a favorite with a link in the following form to pass the login information:

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http://DOMAIN/Orion/Login.aspx?AccountID=USER&Password=PASSWORD
Provide the hostname or IP address of your SolarWinds server as the DOMAIN.
Provide your SolarWinds User ID as the USER, and then provide your
SolarWinds user account password as the PASSWORD.
Warning: HTTP requests are not encrypted, so User IDs and Passwords sent in
HTTP requests are not secure. For more information about enabling HTTPS on
your SolarWinds server, consult www.microsoft.com.

Using the DirectLink Account

Enabling a DirectLink account allows you to make direct hyperlinks to specific
web console views available to individuals who do not already have SolarWinds
Web Console user accounts. Any URL referring directly to a SolarWinds SAM
web page bypasses the login screen, logging the user into the DirectLink
account. The DirectLink account is created like any other account, and it can
include custom views and account limitations. For more information web console
accounts, see Creating Accounts on page252.
To enable a DirectLink account for the SolarWinds Web Console:
1. Log in to the SolarWinds Web Console as an administrator.
2. Click Settings in the top right of the web console, and then click Manage
Accounts in the Accounts grouping.
3. Click Add.
4. Type DirectLink as the new User Name.
5. Type a Password, confirm it, and then click Submit.
6. Edit DirectLink account options, as necessary, for your installation of
SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor. For more information about editing account options, see Editing User Accounts.
7. Create a custom view to be used as the home page of the DirectLink
account. For more information, see Creating New Views.
8. Specify the new DirectLink view as a default view in the Account Manager.
For more information, see Editing User Accounts.
9. If you would like to limit the DirectLink account to specific devices or
device types, see Setting Account Limitations.

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Component Monitor Types
The available component monitors are as follows:
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DHCP User Experience Monitor

Directory Size Monitor
DNS Monitor - TCP
DNS Monitor - UDP
DNS User Experience Monitor
Download Speed Monitor
Exchange Web Services User Experience Monitor
File Change Monitor
File Count Monitor
File Existence Monitor
File Size Monitor
FTP Monitor
FTP User Experience Monitor
HTTP Form Login Monitor
HTTP Monitor
HTTPS Monitor
IMAP4 Monitor
IMAP4 User Experience Monitor
JMX Monitor
LDAP User Experience Monitor
Linux/Unix Script Monitor
MAPI User Experience Monitor
Nagios Script Monitor
NNTP Monitor
ODBC User Experience Monitor
Oracle User Experience Monitor
Performance Counter Monitor
POP3 Monitor
POP3 User Experience Monitor
Process Monitor - SNMP
Process Monitor - WMI
RADIUS User Experience Monitor

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Service Status SNMP

SSL Certificate Expiration Date Monitor
SMTP Monitor
SNMP Monitor
SOAP Component Monitor
SQL Server User Experience Monitor
TACACS+ User Experience Monitor
TCP Port Monitor
Tomcat Server Monitor
VMware Performance Counter Monitor
Web Link Monitor
Windows Event Log Monitor
Windows PowerShell Monitor
Windows Script Monitor
Windows Service Monitor
WMI Monitor

DHCP User Experience Monitor

This component monitor measures how long it takes to get a lease from a DHCP
server. The monitor verifies that the DHCP responds with an IP address, but
neither confirms nor accepts the lease.
Statistic
This component monitor does not compute a statistic.
Field Descriptions:
Description
This field provides a default description of the monitor. You have the ability
to override the default description by adding to or replacing the text, which
will then be automatically saved. The variable to access this field is
${UserDescription}. For more information, see "Configuring SolarWinds
SAM Alerts" on page 1.
Enable Component
Determines whether the component is enabled. Disabling the component
leaves it in the application in a deactivated state not influencing either
SolarWinds SAM application availability or status.
UDP Request Port

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DHCP User Experience Monitor

The UDP port used for the DHCP request. The default value is 67.
UDP Response Port
The UDP port used for the DHCP response. The default value is 68.
Sender Adapter IP Address (optional)
For SolarWinds servers with multiple network adapters configuration, this
field specifies which of the multiple network adapters is used for the DHCP
User Experience monitor. If this setting is not specified, the default (primary)
network adapter is used.
Note: This setting does not affect SolarWinds servers with only one
network adapter.
DHCP Discovery Request Type
Select the DHCP Discovery Request Type:
Unicast This is the default DHCP Discovery Request Type. The
broadcast flag is not set, the ciaddr (Client IP Address) is set to the
local address, and the giaddr (Relay Agent IP Address) is not set. The
DHCP client sends a unicast DHCP DISCOVER to the DHCP server
IP address and the UDP Request Port (defaults to 67). The DHCP
server then sends a unicast DHCP Offer to the ciaddr address and the
UDP Response Port (defaults to 68).
This option can be used to monitor DHCP servers on the same subnet
as the SolarWinds SAM server or on a different subnet.
Broadcast The broadcast flag is set, the ciaddr (Client IP Address)
is set to the local address, and the giaddr (Relay Agent IP Address) is
not set. The DHCP client sends a unicast DHCP DISCOVER to the
DHCP server IP address and the UDP Request Port (defaults to 67).
The DHCP server then sends a broadcast DHCP Offer to the UDP
Response Port (defaults to 68).
This option can be used to monitor DHCP servers on the same subnet
as the SolarWinds SAM server
Relay Agent The broadcast flag is not set, the ciaddr (Client IP
Address) is set to the local address, and the giaddr (Relay Agent IP
Address) is set to the local address. The DHCP client sends a unicast
DHCP DISCOVER to the DHCP server IP address and the UDP

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Request Port (defaults to 67). The DHCP server then sends a unicast
DHCP Offer to the giaddr (Relay Agent IP Address) and the UDP
Request Port (defaults to 67).
This option can be used to monitor DHCP servers on the same subnet
as the SolarWinds SAM server or on a different subnet.
Note: You can use the Broadcast or Relay Agent DHCP discovery
request type to handle the issue with some DHCP servers (for
example Internet Systems Consortium DHCP Server) that do not send
a DHCP Offer back to the SolarWinds SAM Server IP address. They
send it to the newly leased IP address (the IP address being offered)
instead. To handle this issue, set the DHCP Discovery Request
Type to either Broadcast or Relay Agent.
Response Time Warning Threshold
This field allows you to set the warning threshold conditions based on the
response time. The response time is the time in milliseconds it takes
SolarWinds SAM to determine that a component is not Down and to retrieve
any statistical data.
Response Time Critical Threshold
This field allows you to set critical threshold conditions based on the
response time. The response time is the time in milliseconds it takes
SolarWinds SAM to determine that a component is not Down and to retrieve
any statistical data.
User Notes
This field allows you to add notes for easy reference. You can access this
field by using the variable, ${UserNotes}. For more information, see
"Configuring SolarWinds SAM Alerts" on page 1.

Directory Size Monitor

This component monitor determines the disk space used by the files in a
directory, optionally including all subdirectories. Files that do not match the File
Extensions Filter are not included in the disk space calculation.
Note: It may be difficult to monitor the size of a folder containing hundreds or
thousands of files, because the monitor timeout duration may lapse before the
target computer can finish computing the file sizes and sending the response.

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Directory Size Monitor

Note: See Requirements for Component Monitors and Templates that use WMI,
on page 361 for information about requirements for WMI access.
Statistic
The disk space used in bytes.
Field Descriptions:
Description
This field provides a default description of the monitor. You have the ability
to override the default description by adding to or replacing the text, which
will then be automatically saved. The variable to access this field is
${UserDescription}. For more information, see Configuring SolarWinds
SAM Alerts"
Enable Component
Determines whether the component is enabled. Disabling the component
leaves it in the application in a deactivated state not influencing either
SolarWinds SAM application availability or status.
Credential for Monitoring
Select a credential that has read access to the file. If the credential you need
is not already present in the credentials list, use the Quick Credentials
section to add a new credential.
Full directory Path
The path to the monitored directory. Specify the path in Universal Naming
Convention (UNC) format. For example: \\computername\c$\logfiles\. The
path can include the variable ${IP}, which represents the target node's IP
address.
File Extensions Filter
Determines which file extensions are included in the disk space usage
calculations for the directory size. It is a text matching filter, and * is a
wildcard.
Include Subdirectories
Determines whether the contents of sub-directories are included in the disk
space usage calculations for the directory size.
Convert Value

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DNS Monitor - TCP

This component monitor tests a DNS server's ability to respond to a record query
and measures its response time. The record query is an A Name lookup for
a.root-servers.net. The component monitor passes if it receives a valid DNS
response (positive or negative).
Statistic
This component monitor does not compute a statistic.
Field Descriptions:
Description
This field provides a default description of the monitor. You have the ability
to override the default description by adding to or replacing the text, which
will then be automatically saved. The variable to access this field is

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DNS User Experience Monitor

${UserDescription}. For more information, see Configuring SolarWinds
SAM Alerts"
Enable Component
Determines whether the component is enabled. Disabling the component
leaves it in the application in a deactivated state not influencing either
SolarWinds SAM application availability or status.
Port Number
The TCP port used for DNS queries. The default value is 53.
Response Time Warning Threshold
This field allows you to set the warning threshold conditions based on the
response time. The response time is the time in milliseconds it takes
SolarWinds SAM to determine that a component is not Down and to retrieve
any statistical data.
Response Time Critical Threshold
This field allows you to set critical threshold conditions based on the
response time. The response time is the time in milliseconds it takes
SolarWinds SAM to determine that a component is not Down and to retrieve
any statistical data.
User Notes
This field allows you to add notes for easy reference. You can access this
field by using the variable, ${UserNotes}. For more information, see
Configuring SolarWinds SAM Alerts"

DNS User Experience Monitor

This component monitor tests a DNS server's ability to respond to a record query,
compares the query response against a list of IP addresses, and measures the
response time. The component monitor passes if the DNS response matches the
expected IP addresses.
The DNS Monitor measures the time it takes the DNS get for the record query
referenced in the component monitor to load. This response time is measured in
milliseconds.
Statistic
This component monitor does not compute a statistic.

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Field Descriptions:
Description
This field provides a default description of the monitor. You have the ability
to override the default description by adding to or replacing the text, which
will then be automatically saved. The variable to access this field is
${UserDescription}. For more information, see Configuring SolarWinds
SAM Alerts"
Enable Component
Determines whether the component is enabled. Disabling the component
leaves it in the application in a deactivated state not influencing either
SolarWinds SAM application availability or status.
Port Number
The port used for DNS queries. The default value is 53.
Protocol
The protocol to use for the DNS query.
Name (IP Address) To Resolve
The fully-qualified domain name (FQDN) or IP address to use for the DNS
query. If you specify an IP address, the query result should be a FQDN. If
you specify a FQDN, the query result should be one or more IP addresses.
Expected DNS Query Results
The IP addresses or FQDN you expect to result from the DNS query. Type
each entry on a new line. If you do not care about the DNS query result, you
can type the asterisk (*) as a wildcard character that successfully matches
any DNS query result.
Expect All Matches
Specifies that the result of the DNS query must include all expected entries
to be considered a successful test. If this check box is not checked, a single
match indicates a successful test.
Response Time Warning Threshold
This field allows you to set the warning threshold conditions based on the
response time. The response time is the time in milliseconds it takes
SolarWinds SAM to determine that a component is not Down and to retrieve
any statistical data.

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DNS Monitor - UDP

This component monitor tests a DNS server's ability to respond to a record query
and measures its response time. The component monitor passes if it receives a
valid DNS response (positive or negative) within the response time threshold.
UDP is the primary method of communication for DNS servers.
Statistic
This component monitor does not compute a statistic.
Description
This field provides a default description of the monitor. You have the ability
to override the default description by adding to or replacing the text, which
will then be automatically saved. The variable to access this field is
${UserDescription}. For more information, see Configuring SolarWinds
SAM Alerts"
Port Number
The UDP port used for DNS queries. The default value is 53.
Response Time Warning Threshold
This field allows you to set the warning threshold conditions based on the
response time. The response time is the time in milliseconds it takes
SolarWinds SAM to determine that a component is not Down and to retrieve
any statistical data.
Response Time Critical Threshold
This field allows you to set critical threshold conditions based on the
response time. The response time is the time in milliseconds it takes

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SolarWinds SAM to determine that a component is not Down and to retrieve
any statistical data.
User Notes
This field allows you to add notes for easy reference. You can access this
field by using the variable, ${UserNotes}. For more information, see
Configuring SolarWinds SAM Alerts"

Download Speed Monitor

This component monitor measures the time it takes to download data from the
target node, and reports the speed in KB/s (1024 bytes per second). The target
node must be running a Character Generator service.
Statistic
The statistic for this component monitor is the download speed in KB/s
(1024 bytes per second).
Field Descriptions:
Description
This field provides a default description of the monitor. You have the ability
to override the default description by adding to or replacing the text, which
will then be automatically saved. The variable to access this field is
${UserDescription}. For more information, see Configuring SolarWinds
SAM Alerts"
Enable Component
Determines whether the component is enabled. Disabling the component
leaves it in the application in a deactivated state not influencing either
SolarWinds SAM application availability or status.
Port Number
The port used for the character generator service. The default value is 19.
Download Sample Size (kb)
The amount of data in kilobytes (kb) you want to download from the node for
testing the download speed.
Convert Value

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Exchange Web Services User Experience Monitor

Checking the Convert Value check box opens the Formula box.
From here, you have the ability to manipulate the returned value with a
variety of mathematical possibilities. You can choose common
functions from the drop down lists to manipulate the returned value, or
you can select the Custom Conversion option. For more information,
see "Conversion Value."
Response Time Warning Threshold
This field allows you to set the warning threshold conditions based on the
response time. The response time is the time in milliseconds it takes
SolarWinds SAM to determine that a component is not Down and to retrieve
any statistical data.
Response Time Critical Threshold
This field allows you to set critical threshold conditions based on the
response time. The response time is the time in milliseconds it takes
SolarWinds SAM to determine that a component is not Down and to retrieve
any statistical data.
Statistic Warning Threshold
This field allows you to specify when a threshold that indicates a warning
level has been breached. Logical operators are in the drop down followed
by a blank field for you to enter the value of this threshold. For example:
Less than 15.
Statistic Critical Threshold
This field allows you to specify when a threshold that indicates a critical
level has been breached. Logical operators are in the drop down followed
by a blank field for you to enter the value of this threshold. For example:
Less than 5.
User Notes
This field allows you to add notes for easy reference. You can access this
field by using the variable, ${UserNotes}. For more information, see
Configuring SolarWinds SAM Alerts"

Exchange Web Services User Experience Monitor

This component monitor simulates an email round trip to test the ability of your
SMTP server to receive and distribute email, and the ability of your users to

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retrieve email through Exchange Web Services.
Credentials: Credentials used for this monitor should be the user for whom the
mailbox will be monitored.
Note: If you receive a server error while browsing Exchange Web Services, refer
to the following Microsoft KB article located at:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2020789
Field Descriptions:
Description
This field provides a default description of the monitor. You have the ability
to override the default description by adding to or replacing the text, which
will then be automatically saved. The variable to access this field is
${UserDescription}. For more information, see Configuring SolarWinds
SAM Alerts"
Enable Component
Determines whether the component is enabled. Disabling the component
leaves it in the application in a deactivated state, not influencing
SolarWinds SAM application availability or status.
Credential for Monitoring
Select a credential that has read access to the file. If the credential you need
is not already present in the credentials list, use the Quick Credentials
section to add a new credential.
Note: This credential must be the email address of the account which
is to be simulated and not the credentials of the Windows computer.
(Name, ovacha (@), domain). For example: [email protected].
(Credentials used for this monitor should be the user for whom the
mailbox will be monitored.)
Send Email From
Enter the email address where you want an email to be sent from
Send Email To
Enter the email address where you want an email to be sent to
Exchange Web Service URL
This field allows you to specify the URL of your Exchange Web Server.

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File Age Monitor

Ignore CA Errors
Allows to choose whether or not to ignore Certificate Authority errors.
Ignore CN Errors
Allows to choose whether or not to ignore Common Name errors.
SMTP Server
Enter your SMTP server address here.
SMTP Port
Enter your SMTP port number here.
Use Credentials for SMTP
Check this box if needed.
Credential for SMTP
If needed, select the proper credentials from the drop down list.
SMTP Encryption
Choose the method of encryption from the drop down list.
Response Time Threshold
Select the conditions from the drop down lists for the Warning and Critical
thresholds, then set the time, in seconds, for these conditions to be met.
User Notes
This field allows you to add notes for easy reference. You can access this
field by using the variable, ${UserNotes}. For more information, see
Configuring SolarWinds SAM Alerts"

File Age Monitor

This component monitor determines when a file was last modified. The statistic is
the number of elapsed hours since the file modification date.
This component monitor uses TCP/445 and UDP/445 ports.
Statistic
The number of elapsed hours since the file modification date.
Field Descriptions:
Description

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Chapter 34: Component Monitor Types

This field provides a default description of the monitor. You have the ability
to override the default description by adding to or replacing the text, which
will then be automatically saved. The variable to access this field is
${UserDescription}. For more information, see Configuring SolarWinds
SAM Alerts"
Enable Component
Determines whether the component is enabled. Disabling the component
leaves it in the application in a deactivated state not influencing SolarWinds
SAM application availability or status.
Credential for Monitoring
Select a credential that has read access to the file. If the credential you need
is not already present in the credentials list, use the Quick Credentials
section to add a new credential.
File Path
This field is the path to the monitored file, including the file name. Specify
the path in Universal Naming Convention (UNC) format. For example:
\\computername\c$\logfile\errors.log. The path can include the variable
${IP} which represents the target node's IP address.
Convert Value
Checking the Convert Value check box opens the Formula box.
From here, you have the ability to manipulate the returned value with a
variety of mathematical possibilities. You can choose common
functions from the drop down lists to manipulate the returned value, or
you can select the Custom Conversion option. For more information,
see "Conversion Value."
Statistic Warning Threshold
This field allows you to specify when a threshold that indicates a warning
level has been breached. Logical operators are in the drop down followed
by a blank field for you to enter the value of this threshold. For example:
Less than 15.
Statistic Critical Threshold
This field allows you to specify when a threshold that indicates a critical
level has been breached. Logical operators are in the drop down followed

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File Count Monitor

by a blank field for you to enter the value of this threshold. For example:
Less than 5.
User Notes
This field allows you to add notes for easy reference. You can access this
field by using the variable, ${UserNotes}. For more information, see
Configuring SolarWinds SAM Alerts"

File Count Monitor

This component monitor counts the number of files in a directory, optionally
including its subdirectories. Files that do not match the file extension or file
attribute type are ignored.
This monitor may fail if you attempt to count more than 20,000 files in a directory
using the wildcard * filter extension. To get an accurate count of the files in such
large directories, you must instead create a Windows Script monitor that runs the
File Count script located in the script examples folder C:\Program
Files\SolarWinds\Orion\APM\SampleScriptMonitors\WindowsScripts.
Note: See Requirements for Component Monitors and Templates that use WMI
on page 361 for information about requirements for WMI access.
Statistic
The number of files in the directory that match the file extensions filter.
Field Descriptions:
Description
This field provides a default description of the monitor. You have the ability
to override the default description by adding to or replacing the text, which
will then be automatically saved. The variable to access this field is
${UserDescription}. For more information, see Configuring SolarWinds
SAM Alerts"
Enable Component
Determines whether the component is enabled. Disabling the component
leaves it in the application in a deactivated state not influencing either
SolarWinds SAM application availability or status.
Credential for Monitoring

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Select a credential that has read access to the file. If the credential you need
is not already present in the credentials list, use the Quick Credentials
section to add a new credential.
Full Directory Path
This field is the path to the directory. Specify the path in Universal Naming
Convention (UNC) format. For example: \\computername\c$\. The path can
include the variable ${IP} which represents the target node's IP address.
There is a limit of 260 characters for this field.
File Extensions Filter
Specifies which files to include in the count based on the file extension. You
can specify multiple file extensions separated by commas or spaces. To
include all files, specify *.
Example for counting all files regardless of file extension
File Extensions Filter: *Example for counting files with .exe, .dll, and .bat
extensions
File Extensions Filter: exe, dll, bat
File Attributes Filter
Specifies which files to include in the count based on the file attributes. The
default value is All Files.
Include Subdirectories
Specifies the file count should also include files located inside
subdirectories
Convert Value
Checking the Convert Value check box opens the Formula box.
From here, you have the ability to manipulate the returned value with a
variety of mathematical possibilities. You can choose common
functions from the drop down lists to manipulate the returned value, or
you can select the Custom Conversion option. For more information,
see "Conversion Value."
Statistic Warning Threshold
This field allows you to specify when a threshold that indicates a warning
level has been breached. Logical operators are in the drop down followed

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File Existence Monitor

by a blank field for you to enter the value of this threshold. For example:
Less than 15.
Statistic Critical Threshold
This field allows you to specify when a threshold that indicates a critical
level has been breached. Logical operators are in the drop down followed
by a blank field for you to enter the value of this threshold. For example:
Less than 5.
User Notes
This field allows you to add notes for easy reference. You can access this
field by using the variable, ${UserNotes}. For more information, see
Configuring SolarWinds SAM Alerts"

File Existence Monitor

This component monitor tests if a file exists at the given file path.
This component monitor uses TCP/445 and UDP/445 ports.
Statistic
This component monitor does not compute a statistic.
Field Descriptions:
Description
This field provides a default description of the monitor. You have the ability
to override the default description by adding to or replacing the text, which
will then be automatically saved. The variable to access this field is
${UserDescription}. For more information, see Configuring SolarWinds
SAM Alerts"
Enable Component
Determines whether the component is enabled. Disabling the component
leaves it in the application in a deactivated state not influencing either
SolarWinds SAM application availability or status.
Credential for Monitoring
Select a credential that has read access to the file. If the credential you need
is not already present in the credentials list, use the Quick Credentials
section to add a new credential.

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File Path
This field is the path to the monitored file, including the file name. Specify
the path in Universal Naming Convention (UNC) format. For example:
\\computername\c$\logfile\errors.log. The path can include the variable
${IP} which represents the target node's IP address.
File Exist Setting
This field specifies whether the component monitor should test for whether
the file must exist file or must not exist.
User Notes
This field allows you to add notes for easy reference. You can access this
field by using the variable, ${UserNotes}. For more information, see
Configuring SolarWinds SAM Alerts"

File Change Monitor

This component monitor tests if a file has been modified and then reports the time
in hours since the file was modified as a statistic. The component monitor
performs an MD5 checksum comparison on the file to verify it was not modified. If
SolarWinds SAM detects the monitored file was modified, the component monitor
will remain in a Down state until you recalculate the checksum.
This component monitor uses TCP/445 and UDP/445 ports.
Statistic
The number of elapsed hours since the file was modified.
Field Descriptions:
Description
This field provides a default description of the monitor. You have the ability
to override the default description by adding to or replacing the text, which
will then be automatically saved. The variable to access this field is
${UserDescription}. For more information, see Configuring SolarWinds
SAM Alerts"
Enable Component
Determines whether the component is enabled. Disabling the component
leaves it in the application in a deactivated state not influencing either
SolarWinds SAM application availability or status.

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File Change Monitor

Credential for Monitoring
Select a credential that has read access to the file. If the credential you need
is not already present in the credentials list, use the Quick Credentials
section to add a new credential.
File Path
This field is the path to the monitored file, including the file name. Specify
the path in Universal Naming Convention (UNC) format. For example:
\\computername\c$\logfile\errors.log. The path can include the variable
${IP} which represents the target node's IP address.
Convert Value
Checking the Convert Value check box opens the Formula box.
From here, you have the ability to manipulate the returned value with a
variety of mathematical possibilities. You can choose common
functions from the drop down lists to manipulate the returned value, or
you can select the Custom Conversion option. For more information,
see "Conversion Value."
Current Snapshot Checksum
This field is the calculated checksum against which SolarWinds SAM is
comparing the monitored file. To calculate a new checksum, click Update
Checksum.
Select and upload a file for snapshot creation
This field is the local path to a file on the user's computer (where the web
browser is running) used to calculate the checksum against which the
monitored file is compared. Click Browse to open a Windows Choose File
dialog from which you can select the file directly. Click Update Checksum
to calculate the new checksum.
Statistic Warning Threshold
This field allows you to specify when a threshold that indicates a warning
level has been breached. Logical operators are in the drop down followed
by a blank field for you to enter the value of this threshold. For example:
Less than 15.
Statistic Critical Threshold
This field allows you to specify when a threshold that indicates a critical
level has been breached. Logical operators are in the drop down followed

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Chapter 34: Component Monitor Types

File Size Monitor

This component monitor measures the size of a file at the given file path and then
reports the file size in bytes as a statistic.
This component monitor uses TCP/445 and UDP/445 ports.
Important: This monitor cannot monitor files larger than 2 gigabytes in size.
Statistic
The statistic for the component monitor is the file size in bytes.
Field Descriptions:
Description
This field provides a default description of the monitor. You have the ability
to override the default description by adding to or replacing the text, which
will then be automatically saved. The variable to access this field is
${UserDescription}. For more information, see Configuring SolarWinds
SAM Alerts"
Enable Component
Determines whether the component is enabled. Disabling the component
leaves it in the application in a deactivated state not influencing either
SolarWinds SAM application availability or status.
Credential for Monitoring
Select a credential that has read access to the file. If the credential you need
is not already present in the credentials list, use the Quick Credentials
section to add a new credential.
File Path
This field is the path to the monitored file, including the file name. Specify
the path in Universal Naming Convention (UNC) format. For example:

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FTP User Experience Monitor

\\computername\c$\logfile\errors.log. The path can include the variable
${IP} which represents the target node's IP address.
Convert Value
Checking the Convert Value check box opens the Formula box.
From here, you have the ability to manipulate the returned value with a
variety of mathematical possibilities. You can choose common
functions from the drop down lists to manipulate the returned value, or
you can select the Custom Conversion option. For more information,
see "Conversion Value."
Statistic Warning Threshold
This field allows you to specify when a threshold that indicates a warning
level has been breached. Logical operators are in the drop down followed
by a blank field for you to enter the value of this threshold. For example:
Less than 15.
Statistic Critical Threshold
This field allows you to specify when a threshold that indicates a critical
level has been breached. Logical operators are in the drop down followed
by a blank field for you to enter the value of this threshold. For example:
Less than 5.
User Notes
This field allows you to add notes for easy reference. You can access this
field by using the variable, ${UserNotes}. For more information, see
Configuring SolarWinds SAM Alerts"

FTP User Experience Monitor

This component monitor tests the ability of an FTP server to accept an incoming
session, process the user login, and then transmit the specified file to the
SolarWinds SAM server. After receiving the file, SolarWinds SAM performs a file
integrity test comparing the SHA1 checksum of the downloaded file against a
previously generated checksum. If the checksums match, the component monitor
reports its status as Up.
The FTP Monitor measures the time it takes the FTP get for the reference in the
component monitor to load. This response time is measured in milliseconds.

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To configure the FTP User Experience Monitor and generate a snapshot
checksum:
1. Provide a credential that can log on to the FTP server.
2. If the FTP server is on a different port than the default port of 21,
change the value in the Port Number field.
3. Upload a file named test.txt to the FTP server. The contents of the file do
not matter.
4. Change the Url field to match the path of the test.txt file you uploaded to the
FTP server.
5. Copy the same test.txt file to a local directory on the SolarWinds SAM
server.
6. Click Browse next to the Select and upload a file for snapshot creation
field, navigate to and select the local test.txt file, and then click Open.
7. Click Update Checksum to create a snapshot checksum of the local
test.txt file.
8. Click Test.
9. If the test fails, correct the problem described in the error message and try
again.
Note: You must use the Update Checksum command to create a new snapshot checksum each time you update or modify the test.txt file on the FTP
server.
Statistic
This component monitor does not compute a statistic.
Field Descriptions:
Description
This field provides a default description of the monitor. You have the ability
to override the default description by adding to or replacing the text, which
will then be automatically saved. The variable to access this field is
${UserDescription}. For more information, see Configuring SolarWinds
SAM Alerts".
Enable Component
Determines whether the component is enabled. Disabling the component
leaves it in the application in a deactivated state not influencing either
SolarWinds SAM application availability or status.
Credential for Monitoring

1309

FTP User Experience Monitor

Select a credential that can log on to the FTP server. For example, to
monitor an anonymous FTP server, select or add a credential containing
anonymous as the user name and your email address as the password. If
the credential you need is not already present in the credentials list, use the
Quick Credentials section to add a new credential.
Port Number
This field is the port number used for FTP sessions. The default value is 21.
Url
Allows you to specify the URL of the file you want to monitor. The URL can
include the variable ${IP} which represents the target node's IP address,
and the variable ${PORT} which represents the value in the Port Number
field.
Use Proxy
This check box allows you to use a web proxy to access the web site.
Proxy Address
This field allows you to specify the address of a web proxy to access the
web site.
Passive Mode
This check box allows you to monitor the file using passive mode FTP. This
mode is typically used to circumvent a firewall that would otherwise filter the
incoming connection to the SolarWinds SAM server.
Current Snapshot Checksum
This field is the calculated checksum against which SolarWinds SAM is
comparing the monitored file. To calculate a new checksum, click Update
Checksum.
Select and upload a file for snapshot creation
This field is the local path to a file on the SolarWinds SAM server that is
used to calculate the checksum against which the monitored file is
compared. Click Browse to open a Windows Choose File dialog from
which you can select the file directly. Click Update Checksum to calculate
the new checksum.
Response Time Warning Threshold

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Chapter 34: Component Monitor Types

This field allows you to set the warning threshold conditions based on the
response time. The response time is the time in milliseconds it takes
SolarWinds SAM to determine that a component is not Down and to retrieve
any statistical data.
Response Time Critical Threshold
This field allows you to set critical threshold conditions based on the
response time. The response time is the time in milliseconds it takes
SolarWinds SAM to determine that a component is not Down and to retrieve
any statistical data.
User Notes
This field allows you to add notes for easy reference. You can access this
field by using the variable, ${UserNotes}. For more information, see
Configuring SolarWinds SAM Alerts"

FTP Monitor
This component monitor tests the ability of an FTP server to accept incoming
sessions and respond with the correct codes.
Statistic
This component monitor does not compute a statistic.
Field Descriptions:
Description
This field provides a default description of the monitor. You have the ability
to override the default description by adding to or replacing the text, which
will then be automatically saved. The variable to access this field is
${UserDescription}. For more information, see Configuring SolarWinds
SAM Alerts"
Enable Component
Determines whether the component is enabled. Disabling the component
leaves it in the application in a deactivated state not influencing either
SolarWinds SAM application availability or status.
Port Number
This field is the port number used for FTP sessions. The default value is 21.
Response Time Warning Threshold

1311

HTTP Form Login Monitor

This component monitor tests the ability of a web server to serve web pages
secured behind a forms-based login page. The test is performed by using the
credential as the user name and password for the login form, retrieving the page
behind the login form, and then searching the retrieved page for keywords that
indicate either a successful or a failed login attempt.
Note: The HTTP Form Login Monitor does not work on any login screens that are
pop up.
Statistic
This component monitor does not compute a statistic.
Troubleshooting
For most form-based login pages, this component monitor will function
without any customizations. But, some form-based login pages use
unconventional HTML form tag names or form input tag names, and
you need to assist the component monitor in identifying the names of
these tags before the component monitor can function correctly.
Note: This monitor does not work if the login control is located within
an IFRAME HTML control.

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If the component monitor cannot match the tag names in the login
page against the list of expected keywords, you must add the actual
tag name to the keywords list. SolarWinds SAM assists you with this
by displaying an error status message if the component monitor is in a
fail state: the error message lists all the form and form input names
found in the HTML page, allowing you to identify the correct name so
that you can type it in the appropriate Keywords field.
For example, consider the following HTML snippet with tags defining
a form and some form inputs:
<form name="login_form" method="post"
action="Login.aspx"><p>Status (optional): <input name="status"
type="text" /></p><p>Username: <input name="nick" type="text"
/></p><p>Password: <input name ="pswd" type="password"
/></p><input type="submit" value="Submit" /></form>
In the example code, the actual login input tag name is "nick, but
testing the component monitor results in an error similar to the
following:
Response page matches login error keywords Page contains 1
form(s). Form 'login_form' inputs: ('cust_id' 'nick' 'pswd' );
Assumed form with name = login_form as login form Assumed
login input: name = status, password input: name = pswd
The error status message informs you that the component monitor
incorrectly assumed the input tag with the name "status" was the login
input. Recognizing this error, you correct it by adding the correct tag
name "nick" to the list of keywords in the Login Control Keywords
field: (login)|(name)|(email)|(nick)
Field Descriptions:
Description
This field provides a default description of the monitor. You have the ability
to override the default description by adding to or replacing the text, which
will then be automatically saved. The variable to access this field is
${UserDescription}. For more information, see Configuring SolarWinds
SAM Alerts"
Enable Component

1313

HTTP Form Login Monitor

Determines whether the component is enabled. Disabling the component
leaves it in the application in a deactivated state not influencing either
SolarWinds SAM application availability or status.
Credential for Monitoring
Select a credential that can log on to the web site. If the credential you need
is not already present in the credentials list, use the Quick Credentials
section to add a new credential.
Port Number
This field is the port number used for HTTP forms-based login sessions.
The default value is 80.
Url
Allows you to specify the URL you want to monitor. The SolarWinds SAM
variable ${IP} contained in the default value for this field attempts to monitor
a web site at the IP address of the assigned node.
Host Header
Enter the address of the host header. For example, www.solarwinds.com.
Use Proxy
This check box allows you to use a web proxy to access the web site.
Proxy Address
This field allows you to specify the address of a web proxy to access the
web site.
Ignore CA Errors
If checked, this indicates that Certificate Authorization (CA) errors will be
ignored.
Ignore CN Errors
If checked, this indicates that Common Name (CN) errors will be ignored.
Accept Compression
If checked, indicates that compression is supported.
Login Form Keywords
This field lists the expected keywords that identify an HTML login form. The
keywords are matched against the name attribute of the <form> tags found
in the HTML of the login page. Each keyword in this list must be enclosed in

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Chapter 34: Component Monitor Types

parentheses '()', and then separated from other keywords by a vertical bar
'|'. The default keywords are: (login)|(auth)|(email).
Login Control Keywords
This field lists the expected keywords that identify the form's user name
input element. The keywords are matched against the name attribute of the
<input> tags found in the HTML of the login page. Each keyword in this list
must be enclosed in parentheses '()', and then separated from other
keywords by a vertical bar '|'. The default keywords are (login)|(name)|
(email).
Password Control Keywords
This field lists the expected keywords that identify the form's password input
element. The keywords are matched against the name attribute of the
<input> tags found in the HTML of the login page. Each keyword in this list
must be enclosed in parentheses '()', and then separated from other
keywords by a vertical bar '|'. The default keywords are (password)|(pwd)|
(passwd)|(psswd)|(pswd).
Login Failed Regular Expression
This field contains the regular expression for matching an unsuccessful
login. This expression may appear anywhere in the HTML source of the
page.
Login Success Keywords
This field contains the regular expression for matching a successful login.
This expression may appear anywhere in the HTML source of the page.
Response Time Warning Threshold
This field allows you to set the warning threshold conditions based on the
response time. The response time is the time in milliseconds it takes
SolarWinds SAM to determine that a component is not Down and to retrieve
any statistical data.
Response Time Critical Threshold
This field allows you to set critical threshold conditions based on the
response time. The response time is the time in milliseconds it takes
SolarWinds SAM to determine that a component is not Down and to retrieve
any statistical data.
User Notes

1315

HTTP Monitor
This field allows you to add notes for easy reference. You can access this
field by using the variable, ${UserNotes}. For more information, see
Configuring SolarWinds SAM Alerts"

HTTP Monitor
This component monitor tests a web server's ability to accept incoming sessions
and transmit the requested page. The component monitor can optionally search
the delivered page for specific text strings and pass or fail the test based on that
search.
The HTTP Monitor measures the time it takes the HTTP get for the page
referenced in the component monitor to load. This response time is measured in
milliseconds.
Note: If a web page redirects to another page, the response time measures the
entire time from the original request until the last redirected page is loaded.
This monitor supports the following additional macros:
l
l
l
l

${Node.SysName}
${Node.Caption}
${Node.DNS}
${Node.ID}

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Chapter 34: Component Monitor Types

If the web site is password-protected, select a credential that can access the
web site. If the credential you need is not already present in the credentials
list, use the Quick Credentials section to add a new credential.
If the web site is not password protected, do not specify a credential.
Port Number
The port used for the web site. The default value is 80.
Url
This field allows you to specify the URL you want to monitor. The
SolarWinds SAM variables contained in the default value for this field
attempt to monitor a web site at the IP address of the assigned node ${IP}
and on the port specified in the Port Number field ${PORT}.
Proxy Servers: To prevent proxy servers from caching the monitored URL,
you can append a unique query string to the URL with the ${TimeStamp}
variable.
Example "cache buster" for simple URL: http://${IP}:${Port}/?_
cb=${TimeStamp}
Example "cache buster" for URL with existing query string:
http://${IP}:${Port}/?page.aspx?var=value&_cb=${TimeStamp}

Host Header
Enter the address of the host header. For example, www.solarwinds.com.
Host Request
Enter the type of content. For example, POST.
Content Type:
Enter the type of content. For example, application/json.
Request Body:
Enter the type of content. For example:
{

"firstname": "Kate"
"lastname": "Asaff"
"age" : 29

1317

HTTP Monitor
"city" : "Austin"
}

Follow Redirect
This allows you to specify the component monitor to automatically follow
server-side redirects.
Use Proxy
This check box allows you to use a web proxy to access the web site.
Proxy Address
This field allows you to specify the address of a web proxy to access the
web site.
User Agent
This field allows you to emulate a specific user agent or browser type when
contacting the web site. For example, to emulate Internet Explorer version 7,
type Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 7.0b; Windows NT 6.0). For more
information about user agent strings, see http://www.useragentstring.com
Search String
This field contains the text string indicating successful page retrieval. If the
specified string is found in the web page content, the monitor is considered
up.
Note: The search string is not case-sensitive.
Fail if Found
This check box allows you to reverse the default behavior of the search
string. If the search string is found in the web page content, the monitor is
considered down instead of up.
Head Request
This field allows you to ensure the web site responds to the HTTP protocol,
but without checking the validity of the web page content. Search strings are
ignored if you select this option.
Accept Compression
If checked, indicates that compression is supported.
Response Time Warning Threshold

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Chapter 34: Component Monitor Types

HTTPS Monitor
This component monitor tests a web server's ability to accept incoming sessions
over a secure channel and then transmit the requested page. The component
monitor can also test the security certificate.
The HTTPS Monitor measures the time it takes the HTTPS get for the page
referenced in the component monitor to load. This response time is measured in
milliseconds.
Note: If a web page redirects to another page, the response time measures the
entire time from the original request until the last redirected page is loaded.
This monitor supports the following additional macros:
l
l
l
l

${Node.SysName}
${Node.Caption}
${Node.DNS}
${Node.ID}

Statistic
This component monitor does not compute a statistic.
Field Descriptions:
Description

1319

HTTPS Monitor
This field provides a default description of the monitor. You have the ability
to override the default description by adding to or replacing the text, which
will then be automatically saved. The variable to access this field is
${UserDescription}. For more information, see Configuring SolarWinds
SAM Alerts"
Enable Component
Determines whether the component is enabled. Disabling the component
leaves it in the application in a deactivated state not influencing either
SolarWinds SAM application availability or status.
Credential for Monitoring
If the web site is password-protected, select a credential that can access the
web site. If the credential you need is not already present in the credentials
list, use the Quick Credentials section to add a new credential.
Port Number
The port used by the web site. The default value is 443.
Url
This field allows you to specify the URL you want to monitor. The
SolarWinds SAM variables contained in the default value for this field
attempt to monitor a web site at the IP address of the assigned node ${IP}
and on the port specified in the Port Number field ${PORT}.
Proxy Servers: To prevent proxy servers from caching the monitored URL,
you can append a unique query string to the URL with the ${TimeStamp}
variable.
Example "cache buster" for simple URL: http://${IP}:${Port}/?_
cb=${TimeStamp}
Example "cache buster" for URL with existing query string:
http://${IP}:${Port}/?page.aspx?var=value&_cb=${TimeStamp}
Host Header
Enter the address of the host header. For example, www.solarwinds.com.
Host Request
Enter the type of content. For example, POST.
Content Type:

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Chapter 34: Component Monitor Types

Enter the type of content. For example, application/json.
Request Body:
Enter the type of content. For example:
{

"firstname": "Kate"
"lastname": "Asaff"
"age" : 29
"city" : "Austin"
}

Follow Redirect
This allows you to specify the component monitor to automatically follow
server-side redirects.
Use Proxy
This check box allows you to use a web proxy to access the web site.
Proxy Address
This field allows you to specify the address of a web proxy to access the
web site.
Certificate Subject
This is used for selecting a private key when client authentication is used.
This field allows you to specify the X.509 certificate subject (DN). Use
spaces () or commas (,) to separate the different subject fields. Semicolons,
commas with spaces after them, and newline or carriage returns are not
acceptable separators.
It allows you to select a certificate from Current User > Personal
certificate store using its subject. The subject must equal the exact
format to find the certificate using .NET.
For example: To find a specific certificate, you need to use the
following format:
CN=Baltimore CyberTrust Root, OU=CyberTrust, O=Baltimore, C=IE
Ignore CA Errors
This check box allows you to specify the component monitor to ignore the
certificate authority (CA).

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HTTPS Monitor
Ignore CN Errors
This check box allows you to specify the component monitor to ignore the
certificate name (CN).
User Agent
This field allows you to emulate a specific user agent or browser type when
contacting the web site. For example, to emulate Internet Explorer version 7,
type Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 7.0b; Windows NT 6.0). For more
information about user agent strings, see http://www.useragentstring.com
Search String
This field contains the text string indicating successful page retrieval. If the
specified string is found in the web page content, the monitor is considered
up.
Note: The search string is not case-sensitive.
Fail if Found
This check box allows you to reverse the default behavior of the search
string. If the search string is found in the web page content, the monitor is
considered down instead of up.
Head Request
This check box allows you to ensure the web site responds to the HTTPS
protocol, but without checking the validity of the web page content. Search
strings are ignored if you select this option.
Accept Compression
If checked, indicates that compression is supported.
Response Time Warning Threshold
This field allows you to set the warning threshold conditions based on the
response time. The response time is the time in milliseconds it takes
SolarWinds SAM to determine that a component is not Down and to retrieve
any statistical data.
Response Time Critical Threshold
This field allows you to set critical threshold conditions based on the
response time. The response time is the time in milliseconds it takes
SolarWinds SAM to determine that a component is not Down and to retrieve
any statistical data.
User Notes

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This field allows you to add notes for easy reference. You can access this
field by using the variable, ${UserNotes}. For more information, see
Configuring SolarWinds SAM Alerts"

IMAP4 Monitor
This component monitor tests the ability of an IMAP4 server to accept incoming
connections and respond with the correct code.
Statistic
This component monitor does not compute a statistic.
Field Descriptions:
Description
This field provides a default description of the monitor. You have the ability
to override the default description by adding to or replacing the text, which
will then be automatically saved. The variable to access this field is
${UserDescription}. For more information, see Configuring SolarWinds
SAM Alerts"
Enable Component
Determines whether the component is enabled. Disabling the component
leaves it in the application in a deactivated state not influencing either
SolarWinds SAM application availability or status.
Port Number
This field is the port number used for IMAP4 sessions. The default value is
143.
Response Time Warning Threshold
This field allows you to set the warning threshold conditions based on the
response time. The response time is the time in milliseconds it takes
SolarWinds SAM to determine that a component is not Down and to retrieve
any statistical data.
Response Time Critical Threshold
This field allows you to set critical threshold conditions based on the
response time. The response time is the time in milliseconds it takes
SolarWinds SAM to determine that a component is not Down and to retrieve
any statistical data.

1323

IMAP4 User Experience Monitor

User Notes
This field allows you to add notes for easy reference. You can access this
field by using the variable, ${UserNotes}. For more information, see
Configuring SolarWinds SAM Alerts"

IMAP4 User Experience Monitor

This component monitor tests an email round trip from your SMTP mail server to
your IMAP4 server and measures the time it takes to complete the trip. This
response time is measured in milliseconds.
This component monitor uses the following ports when used with a Microsoft
Exchange mail server:
l
l

143 and 993-IMAP4

25 - SMTP

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Chapter 34: Component Monitor Types

Send Email To
This field allows you to specify the recipient of the test email message. The
recipient should have a mailbox on the IMAP4 server you are monitoring.
IMAP4 Port
This field is the port number used for IMAP 4 sessions. The default value is
143. For Secure IMAP (IMAP4-SSL), use port 585. For IMAP4 over SSL
(IMAPS), use port 993.
IMAP4 Encryption
This list allows you to select an encryption protocol to connect to IMAP4
servers that support SSL or TLS encryption.
SMTP Server
This field allows you to specify the SMTP server that sends the test email
message.
SMTP Port
This field is the port number used for SMTP sessions. The default value is
25.
Use Credentials for SMTP
This check box allows you to use the user name and password from
Credentials for Monitoring to connect to SMTP servers that support or
require authentication.
SMTP Encryption
This list allows you to select an encryption protocol to connect to SMTP
servers that support SSL or TLS encryption.
Response Time Warning Threshold
This field allows you to set the warning threshold conditions based on the
response time. The response time is the time in milliseconds it takes
SolarWinds SAM to determine that a component is not Down and to retrieve
any statistical data.
Response Time Critical Threshold
This field allows you to set critical threshold conditions based on the
response time. The response time is the time in milliseconds it takes
SolarWinds SAM to determine that a component is not Down and to retrieve
any statistical data.

1325

JMX Monitor
User Notes
This field allows you to add notes for easy reference. You can access this
field by using the variable, ${UserNotes}. For more information, see
Configuring SolarWinds SAM Alerts"

JMX Monitor
This template tests the overall performance of a Java Application Server
Prerequisites: The JMX connector must be enabled on the Java application
server.
Credentials: You may need either JMX credentials or none at all. This depends
on the credentials required based on the configuration of your Java application
server. For more information, see Configuring Java Applications Servers for
JMX."
Important: Polling via the JMX Component Monitor is not supported using an
agent.
Field Descriptions:
Description
This field provides a default description of the monitor. You have the ability
to override the default description by adding to or replacing the text, which
will then be automatically saved. The variable to access this field is
${UserDescription}. For more information, see Configuring SolarWinds
SAM Alerts"
Component Type
This describes the type of monitor you are using.
Enable Component
This option determines whether or not the component is enabled. Disabling
this component leaves it in the application as deactivated and does not
influence application availability or status.
Credential for Monitoring
This allows you to set JMX credentials for querying MBeans. If the
credential you need is not already present in the credentials list, use the
Quick Credentials section to add a new credential.
Port Number

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Chapter 34: Component Monitor Types

This field allows you to specify the port number used for JMX connections.
Protocol
This field allows you to choose between using Remote Method Invocation
(RMI) and Invocation over Internet Inter-Orb Protocol (IIOP). Note: RMI
should be correctly referred to as RMI/JRMP and IIOP as RMI/IIOP based
on JMX Specifications.
URL Path
This field is for the last part of the JMX service URL. This follows
hostname:portnumber and begins with a slash. For example:
service:jmx:rmi:///jndi/rmi://HostName:portnumber/jmxrmi
Object Name
This field is for the unique string identifier of an MBean in the form of
<domain-name>:<key property>.
Attribute Name
This field is for the name of an MBean attribute.
Key
This is used for monitoring composite attributes, which consist of
key:value pairs. Note: SAM only supports monitoring of numerical
data type attributes.
Count Statistic as Difference
Changes the statistic to be the difference in query values between polling
cycles.
Convert Value
Checking the Convert Value check box opens the Formula box.
From here, you have the ability to manipulate the returned value with a
variety of mathematical possibilities. You can choose common
functions from the drop down lists to manipulate the returned value, or
you can select the Custom Conversion option. For more information,
see "Conversion Value."
Statistic Warning Threshold

1327

LDAP User Experience Monitor

This field allows you to specify when a threshold that indicates a warning
level has been breached. Logical operators are in the drop down followed
by a blank field for you to enter the value of this threshold. For example:
Less than 15.
Statistic Critical Threshold
This field allows you to specify when a threshold that indicates a critical
level has been breached. Logical operators are in the drop down followed
by a blank field for you to enter the value of this threshold. For example:
Less than 5.
User Notes
This field allows you to add notes for easy reference. You can access this
field by using the variable, ${UserNotes}. For more information, see
Configuring SolarWinds SAM Alerts"

LDAP User Experience Monitor

This component monitor tests the capabilities of a Lightweight Directory Access
Protocol (LDAP) server, and measures the time it takes to perform an LDAP
query.
Statistic
The number of entries returned by the LDAP query.
Field Descriptions:
Description
This field provides a default description of the monitor. You have the ability
to override the default description by adding to or replacing the text, which
will then be automatically saved. The variable to access this field is
${UserDescription}. For more information, see Configuring SolarWinds
SAM Alerts"
Enable Component
Determines whether the component is enabled. Disabling the component
leaves it in the application in a deactivated state not influencing either
SolarWinds SAM application availability or status.
Credential for Monitoring

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Chapter 34: Component Monitor Types

Select a credential that has administrator access to the LDAP server. If the
credential you need is not already present in the credentials list, use the
Quick Credentials section to add a new credential.
Port Number
The port used for LDAP connections. The default value is 389. For LDAP
over SSL, use port 636.
Encryption Method
Specifies an encryption method for the LDAP connection. The default
setting is None.
Authentication Method
Specifies the authentication method for the LDAP connection. The default
setting is Simple.
Realm (user domain)
Specifies the realm to use for LDAP authentication.
LDAP Search Root
Specifies the LDAP root or suffix to use for the search.
LDAP Filter
Specifies the search parameters of the LDAP query. The default LDAP
Filter value is (&(objectClass=Person)(cn=someuser)), and it searches
for all entries that have objectClass=Person and cn=someuser.
Convert Value
Checking the Convert Value check box opens the Formula box.
From here, you have the ability to manipulate the returned value with a
variety of mathematical possibilities. You can choose common
functions from the drop down lists to manipulate the returned value, or
you can select the Custom Conversion option. For more information,
see "Conversion Value."
Response Time Warning Threshold
This field allows you to set the warning threshold conditions based on the
response time. The response time is the time in milliseconds it takes
SolarWinds SAM to determine that a component is not Down and to retrieve
any statistical data.
Response Time Critical Threshold

1329

Linux/Unix Script Monitor

This field allows you to set critical threshold conditions based on the
response time. The response time is the time in milliseconds it takes
SolarWinds SAM to determine that a component is not Down and to retrieve
any statistical data.
Statistic Warning Threshold
This field allows you to specify when a threshold that indicates a warning
level has been breached. Logical operators are in the drop down followed
by a blank field for you to enter the value of this threshold. For example:
Less than 15.
Statistic Critical Threshold
This field allows you to specify when a threshold that indicates a critical
level has been breached. Logical operators are in the drop down followed
by a blank field for you to enter the value of this threshold. For example:
Less than 5.
User Notes
This field allows you to add notes for easy reference. You can access this
field by using the variable, ${UserNotes}. For more information, see
Configuring SolarWinds SAM Alerts"

Linux/Unix Script Monitor

This component monitor uses SSH to upload a script to a Linux/Unix server, runs
the script on the server, and then processes the return value and text output.
Note: A maximum of 10 output pairs can be returned. If you exceed the maximum
allowed, remove the excess output pairs or they will simply be ignored.
Statistic
The statistic for this component monitor is the Statistic value returned
by the script. For more information, see Creating a Linux/Unix Script
Monitor on page 329.
Field Descriptions:
Description
This field provides a default description of the monitor. You have the ability
to override the default description by adding to or replacing the text, which
will then be automatically saved. The variable to access this field is

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Chapter 34: Component Monitor Types

${UserDescription}.

For more information, see Configuring SolarWinds

SAM Alerts"
Enable Component
Determines whether the component is enabled. Disabling the component
leaves it in the application in a deactivated state not influencing either
SolarWinds SAM application availability or status.
Authentication Type
Choose either Username and Password or Username and Private Key. The
second option allows you to use cetificates for authentication. For more
information, see "Certificate Credentials Library" on page 294.
Credential for Monitoring
Select a credential that can access the Linux or Unix server over SSH, and
that has sufficient rights to run scripts. If the credential you need is not
already present in the credentials list, use the Quick Credentials section to
add a new credential.
Port Number
This field allows you to specify the port number used for the SSH
connection. The default value for this field is 22.
Script Working Directory
This field allows you to specify the working directory of the script
process.
Count Statistic as Difference
Changes the statistic to be the difference in query values between polling
cycles.
Command Line
This field allows you to specify the shell command run after the SSH
connection is established. The default command line value perl ${SCRIPT}
arg1 arg2 attempts to run in a Perl interpreter the script defined in the Script
Body field using the parameters arg1 arg2.
Note: The length of the Command Line field is limited to 266
characters for Solaris systems, minus the length of the ${SCRIPT}
variable after being resolved to a file name such as the following:

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MAPI User Experience Monitor

APM_937467589.pl. Since the length of the file name will typically be
around 16 characters, this means that the actual user Command Line
input cannot be longer than 266 16, or about 250 characters (not
including the length of the 9 characters for the ${SCRIPT} variable
itself).
If you need to pass a longer command line to the target node, you can
create a shell script on the target node (for example myscript.sh) that
contains the long command line, and place the call to this script in the
Command Line field, for example: /opt/sw/myscript.sh
Script Body
This field allows you to specify the script you want to run on the Linux or
Unix server. For more information, see Creating a Linux/Unix Script
Monitor on page 329.
User Notes
This field allows you to add notes for easy reference. You can access this
field by using the variable, ${UserNotes}. For more information, see
Configuring SolarWinds SAM Alerts"

MAPI User Experience Monitor

This component monitor sends an email from your SMTP mail server to your
Microsoft Exchange Server Mailbox and measures the time it takes to complete
the trip. You can use this component monitor to monitor the performance of
Outlook. This response time is measured in milliseconds.
The Exchange Server computer uses port 135 for client connections to the RPC
endpoint mapper service. After a client connects to a socket, the Exchange Server
computer allocates the client two random ports to use to communicate with the
directory and the information store.
For a complete list of network ports used by Microsoft Server Products, refer to the
following article: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc875824.aspx
Install the MAPI Client on Your SolarWinds SAM Server
This component monitor requires you to install the Microsoft Exchange Server
MAPI Client and Collaboration Data Objects on your SolarWinds SAM server.
You can download the MAPI Client from: The Microsoft Download Center.

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Chapter 34: Component Monitor Types

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=E17E7F31-079A43A9-BFF2-0A110307611E
Statistic
This component monitor does not compute a statistic. The response
time is the difference between the time SolarWinds SAM sends the
email and the time it is received by the recipient.
Notes:
1. This component monitor waits for the email to arrive based on the default
job timeout of 20 minutes. If the email does not arrive within this period,
SolarWinds SAM marks the monitor as down.
2. The monitor goes through the following steps with respect to the mail flow:
a. Sends an email to the user mailbox via SMTP. The email has a
unique temporary subject name that starts with APM_prefix.
b. Connects to the user mailbox through MAPI, then searches the
emails by Subject.
c. If it does not find the email it is looking for, it waits and then
searches again. It will stop when: it finds the email, the timeout is
reached, or the maximum number of attempts is reached.
d. Once it finds the email, the monitor deletes it from the user inbox.
e. The monitor collects the total round trip time for the email and compares it with the thresholds set.
f. Once it knows the round trip time, status is given according to where
it falls with regard to the thresholds set.
If the email is not found within the timeout or the maximum number
of attempts, or SMTP or MAPI reported an error, SolarWinds SAM
will mark the monitor as Down.
3. Emails the monitor sends are deleted from user inboxes, but only if the
monitor successfully connected via MAPI. If the SMTP call succeeded, but
MAPI failed, the email remains in the user inbox.
4. It is not currently possible to use the monitor without SMTP and send the
email from the same server the monitor is running on via MAPI.
Field Descriptions:
Description
This field provides a default description of the monitor. You have the ability
to override the default description by adding to or replacing the text, which

1333

MAPI User Experience Monitor

will then be automatically saved. The variable to access this field is
${UserDescription}. For more information, see Configuring SolarWinds
SAM Alerts"
Enable Component
Determines whether the component is enabled. Disabling the component
leaves it in the application in a deactivated state not influencing either
SolarWinds SAM application availability or status.
Credential for Monitoring
Select a credential that is both a user who can log on to the SolarWinds
SAM server, and that has an Exchange account on the MAPI server. If the
credential you need is not already present in the credentials list, use the
Quick Credentials section to add a new credential. Credentials used for
this monitor should be the user for whom the mailbox will be monitored.
Send Email From
This field allows you to specify the From address of the test email message.
Send Email To
This field allows you to specify the recipient of the test email message. The
recipient should have a mailbox on the MAPI server you are monitoring.
MAPI Profile Name
Allows you to specify the name of the MAPI profile
SMTP Server
This field allows you to specify the SMTP server that sends the test email
message.
SMTP Port
This field is the port number used for SMTP sessions. The default value is
25.
Use Credentials for SMTP
This check box allows you to use the user name and password from
Credentials for Monitoring to connect to SMTP servers that support or
require authentication.
SMTP Encryption

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Chapter 34: Component Monitor Types

This list allows you to select an encryption protocol to connect to SMTP
servers that support SSL or TLS encryption.
Response Time Warning Threshold
This field allows you to set the warning threshold conditions based on the
response time. The response time is the time in milliseconds it takes
SolarWinds SAM to determine that a component is not Down and to retrieve
any statistical data.
Response Time Critical Threshold
This field allows you to set critical threshold conditions based on the
response time. The response time is the time in milliseconds it takes
SolarWinds SAM to determine that a component is not Down and to retrieve
any statistical data.
User Notes
This field allows you to add notes for easy reference. You can access this
field by using the variable, ${UserNotes}. For more information, see
Configuring SolarWinds SAM Alerts"

Nagios Script Monitor

This component monitor runs the Nagios script on the SolarWinds SAM server
and then processes the script's exit code and text output. This monitor has the
ability to return multiple values.
Note: A maximum of 10 output pairs can be returned. If you exceed the maximum
allowed, remove the excess output pairs or they will simply be ignored.
Field Descriptions:
Description
This field provides a default description of the monitor. You have the ability
to override the default description by adding to or replacing the text, which
will then be automatically saved. The variable to access this field is
${UserDescription}. For more information, see Configuring SolarWinds
SAM Alerts"
Component Type
This describes the type of monitor you are using.
Enable Component

1335

Nagios Script Monitor

This option determines whether or not the component is enabled. Disabling
this component leaves it in the application as deactivated and does not
influence application availability or status.
Credential for Monitoring
Select a Windows credential that is both a user who can log on to the
SolarWinds SAM server, and has sufficient rights on the target node to do
whatever the script needs to do. For example, if the script does something
with WMI, the credentials also need WMI rights on the target node. If the
credential you need is not already present in the credentials list, use the
Quick Credentials section to add a new credential.
Port Number
This field allows you to specify the port number used for the SSH
connection. The default value is 22.
Script Working Directory
This field allows you to specify the working directory of the script
process.
Check Type
This determines how the return code is evaluated.
Return Code Service State Host State
0

Warning

Up or Down/Unreachable

Critical

Down/Unreachable

Unknown

Down/Unreachable

_______________________
If the Use Aggressive Host Checking option is enabled, return codes
of 1 will result in a host state of DOWN, otherwise return codes of 1
will result in a host state of UP.
Count Statistic as Difference
Changes the statistic to be the difference in query values between polling
cycles.

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Chapter 34: Component Monitor Types

Command Line
This field is in the script editing window and allows you to specify the script
you want to run on the target node followed by the arguments. To enter your
script, click the Edit button that reveals the script editing window. For more
information, see http://nagios.sourceforge.net/docs/3_0/pluginapi.html.
Body
This field is in the script editing window and allows you to enter your script
via typing or pasting.
Status Roll-Up
This option allows you to choose how you would like the monitor to report
based on the output provided by the script. The default selection is Show
worst status. For more information, see "Managing the Display of Group
Status" on page 246.
User Notes
This field allows you to add notes for easy reference. You can access this
field by using the variable, ${UserNotes}. For more information, see
Configuring SolarWinds SAM Alerts".
For more information, see Creating a Nagios Script Monitor" on page 341.

NNTP Monitor
This component monitor tests the ability of an NNTP server to accept incoming
connections and respond with the correct code.
Statistic
This component monitor does not compute a statistic.
Field Descriptions:
Description
This field provides a default description of the monitor. You have the ability
to override the default description by adding to or replacing the text, which
will then be automatically saved. The variable to access this field is
${UserDescription}. For more information, see Configuring SolarWinds
SAM Alerts".
Enable Component

1337

ODBC User Experience Monitor

Determines whether the component is enabled. Disabling the component
leaves it in the application in a deactivated state not influencing either
SolarWinds SAM application availability or status.
Port Number
This field is the port number used for NNTP connections. The default value
is 119.
Response Time Warning Threshold
This field allows you to set the warning threshold conditions based on the
response time. The response time is the time in milliseconds it takes
SolarWinds SAM to determine that a component is not Down and to retrieve
any statistical data.
Response Time Critical Threshold
This field allows you to set critical threshold conditions based on the
response time. The response time is the time in milliseconds it takes
SolarWinds SAM to determine that a component is not Down and to retrieve
any statistical data.
User Notes
This field allows you to add notes for easy reference. You can access this
field by using the variable, ${UserNotes}. For more information, see
Configuring SolarWinds SAM Alerts".

ODBC User Experience Monitor

This component monitor uses synthetic transactions to test the abilities of an
ODBC-accessible database such as MySQL. The component monitor connects to
the database, performs a query, and then retrieves the data. ODBC drivers for
your database type must be installed on the SolarWinds SAM server.
The SQL statement you use for this query must return a numerical value, not a
varchar.
Statistic
The statistic for this component monitor is the first row and column of
the data retrieved by the query. It must be a numerical value.

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Chapter 34: Component Monitor Types

Install ODBC Drivers on the SolarWinds SAM Server.
You must install on the SolarWinds SAM server the ODBC drivers for
your database. For more information on acquiring or installing the
ODBC drivers, consult your database documentation.
Note: In some situations, monitors derived from this ODBC
component can fail because the bit mode setting (x32/x64) is set
incorrectly. This can happen to database servers that only install x64
drivers on a x64, making this monitor inaccessible in x32 mode.
TCP Ports
This component monitor uses port TCP/1630. Oracle Connection
Manager provides the listening port for Oracle client connections to
Oracle Connection Manager. You can configure Oracle Connection
Manager either through a custom installation, or configure it after
installation using Net Configuration Assistant.
Field Descriptions:
Description
This field provides a default description of the monitor. You have the ability
to override the default description by adding to or replacing the text, which
will then be automatically saved. The variable to access this field is
${UserDescription}. For more information, see Configuring SolarWinds
SAM Alerts".
Enable Component
Determines whether the component is enabled. Disabling the component
leaves it in the application in a deactivated state not influencing either
SolarWinds SAM application availability or status.
Credential for Monitoring
Select a database credential that can access the database. If the credential
you need is not already present in the credentials list, use the Quick
Credentials section to add a new credential.
Connection String
This field allows you to specify the ODBC connection string for the
database. If you do not know the connection string to your ODBCaccessible database, you can look it up on

1339

ODBC User Experience Monitor

http://www.connectionstrings.com. The connection string may include the
variables ${IP}, ${USER}, and ${PASSWORD}, which are replaced
respectively by the IP address of the database server, the credential user
name, and the credential password.
If you are using the ODBC User Experience Monitor instead of the SQL
Server User Experience monitor for a SQL Server database that is not using
the default port 1433, perform the following to create a connection string.
To create the SQL Server connection string:
1. Using notepad, create an empty .udl file.
2. Double-click the .udl file to open the Data Link Properties dialog. Click
Next to navigate from tab to tab and configure and test your ODBC connection.
Note: Remember to select the desired database provider on the Provider
tab, in this case the provider for SQL Server.
3. If the option is present for the provider, check the allow saving password
option, as this will ensure that the connection string contains the password
when you next retrieve it.
4. When you are finished, and have tested that the connection works, click
OK.
5. Open the .udl file again in Notepad, and retrieve the connection string.
For additional information about creating and configuring Universal Data
Link (.udl) Files, refer to the MSDN article.
Sql Query
This field allows you to specify the SQL query used to test the database.
The retrieved data is then used as the component monitor statistic. You may
enter up to 4,000 characters.
Query Timeout
The amount of time, in seconds, until the SQL query will timeout.
Count Statistic as Difference
Changes the statistic to be the difference in query values between polling
cycles.
Convert Value
Checking the Convert Value check box opens the Formula box.

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Chapter 34: Component Monitor Types

From here, you have the ability to manipulate the returned value with a
variety of mathematical possibilities. You can choose common
functions from the drop down lists to manipulate the returned value, or
you can select the Custom Conversion option. For more information,
see "Conversion Value."
Response Time Warning Threshold
This field allows you to set the warning threshold conditions based on the
response time. The response time is the time in milliseconds it takes
SolarWinds SAM to determine that a component is not Down and to retrieve
any statistical data.
Response Time Critical Threshold
This field allows you to set critical threshold conditions based on the
response time. The response time is the time in milliseconds it takes
SolarWinds SAM to determine that a component is not Down and to retrieve
any statistical data.
Statistic Warning Threshold
This field allows you to specify when a threshold that indicates a warning
level has been breached. Logical operators are in the drop down followed
by a blank field for you to enter the value of this threshold. For example:
Less than 15.
Statistic Critical Threshold
This field allows you to specify when a threshold that indicates a critical
level has been breached. Logical operators are in the drop down followed
by a blank field for you to enter the value of this threshold. For example:
Less than 5.
User Notes
This field allows you to add notes for easy reference. You can access this
field by using the variable, ${UserNotes}. For more information, see
Configuring SolarWinds SAM Alerts"

Oracle User Experience Monitor

This component monitor uses synthetic transactions to test the abilities of an
Oracle database. The component monitor connects to the database, performs a

1341

Oracle User Experience Monitor

query, and then retrieves the data. Oracle Net Services from the Oracle Client
must be installed on the SolarWinds SAM server.
The SQL statement you use for this query must return a numerical value, not a
varchar.
Statistic
The statistic for this component monitor is the first row and column of
the data retrieved by the query. It must be a numerical value.
Install Oracle Client on the SolarWinds SAM Server.
This component monitor requires you to install the Oracle Net
Services from the Oracle Client on your SolarWinds SAM server. You
can download the Oracle Client from:
l

The SolarWinds customer portal "Additional Components" section. http://www.solarwinds.com/customerportal/

The Oracle Database Software Downloads web site.
http://www.oracle.com/technology/software/products/database/index.html
Note: For information about using this monitor without the
ODBC connection, see the following SolarWinds knowledgebase article:
http://knowledgebase.solarwinds.com/kb/questions/2067/

TCP Ports
This component monitor uses ports TCP/1521 and TCP/1526. The
Oracle SQL*Net Listener allows Oracle client connections to the
database over Oracle's SQL*Net protocol. You can configure it during
installation. To reconfigure this port, use Net Configuration Assistant.
Field Descriptions:
Description
This field provides a default description of the monitor. You have the ability
to override the default description by adding to or replacing the text, which
will then be automatically saved. The variable to access this field is
${UserDescription}. For more information, see Configuring SolarWinds
SAM Alerts"
Enable Component

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Chapter 34: Component Monitor Types

Determines whether the component is enabled. Disabling the component
leaves it in the application in a deactivated state not influencing either
SolarWinds SAM application availability or status.
Credential for Monitoring
Select a database credential that can access the database. If the credential
you need is not already present in the credentials list, use the Quick
Credentials section to add a new credential.
Port Number
This field allows you to specify the port number used to communicate with
the Oracle database. The default value for this field is 1521.
SQL Query
This field allows you to specify the SQL query used to test the database.
The retrieved data is then used as the component monitor statistic. You may
enter up to 4000 characters.
Destination Point Type
This option tells SolarWinds SAM whether you are accessing the database
by its Oracle System ID (SID) or by its service name.
SID:
Select this to access the database by its System ID.
Service_Name:
Select this to access the database by its service name. Though we
call this option 'net service name', do not enter the net service name.
Destination Point Name
This field allows you to specify either the service name or the SID to access
the Oracle database over a network. Do not enter the net service name. To
determine the name or SID of the database, refer to the tnsnames.ora
Oracle configuration file or ask your database administrator.
Example of a service name as a destination point name
Destination Point Name: sales.us.example.com
Destination Point Type: SERVICE_NAME
tnsnames.ora:

1343

Oracle User Experience Monitor

ORA11 = (DESCRIPTION = (ADDRESS_LIST = (ADDRESS =
(PROTOCOL = TCP)(HOST = 127.0.0.1)(PORT = 1521)))
(CONNECT_DATA = (SERVICE_NAME = sales.us.example.com)
))
Example of a SID as a destination point name
Destination Point Name: ORA11DATABASE
Destination Point Type: SID
tnsnames.ora:

ORA11 = (DESCRIPTION = (ADDRESS_LIST = (ADDRESS =

(PROTOCOL = TCP)(HOST = 127.0.0.1)(PORT = 1521)))
(CONNECT_DATA = (SID = ORA11DATABASE)))
Oracle Driver Type
Allows you to select the driver from the drop down list.
Count Statistic as Difference
Changes the statistic to be the difference in query values between polling
cycles.
Convert Value
Checking the Convert Value check box opens the Formula box.
From here, you have the ability to manipulate the returned value with a
variety of mathematical possibilities. You can choose common
functions from the drop down lists to manipulate the returned value, or
you can select the Custom Conversion option. For more information,
see "Conversion Value."
Response Time Warning Threshold
This field allows you to set the warning threshold conditions based on the
response time. The response time is the time in milliseconds it takes
SolarWinds SAM to determine that a component is not Down and to retrieve
any statistical data.
Response Time Critical Threshold
This field allows you to set critical threshold conditions based on the
response time. The response time is the time in milliseconds it takes

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Chapter 34: Component Monitor Types

SolarWinds SAM to determine that a component is not Down and to retrieve
any statistical data.
Statistic Warning Threshold
This field allows you to specify when a threshold that indicates a warning
level has been breached. Logical operators are in the drop down followed
by a blank field for you to enter the value of this threshold. For example:
Less than 15.
Statistic Critical Threshold
This field allows you to specify when a threshold that indicates a critical
level has been breached. Logical operators are in the drop down followed
by a blank field for you to enter the value of this threshold. For example:
Less than 5.
User Notes
This field allows you to add notes for easy reference. You can access this
field by using the variable, ${UserNotes}. For more information, see
Configuring SolarWinds SAM Alerts"
Scenario:
SAM requires two additional components in order to monitor Oracle
databases:
l
l

Oracle's Instant Client

SolarWinds Oracle Plug-in.

The steps below should result in a successfully tested and monitored

database.
1. The first item to install is the Oracle Instant Client Basic. (In
this scenario, we will also install the Instant Client ODBC and
SQLPlus packages).
l

Download the version specific to your

architecture:
http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/database/features/instantclient/index-097480.html

1345

Performance Counter Monitor

Instant Client Package - Basic (the core

Instant Client).
Instant Client Package - ODBC (ODBC
functionality, requires additional configuration).
Instant Client Package - SQLPlus
(SQLPlus functionality).

2. Create the directory where the products will be stored. (i.e.:

c:\Oracle)
3. Unzip the files into the created directory and preserve the
path. (i.e.: Instantclient_11_2).
4. Modify your path to reference the directory that the Instant Client files were extracted to:
l Path: Add c:\oracle\instantclient_11_2
l Tns_Admin: Create if necessary, c:\oracle\instantclient_
11_2
5. Log out to ensure Windows identifies the variables you defined.
6. Create a TNSNAMES.ora file and save it in to c:\oracle\instantclient_11_2. (Note:
An example of TNSNAMES.ora can be found at: http://www.orafaq.com/wiki/Tnsnames.ora)
7.
Install the SolarWinds Oracle Plug-in:
l Log in to the SolarWinds Customer Portal
l Click on Additional Components
l Click on Download Server & Application Monitor Components
l Click on the Oracle Client
l Run and install the OracleClientInstaller.exe file
Log in to SolarWinds and browse to the SAM Monitor:
l

Each application item was set up using a SERVICE_NAME point type,

with the database name as the Destination Port Name.
The User ID to be used for this test cannot be limited or restricted, otherwise it will return errors.
Test each component monitor.

Performance Counter Monitor

This component monitor reads Windows Performance Counter data using
Remote Procedure Calls (RPC) instead of Windows Management

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Chapter 34: Component Monitor Types

Instrumentation (WMI). All performance counters are assumed to exist within the
root/CIMV2 namespace.
This monitor uses RPC, requiring the following ports:
TCP/135; RPC/named pipes (NP) TCP 139, RPC/NP TCP 445, RPC/NP UDP
137, RPC/NP UDP 138
For information about troubleshooting Windows performance counters, refer to the
KB article How can I troubleshoot SolarWinds SAM performance monitoring and
Windows performance counters?
http://knowledgebase.solarwinds.com/kb/questions/2139
Statistic
The statistic for this component monitor is the performance counter
value.
Optionally, the statistic may be set as the difference in query values
between polling cycles by checking the option for Count statistic as
difference.
Note: the Count statistic as difference option is applicable only for
monitors whose counter value increases consistently during each
polling interval. Examples of when this option is not applicable include
cases such as the following:
l

Counter values sometimes increase and sometimes decrease

from one polling interval to another (typical behavior for many
counters)
Counter values consistently decrease from one polling interval
to another
In these cases where the option is not applicable, negative statistic data values will be replaced with zero (0), and the counter
monitor will show 0 as the statistic data value in resources and 0
as the value on statistic data charts for this interval.

1347

Performance Counter Monitor

${UserDescription}. For more information, see Configuring SolarWinds
SAM Alerts"
Component Type
Identifies the component type as a Performance Counter Monitor.
Enable Component
Determines whether the component is enabled. Disabling the component
leaves it in the application in a deactivated state not influencing either
SolarWinds SAM application availability or status.
Credential for Monitoring
Select a Windows credential that has RPC access to the target node. This
is typically a Windows administrator-level credential.
Count statistic as difference
This option changes the statistic to be the difference in counter values
between polling cycles.
Counter
Enter the name of the performance counter. For example:
%ProcessorTime.
Instance
Enter the instance name of the performance counter. For example: _Total.
If the performance counter has multiple instances, you can monitor each
instance separately by creating a Performance Counter Monitor for each
instance. For example, the performance counter %ProcessorTime has
two instances if you have a dual-CPU system: 0 for the first CPU and 1 for
the second CPU. You can create a separate Performance Counter Monitor
to monitor each instance of the counter.
Category
Enter the category of the performance counter. All performance counters are
assumed to exist within the root/CIMV2 namespace. For example:
Processor.
Convert Value
Checking the Convert Value check box opens the Formula box.
From here, you have the ability to manipulate the returned value with a

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Chapter 34: Component Monitor Types

variety of mathematical possibilities. You can choose common
functions from the drop down lists to manipulate the returned value, or
you can select the Custom Conversion option. For more information,
see "Conversion Value."
Statistic Warning Threshold
This field allows you to specify when a threshold that indicates a warning
level has been breached. Logical operators are in the drop down followed
by a blank field for you to enter the value of this threshold. For example:
Less than 15.
Statistic Critical Threshold
This field allows you to specify when a threshold that indicates a critical
level has been breached. Logical operators are in the drop down followed
by a blank field for you to enter the value of this threshold. For example:
Less than 5.
User Notes
This field allows you to add notes for easy reference. You can access this
field by using the variable, ${UserNotes}. For more information, see
Configuring SolarWinds SAM Alerts"

POP3 Monitor
This component monitor tests the ability of a POP3 server to accept incoming
connections and respond with the correct code.
This component monitor uses the following ports when used with a Microsoft
Exchange mail server:
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l

102
110
119
143
389
563
636
993
995

X.400 MTA
POP3
NNTP
IMAP4
LDAP
POP3 over SSL.
LDAP over SSL.
IMAP4 over SSL.
POP3 over SSL.

1349

POP3 Monitor
Statistic
This component monitor does not compute a statistic.
Field Descriptions:
Description
This field provides a default description of the monitor. You have the ability
to override the default description by adding to or replacing the text, which
will then be automatically saved. The variable to access this field is
${UserDescription}. For more information, see Configuring SolarWinds
SAM Alerts"
Enable Component
Determines whether the component is enabled. Disabling the component
leaves it in the application in a deactivated state not influencing either
SolarWinds SAM application availability or status.
Port Number
This field is the port number used for POP3 connections. The default value
is 110. For Secure POP3 (SSL-POP) use port 995.
Response Time Warning Threshold
This field allows you to set the warning threshold conditions based on the
response time. The response time is the time in milliseconds it takes
SolarWinds SAM to determine that a component is not Down and to retrieve
any statistical data.
Response Time Critical Threshold
This field allows you to set critical threshold conditions based on the
response time. The response time is the time in milliseconds it takes
SolarWinds SAM to determine that a component is not Down and to retrieve
any statistical data.
User Notes
This field allows you to add notes for easy reference. You can access this
field by using the variable, ${UserNotes}. For more information, see
Configuring SolarWinds SAM Alerts"

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POP3 User Experience Monitor

This component monitor tests an email round trip from your SMTP mail server to
your POP3 mail server and measures the time it takes to complete the trip. This
response time is measured in milliseconds.
Statistic
This component monitor does not compute a statistic.
Field Descriptions:
Description
This field provides a default description of the monitor. You have the ability
to override the default description by adding to or replacing the text, which
will then be automatically saved. The variable to access this field is
${UserDescription}. For more information, see Configuring SolarWinds
SAM Alerts"
Enable Component
Determines whether the component is enabled. Disabling the component
leaves it in the application in a deactivated state not influencing either
SolarWinds SAM application availability or status.
Credential for Monitoring
Select a credential that has sufficient access rights to retrieve email from the
POP3 server. If the credential you need is not already present in the
credentials list, use the Quick Credentials section to add a new credential.
Credentials used for this monitor should be the user for whom the mailbox
will be monitored.
Send Email From
This field allows you to specify the From address of the test email message.
Send Email To
This field allows you to specify the recipient of the test email message. The
recipient should have a mailbox on the POP3 server you are monitoring.
POP3 Port
This field is the port number used for POP3 sessions. The default value is
110. For Secure POP3 (SSL-POP) use port 995.
POP3 Encryption

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Process Monitor - SNMP

This list allows you to select an encryption protocol to connect to POP3
servers that support SSL or TLS encryption.
SMTP Server
This field allows you to specify the SMTP server that sends the test email
message.
SMTP Port
This field is the port number used for SMTP sessions. The default value is
25.
Use Credentials for SMTP
This check box allows you to use the user name and password from
Credentials for Monitoring to connect to SMTP servers that support or
require authentication.
SMTP Encryption
This list allows you to select an encryption protocol to connect to SMTP
servers that support SSL or TLS encryption.
Response Time Warning Threshold
This field allows you to set the warning threshold conditions based on the
response time. The response time is the time in milliseconds it takes
SolarWinds SAM to determine that a component is not Down and to retrieve
any statistical data.
Response Time Critical Threshold
This field allows you to set critical threshold conditions based on the
response time. The response time is the time in milliseconds it takes
SolarWinds SAM to determine that a component is not Down and to retrieve
any statistical data.
User Notes
This field allows you to add notes for easy reference. You can access this
field by using the variable, ${UserNotes}. For more information, see
Configuring SolarWinds SAM Alerts."

Process Monitor - SNMP

This component monitor uses SNMP communication to test if a specified process
is running, and reports the CPU and physical memory used by all instances of the

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process.
Statistic
This component monitor does not compute a statistic.
Field Descriptions:
Description
This field provides a default description of the monitor. You have the ability
to override the default description by adding to or replacing the text, which
will then be automatically saved. The variable to access this field is
${UserDescription}. For more information, see Configuring SolarWinds
SAM Alerts"
Enable Component
Determines whether the component is enabled. Disabling the component
leaves it in the application in a deactivated state not influencing either
SolarWinds SAM application availability or status.
Command Line Filter
This optional field allows you to select which instances of a process you
want to monitor, based on the command line arguments of the process. This
is a text match, and partial matches are also valid.
Example to monitor only instances launched with
myOption=NorthAmerica
Command Line Filter: myOption=NorthAmerica
Example to monitor any instances launched with America in any argument
Command Line Filter: America
Process Name
This field allows you to specify the process name you want to monitor. If you
do not know the process name, SolarWinds SAM can help you find
processes to monitor. For more information, see "Creating New Templates
Using the Browsing Method:
CPU Threshold

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Process Monitor - WMI

These fields allow you to set warning and critical threshold conditions
based on the percentage of CPU resources in use by the monitored
process.
Physical Memory Threshold
These fields allow you to set warning and critical threshold conditions
based on the amount of physical memory in use by the monitored process.
User Notes
This field allows you to add notes for easy reference. You can access this
field by using the variable, ${UserNotes}. For more information, see
Configuring SolarWinds SAM Alerts"

Process Monitor - WMI

This component monitor uses WMI or RPC communication to test if a specified
Windows process is running, and reports the CPU, virtual memory, and physical
memory used by all instances of the process.
The WMI Process Monitor retrieves two samples (after 5 seconds) from the
Win32_PerfRawData_PerfProc_Process class (PercentProcessorTime and
TimeStamp_Sys100NS properties). It then calculates the CPU usage from these
two samples.
Statistic
This component monitor does not compute a statistic.
Field Descriptions:
Description
This field provides a default description of the monitor. You have the ability
to override the default description by adding to or replacing the text, which
will then be automatically saved. The variable to access this field is
${UserDescription}. For more information, see Configuring SolarWinds
SAM Alerts"
Enable Component
Determines whether the component is enabled. Disabling the component
leaves it in the application in a deactivated state not influencing either
SolarWinds SAM application availability or status.
Credential for Monitoring

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Chapter 34: Component Monitor Types

Select a Windows credential that has WMI rights on the target node. This is
typically a Windows administrator-level credential. If the credential you need
is not already present in the credentials list, use the Quick Credentials
section to add a new credential.
Fetching Method
Select the Fetching Method (Communication Type):
l

WMI (Windows Management Instrumentation) Use WMI

communication to test if the specified Windows process is running.
RPC (Remote Procedure Call) Use RPC communication to
test if the specified Windows process is running.

Command Line Filter

This optional field allows you to select which instances of a process you
want to monitor, based on the command line arguments of the process. This
is a text match and partial matches are also valid.
Example to monitor only instances launched with
myOption=NorthAmerica
Command Line Filter: myOption=NorthAmerica
Example to monitor any instances launched with America in any argument
Command Line Filter: America
Process Name
This field allows you to specify the process name you want to monitor. If you
do not know the process name, SolarWinds SAM can help you find
processes to monitor using the Component Monitor Wizard wizard. For
more information, see "Creating New Templates Using the Browsing
Method:.
CPU Threshold
These fields allow you to set warning and critical threshold conditions
based on the percentage of CPU resources in use by the monitored
process.
Physical Memory Threshold

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RADIUS User Experience Monitor

These fields allow you to set warning and critical threshold conditions
based on the amount of physical memory in use by the monitored process.
Virtual Memory Threshold
These fields allow you to set warning and critical threshold conditions
based on the amount of virtual memory in use by the monitored process.
User Notes
This field allows you to add notes for easy reference. You can access this
field by using the variable, ${UserNotes}. For more information, see
Configuring SolarWinds SAM Alerts"

RADIUS User Experience Monitor

This component monitor uses synthetic transactions to test user authentication
through the RADIUS protocol. The synthetic transaction does the following:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Connect to server.
Send RADIUS credential and shared secret.
Validate response.
Measure response time.

Important: This component monitor will not work using an agent as the polling
method.
Statistic
This component monitor does not compute a statistic.
Field Descriptions:
Description
This field provides a default description of the monitor. You have the ability
to override the default description by adding to or replacing the text, which
will then be automatically saved. The variable to access this field is
${UserDescription}. For more information, see Configuring SolarWinds
SAM Alerts"
Enable Component
Determines whether the component is enabled. Disabling the component
leaves it in the application in a deactivated state not influencing either
SolarWinds SAM application availability or status.
Credential for Monitoring

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Select a RADIUS credential or create one in the Quick Credentials section.
Authentication Port Number
This field is the RADIUS protocol authentication port. The default value is
1812. Cisco devices may require port 1645.
Accounting Port Number
This field is the RADIUS protocol accounting port. The default value is
1813. Cisco devices may require port 1646.
Secret Key
This field is the RADIUS protocol shared key.
Response Time Threshold
These fields allow you to set warning and critical threshold conditions
based on the response time. The response time is the time in milliseconds it
takes SolarWinds SAM to determine that a component is not Down and to
retrieve any statistical data.
User Notes
This field allows you to add notes for easy reference. You can access this
field by using the variable, ${UserNotes}. For more information, see
Configuring SolarWinds SAM Alerts"

Service Status SNMP

This component monitor tests and reports the status of a service using SNMP.
Service statuses are:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Running
Continue Pending
Pause Pending
Paused

Statistic
The statistic for this component monitor is the value for one of the
reported statuses: 1-4.
Field Descriptions:
Description

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SMTP Monitor
This field provides a default description of the monitor. You have the ability
to override the default description by adding to or replacing the text, which
will then be automatically saved. The variable to access this field is
${UserDescription}. For more information, see Configuring SolarWinds
SAM Alerts"
Enable Component
Determines whether the component is enabled. Disabling the component
leaves it in the application in a deactivated state not influencing either
SolarWinds SAM application availability or status.
Net Service Display Name
This field is the Display name of the service to monitor. You can find the
Display name on Windows systems by clicking Start> Administrative
Tools> Services and then locating the desired service. The Display name
for the service is the value in the Name column.
Statistic Warning Threshold
This field allows you to specify when a threshold that indicates a warning
level has been breached. Logical operators are in the drop down followed
by a blank field for you to enter the value of this threshold. For example:
Less than 15.
Statistic Critical Threshold
This field allows you to specify when a threshold that indicates a critical
level has been breached. Logical operators are in the drop down followed
by a blank field for you to enter the value of this threshold. For example:
Less than 5.
User Notes
This field allows you to add notes for easy reference. You can access this
field by using the variable, ${UserNotes}. For more information, see
Configuring SolarWinds SAM Alerts"

SMTP Monitor
This component monitor tests the ability of an SMTP server to accept incoming
connections and respond with the correct code.

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Statistic
This component monitor does not compute a statistic.
Field Descriptions:
Description
This field provides a default description of the monitor. You have the ability
to override the default description by adding to or replacing the text, which
will then be automatically saved. The variable to access this field is
${UserDescription}. For more information, see Configuring SolarWinds
SAM Alerts"
Enable Component
Determines whether the component is enabled. Disabling the component
leaves it in the application in a deactivated state not influencing either
SolarWinds SAM application availability or status.
Port Number
This field is the port number used for SMTP connections. The default value
is 25. For Secure SMTP (SSMTP), use port 465.
Response Time Warning Threshold
This field allows you to set the Warning threshold conditions based on the
response time. The response time is the time in milliseconds it takes
SolarWinds SAM to determine that a component is not Down and to retrieve
any statistical data.
Response Time Critical Threshold
This field allows you to set critical threshold conditions based on the
response time. The response time is the time in milliseconds it takes
SolarWinds SAM to determine that a component is not Down and to retrieve
any statistical data.
User Notes
This field allows you to add notes for easy reference. You can access this
field by using the variable, ${UserNotes}. For more information, see
Configuring SolarWinds SAM Alerts"

1359

SNMP Monitor

SNMP Monitor
This component monitor uses the SNMP protocol to retrieve an entry in a
Management Information Base (MIB) by its Object Identifier (OID), and returns the
value of the entry as a statistic.
Statistic
Value of the entry retrieved from the MIB.
Field Descriptions:
Description
This field provides a default description of the monitor. You have the ability
to override the default description by adding to or replacing the text, which
will then be automatically saved. The variable to access this field is
${UserDescription}. For more information, see Configuring SolarWinds
SAM Alerts"
Component Type
Describes how the component monitor works.
Enable Component
Determines whether the component is enabled. Disabling the component
leaves it in the application in a deactivated state not influencing either
SolarWinds SAM application availability or status.
Method Type
Get - A manager-to-agent request to retrieve the value of a variable or list of
variables. Desired variables are specified in variable bindings (values are
not used). Retrieval of the specified variable values is to be done as an
atomic operation by the agent. A Response with current values is returned.
Get Next - A manager-to-agent request to discover available variables and
their values. Returns a Response with variable binding for the
lexicographically next variable in the MIB. The entire MIB of an agent can
be walked by iterative application of GetNextRequest starting at OID 0.
Rows of a table can be read by specifying column OIDs in the variable
bindings of the request.
Object Identifier (OID)
Specify the OID of the entry in the MIB you want to retrieve.

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Custom SNMP port (set to 0 to use default SNMP port)
This field is the port number of the custom SNMP port. Set this field to 0 to
use the default SNMP port defined in the Nodes properties.
Count Statistic as Difference
Changes the statistic to be the difference in query values between polling
cycles.
Convert Value
Checking the Convert Value check box opens the Formula box.
From here, you have the ability to manipulate the returned value with a
variety of mathematical possibilities. You can choose common
functions from the drop down lists to manipulate the returned value, or
you can select the Custom Conversion option. For more information,
see "Conversion Value."
Statistic Warning Threshold
This field allows you to specify when a threshold that indicates a warning
level has been breached. Logical operators are in the drop down followed
by a blank field for you to enter the value of this threshold. For example:
Less than 15.
Statistic Critical Threshold
This field allows you to specify when a threshold that indicates a critical
level has been breached. Logical operators are in the drop down followed
by a blank field for you to enter the value of this threshold. For example:
Less than 5.
User Notes
This field allows you to add notes for easy reference. You can access this
field by using the variable, ${UserNotes}. For more information, see
Configuring SolarWinds SAM Alerts"

SOAP Component Monitor

SOAP is a communication system that delivers and receives
messages/instructions.
Note: Currently, the SOAPmonitor within SAMcan detect the presence of a
string and return a status of either Up or Down.

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SOAP Component Monitor

Web Service Server URL: The http(s) address of web server.

For example: https://localhost:17778/SolarWinds/v3/OrionBasic

SOAPAction: Indicates the intent of the SOAP HTTP request.

For example: http://schemas.solarwinds.com/2007/08/informationservice/QueryXml

l
l

SOAPVersion: Select either 1.1 or 1.2 from the drop down list.
SOAPXML: This is the XMLenvelope.

Loading the SOAPXML from a WSDL displays the following

fields once the WSDL is successfully loaded:
l

Web Service Server URL: The http(s) address of web server.

For example: https://localhost:17778/SolarWinds/v3/OrionBasic

Binding: Displays the type of binding detected in the WSDL.

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Service Name: Displays the service name detected in the

WSDL.
Method Name: Displays the method name detected in the
WSDL.
Query: This is a dynamically generated field for Simple and
Complex method parameters where you can input values that
you can include as part of the SOAP message. (May not be
present depending upon the type of argument used.)
Parameters: This is a dynamically generated field for Simple
and Complex method parameters where you can input values
that you can include as part of the SOAP message. (May not be
present depending upon the type of argument used.)
Method Name Space: The unique identifier for the method. This
definitional information is extracted from the WSDL file.
Schema Name Space: The unique identifier for the schema.
This definitional information is extracted from the WSDL file.
SOAPAction: The unique name for the method itself. This definitional information is extracted from the WSDL file.
SOAPVersion: Displays the SOAPversion detected in the
WSDL. This definitional information is extracted from the WSDL
file.
SOAPXML: Content for this field is dynamically generated by
changing the other SOAP settings. This field serves for reviewing the envelope. Advanced users can edit the content in this
field.
For more information, see SOAP Monitor.

HTTPUser Agent
This identifies the client that is making the request. For example,
Google Chrome identifies itself as Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 6.2;
Win64; x64) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko)
Chrome/32.0.1667.0 Safari/537.36 Some web services may behave
differently based on the user agent.
HTTPContent Type
Indicates the format of the content of the message. With SOAP, this
can either be application/soap+xml or text/xml.
Accept Compression

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SOAP Component Monitor

Indicates to the server whether or not the client supports compression
of the data.
Certificate Subject
The subject of the certificate to match against.
Ignore CAErrors
Decide whether or not to ignore any errors verifying the Certificate
Authority. This can occur if the certificate is self-signed or if the
certificate was not installed correctly on the server.
Ignore CN Errors
Ignore Common Name error. This occurs when the Common Name of
the certificate does not match the name of the server that is in the
URL.
Use Proxy
This option allows you to tell the monitor whether or not it is going through a
proxy connection.
Proxy Address
Enter the address for the proxy connection, if enabled.
Search String
Allows you to enter a string to test for its presence.
Fail if Found
Select either Yes or No to determine if this monitor reports a status of Fail if
the string is found.
Response Time Threshold
Select and enter appropriate thresholds for Warning and Critical statuses.
For more information, see Application Monitor Thresholds.
User Notes
This field allows you to add notes for easy reference. You can access this
field by using the variable, ${UserNotes}. For more information, see
Configuring SolarWinds SAM Alerts.
For more information, see:

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l
l

SOAP Monitor
Web Service Monitoring

SQL Server User Experience Monitor

This component monitor uses synthetic transactions to test the abilities of a
Microsoft SQL Server database. The component monitor connects to the
database, performs a query, and then retrieves the data.
The SQL statement you use for this query must return a numerical value, not a
varchar.
Statistic
The statistic for this component monitor is the first row and column of
the data retrieved by the query. It must be a numerical value.
Field Descriptions:
Description
This field provides a default description of the monitor. You have the ability
to override the default description by adding to or replacing the text, which
will then be automatically saved. The variable to access this field is
${UserDescription}. For more information, see Configuring SolarWinds
SAM Alerts"
Enable Component
Determines whether the component is enabled. Disabling the component
leaves it in the application in a deactivated state not influencing either
SolarWinds SAM application availability or status.
Port Number
Select the Default Port or a Static Port from the drop down menu. If a static
port is chosen, only values between 1 and 65535 are acceptable. Typically,
port 1433 is used for this monitor.
Credential for Monitoring
Select a Windows credential or SQL Server credential that can access the
database. If the credential you need is not already present in the credentials
list, use the Quick Credentials section to add a new credential.
Sql Query

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SQL Server User Experience Monitor

This field allows you to specify the SQL query used to test the database.
The retrieved data is then used as the component monitor statistic. You may
enter up to 4000 characters.
SQL Server Instance
This field allows you to specify the SQL Server instance required to access
the SQL Server database. Enter only the instance name. Do not prefix the
instance name with the server name. To access the default instance, leave
this field blank.
Initial Catalog
This field allows you to specify the initial database (catalog) for the
connection.
Use Windows Authentication first, then SQL authentication
Select this check box to access a SQL Server that supports or requires
Windows Authentication, and specifies that the credential is a Windows
credential instead of a SQL Server credential.
Query Timeout
Allows you to specify when this query should timeout in seconds. The
default timeout period is 30 seconds.
Count Statistic as Difference
Changes the statistic to be the difference in query values between polling
cycles.
Convert Value
Checking the Convert Value check box opens the Formula box.
From here, you have the ability to manipulate the returned value with a
variety of mathematical possibilities. You can choose common
functions from the drop down lists to manipulate the returned value, or
you can select the Custom Conversion option. For more information,
see "Conversion Value."
Response Time Warning Threshold
This field allows you to set the warning threshold conditions based on the
response time. The response time is the time in milliseconds it takes
SolarWinds SAM to determine that a component is not Down and to retrieve
any statistical data.

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Response Time Critical Threshold
This field allows you to set critical threshold conditions based on the
response time. The response time is the time in milliseconds it takes
SolarWinds SAM to determine that a component is not Down and to retrieve
any statistical data.
Statistic Warning Threshold
This field allows you to specify when a threshold that indicates a warning
level has been breached. Logical operators are in the drop down followed
by a blank field for you to enter the value of this threshold. For example:
Less than 15.
Statistic Critical Threshold
This field allows you to specify when a threshold that indicates a critical
level has been breached. Logical operators are in the drop down followed
by a blank field for you to enter the value of this threshold. For example:
Less than 5.
User Notes
This field allows you to add notes for easy reference. You can access this
field by using the variable, ${UserNotes}. For more information, see
Configuring SolarWinds SAM Alerts"

SSL Certificate Expiration Date Monitor

This component monitor tests a web server's ability to accept incoming sessions
over a secure channel and then test the security certificate's expiration date.
Note: This monitor does not currently support proxies.
Field Descriptions:
Description
This field provides a default description of the monitor. You have the ability
to override the default description by adding to or replacing the text, which
will then be automatically saved. The variable to access this field is
${UserDescription}. For more information, see Configuring SolarWinds
SAM Alerts"
Enable Component

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SSL Certificate Expiration Date Monitor

Determines whether the component is enabled. Disabling the component
leaves it in the application in a deactivated state not influencing either
SolarWinds SAM application availability or status.
Port Number
The default value for this port is 443.
Convert Value
Checking the Convert Value check box opens the Formula box.
From here, you have the ability to manipulate the returned value with a
variety of mathematical possibilities. You can choose common
functions from the drop down lists to manipulate the returned value, or
you can select the Custom Conversion option. For more information,
see "Conversion Value."
Response Time Warning Threshold
This field allows you to set the warning threshold conditions based on the
response time. The response time is the time in milliseconds it takes
SolarWinds SAM to determine that a component is not Down and to retrieve
any statistical data.
Response Time Critical Threshold
This field allows you to set critical threshold conditions based on the
response time. The response time is the time in milliseconds it takes
SolarWinds SAM to determine that a component is not Down and to retrieve
any statistical data.
Statistic Warning Threshold
This field allows you to specify when a threshold that indicates a warning
level has been breached. Logical operators are in the drop down followed
by a blank field for you to enter the value of this threshold. For example:
Less than 15.
Statistic Critical Threshold
This field allows you to specify when a threshold that indicates a critical
level has been breached. Logical operators are in the drop down followed
by a blank field for you to enter the value of this threshold. For example:
Less than 5.
User Notes

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Chapter 34: Component Monitor Types

This field allows you to add notes for easy reference. You can access this
field by using the variable, ${UserNotes}. For more information, see
Configuring SolarWinds SAM Alerts"

TACACS+ User Experience Monitor

This component monitor uses synthetic transactions to test user authentication
through the TACACS+ protocol. The synthetic transaction does the following:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Connect to server.
Send TACACS+ credential and shared secret.
Validate response.
Measure response time.

1369

TCP Port Monitor

Response Time Warning Threshold
This field allows you to set the warning threshold conditions based on the
response time. The response time is the time in milliseconds it takes
SolarWinds SAM to determine that a component is not Down and to retrieve
any statistical data.
Response Time Critical Threshold
This field allows you to set critical threshold conditions based on the
response time. The response time is the time in milliseconds it takes
SolarWinds SAM to determine that a component is not Down and to retrieve
any statistical data.
User Notes
This field allows you to add notes for easy reference. You can access this
field by using the variable, ${UserNotes}. For more information, see
Configuring SolarWinds SAM Alerts"

TCP Port Monitor

This component monitor tests the ability of a TCP/IP-based service to accept
incoming sessions. The Monitor tries to establish a socket connection usingthe
Connect method of System.Net.Sockets.TcpClient classin the.NET framework.
The elapsed time for a connection is saved as Response Time in the result. More
information can be found at http://msdn.microsoft.com/enus/library/8s2yca91.aspx).
Statistic
This component monitor does not compute a statistic.
Field Descriptions:
Description
This field provides a default description of the monitor. You have the ability
to override the default description by adding to or replacing the text, which
will then be automatically saved. The variable to access this field is
${UserDescription}. For more information, see Configuring SolarWinds
SAM Alerts"
Enable Component

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Chapter 34: Component Monitor Types

Determines whether the component is enabled. Disabling the component
leaves it in the application in a deactivated state not influencing either
SolarWinds SAM application availability or status.
Port Number
This field is the TCP protocol connection port. The default value is 80.
Response Time Warning Threshold
This field allows you to set the warning threshold conditions based on the
response time. The response time is the time in milliseconds it takes
SolarWinds SAM to determine that a component is not Down and to retrieve
any statistical data.
Response Time Critical Threshold
This field allows you to set critical threshold conditions based on the
response time. The response time is the time in milliseconds it takes
SolarWinds SAM to determine that a component is not Down and to retrieve
any statistical data.
User Notes
This field allows you to add notes for easy reference. You can access this
field by using the variable, ${UserNotes}. For more information, see
Configuring SolarWinds SAM Alerts"

Tomcat Server Monitor

This component monitor collects server resource information from Apache
Tomcat servers by retrieving status information from http://{$IP}:{$PORT}
/manager/status/?XML=true.
Statistic
One of the following Tomcat variables as specified in the Tomcat
Variables Name field.
Free Memory
Amount of heap space currently available to the Java Virtual Machine.
Total Memory
Total memory currently allocated to the Java Virtual Machine heap space.
Max Memory

1371

Tomcat Server Monitor

Maximum size of the heap space not including the permanent generation
area.
Total Processing Time
Total processing time in milliseconds since server start.
Total Request Count
Total requests from server since server start.
Total Bytes Sent
Total bytes sent from server since server start.
Total Bytes Received
Total bytes sent to server since server start.
Total Error Count
Total error count from all request processors.
Field Descriptions:
Description
This field provides a default description of the monitor. You have the ability
to override the default description by adding to or replacing the text, which
will then be automatically saved. The variable to access this field is
${UserDescription}. For more information, see Configuring SolarWinds
SAM Alerts"
Enable Component
Determines whether the component is enabled. Disabling the component
leaves it in the application in a deactivated state not influencing either
SolarWinds SAM application availability or status.
Credential for Monitoring
Select a credential that can access the password-protected portion of the
web site. If the credential you need is not already present in the credentials
list, use the Quick Credentials section to add a new credential.
Port Number
This field allows you to specify the port number used by the web site. The
default value for this field is 8080.
Url

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Chapter 34: Component Monitor Types

Allows you to specify the URL you want to monitor. The SolarWinds SAM
variables ${IP} and ${PORT} contained in the default value for this field
attempts to monitor a web site at the IP address of the assigned node.
Tomcat Variables Name
Specifies the Tomcat server variable to monitor.
Convert Value
Checking the Convert Value check box opens the Formula box.
From here, you have the ability to manipulate the returned value with a
variety of mathematical possibilities. You can choose common
functions from the drop down lists to manipulate the returned value, or
you can select the Custom Conversion option. For more information,
see "Conversion Value."
Response Time Warning Threshold
This field allows you to set the warning threshold conditions based on the
response time. The response time is the time in milliseconds it takes
SolarWinds SAM to determine that a component is not Down and to retrieve
any statistical data.
Response Time Critical Threshold
This field allows you to set critical threshold conditions based on the
response time. The response time is the time in milliseconds it takes
SolarWinds SAM to determine that a component is not Down and to retrieve
any statistical data.
Statistic Warning Threshold
This field allows you to specify when a threshold that indicates a warning
level has been breached. Logical operators are in the drop down followed
by a blank field for you to enter the value of this threshold. For example:
Less than 15.
Statistic Critical Threshold
This field allows you to specify when a threshold that indicates a critical
level has been breached. Logical operators are in the drop down followed
by a blank field for you to enter the value of this threshold. For example:
Less than 5.
User Notes

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VMware Performance Counter Monitor

This field allows you to add notes for easy reference. You can access this
field by using the variable, ${UserNotes}. For more information, see
Configuring SolarWinds SAM Alerts"

VMware Performance Counter Monitor

The VMware Performance Counter monitor reads VMware performance counter
data using the VMware vSphere Web Services API.
The currently used vSphere Web Services API version is 4.0, which supports
vSphere 4.0 servers and also is compatible with previous releases of ESX/ESXi
and VirtualCenter Server, including the following:
l
l
l

ESX/ESXi 3.5.x or later

VirtualCenter Server 2.5 and VirtualCenter Server 2.0.x.
The vSphere Web Services SDK package includes WSDL files for
vSphere API 4.0, which is a superset of API versions starting with API 2.5,
and for VI API 2.0.
For an example of monitoring VMware performance counters, see Monitoring VMware Performance Counters on page 111.

Statistic
The statistic for this component monitor is the value of the
performance counter data retrieved by the VMware API.
Optionally, the statistic may be set as the difference in retrieved values
between polling cycles by checking the option for Count statistic as
difference.
Note: the Count statistic as difference option is applicable only for
monitors whose counter value increases consistently during each
polling interval. Examples of when this option is not applicable include
cases such as the following:
l

Counter values sometimes increase and sometimes decrease

from one polling interval to another (typical behavior for many
counters)
Counter values consistently decrease from one polling interval
to another

In these cases where the option is not applicable, negative statistic

data values will be replaced with zero (0), and the counter monitor will

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Chapter 34: Component Monitor Types

show 0 as the statistic data value in resources and 0 as the value on
statistic data charts for this interval.
Field Description:
Description
This field provides a default description of the monitor. You have the ability
to override the default description by adding to or replacing the text, which
will then be automatically saved. The variable to access this field is
${UserDescription}. For more information, see Configuring SolarWinds
SAM Alerts"
Component Type
Identifies the component type as a VMware Performance Counter Monitor.
Enable Component
Determines whether the component is enabled. Disabling the component
leaves it in the application in a deactivated state not influencing either
SolarWinds SAM application availability or status.
Credential for Monitoring
Select a VMware credential that can access the VMware API. This is
typically a vCenter/ESX Server administrator-level credential. If the
credential you need is not already present in the credentials list, use the
Quick Credentials section to add a new credential.
Note: Read-Only credentials are sufficient since VMware objects are
accessed solely in read-only mode.
Port Number
Port number to use for VMware API. The default is 443.
Url
URL to use for connecting to the VMware API.
Count Statistic as Difference
Changes the statistic to be the difference in query values between polling
cycles.
Entity Type
Select one of the following:
Cluster Compute Resource

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VMware Performance Counter Monitor

(Only applicable if you are monitoring VirtualCenter Server) Data
object that aggregates the computation resources of its associated
Host System objects into one single computation resource for use by
virtual machines. The cluster services such as HA (High Availability),
DRS (Distributed Resource Scheduling), and EVC (Enhanced
vMotion Compatibility), enhance the usefulness of this single
computation resource. This Entity Type is specific to vCenter systems.
Host System Managed object type that provides access to a virtualization host
platform.
Resource Pool Represents a set of physical resources which may be a
single host, a subset of a host's resources, or resources spanning multiple
hosts. You can subdivide Resource pools by creating child resource pools.
In order to run, a virtual machine must be associated as a child of a
resource pool. In a parent/child hierarchy of resource pools and virtual
machines, the root resource pool is the single resource pool that has no
parent pool.
Virtual Machine Managed object type for manipulating virtual machines,
including templates that can be repeatedly deployed as new virtual
machines. This object type provides methods for configuring and controlling a virtual machine.

Entity Name
Specifies the VMware entity name to monitor, for example VirtualMachine1.
For VMs, you can view these values using the VMware console.
This field may contain the special ${VMWARE_ENTITY_NAME} variable.
When the monitor runs, this variable will be resolved to the first available
entity on a target host with the desired Entity Type (for example, the first
Host System). For more information, refer to the Multiple systems case in
step 11 of the section Monitoring VMware Performance Counters on page
111.
Group
Specifies the VMware group to which the counter belongs, for example:
CPU, memory, and so forth.
Counter
Specifies the VMware counter to fetch, for example: coreUtilization, and so
forth.

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Chapter 34: Component Monitor Types

Note: Click Component Monitor Wizard on the SAM Settings page to
browse the counters available for monitoring, including their groups, rollup
types, and instance names. Then select one of the following component
monitor types, depending on what you want to monitor:
l

VMware ESX Performance Counter Monitor monitors performance counters for ESX servers
VMware vCenter Performance Counter Monitor monitors
performance counters for vCenter servers

Rollup Type
Specifies the way to roll up the VMware counter data, for example: average,
latest, summation, and so forth.
Instance
Specifies the instance to be fetched, for example: 0, 1, 2, and so forth.
Convert Value
Checking the Convert Value check box opens the Formula box.
From here, you have the ability to manipulate the returned value with a
variety of mathematical possibilities. You can choose common
functions from the drop down lists to manipulate the returned value, or
you can select the Custom Conversion option. For more information,
see "Conversion Value."
Statistic Warning Threshold
This field allows you to specify when a threshold that indicates a warning
level has been breached. Logical operators are in the drop down followed
by a blank field for you to enter the value of this threshold. For example:
Less than 15.
Statistic Critical Threshold
This field allows you to specify when a threshold that indicates a critical
level has been breached. Logical operators are in the drop down followed
by a blank field for you to enter the value of this threshold. For example:
Less than 5.
User Notes

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Web Link Monitor

This field allows you to add notes for easy reference. You can access this
field by using the variable, ${UserNotes}. For more information, see
Configuring SolarWinds SAM Alerts"

Web Link Monitor

This component monitor collects the number of broken or invalid links on a web
page.
Prerequisites: None
Credentials: None
Statistic
The number of broken or invalid links collected.
Field Descriptions:
Description
This field provides a default description of the monitor. You have the ability
to override the default description by adding to or replacing the text, which
will then be automatically saved. The variable to access this field is
${UserDescription}. For more information, see Configuring SolarWinds
SAM Alerts"
Enable Component
Determines whether the component is enabled. Disabling the component
leaves it in the application in a deactivated state not influencing either
SolarWinds SAM application availability or status.
Credential for Monitoring
Select a credential that can access the password-protected portion of the
web site. If the credential you need is not already present in the credentials
list, use the Quick Credentials section to add a new credential.
Url
Allows you to specify the URL you want to monitor. The SolarWinds SAM
variable ${IP} contained in the default value for this field attempts to monitor
a web site at the IP address of the assigned node.
Accept Compression
If checked, indicates that compression is supported.

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Chapter 34: Component Monitor Types

Exclusion Filter
Allows you to create an exclusion filter if there are links the component
monitor should not attempt to validate. It is a text matching filter.
Example that excludes any links to .png graphics files
Exclusion Filter: png
Ignore External Links
This option excludes external links from validation. External links are links
that do not link back to the same second-level domain as the original URL.
Convert Value
Checking the Convert Value check box opens the Formula box.
From here, you have the ability to manipulate the returned value with a
variety of mathematical possibilities. You can choose common
functions from the drop down lists to manipulate the returned value, or
you can select the Custom Conversion option. For more information,
see "Conversion Value."
Response Time Warning Threshold
This field allows you to set the warning threshold conditions based on the
response time. The response time is the time in milliseconds it takes
SolarWinds SAM to determine that a component is not Down and to retrieve
any statistical data.
Response Time Critical Threshold
This field allows you to set critical threshold conditions based on the
response time. The response time is the time in milliseconds it takes
SolarWinds SAM to determine that a component is not Down and to retrieve
any statistical data.
Statistic Warning Threshold
This field allows you to specify when a threshold that indicates a warning
level has been breached. Logical operators are in the drop down followed
by a blank field for you to enter the value of this threshold. For example:
Less than 15.
Statistic Critical Threshold
This field allows you to specify when a threshold that indicates a critical
level has been breached. Logical operators are in the drop down followed

1379

Windows Event Log Monitor

This component monitor can use both WMI and RPC communication to scan
Windows Event Logs for recent events matching your defined criteria. Events are
considered recent based on the age of the event as compared to the application
polling frequency. If a matching event is found, the component monitor changes
status.
The component monitor eventually returns to its original status as time passes so
you may not notice a matching event unless you create an alert to email you
when the component goes down.
This component monitor uses the following ports:
TCP/135; RPC/named pipes (NP) TCP 139, RPC/NP TCP 445, RPC/NP UDP
137, RPC/NP UDP 138
Statistic
The number of recent events matching your defined criteria.
Field Descriptions:
Description
This field provides a default description of the monitor. You have the ability
to override the default description by adding to or replacing the text, which
will then be automatically saved. The variable to access this field is
${UserDescription}. For more information, see Configuring SolarWinds
SAM Alerts"
Enable Component
Determines whether the component is enabled. Disabling the component
leaves it in the application in a deactivated state not influencing either
SolarWinds SAM application availability or status.
Credential for Monitoring

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Chapter 34: Component Monitor Types

Select a Windows credential that has access to the Windows event logs on
the target node. This is typically a Windows administrator-level credential. If
the credential you need is not already present in the credentials list, use the
Quick Credentials section to add a new credential.
Fetching Method
Select either WMI or RPC.
Note: RPC uses significantly more bandwidth than WMI.
Log to Monitor
Select Any Log to match events found in any log or select a specific log to
restrict your search. If the log you want is not listed, select Custom.
Custom Log to Monitor
Enter the log names as they appear in the Windows event log viewer.
Separate multiple log names with commas. Example: Internet
Explorer, SolarWinds.net
Match Definition
Select Any error in log generates a match if that is sufficient for your
needs, or select Custom to further restrict the match criteria.
Log Source
Enter a log source to further restrict the match criteria or leave the field
blank to match all possible log sources.
Event ID
Select the desired option to further restrict the match criteria for event
IDs or leave the field blank to find all possible event IDs:
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Find all IDs match all event IDs

Match only specific IDs match all event IDs listed (separate multiple IDs
with commas)
Note: When you use multiple event IDs separated by commas, the logic
used to combine these event IDs is OR, so all events that contain one of
the event IDs listed are matched.
Exclude specific IDs exclude all event IDs listed (separate multiple IDs
with commas)

Event Type

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Windows Event Log Monitor

Select Any Event to match any event type in the log, or select a
specific event type to further restrict the match criteria.
User who generated Events
Enter a user name to further restrict the match criteria. Leave this field
blank to match any users. Enter "N/A" to select only events with no
specific user.
Include events
Select With Keywords Below to specify keywords or phrases as the
match criteria. Select Matching Regular Expression Below to
specify regular expressions that match text that appears in the events.
For information about the regular expressions syntax, see .NET
Framework Regular Expressions, http://msdn.microsoft.com/enus/library/hs600312%28VS.80%29.aspx.
Exclude events
Select With Keywords Below to specify keywords or phrases as the
match criteria. Select Matching Regular Expression Below to
specify regular expressions that match text that appears in the events.
For information about the regular expressions syntax, see .NET
Framework Regular Expressions, http://msdn.microsoft.com/enus/library/hs600312%28VS.80%29.aspx.
Number of past polling intervals to search for events:
Enter the number of polling intervals worth of time you want to search
the event logs. For example, to always search the past 20 minutes of
event logs, you could set the application polling interval to five
minutes and then set the Number of Past Polling Intervals to four (4 x
5mins = 20mins). Fractional values are valid.
Collect Detailed Data of Matched Events
Message and other details of matched events will be available for
viewing and alerting when enabled.
If a match is found in a polling period, component is:

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Chapter 34: Component Monitor Types

Select whether a found match should set the component status to Up or
Down. You can also take action using the Based on Event Types, or Based
on Event Count options.
l

Based on Event Types: With this option, the result status of the component
monitor will never be down for a successful poll:
o Critical (When there is at least one event with a severity of Error or
FailureAudit.)
o Warning (When there is at least one event with a severity of Warning.)
o Up (When all matched events are either Informational or SuccessAudit.)
Based on Event Count: With this option, the status of the component monitor will never be down for a successful poll and the thresholds for the
returned value will be applied against the number of matched events.

Convert Value
Checking the Convert Value check box opens the Formula box.
From here, you have the ability to manipulate the returned value with a
variety of mathematical possibilities. You can choose common
functions from the drop down lists to manipulate the returned value, or
you can select the Custom Conversion option. For more information,
see "Conversion Value."
Statistic Warning Threshold
This field allows you to specify when a threshold that indicates a warning
level has been breached. Logical operators are in the drop down followed
by a blank field for you to enter the value of this threshold. For example:
Less than 15.
Statistic Critical Threshold
This field allows you to specify when a threshold that indicates a critical
level has been breached. Logical operators are in the drop down followed
by a blank field for you to enter the value of this threshold. For example:
Less than 5.
User Notes
This field allows you to add notes for easy reference. You can access this
field by using the variable, ${UserNotes}. For more information, see
Configuring SolarWinds SAM Alerts"

1383

Windows PowerShell Monitor

This component monitor runs a Windows PowerShell script on the SolarWinds
SAM server or a remote target node and then processes the script's exit code and
text output.
The Windows PowerShell Monitor requires Windows PowerShell 2.0. It does not
work with Windows PowerShell 1.0.
For an example of creating a Windows PowerShell Monitor, see Creating a
Windows PowerShell Monitor" on page 344.
If you are having trouble using the Windows PowerShell Monitor, see the
following KB article for some useful tips:
http://knowledgebase.solarwinds.com/kb/questions/2203
For information about Remote Execution, see Communicate with Remoting Host
Note: A maximum of 10 output pairs can be returned. If you exceed the maximum
allowed, remove the excess output pairs or they will simply be ignored.
Statistic
The statistic for this component monitor is the Statistic value returned
by the script.
Field Descriptions:
Description
This field provides a default description of the monitor. You have the ability
to override the default description by adding to or replacing the text, which
will then be automatically saved. The variable to access this field is
${UserDescription}. For more information, see Configuring SolarWinds
SAM Alerts"
Enable Component
Determines whether the component is enabled. Disabling the component
leaves it in the application in a deactivated state not influencing either
SolarWinds SAM application availability or status.
Credential for Monitoring
Select a Windows credential that is both a user who can log on to the
SolarWinds SAM server, and has sufficient rights on the target node to do
whatever the script needs to do. For example, if the script does something

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Chapter 34: Component Monitor Types

with WMI, the credentials also need WMI rights on the target node. If the
credential you need is not already present in the credentials list, use the
Quick Credentials section to add a new credential.
The PowerShell monitor handles requests from PowerShell for the
credentials to run the script and resolves them using the selected
Credential for Monitoring. However some PowerShell commands used in
scripts require the use of the ${CREDENTIAL} variable. See the note in the
Script Body section below regarding the use of the ${CREDENTIAL}
variable.
Execution Mode
This field allows you to specify where to run the PowerShell script:
Count Statistic as Difference
Changes the statistic to be the difference in query values between polling
cycles.
Run the script under specified account
Select this option to enable impersonation with the component's
credentials. (This works only in local script execution mode.)
l

l
l

Local Host can run scripts only locally, that is, on the
SolarWinds SAM server. This is the default value.
Remote Host can execute scripts remotely (on the selected target node) using the Windows Remote Management (WRM) system component. WRM should be configured separately to get it
working with the Windows PowerShell monitor.
If Remote Host is selected, the following options are available:
Use HTTPS Protocol if checked, specifies that the secure
HTTPS protocol should be used to send and receive WS-Management protocol requests and responses. Otherwise the HTTP
protocol is used.
URL Prefix specifies a URL prefix on which to accept HTTP
or HTTPS requests. The default is wsman.
Port Number specifies the TCP port for which this listener is
created. For WinRM 1.1 and earlier, the default HTTP port is 80.
For WinRM 2.0, the default HTTP port is 5985.

JScript

.js

Installed by default

PerlScript

.pls

Freeware

ooRexxScript

.rxs

Freeware

PythonScript

.pys

Freeware

TclScript

.tcls

Freeware

ActivePHPScript

.phps

Freeware

RubyScript

.rbs

Freeware

Object Rexx engine

Commercial

Delphi scripting engine

Commercial

Count Statistic as Difference

Changes the statistic to be the difference in query values between polling
cycles.
Script
This field allows you to enter the script you want to run on the target node.
To enter your script, click the Edit button that reveals the script editing
window.
Script Arguments
This field is in the script editing window and allows you to specify
arguments to pass to the script. You may include the variables ${IP},
${USER}, and ${PASSWORD}, which are replaced respectively by the IP
address of the target node, the credential user name, and the credential
password.
Body
This field is in the script editing window and allows you to enter your script
via typing or pasting.
User Notes
This field allows you to add notes for easy reference. You can access this
field by using the variable, ${UserNotes}. For more information, see
Configuring SolarWinds SAM Alerts"

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Chapter 34: Component Monitor Types

Windows Service Monitor

This component monitor uses WMI or RPC communication to test if a specified
Windows service is running, and reports the CPU, virtual memory, and physical
memory used by the service.
Statistic
This component monitor does not compute a statistic.
Field Descriptions
Description
This field provides a default description of the monitor. You have the ability
to override the default description by adding to or replacing the text, which
will then be automatically saved. The variable to access this field is
${UserDescription}. For more information, see Configuring SolarWinds
SAM Alerts"
Enable Component
Determines whether the component is enabled. Disabling the component
leaves it in the application in a deactivated state not influencing either
SolarWinds SAM application availability or status.
Credential for Monitoring
Select a Windows credential that has WMI rights on the target node. This is
typically a Windows administrator-level credential. If the credential you need
is not already present in the credentials list, use the Quick Credentials
section to add a new credential.
Fetching Method
Select the Fetching Method (Communication Type):
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WMI (Windows Management Instrumentation) Use WMI

communication to test if the specified Windows process is running.
RPC (Remote Procedure Call) Use RPC communication to
test if the specified Windows process is running.

SAM will poll the service state, and information about CPU/memory
usage will be retrieved using performance counters.
Net Service Name

1389

WMI Monitor
This field is the Service name of the service to monitor. You can find the
Service name on Windows systems by clicking Start> Administrative
Tools> Services and then locating the desired service. Right-click the
service and select Properties from the context menu. The Service name is
the value of the Service name field in the Properties dialog.
CPU Threshold
These fields allow you to set warning and critical threshold conditions
based on the percentage of CPU resources in use by the monitored
process.
Physical Memory Threshold
These fields allow you to set warning and critical threshold conditions
based on the percentage of physical memory in use by the monitored
process.
Virtual Memory Threshold
These fields allow you to set warning and critical threshold conditions
based on the percentage of virtual memory in use by the monitored process.
User Notes
This field allows you to add notes for easy reference. You can access this
field by using the variable, ${UserNotes}. For more information, see
Configuring SolarWinds SAM Alerts"

WMI Monitor
Formerly known as the WMI Performance Counter Monitor, this component
monitor uses WMI communication to obtain the result of a WMI Query Language
(WQL) query. The typical result retrieves the performance data calculated by WMI
providers such as the Windows operating system or Microsoft Exchange Server.
All WQL queries are run within the root/CIMV2 namespace.
Note: Named instances of SQL Server may have custom class names that do not
match the built-in templates. You must manually change the class name in any
WMI Monitor monitoring a named SQL Server instance. For example, if the
named instance is "NAMED, you must change Win32_PerfFormattedData_
MSSQLSERVER_SQLServerBufferManager to Win32_PerfFormattedData_
MSSQLNAMED_SQLNAMEDServerBufferManager.

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Chapter 34: Component Monitor Types

Statistic
The statistic for this component monitor is the value of the first row and
column of the data retrieved by the query.
Optionally, the statistic may be set as the difference in query values
between polling cycles by checking the option for Count statistic as
difference.
Note: the Count statistic as difference option is applicable only for
monitors whose counter value increases consistently during each
polling interval. Examples of when this option is not applicable include
cases such as the following:
l

Counter values sometimes increase and sometimes decrease

from one polling interval to another (typical behavior for many
counters)
Counter values consistently decrease from one polling interval
to another

In these cases where the option is not applicable, negative statistic

data values will be replaced with zero (0), and the counter monitor will
show 0 as the statistic data value in resources and 0 as the value on
statistic data charts for this interval.
Field Descriptions:
Description
This field provides a default description of the monitor. You have the ability
to override the default description by adding to or replacing the text, which
will then be automatically saved. The variable to access this field is
${UserDescription}. For more information, see Configuring SolarWinds
SAM Alerts"
Enable Component
Determines whether the component is enabled. Disabling the component
leaves it in the application in a deactivated state not influencing either
SolarWinds SAM application availability or status.
Credential for Monitoring
Select a Windows credential that has WMI rights on the target node. This is
typically a Windows administrator-level credential.

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WMI Monitor
WMI Namespace
Specifies the name of the namespace within which all WQL queries are run.
The default value is root\CIMV2.
WQL Query
Type the WQL query you want to run on the target node. This is typically a
performance counter Query, but it can be any WQL query. All WQL queries
are run within the root/CIMV2 namespace. The WQL query for this monitor
returns a numeric value. It will not report errors.
Count Statistic as Difference
Changes the statistic to be the difference in query values between polling
cycles.
Convert Value
Checking the Convert Value check box opens the Formula box.
From here, you have the ability to manipulate the returned value with a
variety of mathematical possibilities. You can choose common
functions from the drop down lists to manipulate the returned value, or
you can select the Custom Conversion option. For more information,
see "Conversion Value."
Statistic Warning Threshold
This field allows you to specify when a threshold that indicates a warning
level has been breached. Logical operators are in the drop down followed
by a blank field for you to enter the value of this threshold. For example:
Less than 15.
Statistic Critical Threshold
This field allows you to specify when a threshold that indicates a critical
level has been breached. Logical operators are in the drop down followed
by a blank field for you to enter the value of this threshold. For example:
Less than 5.
User Notes
This field allows you to add notes for easy reference. You can access this
field by using the variable, ${UserNotes}. For more information, see
Configuring SolarWinds SAM Alerts"

1392

Chapter 35:
Filter Syntax Reference
Filters are optional database queries that you can add limit the Orion objects
listed inside a resource. You can apply filters based on any Orion object property,
be it custom or pre-defined within a resource, to help you better interpret the
monitoring data shown in the resources.
To apply a resource filter:
1. Click Edit in any resource that lists Orion objects.
2. Click Show Filter Examples > Show List of Properties to list the properties you can use for the filter criteria
3. Provide appropriate filter criteria in the Filter Nodes field and then click Submit.

Filter Syntax
There are two slightly different filter syntax types: Structured Query Language
(SQL) syntax and SolarWinds Query Language (SWQL) syntax. The two main
differences between SQL and SWQL are:
l
l

The SWQL wildcard character is %. The SQL wildcard character is *.

If the resource you are trying to filter creates its list by joining two tables
together that contain properties that share the same name, you cannot filter
on that property unless you attach a particular SQL table name to the beginning of the property name. The same is true also for SWQL queries, except
you must look up the SWQL name and use that as a prefix insteadof a SQL
table name.

SQL or SWQL?
It is not always obvious whether a resource requires SQL syntax or SWQL syntax
filters. Generally, the resources that have most recently been added to
SolarWinds Orion use SWQL syntax, while the oldest ones require SQL syntax.

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Chapter 35: Filter Syntax Reference

Look for additional guidance at the bottom of the Edit Resource page in the form
of words such as "SWQL query" or "SQL query".

SWQL Filter Syntax Examples

Wildcards
The wildcard character in SWQL syntax is: %.
Example: Node.Caption Like 'AX3%'
Filtering by Custom Property
The property syntax to filter by custom property is:
dataType.CustomProperties.propertyName
Example filter to only show nodes with the custom property City that
matches Atlanta:
Node.CustomProperties.City = 'Atlanta'
Filtering by Built-in Properties
Use the SWQL table name for selecting properties for your queries.
Examples
Example filter to show data from Cisco devices: Node.Vendor =
'Cisco'

Example filter to show data from Windows Server 2003-2008

applications: Application.Name = 'Windows Server 2003-2008'
Example filter to show data from devices beginning with "AX3":
Node.Caption Like 'AX3%'

Example filter to show data from Process Monitor SNMP type

component monitors: Monitor.ComponentType = 8
Filtering by Status
To filter by the status property, you must know the valid status levels:
Level Status

1394

SQL Filter Syntax Examples

Unknown

Down

Warning

Critical
Example filter to only show monitors that are not down:
MonitorStatus.Availability<>2

SQL Filter Syntax Examples

Wildcards
The wildcard character in SQL syntax is: *.
Example: Node.Caption Like 'AX3*'
Filtering by Custom Property
The property syntax to filter by custom property is:
dataType.CustomProperty.propertyName
Example filter to only show nodes with the custom property City that
matches Atlanta:
Node.CustomProperty.City = 'Atlanta'
Examples
Example filter to show only Cisco devices: Vendor = 'Cisco'
Example filter to show data only from component monitors named
Server Load Monitor: Monitor.Name like 'Server Load Monitor'
Example filter to show data from devices beginning with "AX3":
Node.Caption Like 'AX3*'

Example filter to show only Nortel devices that are Down: Vendor Like
'Nortel*' AND Status=2

Filtering by Status
To filter by the status, you must know the valid status levels:

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Chapter 35: Filter Syntax Reference

Level Status
0

Unknown

Down

Warning

Critical
Example filter to only show monitors that are not down:
MonitorStatus.Availability<>2

SWQL Resource Matrix

The resource matrix helps you find the SWQL aliases you need to create filter
criteria for your resources. The SWIS entity names are provided so that you know
exactly how the SWQL alias maps to the SWIS entities in your SolarWinds
product databases.

EOC Filters
All Enterprise Operations Console (EOC) resources use SWQL filtering:
Alert Resource Filters
Resource

SQL Table Name SWQL Name

Global Last XX Active Alerts EOC.Alert2

EOC.Orion

Alert
Orion

Orion SAM Resource Filters

Resource

SQL Table Name

SWQL
Name

Global All Applications

EOC.APM.Application

EOC.APM.ApplicationTemplate

1396

EOC Filters

EOC.APM.CurrentApplicationStatus

CAS

EOC.Node

EOC.Orion

Orion

Global Application Health

Overview

EOC.APM.CurrentApplicationStatus

Status

EOC.Orion

Orion

Global Applications by Status

EOC.APM.Application

EOC.APM.ApplicationTemplate

EOC.APM.CurrentApplicationStatus

CASN.

EOC.Node

EOC.Orion

Orion

EOC.APM.Application

EOC.APM.ApplicationTemplate

EOC.APM.CurrentApplicationStatus

CAS

EOC.Node

EOC.Orion

Orion

EOC.APM.Application

EOC.APM.ApplicationTemplate

EOC.APM.CurrentApplicationStatus

CAS

EOC.Node

EOC.Orion

Orion

EOC.APM.Application

EOC.APM.ApplicationTemplate

EOC.APM.CurrentApplicationStatus

CAS

EOC.Node

EOC.Orion

Orion

EOC.APM.Application

Global Applications with High

Process CPU Load

Global Applications with High

Process Memory Used

Global Applications with High

Response Time

Global Down Applications

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Chapter 35: Filter Syntax Reference

EOC.Node

EOC.Orion

Orion

EOC.APM.Application

EOC.APM.ApplicationTemplate

EOC.APM.CurrentApplicationStatus

CAS

EOC.APM.CurrentStatistic

EOC.Node

EOC.Orion

Orion

EOC.APM.Application

EOC.APM.CurrentComponentStatus CCS
EOC.APM.CurrentStatistic

EOC.Node

EOC.Orion

Orion

EOC.APM.Application

EOC.APM.CurrentComponentStatus CCS
EOC.APM.CurrentStatistic

EOC.Node

EOC.Orion

Orion

EOC.APM.Application

EOC.APM.CurrentComponentStatus CCS
EOC.APM.CurrentStatistic

EOC.Node

EOC.Orion

Orion

EOC.APM.ApplicationTemplate

EOC.Orion

1398

EOC Filters
Events Filters
Resource

SQL Table Name SWQL Name

Global Events Summary EOC.Event

Global Last XX Events

Event

EOC.EventType

EventType

EOC.Orion

Orion

EOC.Event

Event

EOC.EventType

EventType

EOC Filters
Resource

SQL Table Name

SWQL
Name

Global Top XX Errors & Discards This Hour

EOC.Interface

EOC.Node

EOC.Orion

Orion

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Chapter 35: Filter Syntax Reference

Global Top XX Error & Discards Today

EOC.Interface

EOC.Node

EOC.Orion

Orion

EOC.Interface

EOC.Node

Node

EOC.Orion

Orion

EOC.Interface

EOC.Node

EOC.Orion

Orion

EOC.Interface

EOC.Node

Node

EOC.Orion

Orion

Global Top XX Nodes by Average Response

Time

EOC.Node

Node

EOC.Orion

Orion

EOC.Node

EOC.Orion

Orion

Global Top XX Interfaces by percent

utilization

Global Top XX Interfaces by Relative

Multicast Packet Rate

Global Top XX Interfaces by Traffic

EOC.Volume.Stats VS

1400

EOC Filters
IP SLA Filters
Resource

SQL Table Name

SWQL Name

Global Active IP SLA

Operation Alerts

EOC.AlertStatus

AlertStatus

EOC.AlertDefinition

AlertDefinition

EOC.IpSla.Operation

IpSlaOperation

EOC.IpSla.OperationType

IpSlaOperationType

EOC.Orion

Orion

EOC.AlertStatus

AlertStatus

EOC.AlertDefinition

AlertDefinition

EOC.IpSla.Operation

IpSlaOperation

Global All IP SLA

Operations

EOC.IpSla.OperationStatus ipSlaOperationStatus

Global Top XX Call

Paths by Jitter

Global Top XX Call

Paths by Latency

EOC.IpSla.OperationType

IpSlaOperationType

EOC.IpSla.Site

SourceSite

EOC.IpSla.Site

TargetSite

EOC.Node

Node

EOC.Orion

Orion

EOC.Node

EOC.Orion

EOC.Voip.Link

EOC.Voip.Site

EOC.Voip.UdpResultDetail

EOC.Node

EOC.Orion

EOC.Voip.Link

1401

Chapter 35: Filter Syntax Reference

Global Top XX Call

Paths by MOS

Global Top XX Call

Paths by Packet Loss

Global VoIP Call

Managers

Global VoIP Call Paths

EOC.Voip.Site

EOC.Voip.UdpResultDetail

EOC.Node

EOC.Orion

EOC.Voip.Link

EOC.Voip.Site

EOC.Voip.UdpResultDetail

EOC.Node

EOC.Orion

EOC.Voip.Link

EOC.Voip.Site

EOC.Voip.UdpResultDetail

EOC.Node

EOC.Orion

EOC.Voip.CCMStatistic

EOC.Node

EOC.Orion

EOC.Voip.Link

EOC.Voip.Site

EOC.Voip.UdpResultDetail

1402

EOC Filters

Global VoIP Collector

Services

EOC.Orion

EOC.Voip.Engine

Global VoIP Sites

Overview

EOC.Node

EOC.Orion

EOC.Voip.Link

EOC.Voip.Site

EOC.Voip.UdpResultDetail

NCM Filters
Resource

SQL Table Name

SWQL Name

Global Configuration
Manager Nodes

EOC.NCM.ConfigArchive

ConfigArchive

EOC.NCM.Nodes

NCMNode

EOC.Node

Node

EOC.Orion

Orion

EOC.NCM.ConfigArchive

ConfigArchive

EOC.NCM.Nodes

NCMNode

EOC.Node

Node

EOC.Orion

Orion

EOC.NCM.CacheDiffResults

CacheDiffResults

Global Devices Backed

Up vs Not Backed Up

Global Last XX Config

Changes

EOC.NCM.ComparisonCache ComparisonCache
EOC.NCM.Nodes

NCMNode

EOC.Node

Node

EOC.Orion

Orion

1403

Chapter 35: Filter Syntax Reference

NTA Filters
Resource

SQL Table Name

Global Last XX Traffic Analysis Events EOC.Event

Global NetFlow Sources

SWQL Name
EventType

EOC.EventType

Event

EOC.Node

Node

EOC.Orion

Orion

EOC.Interface

EOC.Node

Node

EOC.Orion

Orion

EOC.Interface

EOC.Node

Node

EOC.Orion

Orion

EOC.Node

Node

Global Down Nodes

Global High Errors &

Discards Today

Global Node Status by

Site

EOC.Node.CustomProperty NodeCustomProperty
EOC.Orion

Orion

Global Nodes with High

CPU Load

EOC.Node

Node

EOC.Orion

Orion

with Problems

EOC.Node

Node

Global Volumes with

High Percent usage

EOC.Node.CustomProperty NodeCustomProperty
EOC.Orion

Orion

EOC.Node

1405

Chapter 35: Filter Syntax Reference

Orion Summary
Statistics

EOC.Orion

Orion

EOC.Volume

EOC.Orion

SysLog Filters
Resource

SQL Table Name SWQL Name

SysLog Summary EOC.Orion

EOC.SysLog

Orion
SysLog

Trap Filters
Resource

SQL Table Name SWQL Name

Global Trap Resource EOC.Orion

Orion

EOC.Trap

Trap

IVIM Filters
All Integrated Virtual Infrastructure Management (IVIM) resources use SWQL
filtering:
Virtualization Summary
Resource

SQL Table
Name

Top 10 VMware Hosts by Percent Memory

Used

Orion.VIM.Hosts h

Top 10 VMware Hosts by Network Utilization

Orion.VIM.Hosts hosts

Orion.Nodes

1406

SWQL
Name

IVIM Filters

Top 10 VMware Hosts by CPU Load

Orion.VIM.Hosts h
Orion.Nodes

Top 10 VMware Hosts by Number of Running

VMs

Orion.VIM.Hosts hosts
Orion.Nodes

nodes

Resource

SQL Table
Name

SWQL
Name

Top 10 VMware Hosts by Percent Memory

Used

Orion.VIM.Hosts hosts

Top 10 VMware Hosts by Network Utilization

Orion.VIM.Hosts hosts

Datacenter Details

Orion.Nodes

Orion.Nodes
Top 10 VMware Hosts by CPU Load

nodes

Orion.VIM.Hosts hosts
Orion.Nodes

Top 10 VMware Hosts by Number of Running

VMs

nodes

Orion.VIM.Hosts hosts
Orion.Nodes

nodes

Cluster Details
Resource

SQL Table Name

Top 10 Managed VMware Guests by

Current Response Time

Orion.VIM.VirtualMachines vms

Top 10 Managed VMware Guests by

Percent Memory Used

SWQL
Name

Orion.VIM.Hosts

hosts

Orion.Nodes

nodes

Orion.NodesStats

stats

Orion.VIM.VirtualMachines vms
Orion.VIM.Hosts

hosts

Orion.Nodes

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Chapter 35: Filter Syntax Reference

Top 10 Managed VMware Guests by

Top XX
Processes by
CPU Load

Top XX
Processes by
Physical
Memory

Top XX
Processes by

APM_ComponentExt

Monitor

APM_Application

Application

APM_CurrentApplicationStatus

ApplicationStatus

APM_ThresholdsByComponent

thresholdRT

APM_ThresholdsByComponent

thresholdStat

APM_ErrorCode

APM_StatusCodeType

sct

APM_StatusCode

APM_CurrentComponentStatus

MonitorStatus

APM_PortEvidence

APM_ComponentExt

Monitor

APM_Application

Application

APM_CurrentApplicationStatus

ApplicationStatus

APM_ThresholdsByComponent

Threshold

APM_CurrentComponentStatus

MonitorStatus

APM_PortEvidence

APM_ComponentExt

Monitor

APM_Application

Application

APM_CurrentApplicationStatus

ApplicationStatus

APM_CurrentComponentStatus

MonitorStatus

APM_PortEvidence

APM_ComponentExt

Monitor

APM_Application

Application

APM_CurrentApplicationStatus

ApplicationStatus

APM_ThresholdsByComponent

Threshold

APM_CurrentComponentStatus

MonitorStatus

APM_PortEvidence

1409

Chapter 35: Filter Syntax Reference

Virtual Memory

APM_ComponentExt

Monitor

APM_Application

Application

APM_CurrentApplicationStatus

ApplicationStatus

APM_ThresholdsByComponent

Threshold

Adding a JMX Component Monitor to SAM

Creating a standard template for this monitor is not practical because of the
amount of variables in any one specific environment. However, adding a JMX
monitor to your environment has been made simple with the use of a wizard
driven interface. The JMX wizard will automatically reveal the MBeans available
for monitoring.
Important: Polling via the JMX Component Monitor is not supported using an
agent.
To add a JMX Monitor to a node using the wizard:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

From the web console, click SAM Settings.

Click Component Monitor Wizard.
Select JMX Monitor from the drop down list.
Click Browse to find the node you want to monitor.
Choose a credential from the Credential Library or create a new one using
the Username and Password fields.
Note: For step 6, the defaults are sufficient for most environments. If they
are not, you can change them to suit your environment.

1414

Adding a JMX Component Monitor to SAM

6. Add the Port number, Protocol type, URL path, and Credentials for the
remaining fields.

7. Click Next. The following MBean selection screen appears:

Note: Only values that return numerical data can be monitored. String data
is not supported at this time. Non-numerical data will be shown without a
check box when selecting MBeans to poll from within SAM, as illustrated

1415

Configuring and Integrating

below:

8. Expand the folders by clicking the arrows (or [+]) to expand the tree-view
folder structure. From here you can drill down to select the attributes you
want by checking them.
9. Click Next.
Now you are able to edit the JMX Component Monitor properties. Following is an
illustration of how polled MBeans will look when successfully added and
implemented within SAM:

1416

Configuring Java Applications Servers for JMX

If you choose not to use the wizard, you must manually enter values for each JMX
monitor, as shown in the illustration below. Entering the correct information can
be complicated and cumbersome. This method is best suited for an administrator
who is very familiar with the Java environment.

Configuring Java Applications Servers for JMX

The SAM Java application Server (JMX) template allows you to monitor vital
statistics from Java Virtual Machines (JVM). Before assigning the template to a
node with a JVM you want to monitor, you must configure the target JVM to accept
remote JMX queries.
The sections that follow discuss how to configure JVM servers for JMX monitoring
including those that are embedded with JBoss, Glassfish, IBM Websphere, and
Oracle Weblogic. Configuration instructions are given for both Linux and Microsoft
Windows operating systems.
l
l
l
l

Explaining Java arguments.

Configuring a Standalone Java Virtual Machine
Configuring JBoss (tested on versions 6.1)
Configuring GlassFish (tested on version 3.1)

1417

Configuring and Integrating

l
l

Configuring IBM WebSphere (tested on version 8.0)

Configuring Oracle WebLogic (tested on version 12)

Java Arguments
For enabling remote JMX monitoring, the following Java arguments will be used:
-Djava.rmi.server.hostname=192.168.0.236

This line indicates the IP address the RMI server will use. Type your server IP
address here.
-Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote

This line enables remote JMX monitoring.

-Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote.port=8686

This line indicates which port the JMX module will use to accept JMX
connections.
-Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote.ssl=false

This line indicates whether or not SSL is used.

-Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote.authenticate=true

This line indicates whether or not authentication is used. Use of authentication is

recommended. If you do not want to use authentication, you should change the
value to false.
Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote.password.file=c:\jmxremote.passwo
rd

This line indicates where the passwords file is stored. Do not add this line if you
are not using authentication.
-Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote.access.file=c:\jmxremote.access

This line indicates where the access file is stored. Do not add this line if you are
not using authentication.
More information can be found at the following website:
http://docs.oracle.com/javase/1.5.0/docs/guide/management/agent.html.
Configuring a Standalone Java Virtual Machine
Windows:
1. Download the JDK from the Oracle website:
http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/downloads/index.html

1418

Configuring Java Applications Servers for JMX

2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

(tested on JDK 1.7.0, update version 3).

Install the JDK.
On the license agreement page, read and accept the license, and then click
Next.
Click Change to change the installation directory to C:\Program
Files\Java\jdk1.7.0_3, and then click OK.
Click Next.
Click Finish to exit the installer.
Add a variable to the system with its path pointing to the JDK installation
folder.

For example:
Variable name: JAVA_HOME
Variable value: C:\Program Files\Java\jdk1.7.0_3
Note: If you want to run Java commands from the command line, you should add
the JDK installation path to the PATH variable.
If you plan to use JMX authentication, follow steps 8-12:
8. Navigate to the %JAVA_HOME%\jre\lib\management folder.
9. Rename the jmxremote.password.templatefile to
jmxremote.password. Edit jmxremote.password by replacing/adding its
content with the following: samuser somepasswd
where samuser is the user for the JVM monitored from SAM and
somepasswd is the password.
10. Edit jmxremote.access by replacing/adding its content with the following:
samuser readonly

where samuser is user for the JVM monitored and readonly gives this read
only permissions.
11. Copy jmxremote.access and jmxremote.password to a folder, for
example c:\jmxremote\.
12. Grant access to the jmxremote.password file only for the Administrator. To
grant access only for the Administrator, refer to this topic at the following
location:
http://download.oracle.com/javase/6/docs/technotes/guides/management/se
curity-windows.html
Linux:

1419

Configuring and Integrating

1. Download the JDK from the Oracle website:
http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/downloads/index.html
(tested on JDK SE 6, update version 24).
2. Unpack and run the JDK. In this case, the JDK was installed into the
/usr/java/jdk1.7.0_3 folder.
3. Move this folder to /usr/local.
4. In the /usr/local/directory, create a symbolic link to jdk1.7.0_3 named
Java. Now the JDK is installed in /usr/local/jdk1.7.0_3 and linked to
/usr/local/java.
5. Add the /usr/local/java/bin folder to the system path. (If it is only for
your account, add it in .bash_profile file in your home directory). In
Slackware, it should be in the .profile file. To make it a system wide
environment, add it in the /etc/profile.
6. Edit a line in .bash_profile to be similar to:
PATH=$PATH:$HOME/bin:/usr/local/java/bin. The path will be

automatically set at boot time. To set the path immediately, use the following
command: $ export PATH=$PATH:/usr/local/java/bin
7. Add a variable to the system with the path pointing to the JDK installation
folder.
8. Add the following lines to the /etc/profile file. Syntax dependencies
may be different in various Linux distributions. This example is shown for
the CentOS system:
export JAVA_HOME=/usr/java/jdk1.7.0_3
export PATH=$PATH:/usr/java/jdk1.7.0_3

To set this immediately, run the export commands in your shell, or, logout then log
back in to your system.
If you use JMX authentication follow the steps 9-13.
9. Go to the $JAVA_HOME/jre/lib/management folder and rename the
jmxremote.password.template file to jmxremote.password.
10. Edit jmxremote.password by replacing/adding its content with the
following:
samuser somepasswd
where samuser is the user for the JVM monitored from SAM and
somepasswd is the password.
11. Edit jmxremote.access by replacing/adding its content with the following:
samuser readonly

1420

Configuring Java Applications Servers for JMX

where samuser is user for the JVM monitored and readonly gives this
read only permissions.
12. Copy jmxremote.access and jmxremote.password to a folder, for
example /jmxremote/.
13. Grant access to the jmxremote.password file only for the root user. Run
the following commands as the root user in your shell:
# chown root.root $JAVA_
HOME/jre/lib/management/jmxremote.password
# chmod 600 $JAVA_
HOME/jre/lib/management/jmxremote.password

Testing a Standalone JVM

You can test that your JVM can respond to JMX queries by adding the following to
the java command line. This will enable JMX on port 8686 using authentication:
-Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote.port=8686 Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote.ssl=false Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote.authenticate=true Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote.password.file="c:\jmxremote\jmxre
mote.password" Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote.access.file="c:\jmxremote\jmxremo
te.access"

For example:
java -Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote.port=8686 Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote.ssl=false Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote.authenticate=true Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote.password.file="c:\jmxremote\jmxre
mote.password" Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote.access.file="c:\jmxremote\jmxremo
te.access"some_java_applet

In a separate window/shell, run the following command to test JMX and the JDK
configurations:
%JAVA_HOME%\jdk1.7.0_3\bin\jconsole

1421

Configuring and Integrating

In the jconsole window, select Remote Process, type 127.0.0.1:8686 and
provide Username: sam and Password: somepasswd. After a successful
connection, you will be able to see different monitoring statistics.
Configuring JBoss (tested on version 6.1)
Windows Command Line:
1. Edit %JBOSS_HOME%\bin\run.bat by adding the following lines (where
%JBOSS_HOME% is the path to your JBoss installation):
set "JAVA_OPTS=%JAVA_OPTS% Djavax.management.builder.initial=org.jboss.system.server.j
mx.MBeanServerBuilderImpl"
set "JAVA_OPTS=%JAVA_OPTS% -Djboss.platform.mbeanserver"
set "JAVA_OPTS=%JAVA_OPTS% Djava.rmi.server.hostname=192.168.0.236"
set "JAVA_OPTS=%JAVA_OPTS% Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote.port=8686"
set "JAVA_OPTS=%JAVA_OPTS% Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote.ssl=false"
set "JAVA_OPTS=%JAVA_OPTS% Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote.authenticate=true"
set "JAVA_OPTS=%JAVA_OPTS% Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote.password.file="c:\jmxremote\j
mxremote.password""
set "JAVA_OPTS=%JAVA_OPTS% Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote.access.file="c:\jmxremote\jmx
remote.access""
where 192.168.0.236 is the IP address of the JBoss server.

The above lines should go before the following section:

===============================================================
======
echo.
echo JBoss Bootstrap Environment
echo.
echo JBOSS_HOME: %JBOSS_HOME%
echo.
echo JAVA: %JAVA%
echo.

1422

Configuring Java Applications Servers for JMX

echo JAVA_OPTS: %JAVA_OPTS%
echo.
echo CLASSPATH: %JBOSS_CLASSPATH%
echo.

===============================================================
======
2. Start JBoss by running %JBOSS_HOME%\bin\run.bat.
Linux:
1. Edit $JBOSS_HOME/bin/run.sh by adding the following lines (where
$JBOSS_HOME$ is the path to your JBoss installation):
JAVA_OPTS="$JAVA_OPTS Djavax.management.builder.initial=org.jboss.system.server.j
mx.MBeanServerBuilderImpl"
JAVA_OPTS="$JAVA_OPTS -Djboss.platform.mbeanserver"
JAVA_OPTS="$JAVA_OPTS Djava.rmi.server.hostname=192.168.0.236"
JAVA_OPTS="$JAVA_OPTS Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote.port=8686"
JAVA_OPTS="$JAVA_OPTS Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote.ssl=false"
JAVA_OPTS="$JAVA_OPTS Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote.authenticate=true"
JAVA_OPTS="$JAVA_OPTS Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote.password.file="
/jmxremote/jmxremote.password""
JAVA_OPTS="$JAVA_OPTS Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote.access.file=/jmxremote/jmxrem
ote.access""
where 192.168.0.236 is the IP address of JBoss server.

The above lines should go before the following section:

# Display our environment
echo
"==============================================================
==========="
echo ""
echo " JBoss Bootstrap Environment"
echo ""

1423

Configuring and Integrating

echo " JBOSS_HOME: $JBOSS_HOME"
echo ""
echo " JAVA: $JAVA"
echo ""
echo " JAVA_OPTS: $JAVA_OPTS"
echo ""
echo " CLASSPATH: $JBOSS_CLASSPATH"
echo ""
echo
"==============================================================
==========="
echo ""

2. Run JBoss by running $JBOSS_HOME/bin/run.sh.

Configuring GlassFish (tested on version 3.1)
1. Run the GlassFish Application Server.
2. Open a web browser and then navigate to: http://hostname:4848where
hostname which is the name of your GlassFish server.
3. In the left panel, click Configurations: server-config.
4. In the main window, click JVM settings.
5. Click the JVM Options tab.
6. Click Add JVM Option and then type: Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote
in the blank field.
7. Click Add JVM Option and then type:
Djava.rmi.server.hostname=192.168.0.236 in the blank field, where
192.168.0.236 is IP address of GlassFish server.
8. Click Add JVM Option and then type:
Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote.port=8686 in the blank field.
9. Click Add JVM Option and then type:
Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote.ssl=false in the blank field.
10. Click Add JVM Option and then type:
Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote.authenticate=true in the blank
field.
11. Click Add JVM Option and then type:
Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote.password.file="c:/jmxremote/j
mxremote.password" in the blank field.

1424

Configuring Java Applications Servers for JMX

12. Click Add JVM Option and then type:
Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote.access.file="
c:/jmxremote/jmxremote.access" in the blank field.

13. Click Save.

14. Restart the GlassFish server.
Configuring IBM WebSphere (tested on version 8.0)
1. Run the IBM WebSphere Application Server.
2. Open a web browser and then navigate to: https://hostname:9043
where hostname is the name of the IBM WebSphere server.
3. In the left panel, click Expand Servers and Server types.
4. Click WebSphere Application Servers.
5. In the main window, click your server.
6. In the Server Infrastructure section, expand Java and Process
Management.
7. Click Process Definition.
8. In the Additional Properties section, click Java Virtual Machine.
9. In Generic JVM Arguments, add the following (Warning: This will enable
JMX without authentication):
-Djavax.management.builder.initial= Djava.rmi.server.hostname=192.168.0.236 Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote.port=8686 Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote.ssl=false Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote.authenticate=false

10.
11.
12.
13.

Click OK.
Click, Save and then click OK.
Click Save.
Restart the IBM WebSphere Application Server.

If you have errors after these configuration changes, you can manually
change/restore the configuration. These changes are stored in the following file:
%WEBSPHERE_HOME%\profiles\your_profile\config\cells\your_
cell\nodes\your_node\servers\your_server\server.xml

Configuring Oracle WebLogic (tested on version 12)

1425

Configuring and Integrating

Windows:
1. Edit the following file:
%MIDDLEWARE_HOME%\user_projects\domains\<your_
domain>\bin\startWebLogic.cmd
where %MIDDLEWARE_HOME% is the path to your WebLogic installation, by

adding the following lines:

set "JAVA_OPTIONS=%JAVA_OPTIONS% Djavax.management.builder.initial=weblogic.management.jmx.m
beanserver.WLSMBeanServerBuilder"
set "JAVA_OPTIONS=%JAVA_OPTIONS% Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote"
set "JAVA_OPTIONS=%JAVA_OPTIONS% Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote.port=8686"
set "JAVA_OPTIONS=%JAVA_OPTIONS% Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote.ssl=false"
set "JAVA_OPTIONS=%JAVA_OPTIONS% Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote.authenticate=true"
set "JAVA_OPTIONS=%JAVA_OPTIONS% Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote.password.file="c:\jmxremote\j
mxremote.password""
set "JAVA_OPTIONS=%JAVA_OPTIONS% Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote.access.file="
c:\jmxremote\jmxremote.access""

The result should resemble:

call "%DOMAIN_HOME%\bin\setDomainEnv.cmd" %*
set "JAVA_OPTIONS=%JAVA_OPTIONS% Djavax.management.builder.initial=weblogic.management.jmx.mbean
server.WLSMBeanServerBuilder"
set "JAVA_OPTIONS=%JAVA_OPTIONS% -Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote"
set "JAVA_OPTIONS=%JAVA_OPTIONS% Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote.port=8686"
set "JAVA_OPTIONS=%JAVA_OPTIONS% Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote.ssl=false"
set "JAVA_OPTIONS=%JAVA_OPTIONS% Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote.authenticate=true"
set "JAVA_OPTIONS=%JAVA_OPTIONS% Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote.password.file="

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Configuring Java Applications Servers for JMX

c:\jmxremote\jmxremote.password""
set "JAVA_OPTIONS=%JAVA_OPTIONS% Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote.access.file="
c:\jmxremote\jmxremote.access""
set SAVE_JAVA_OPTIONS=%JAVA_OPTIONS%

Warning: This file is created by the Configuration Wizard. Your changes to this
script will be lost the next time you use the configuration wizard.
2. Restart the WebLogic Server.
Linux:
1. Edit the following file:
$MIDDLEWARE_HOME/user_projects/domains/<your_
domain>/bin/startWebLogic.sh
where $MIDDLEWARE_HOME is the path to your WebLogic installation, by

adding the following lines:

JAVA_OPTIONS="$JAVA_OPTIONSDjavax.management.builder.initial=weblogic.management.jmx.m
beanserver.WLSMBeanServerBuilder"
JAVA_OPTIONS="$JAVA_OPTIONS -Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote"
JAVA_OPTIONS="$JAVA_OPTIONSDcom.sun.management.jmxremote.port=8686"
JAVA_OPTIONS="$JAVA_OPTIONSDcom.sun.management.jmxremote.ssl=false"
JAVA_OPTIONS="$JAVA_OPTIONSDcom.sun.management.jmxremote.authenticate=true"
JAVA_OPTIONS="$JAVA_OPTIONSDcom.sun.management.jmxremote.password.file="/jmxremote/jmx
remote.password""
JAVA_OPTIONS="$JAVA_OPTIONSDcom.sun.management.jmxremote.access.file="/jmxremote/jmxre
mote.access""

The result should resemble:

. ${DOMAIN_HOME}/bin/setDomainEnv.sh $*
JAVA_OPTIONS="$JAVA_OPTIONS-

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Configuring and Integrating

Djavax.management.builder.initial=weblogic.management.jmx.mbean
server.WLSMBeanServerBuilder"
JAVA_OPTIONS="$JAVA_OPTIONS-Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote"
JAVA_OPTIONS="$JAVA_OPTIONSDcom.sun.management.jmxremote.port=8686"
JAVA_OPTIONS="$JAVA_OPTIONSDcom.sun.management.jmxremote.ssl=false"
JAVA_OPTIONS="$JAVA_OPTIONSDcom.sun.management.jmxremote.authenticate=true"
JAVA_OPTIONS="$JAVA_OPTIONSDcom.sun.management.jmxremote.password.file="/jmxremote/jmxremo
te.password""
JAVA_OPTIONS="$JAVA_OPTIONSDcom.sun.management.jmxremote.access.file="/jmxremote/jmxremote
.access""
SAVE_JAVA_OPTIONS="${JAVA_OPTIONS}"

Warning: This file is created by the Configuration Wizard. Your changes to this
script will be lost the next time you use the configuration wizard.
2. Restart the WebLogic Server.
Java Application Server (JMX)
This template assesses the overall performance of Java Application Servers by
using JMX protocol. The following application servers are supported: Apache
Tomcat, JBoss, GlassFish, IBM WebSphere andOracle WebLogic.
Prerequisites: Target JVM configured to allow JMX queries.
Note: This template is configured to send JMX requests on port 8686.
Credentials: Dependent on the JMX configuration.
Note: All monitoring information is taken from:
http://docs.oracle.com/javase/1.5.0/docs/guide/management/overview.html.
Monitored Components
Note: All components may vary from a running environment. You can add your
own threshold limits as necessary. For more information, see
http://knowledgebase.solarwinds.com/kb/questions/2415.
Classes Loaded Count

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This monitor returns the number of classes that are currently loaded in the Java
virtual machine.
Classes Total Loaded Count
This monitor returns the total number of classes that have been loaded since the
Java virtual machine has started execution.
Classes Unloaded Count
This monitor returns the total number of classes unloaded since the Java virtual
machine has started execution.
Memory Pending Final Count
This monitor returns the approximate number of objects for which finalization is
pending.
Memory Heap Init Size (B)
This monitor returns the initial amount of memory in bytes that the Java virtual
machine allocates; or -1 if undefined.
Memory Heap Used (B)
This monitor returns the amount of used memory in bytes. The amount of used
memory in the returned memory usage is the amount of memory occupied by both
live objects and garbage objects that have not been collected, if any.
Memory Heap Committed (B)
This monitor returns the amount of committed memory in bytes.
Memory Heap Max Size (B)
This monitor returns the maximum amount of memory in bytes that can be used;
or -1 if undefined.
Memory Non Heap Init Size (B)
This monitor returns the initial amount of memory in bytes that the Java virtual
machine allocates; or -1 if undefined.
Memory Non Heap Used (B)
This monitor returns the amount of used memory in bytes.
Memory Non Heap Committed (B)
This monitor returns the amount of committed memory in bytes.
Memory Non Heap Max Size (B)

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This monitor returns the maximum amount of memory in bytes that can be used;
or -1 if undefined.
Memory Garbage Collections Count
This monitor returns the approximate accumulated collection elapsed time in
milliseconds.
Note: You should set the correct Object Name. You can see which names are
available by running the Find Processes, Services, and Performance Counters
wizard. In the wizard, expand java.lang, and GarbageCollector and check which
names are available. By default, this counter uses: name=Copy.
Memory Garbage Collection Time (ms)
This monitor returns the approximate accumulated collection elapsed time in
milliseconds.
Note: You should set the correct Object Name. You can see which names are
available by running the Find Processes, Services, and Performance Counters
wizard. In the wizard, expand java.lang, and GarbageCollector and check which
names are available. By default, this counter uses: name=Copy.
Memory Pool Init Size (B)
This monitor returns the initial amount of memory (in bytes) that the Java virtual
machine requests from the operating system for memory management during
startup. The Java virtual machine may request additional memory from the
operating system and may also release memory to the system over time. The
value of init may be undefined.
Note: You should set the correct Object Name. You can see which names are
available by running the Find Processes, Services, and Performance Counters
wizard. In the wizard, expand java.langand MemoryPool and check which names
are available. By default, this counter uses: name=Code Cache.
Note: For IBM WebSphere, this counter is unavailable and you should disable it.
Memory Pool Used (B)
This monitor returns the amount of memory currently used (in bytes).
Note: You should set the correct Object Name. You can see which names are
available by running the Find Processes, Services, and Performance Counters
wizard. In the wizard, expand java.langand MemoryPool and check which names
are available. By default, this counter uses: name=Code Cache.

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Configuring Java Applications Servers for JMX

Note: For IBM WebSphere, this counter is unavailable and you should disable it.
Memory Pool Committed Size (B)
This monitor returns the amount of memory (in bytes) that is guaranteed to be
available for use by the Java virtual machine. The amount of committed memory
may change over time (increase or decrease). The Java virtual machine may
release memory to the system and committed could be less than init. committed
will always be greater than or equal to used.
Note: You should set the correct Object Name. You can see which names are
available by running the Find Processes, Services, and Performance Counters
wizard. In the wizard, expand java.langand
MemoryPool and check which names are available. By default, this counter uses:
name=Code Cache.
Note: For IBM WebSphere, this counter is unavailable and you should disable it.
Memory Pool Max Size (B)
This monitor returns the maximum amount of memory (in bytes) that can be used
for memory management. Its value may be undefined. The maximum amount of
memory may change over time if defined. The amount of used and committed
memory will always be less than or equal to max if max is defined. A memory
allocation may fail if it attempts to increase the used memory such that used >
committed even if used <= max would still be true (for example, when the system
is low on virtual memory).
Note: You should set the correct Object Name. You can see which names are
available by running the Find Processes, Services, and Performance Counters
wizard. In the wizard, expand java.lang and MemoryPool and check which names
are available. By default, this counter uses: name=Code Cache.
Note: For IBM WebSphere, this counter is unavailable and you should disable it.
Memory Pool Peak Used (B)
This monitor returns the peak amount of memory currently used (in bytes).
Note: You should set the correct Object Name. You can see which names are
available by running the Find Processes, Services, and Performance Counters
wizard. In the wizard, expand java.lang and MemoryPool and check which names
are available. By default, this counter uses: name=Code Cache.
Note: For IBM WebSphere, this counter is unavailable and you should disable it.

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Configuring and Integrating

Memory Pool Peak Committed (B)
This monitor returns the peak amount of memory (in bytes) that is guaranteed to
be available for use by the Java virtual machine. The amount of committed
memory may change over time (increase or decrease). The Java virtual machine
may release memory to the system and committed could be less than init.
committed will always be greater than or equal to used.
Note: You should set the correct Object Name. You can see which names are
available by running the Find Processes, Services, and Performance Counters
wizard. In the wizard, expand java.lang and MemoryPool and check which names
are available. By default, this counter uses: name=Code Cache.
Note: For IBM WebSphere, this counter is unavailable and you should disable it.
Memory Pool Peak Max Size (B)
This monitor returns the maximum peak amount of memory (in bytes) that can be
used for memory management. Its value may be undefined. The maximum
amount of memory may change over time if defined. The amount of used and
committed memory will always be less than or equal to max if max is defined. A
memory allocation may fail if it attempts to increase the used memory such that
used > committed even if used <= max would still be true (for example, when the
system is low on virtual memory).
Note: You should set the correct Object Name. You can see which names are
available by running the Find Processes, Services, and Performance Counters
wizard. In the wizard, expand java.lang and MemoryPool and check which names
are available. By default, this counter uses: name=Code Cache.
Note: For IBM WebSphere, this counter is unavailable and you should disable it.
Threads Total Started Count
This monitor returns the total number of threads created and also started since the
Java virtual machine started.
Current Thread Count
This monitor returns the current number of live threads including both daemon
and non-daemon threads.
Current Thread CPU Time
This monitor returns the total CPU time for the current thread in nanoseconds.
Current Thread User Time

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Configuring Java Virtual Machines for SNMP

This monitor returns the CPU time that the current thread has executed in user
mode in nanoseconds.
Runtime Uptime (ms)
This monitor returns the uptime of the Java virtual machine in milliseconds.
Compiler Time (ms)
This monitor returns the approximate accumulated elapsed time (in milliseconds)
spent in compilation.

Configuring Java Virtual Machines for SNMP

The following sections discuss how to configure JVM servers for SNMP
monitoring including those that are embedded with Apace Tomcat, JBoss,
Glassfish, IBM Websphere, and Oracle Weblogic. Configuration instructions are
given for both Linux and Microsoft Windows operating systems.
Configuring a Standalone Java Virtual Machine
Windows
1. Download the JDK from the Oracle website: http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/downloads/index.html (tested on JDK
SE 6, update version 24).
2. Install the JDK.
3. On the license agreement page, read and accept the license and the click
Next.
4. Click Change to change the installation directory to C:\Program
Files\Java\jdk1.6.0_24, and then click OK.
5. Click Next.
6. Click Finish to exit from the installer.
7. Add a variable to the system with its path pointing to the JDK installation
folder. For example:
Variable name: JAVA_HOME
Variable value: C:\Program Files\Java\jdk1.6.0_24
Note: If you want to run Java commands from the command line, you
should add the JDK installation path to the PATH variable.
8. Navigate to the %JAVA_HOME%\jre\lib\management folder.
9. Rename the snmp.acl.template file to snmp.acl. Edit snmp.acl by replacing
its content with the following:
acl = {
{

1433

Configuring and Integrating

communities = public, private
access = read-only
managers = localhost, sam-server
}
}

Where sam-server is the hostname of your SAM server.

10. Grant access to the snmp.acl file only for the Administrator. To grant
access only for the Administrator, refer to this topic at the following location: http://download.oracle.com/javase/6/docs/technotes/guides/management/securitywindows.html
Linux
1. Download the JDK from the Oracle website: http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/downloads/index.html (tested on JDK
SE 6, update version 24).
2. Unpack and run the JDK. In this case, the JDK was installed into the /usr/java/jdk1.6.0_24 folder.
3. Move this folder to /usr/local.
4. In the /usr/local/ directory, create a symbolic link to jdk1.6.0_24 named
Java. Now the JDK is installed in /usr/local/jdk1.6.0_24 and linked to
5.

/usr/local/java.
Add the /usr/local/java/bin

folder to the system path. (If it is only for your

account, add it in .bash_profile file in your home directory). In Slackware, it
should be in the .profile file. To make it a system wide environment, add it
in the /etc/profile.
6. Edit a line in .bash_profile to be similar to: PATHH=$PATH:$HOME/bin:/usr/local/java/bin. The path will be automatically
set at boot time. To set the path immediately, use the command:
$ export PATH=$PATH:/usr/local/java/bin

7. You can call java directly in your shell:

$ java version
java version "1.6.0_24"
Java(TM) SE Runtime Environment (build 1.6.0_24-b04)
Java HotSpot(TM) 64-Bit Server VM (build 14.3-b01, mixed mode)

8. Add a variable to the system with the path pointing to the JDK installation
folder.
9. Add the following lines to the /etc/profile file. Syntax dependencies may be
different in various Linux distributions. This example is shown for the

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Configuring Java Virtual Machines for SNMP

CentOS system:
l export JAVA_HOME=/usr/java/jdk1.6.0_24
l export PATH=$PATH:/usr/java/jdk1.6.0_24
10. To set this immediately, run the export commands in your shell. Or, logout
then log back in to your system.
11. Go to the $JAVA_HOME/jre/lib/management folder and rename the
snmp.acl.template file to snmp.acl.
12. Edit snmp.acl by removing all lines and writing the following:
acl = {
{
communities = public, private
access = read-only
managers = localhost, SAM-server
}
}

Where SAM-server is the hostname of your SAM server.

13. Grant access to the snmp.acl file only for the root user. Run the following
commands as the root user in your shell:
# chown root.root $JAVA_HOME/jre/lib/management/snmp.acl
# chmod 600 $JAVA_HOME/jre/lib/management/snmp.acl

Testing a Standalone JVM in Linux

You can test that your JVM can respond to SNMP queries by adding
-Dcom.sun.management.snmp.port=1161 Dcom.sun.management.snmp.interface=0.0.0.0 to the java command line.
Example:
java -Dcom.sun.management.snmp.port=1161 Dcom.sun.management.snmp.interface=0.0.0.0 some_java_applet

In another window/shell, run the following command to test SNMP and the JDK
configurations:
snmpwalk -v 2c -c public 127.0.0.1:1161
1.3.6.1.4.1.42.2.145.3.163.1.1.2.11

The command should return a value similar to this:

SNMPv2-SMI::enterprises.42.2.145.3.163.1.1.2.11.0 = Counter64:
4803352

For more information, see "JMX" on page 1411.

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Configuring and Integrating

Configuring Apache Tomcat (tested on version 7.0)
Windows Service
1. Open Tomcat configuration: Start > All Programs > Apache Tomcat >
Configure Tomcat.
2. Open the Java tab, and then add the following lines to the Java Options
box:
-Dcom.sun.management.snmp.port=1161
-Dcom.sun.management.snmp.interface=0.0.0.0

3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

Click Apply.
Go to the Windows Services console.
Right-click the Apache Tomcat service.
Click Properties.
Click the Log On tab, and then select Log on as this account.
Click Browse, find the user Administrator and type the Administrator password twice.
9. Click OK.
10. In the Tomcat Configuration window, return to the General tab, and then
start the service.
Windows Command Line
1. Open the file %TOMCAT_HOME%\bin\catalina.bat and add the following
lines into the Debug, Run and Start sections (where %TOMCAT_HOME%
is the path to your Tomcat installation):
set "JAVA_OPTS=%JAVA_OPTS% -Dcom.sun.management.snmp.port=1161"
set "JAVA_OPTS=%JAVA_OPTS% -Dcom.sun.management.snmp.interface=0.0.0.0"

:doDebug
set "JAVA_OPTS=%JAVA_OPTS% -Dcom.sun.management.snmp.port=1161"
set "JAVA_OPTS=%JAVA_OPTS% -Dcom.sun.management.snmp.interface=0.0.0.0"
shift

:doRun
set "JAVA_OPTS=%JAVA_OPTS% -Dcom.sun.management.snmp.port=1161"
set "JAVA_OPTS=%JAVA_OPTS% -Dcom.sun.management.snmp.interface=0.0.0.0"
shift

1436

Configuring Java Virtual Machines for SNMP

:doStart
set "JAVA_OPTS=%JAVA_OPTS% -Dcom.sun.management.snmp.port=1161"
set "JAVA_OPTS=%JAVA_OPTS% -Dcom.sun.management.snmp.interface=0.0.0.0"
shift

2. Run %TOMCAT_HOME%\bin\startup.bat to start Tomcat.

Linux
1. Open $TOMCAT_HOME/bin/catalina.sh and then add the following lines
into Debug, Run and Start sections (where %TOMCAT_HOME% is the path
to your Tomcat installation):
JAVA_OPTS="$JAVA_OPTS -Dcom.sun.management.snmp.port=1161"
JAVA_OPTS="$JAVA_OPTS -Dcom.sun.management.snmp.interface=0.0.0.0"

if [ "$1" = "debug" ] ; then

JAVA_OPTS="$JAVA_OPTS -Dcom.sun.management.snmp.port=1161"
JAVA_OPTS="$JAVA_OPTS -Dcom.sun.management.snmp.interface=0.0.0.0"
if $os400; then

elif [ "$1" = "run" ]; then

JAVA_OPTS="$JAVA_OPTS -Dcom.sun.management.snmp.port=1161"
JAVA_OPTS="$JAVA_OPTS -Dcom.sun.management.snmp.interface=0.0.0.0"
shift

elif [ "$1" = "start" ] ; then

JAVA_OPTS="$JAVA_OPTS -Dcom.sun.management.snmp.port=1161"
JAVA_OPTS="$JAVA_OPTS -Dcom.sun.management.snmp.interface=0.0.0.0"
if [ ! -z "$CATALINA_PID" ]; then

2. Run $TOMCAT_HOME/bin/startup.sh command to start Tomcat.

For more information, see "JMX" on page 1411.
Configuring JBoss (tested on versions 5.0.1, 5.1, and 6.0)
Windows Service
1. Edit %JBOSS_HOME%\bin\run.bat by adding the following lines (where
%JBOSS_HOME% is the path to your JBoss installation):

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Configuring and Integrating

set "JAVA_OPTS=%JAVA_OPTS% -Dcom.sun.management.snmp.port=1161"
set "JAVA_OPTS=%JAVA_OPTS% -Dcom.sun.management.snmp.interface=0.0.0.0"

rem Setup JBoss specific properties

set JAVA_OPTS=-Dprogram.name=%PROGNAME% %JAVA_OPTS%
set "JAVA_OPTS=%JAVA_OPTS% -Dcom.sun.management.snmp.port=1161"
set "JAVA_OPTS=%JAVA_OPTS% -Dcom.sun.management.snmp.interface=0.0.0.0"

2. Register JBoss as a service by running: %JBOSS_HOME%\bin\service.bat

install

3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Go to the Windows Services console

Right-click JBoss Application Server service.
Click Properties.
Click the Log On tab and then select Log on as this account.
Click Browse, find the user Administrator, and then type the Administrator
password twice.
8. Click OK.
9. Start the JBoss service.
Windows Command Line
1. Edit %JBOSS_HOME%\bin\run.bat by adding the following lines (where
%JBOSS_HOME% is the path to your JBoss installation):
set "JAVA_OPTS=%JAVA_OPTS% -Dcom.sun.management.snmp.port=1161"set "JAVA_OPTS=%JAVA_OPTS% Dcom.sun.management.snmp.interface=0.0.0.0"
rem Setup JBoss specific properties
set JAVA_OPTS=-Dprogram.name=%PROGNAME% %JAVA_
OPTS%set "JAVA_OPTS=%JAVA_OPTS% -Dcom.sun.management.snmp.port=1161"
set "JAVA_OPTS=%JAVA_OPTS% Dcom.sun.management.snmp.interface=0.0.0.0"

2. Start JBoss by running %JBOSS_HOME%\bin\run.bat.

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Configuring Java Virtual Machines for SNMP

Linux
1. Edit $JBOSS_HOME/bin/run.sh by adding the following lines (where
$JBOSS_HOME$ is the path to your JBoss installation):
JAVA_OPTS="$JAVA_OPTS -Dcom.sun.management.snmp.port=1161"JAVA_OPTS="$JAVA_OPTS Dcom.sun.management.snmp.interface=0.0.0.0"# Setup JBoss specific propertiesJAVA_OPTS="${JAVA_OPTS:+$JAVA_OPTS -Dprogram.name=$PROGNAME}"JAVA_OPTS="${JAVA_OPTS:-Dprogram.name=$PROGNAME}"JAVA_OPTS="$JAVA_OPTS Dcom.sun.management.snmp.port=1161"JAVA_OPTS="$JAVA_
OPTS -Dcom.sun.management.snmp.interface=0.0.0.0"
2. Run JBoss by running $JBOSS_HOME/bin/run.sh.
For more information, see "JMX" on page 1411.
Configuring GlassFish (tested on version 3.1):
1. Run the GlassFish Application Server.
2. Open a web browser and then navigate to: http://hostname:4848 where
hostname is the name of your GlassFish server.
3. In the left panel, click Configurations: server-config.
4. In the main window, click JVM settings.
5. Click the JVM Options tab.
6. Click Add JVM Option and then type -Dcom.sun.management.snmp.port=1161 in the blank field.
7. Click Add JVM Option and then type -Dcom.sun.management.snmp.interface=0.0.0.0 in the blank field.
8. Click Save.
9. Restart the GlassFish server.
For more information, see "JMX" on page 1411.
Configuring IBM WebSphere (tested on version 7.0):
IBM WebSphere uses its own JDK, installed at %WEBSHERE_HOME%\java
(where %WEBSHERE_HOME% is the path to your WebSphere
installation).Configure the IBM JDK in the following manner:
1. Go to the $JAVA_HOME/jre/lib/management folder.
2. Rename the snmp.acl.template file to snmp.acl.
3. Edit snmp.acl by replacing its content with the following:
acl = { { communities = public, private access = read-only
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Configuring and Integrating

managers = localhost, SAM-server }}Where SAM-server is the hostname of your SAM server.
4. Grant access to the snmp.acl file only for the root user. Run the following
commands as the root user in your shell:
# chown root.root $JAVA_HOME/jre/lib/management/snmp.acl
# chmod 600 $JAVA_HOME/jre/lib/management/snmp.acl

5. Run the IBM WebSphere Application Server.

6. Open a web browser and then navigate to: https://hostname:9043 where
hostname is the name of the IBM WebSphere server.
7. In the left panel, click Expand Servers and Server types.
8. Click WebSphere Application Servers.
9. In the main window, click your server.
10. In the Server Infrastructure section, expand Java and Process Management.
11. Click Process Definition.
12. In the Additional Properties section, click Java Virtual Machine.
13. In Generic JVM Arguments, add the following:
-Dcom.sun.management.snmp.port=1161 -Dcom.sun.management.snmp.interface=0.0.0.0

14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.

Click OK.
Click, Save and then click OK.
Click Save.
Go to the Windows Services console.
Right click the IBM Websphere service.
Click Properties.
Click the Log On tab and then select Log on as this account.
Click Browse, find the user Administrator, and then type the Administrator password twice.
22. Click OK.
23. Restart the IBM WebSphere Application Server.
For more information, see "JMX" on page 1411.
Configuring Oracle WebLogic (tested on version 10.3.4.0)
Windows
Oracle WebLogic uses its own JDK installed in %MIDDLEWARE_HOME%\jdk*
(where %MIDDLEWARE_HOME% is the path to your WebLogic installation).
1. Go to the $JAVA_HOME/jre/lib/management folder
2. Rename the snmp.acl.template file to snmp.acl.
3. Edit snmp.acl by replacing its content with the following:
acl = {
{

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Configuring Java Virtual Machines for SNMP

communities = public, private
access = read-only
managers = localhost, SAM-server
}
}

Where SAM-server is the hostname of your SAM server.

4. Grant access to the snmp.acl file only for the Administrator. To grant
access only for the Administrator,see: http://download.oracle.com/javase/6/docs/technotes/guides/management/securitywindows.html
5. Edit the following file:
%MIDDLEWARE_HOME%\C:\Oracle\Middleware\user_projects\domains\<your_domain>\bin\startWebLogic.cmd

by adding the lines:

set "JAVA_OPTIONS=%JAVA_OPTIONS% -Dcom.sun.management.snmp.port=1161"
set "JAVA_OPTIONS=%JAVA_OPTIONS% -Dcom.sun.management.snmp.interface=0.0.0.0"

The result should resemble:

call "%DOMAIN_HOME%\bin\setDomainEnv.cmd" %*
set "JAVA_OPTIONS=%JAVA_OPTIONS% -Dcom.sun.management.snmp.port=1161"
set "JAVA_OPTIONS=%JAVA_OPTIONS% -Dcom.sun.management.snmp.interface=0.0.0.0"
set SAVE_JAVA_OPTIONS=%JAVA_OPTIONS%

Warning: This file is created by the Configuration Wizard. Your changes to

this script will be lost the next time you use the configuration wizard.
6. Restart WebLogic Server.
Linux
Oracle WebLogic uses its own JDK which in $MIDDLEWARE_HOME/jdk*
(where $MIDDLEWARE_HOME is the path to your WebLogic installation).

1441

Configuring and Integrating

1. Go to the $JAVA_HOME/jre/lib/management folder.
2. Rename the snmp.acl.template file to snmp.acl.
3. Edit snmp.acl by replacing its content with the following:
acl = {
{
communities = public, private
access = read-only
managers = localhost, SAM-server
}
}

Where SAM-server is the hostname of your SAM server.

4. Grant access to the snmp.acl file only for the root user. Run the following
commands as the root user in your shell:
# chown root.root $JAVA_HOME/jre/lib/management/snmp.acl
# chmod 600 $JAVA_HOME/jre/lib/management/snmp.acl

5. Edit the following file:

$MIDDLEWARE_HOME/user_projects/domains/<your_domain>/bin/startWebLogic.sh

by adding the lines:

JAVA_OPTIONS="$JAVA_OPTIONS -Dcom.sun.management.snmp.port=1161"
JAVA_OPTIONS="$JAVA_OPTIONS -Dcom.sun.management.snmp.interface=0.0.0.0"

The result should resemble:

. ${DOMAIN_HOME}/bin/setDomainEnv.sh $*JAVA_OPTIONSS="$JAVA_OPTIONS -Dcom.sun.management.snmp.port=1161"JAVA_OPTIONS="$JAVA_OPTIONS Dcom.sun.management.snmp.interface=0.0.0.0"SAVE_JAVA_
OPTIONS="${JAVA_OPTIONS}"
Warning: This file is created by the Configuration Wizard. Your changes to
this script will be lost the next time you use the configuration wizard.
6. Restart the WebLogic Server.

1442

Enabling Java SNMP monitoring for Weblogic

Oracle WebLogic uses its own JDK which in $MIDDLEWARE_HOME/jrockit* (where
$MIDDLEWARE_HOME is the path to your WebLogic installation).
1. Go to the $JROCKIT_HOME/jre/lib/management folder.
2. Rename the snmp.acl.template file to snmp.acl.
3. Edit snmp.acl by replacing its content with the following:

acl = {
{
communities = public, private
access = read-only
managers = localhost, apm-server
}
}

Where apm-server is the hostname of your APM server (Note: It is better to use
IP addresses).
4. Grant access to the snmp.acl file only for the root user. Run the following
commands as the root user in your shell:
# chown root.root $JROCKIT_HOME/jre/lib/management/snmp.acl
# chmod 600 $JROCKIT_HOME/jre/lib/management/snmp.acl
5. Edit the following file if you want to enable SNMP on a WebLogic server
instance:
$MIDDLEWARE_HOME/user_projects/domains/<your_
domain>/bin/startWebLogic.sh

by adding the lines:

JAVA_OPTIONS="$JAVA_OPTIONS -Xmanagement:"
JAVA_OPTIONS="$JAVA_OPTIONS -Dcom.sun.management.snmp.port=1161"
JAVA_OPTIONS="$JAVA_OPTIONS Dcom.sun.management.snmp.interface=0.0.0.0"
The result should resemble the following:

1443

Configuring and Integrating

. ${DOMAIN_HOME}/bin/setDomainEnv.sh $*
JAVA_OPTIONS="$JAVA_OPTIONS -Xmanagement:"
JAVA_OPTIONS="$JAVA_OPTIONS -Dcom.sun.management.snmp.port=1161"
JAVA_OPTIONS="$JAVA_OPTIONS Dcom.sun.management.snmp.interface=0.0.0.0"
SAVE_JAVA_OPTIONS="${JAVA_OPTIONS}"

Note: As an alternative you can add these lines into the following:
$MIDDLEWARE_HOME/user_projects/domains/<your_
domain>/bin/startManagedWebLogic.sh

This will enable SNMP for WebLogic Management Server.

Note: You should add these lines only in one startup file in domain.
Warning: This file is created by the Configuration Wizard. Your changes to this
script will be lost the next time you use the configuration wizard.
6. Restart the WebLogic Server instance (usual Server or Management).

MAPI
Messaging Application Programming Interface (MAPI) is a Microsoft Windows
program that enables you to send email from within a program. Programs that use
MAPI include word processors, spreadsheets, and graphics applications.
Programmers who are using Microsoft's Active Server Page (ASP) technology
access MAPI by using Microsoft's Collaboration Data Objects (CDO). The CDO
library comes with Microsoft's Internet Information Server (IIS). MAPI functions can
be accessed by Visual Basic programmers.
CDO - http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=1004
A "session" is a specific connection between the client and the MAPI program.
MAPI defines the following three services:
l
l
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Address book: A database that contains addressing information.

Transport: Supports communication between different devices.
Message store: Stores messages that consists folders and subfolders.

Simple MAPI is a subset of 12 functions which enable developers to add basic

messaging functionality.

1444

The MAPI User Experience Monitor in SAM

Extended MAPI allows complete control over the email system.
Note: With regard to the SAM monitor, this document will concentrate only on the
mail function.

The MAPI User Experience Monitor in SAM

This component monitor sends an email from your SMTP mail server to your
Microsoft Exchange Server Mailbox and measures the time it takes to complete
the trip. You can use this component monitor to measure the performance of
Outlook. This response time is measured in milliseconds.
The Exchange Server computer uses port 135 for client connections to the RPC
endpoint mapper service. After a client connects to a socket, the Exchange Server
allocates the client two random TCP ports above 1024 used to communicate with
the directory and the information store.
For a complete list of network ports used by Microsoft Server Products, refer to the
following article: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb331973.aspx
What credentials should a user use?
User credentials must be valid for both the Exchange server mailbox and the
SAM server. This means that the SAM server and Exchange server must be in the
same domain and the probe must use domain credentials.
Why does the profile have to be able to log in to the SAM server?
Because the probe uses an external .exe module SolarWinds.APM.MAPI.exe.
Meaning, user impersonation on the SAM server is needed to have ability to run
external process.

Install the MAPI Client on the SolarWinds SAM Server

This component monitor requires you to install the Microsoft Exchange Server
MAPI Client and Collaboration Data Objects on your SolarWinds SAM server.
You can download the MAPI Client from:
l

The Microsoft Download Center. http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=E17E7F31-079A-43A9BFF2-0A110307611E

This component monitor does not compute a statistic. The response time is the
difference between the time SolarWinds SAM sends the email and the time that it
is received by the recipient. Following is an illustration of the MAPI monitor. To

1445

Configuring and Integrating

expose the fields, as illustrated below, click [+] to the left of the component
monitor name.

1. This component monitor waits for the email to arrive based on the default
job timeout of 20 minutes. If the email does not arrive within this period,
SolarWinds SAM marks the monitor as Down.
2. The monitor goes through the following steps with respect to the mail flow:
a. Sends an email to the user mailbox via SMTP. The email has a
unique temporary subject name that starts with APM_prefix.
b. Connects to the user mailbox through MAPI, then searches the
emails by Subject.
c. If it does not find the email it is looking for, it waits and then
searches again. It will stop when:
1. It finds the email;

1446

Install the MAPI Client on the SolarWinds SAM Server

2. The timeout is reached;
3. The maximum number of attempts is reached.
d. Once it finds the email, the monitor deletes it from the user inbox.
e. The monitor collects the total round trip time for the email and compares
it with the thresholds set.
f. Once it knows the round trip time, status is given according to where it
falls with regard to the thresholds set.
If the email is not found within the timeout or the maximum number of attempts, or
SMTP or MAPI reported an error, SolarWinds SAM will mark the monitor as down.
3. Emails are posted using SMTP. If the MAPI probe works, emails will be
deleted successfully, if not, emails will accumulate.
4. It is not currently possible to use the monitor without SMTP and send the
email from the same server the monitor is running on via MAPI.
Field Descriptions of the MAPI Monitor:
Description
This field provides a default description of the monitor. You have the ability
to override the default description by adding to or replacing the text, which
will then be automatically saved. The variable to access this field is
${UserDescription}.

Enable Component
Determines whether the component is enabled.
Credential for Monitoring
Select a credential that is both a user who can log on to the SolarWinds
SAM server, and that has an Exchange account on the MAPI server. If the
credential you need is not already present in the credentials list, use the
Quick Credentials section to add a new credential.
Send Email From
This field allows you to specify the From address of the test email message.
Send Email To
This field allows you to specify the recipient of the test email message. The
recipient should have a mailbox on the MAPI server you are monitoring.
MAPI Profile Name
Allows you to specify the name of the MAPI profile

1447

Configuring and Integrating

SMTP Server
This field allows you to specify the SMTP server that sends the test email
message.
SMTP Port
This field is the port number used for SMTP sessions. The default value is
25.
Use Credentials for SMTP
This check box allows you to use the user name and password from
Credentials for Monitoring to connect to SMTP servers that support or
require authentication.
SMTP Encryption
This list allows you to select an encryption protocol to connect to SMTP
servers that support SSL or TLS encryption.
Response Time Warning Threshold
This field allows you to set the warning threshold conditions based on the
response time. The response time is the time in milliseconds it takes
SolarWinds SAM to determine that a component is not Down and to retrieve
any statistical data.
Response Time Critical Threshold
This field allows you to set critical threshold conditions based on the
response time. The response time is the time in milliseconds it takes
SolarWinds SAM to determine that a component is not Down and to retrieve
any statistical data.
User Notes
This field allows you to add notes for easy reference. You can access this
field by using the variable, ${UserNotes}.

Troubleshooting MAPI
The following procedures will help you troubleshoot MAPI issues relating to SAM:
Note: Do not use the same mailbox for multiple MAPI UX monitors. Doing so can
cause the MAPI monitor to intermittently fail.

1448

Troubleshooting MAPI
MAPI Probe Diagnostic Checklist
Install CDO or Outlook
l

CDO can be found here: http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=1004. If you would like to install

CDO, uninstall your entire MS Office installation. Uninstalling Outlook only
is not sufficient.
The MAPI probe may be unstable when running with Outlook installed. If
this is the case, uninstall Office then download and install CDO.

Check the MAPI profile

l
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The Orion Server is in the same domain as the Exchange server being monitored
The user account used to monitor the mailbox with SAM has permission to
login to the server console and has done so at least once.
The user account to monitor the mailbox with SAM is in the local administrator user group of the server where SAM is installed
MAPI component is using the FQDN for the domain account.
The MAPI profile does not need to exist. The probe should create it and also
update the existing profile with the required settings. However, there may be
issues with an existing or created profile. The default Outlook profile is
called Outlook.
If this profile does not work, create a profile with the MFCMapi free tool,
availabe at: http://mfcmapi.codeplex.com/.
l In the MFCMapi tool, navigate to Profile > Advanced Profile >
Launch Profile Wizard, keeping the defaults on the first dialog.
l Set the profile as default.
l Update the profile name of the newly created profile in the MAPI
probe.
Use MFCMapi to find the profile name: Navigate to Profile > Show Profiles for verification.

Check probe settings

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Check that Send Email To: is correctly filled out in the component settings.
The Mapi Profile Name must match the actual profile name. Use the
MFCMapi tool if you are not sure about the name.
Credentials used for the probe must be eligible to open the mailbox. It is
required to add the user to the local Administrators group, otherwise the
probe can fail with insufficient privileges.

1449

Configuring and Integrating

Mailbox recommendations
l

Use a clean mailbox created for monitoring purposes. A mailbox full of

email is problematic as it takes a lot more time for the probe to search
through all of the emails. The MAPI probe deletes obsolete, undeleted messages sent by the probe in the past to keep the mailbox clean.

Advanced Troubleshooting
SolarWinds.APM.MAPI.exe Command Line Arguments
To analyze issues with the MAPI probe more closely, run the MAPI executable
from the command line. The following arguments can be used:
Command

Explanation

-s <subject>

The subject text of searched in an email. Use quotes for a subject

containing spaces.

-server
<server_
name>

Server hostname / IP address.

-t
<timeout>

Timeout in ms for watchdog.

-p <profile_
name>

Exchange profile name.

-u <user_
name>

Exchange user name

-attempts
<count>

Maximum number of search attempts.

-debug

Turns on debug logging.

-removeall

Remove all historical messages from the MAPI probe. Messages

from the MAPI probe get stuck in the mailbox if the probe fails to
delete them.

-w

Wait time between search attempts.

1450

Advanced Troubleshooting
In SAM v5.0+:
-subjectmatchsubstring: This enables a substring subject match. The target
mail subject is expected to match the substring of the subject setting. An exact
match is expected by default. This is useful for matching emails returned by
bouncers, which can add Re: to the mail subject.
Note: This command is not listed in the configuration file.
For example:
SolarWinds.APM.MAPI.exe -debug -s "test subject" -u domain\user.name server exchange -p Outlook -t 10000
Important: Run the executable as the user owning the mailbox. To do this, start a
new cmd.exe and run the following command.
runas /user:domain\user.name cmd.exe
This will ask for a password and start a new cmd.exe with that user account. Test
the MAPI executable from this console.
The MAPI probe is also configurable via the SolarWinds.APM.MAPI.exe.xml file.
Settings in this file take precedence over any command line arguments. See the
following:
<settings>  <logdirectory>c:\logs</logdirectory> <logenable>false</logenable> <logkeepall>true</logkeepall> <enablewatchdog>true</enablewatchdog>
<mapimaxwaitlogoff>2500</mapimaxwaitlogoff> <dologoff>true</dologoff>
</settings>

Command

Explanation

Logdirectory

Path to the directory where logs from the MAPI

executable will be written. This directory must exist
otherwise no logs will be written.

1451

Configuring and Integrating

Logenable

Enable log file logging.

Logkeepall

Set false for deleting the log file after a successful

run, (i.e. email was found and deleted; all log files
are preserved by default (true).)

Enablewatchdog

Enable or disable watchdog which kills the MAPI

processing thread if it does not finish in a given
time. Prevents processing for a long time.

Mapimaxwaitlogoff

Number of milliseconds to wait for logoff before the

MAPI process ends. This setting is used after an
error during MAPI processing and between
attempts to retrieve probe mail.

Dologoff

Set to false to skip logoff and closing the MAPI

session.

Debug

True for debugging information and detailed

logging to the log file or console.

Removeall

Remove all obsolete messages from the mailbox

matching the subjectpattern regular expression.
The SAM probe always tries to enable this setting
from the command line.

Subjectpattern

Regular expression pattern for deleting obsolete

probe messages. Use together with removeall
=true

Delaybetweenattempts Delay in milliseconds.

New in SAM 5.0+ (not listed in the configuration file):

true/false setting (false by default) to match just the
substring of the subject. This is useful for matching emails returned by bouncers,
which can add Re: to the mail subject.
subjectmatchsubstring

During initial analysis, it is typically required to update logdirectory (or create

C:\logs) and set logenable to true. Other arguments are passed from the
command line.

1452

Oracle

Oracle
This section is designed to give you a basic introduction to the Oracle database
model and its use with SolarWinds SAM. For more detailed information on
Oracle, seek resources outside of this guide.

Physical and Logical Structures

An Oracle database system is made up of at least one instance of the application,
along with data storage. An instance, identified by an instantiation number (or
activation id: SYS.V_$DATABASE.ACTIVATION#), is made up of a set of
operating system processes and memory-structures that work with the storage.
If an Oracle database administrator has employed Oracle RAC (Real Application
Clusters), then multiple instances attach to a storage array. This implementation
offers advantages such as better performance, scalability, and redundancy.
The Oracle DBMS can store and execute procedures and functions within itself.
PL/SQL or the object-oriented language, Java, can use such code objects and/or
provide the programming structures for writing them.

Storage
The Oracle RDBMS stores data in the form of tablespaces and physically in the
form of ("datafiles"). Tablespaces can contain various types of memory segments,
such as Data Segments, Index Segments, etc. Segments are made up of one or
more extents. Extents make up groups of continuous data blocks. Data blocks are
the basic units of data storage.
Newer versions of the database include a partitioning feature, which allows tables
to be partitioned based on different sets of keys.
Oracle tracks its data storage using the information stored in the System
tablespace. The System tablespace contains the data dictionary, indexes and
clusters. A data dictionary consists of a collection of tables that has information
about all user objects. Beginning with version 8i, the Oracle RDBMS also
supports locally managed tablespaces which can store space management
information in their own headers rather than in the System tablespace.

Disk files
Disk files primarily consist of the following types:
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Data and index files: These files are necessary for the physical storage,
which can be made up of the data dictionary, user data, or index data.

1453

Configuring and Integrating

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These files may be managed manually or by Oracle itself,

Note: A datafile has to belong to exactly one tablespace, whereas a
tablespace can consist of multiple datafiles.
Redo log files: These consist of all changes to the database used to
recover from an instance failure. Note: These files are stored multiple times
for security in case of a catastrophic failure. The identical redo log files are
part of the same group.
Undo files: These are datafiles which contain undo information and are
used for recovery.
Archive log files: These files are copies of the redo log files and stored at
different locations. These files are necessary.
Tempfiles: These datafiles are used for temporary storage data.
Control file: This file is necessary for database startup. This file records the
physical structure of a database and holds the names and locations of redo
log files, the time stamp of the database creation, the current log sequence
number, checkpoint information, and so forth.

Configuring SAM to Monitor an Oracle Database Server

SAM provides an application template for monitoring Oracle databases. This is
called the Oracle Database Template. However, unlike most applications, this
requires additional drivers to be downloaded and installed on the computers
where SAM and any additional pollers are running.

Prerequisites for Oracle Server Monitoring

There are two Oracle data providers which can be used with SAM:
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Oracle Data Provider for .NET (ODP.Net) Installer package

Basic Lite Oracle Client

Credentials: An Oracle user name and password with read access to the Oracle
views: dba_free_space, v$sysstat, v$rowcache, v$librarycache, v$sgastat,
and v$session.
Note: Some required settings information will be needed. See Getting the
Required Settings, on page 22.

Installing ODP.Net
The following instructions describe the recommended method for monitoring
Oracle databases using ODP. Net.

1454

Installing ODP.Net
Uninstall any other version of the Oracle Client before proceeding. Ensure that
SolarWinds Basic Lite Oracle Client is not installed. Verify that the following
directory does not exisit or is empty: C:\Program Files (x86)
\Solarwinds\Orion\APM\OracleClient\. If it is not empty, stop all Orion services
and remove this directory before you continue with your installation.
Note: ODP. Net is not part of SolarWinds SAM and may need to be downloaded
from the Oracle website, which requires free registration. Download the 32-bit
version of ODP.Net, even if SAM is installed on a 64-bit version of Windows.
1. You can use the following link to download ODP.Net:
l http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/topics/dotnet/index-085163.html
If you do not want to register with Oracle, you can use the Basic Lite Client
which can be downloaded by logging in to your SolarWinds customer
portal. Location and installation instructions can be found at, "Installing the
Basic Lite Oracle Client" on page 1460. Following is a screenshot of
Oracle's website with the both the 32 and 64-bit versions highlighted.
Download the 32-bit version.
Note: You can download the 64-bit version. Installing this version will
require you to poll jobs using the 64-bit option within SAM.

1455

Configuring and Integrating

2. Next, download ODAC with Oracle Developer Tools for Visual Studio, as
shown below. This installation package comes with its own installer:

1456

Installing ODP.Net
3. Accept the License Agreement and then select the latest version when
prompted. You will be asked for your Oracle Username and Password. If
you have not already done so, register for free with Oracle to obtain these
needed credentials.

4. Login to SAM using an administrator account.

5. Copy the downloaded file to the SAM computer then extract the contents
and run setup.exe.
6. When setup.exe runs, go to the next step and select the first option as
shown below. (This option contains what is necessary for SAM to be able
to monitor an Oracle database server.)
Note: If the Oracle server is being polled from an additional poller, then

1457

Configuring and Integrating

this software needs to be installed on that additional poller as well.

7. Enter the path where the files should be installed.

8. Either install everything or select the following two components:

1458

Installing ODP.Net
l
l

Oracle Data Provider for .Net

Oracle Instant Client

9. Start the installation.

10. When the installation finishes successfully, click Exit. Restart all Orion services by navigating to: Start > SolarWinds Orion > Orion Service Manager.
Note: Restarting of the services is necessary because the Oracle
1459

Configuring and Integrating

installer added its installation directory (c:\app\Administrator\... by
default) to the Path variable.
11. From the Service Manager, click Shutdown Everything.
12. When all services have stopped, click Start Everything and wait for the
services to begin.

Installing the Basic Lite Oracle Client

Follow these steps only if you cannot use the full Oracle Data Provider.
Note: The Basic Lite Oracle Client may not support the latest versions of Oracle
database servers. Therefore, this version may not support all data types used in
monitoring your queries.
1. Ensure that the SolarWinds Basic Lite Oracle Client is not currently
installed. If it is installed, the following is the default path and must be

1460

Installing the Basic Lite Oracle Client

deleted before proceeding: c:\Program Files (x86)\Solarwinds\Orion\APM\OracleClient\. If this folder is not empty, stop all Orion
services and remove this directory before continuing with the Oracle Client
installation.
2. Log in to your customer portal. Once logged in, navigate to SolarWinds customer portal > Additional Components > Oracle Client. From here you
can download the needed files.

3. Use the Oracle Client link to download the installation package.

4. Copy the downloaded file to the SAM computer and extract OracleClientInstaller.exe from the zip archive.

1461

Configuring and Integrating

5. Run the installer under an administrator account.

After the installer window closes, navigate to the SAM installation directory,
typically: C:\Program Files\SolarWinds\Orion, and ensure that the subfolder,
APM\OracleClient was created successfully and contains the five files as shown
below:

Check the file properties of each .dll file to ensure that the account under which
the SolarWinds JobEngine v2 service runs has high enough privileges to load

1462

Adding an Oracle Database Server to SAM

these libraries.

Restart all Orion services by navigating to Start > SolarWinds Orion > Orion
Service Manager.
Note: Restarting of the services is necessary because the Oracle installer added
its installation directory (c:\app\Administrator\... by default) to the Path variable.
From the Service Manager, click Shutdown Everything.
When all services are stopped, click Start Everything and wait for the services to
begin.

Adding an Oracle Database Server to SAM

1. Navigate to Start > SolarWinds Orion > Orion Web Console to open the
SAM website.
2. Log in to the SAM web console.
3. If the node you want to monitor is not currently monitored by SAM, navigate
to Settings > Add Node and follow the wizard to start monitoring the Oracle
computer as a node in SAM.
Note: The Oracle server can be added as any type of node (ICMP, SNMP,

1463

Configuring and Integrating

WMI).

4. At the Add Application Monitors step, select the Oracle Database Template.
Do not test it. At this stage the application template requires further configuration which cannot be done from this page. Testing at this point will res-

1464

Adding an Oracle Database Server to SAM

ult in a failure.

5. Go to the last step of the wizard and click OK, ADD NODE.

6. You will be redirected to the Manage Nodes page. Search for the newly
added Oracle server and click on it to go to its Node Details view.

7. Search for the Applications resource on this view and click on the Oracle
Application to go to its Application Details View.

1465

Configuring and Integrating

8. On the Application Details view, notice the Oracle Database is in an

Unknown state. This is because it is not properly configured. Click Edit
Application Monitor to begin configuring these settings.

1466

Adding an Oracle Database Server to SAM

9. Expand each monitor by clicking [+] to the left of each component monitor in
the list.

1467

Configuring and Integrating

1468

Adding an Oracle Database Server to SAM

10. The correct settings for the fields, Destination Point Type and Destionation Point Name (highlighted above) should be provided by the administrator of the Oracle server. This example is testing against the Oracle 10g
Express Edition, which is configured to have the name "XE."

11. Repeat steps 9-10 for each monitor in this template.

The Oracle driver type must correspond with the installed Oracle Client software
(as described earlier in the Prerequisites for Oracle Server Monitoring section on
page 4). The following table shows which combinations work together.
Oracle Driver Type setting in Web UI
Oracle Client package

Microsoft .NET
Oracle Data Provider
Data Provider
for .NET (ODP.NET)
(MS_
ORACLECLIENT)

Full Oracle Data Provider for

.NET (ODP.NET)

Works

Basic Lite Oracle Client (from

SolarWinds Customer Portal)

Works

Does not work

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Configuring and Integrating

Monitoring an Oracle Database on an Existing Node

If an Oracle database server is already being monitored by SAM as a node,
perform the following steps to configure the node:
1. In the SAM web console, navigate to Settings > SAM Settings > Manage
Templates

2. Search for the Oracle Database Template, select it by checking the box
next to the name.
3. Click Assign to Node.

1470

Monitoring an Oracle Database on an Existing Node

4. Next, search for Oracle.
5. Once found, check the nodes you want to add.
6. Click the green arrow to add it to the Selected Nodes column.

7. The Oracle node will be moved to the Selected Nodes column.

1471

Configuring and Integrating

8. Click Next.
9. Select the credentials to be used and then click Assign Application Monitors.
Note: Do not test the application now. This application is not properly configured. There are settings specific to the Oracle server which will be set
later.

10. Click Edit to go to the Edit Application page.

11. Expand each monitor by clicking [+]to the left of each component monitor
in the list.

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Monitoring an Oracle Database on an Existing Node

12. The correct settings for the fields Destination Point Type and Destination
Point Name (highlighted above) should be provided by the administrator

1473

Configuring and Integrating

of the Oracle server. This example is testing against the Oracle 10g
Express Edition, which is configured to have the name "XE."

13. Repeat steps 11-12 for each monitor in this template. Use the following
table for reference:
Oracle Driver Type setting in Web UI
Oracle Client package

Microsoft .NET
Oracle Data Provider for
Data Provider
.NET (ODP.NET)
(MS_
ORACLECLIENT)

Full Oracle Data Provider for .NET Works

(ODP.Net

Works

Basic Lite Oracle Client (from

SolarWinds Customer Portal)

Does not work

Works

Getting the Required Settings

The Oracle User Experience Monitors settings must match the settings on the
Oracle Server. Database Administrators usually provide a file with connection
details (tnsnames.ora) to database users and users add this file to their Oracle

1474

Getting the Required Settings

Client directory. SAM does not use the tnsnames.ora file directly. The user
needs to input all of the settings to the Oracle User Experience Monitor in the
SAM web interface.
If you were not given tnsnames.ora file by your database administrator, but have
access to Oracle Server system, follow these steps to locate the tnsnames.ora
file:
1. Log in to the Oracle Server using an administrator account.
2. The Tnsnames.ora file should be located at $ORACLE_HOME/network/admin/tnsnames.ora, where $ORACLE_HOME is the directory
where the Oracle Server was installed.

3. Once you have located this file, open the file and follow these steps to
extract the required information.
a. Locate the section in the file that describes the options for the database
instance you want to monitor. For the most part, this section will contain
the settings for Protocol, Host, and Port as shown in the examples bulleted below.
b. Once you locate this section, extract the following settings and use
them in the Oracle User Experience Monitor:
l Protocol Must be TCP. This how SAM connects to the remote
Oracle Server.
l Host Must match the IP address (or hostname, which resolves
to that IP) of the Oracle server node in SAM.
l Port Use this setting for the Port Number field of Oracle User
Experience Monitor.
l Service_Name If this is present in the tnsnames.ora configuration section, then select the value for the Service_Name for
the Destination Point Type field of the Oracle User Experience
Monitor.
l SID If this is present in the tnsnames.ora configuration section, then select the SID value for for the the Destination Point
Type field of the Oracle User Experience Monitor.

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Configuring and Integrating

Service_Name or SID settings in tnsnames.ora also defines a

connection point name (after the "=" character), which needs to
be used for the Destination Point Name field of the Oracle User
Experience Monitor.

Example 1: Following is a sample tnsnames.ora file from the Oracle Server 10g
Express Edition. Highlighted are the settings mentioned previously.

Example 2:

1476

Troubleshooting

Here is what the configuration of the Oracle User Experience Monitor should look
like when completed correctly using Example 1:

Troubleshooting
If the Oracle User Experience Monitor does not work properly, explore the
following troubleshooting sections.
l
l
l

l
l

Oracle Client Driver and Server Compatibility

SAM is Unable to Load the Oracle Client Driver
Using Process Explorer to Determine if SAM is Loading the Correct Oracle
Client Library
Using Process Monitor to Determine Why the Oracle Client fails
Oracle User Experience Monitor is Unable to Connect to the Oracle Server

1477

Configuring and Integrating

Using the Oracle SQL*Plus Tool to Troubleshoot Connectivity Issues:

Note: Many of these troubleshooting procedures are used by SolarWinds
support technicians.

Oracle Client Driver and Server Compatibility

Notes:
l

Oracle Client drivers are not forward and backwards compatible with all
Oracle database servers.
Oracle Data Provider for .NET (ODP.NET) 11.2.0.3.0 is compatible only
with Oracle Server 9.2 and higher.

Monitoring two different versions of Oracle Server might not be possible if there is
no appropriate driver which would be able to connect to both server versions. If
this is the case, have the second version of the Oracle Client on an additional
poller and assign the nodes there.
SAM is Unable to Load the Oracle Client Driver
Following is a screenshot of this error:

1478

Troubleshooting
Troubleshooting Steps:
l

Make sure that the Oracle Client was installed on the SAM computer or on
the appropriate additional poller.
Do not deploy two different Oracle Client Driver versions on the SAM computer.
If the above was unsuccessful, follow these troubleshooting steps:

1.Download Process Explorer and install it on the SAM computer.

2.Run Process Explorer and look for the JobEngineWorker2.exe processes,
(which belongs to SAM). This can be identified by the command line argument,
"SolarWinds.APM.Probes."

3. Display the JobEngineWorker2.exe properties to ensure that the environment

variable ORACLE_HOME exists and points to the correct location where the
Oracle Client is installed.
l

The example below shows ORACLE_HOME set to the APM\OracleClient directory. This computer has the Basic Light Oracle Client installed
(not the full ODP.NET version).

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Configuring and Integrating

Using Process Explorer to Determine if SAM is Loading the Correct Oracle

Client Library
To determine if SAM is loading the correct Oracle Client Library, follow these
steps:
1. In Process Explorer, navigate to View > Show Lower Pane. Then, navigate to View > Lower Pane View > DLLs.

1480

Troubleshooting

2. Locate the JobEngineWorker2.exe (which belongs to SAM) and see if the

oci.dll file is displayed in the DLL list in the lower pane.
3. Verify that the path is set to the correct directory.
l This step needs to be done for each JobEngineWorker2.exe
instance that belongs to SAM. This can be identified by the com-

1481

Configuring and Integrating

mand line argument, "SolarWinds.APM.Probes."

Using Process Monitor to Determine Why the Oracle Client Fails

If the Oracle Client is not visible in Process Explorer, perform the following
steps to determine from which directory SAM is trying to load the Oracle
Client:
1. Download Process Monitor from the following link: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb896645.
2. Start Process Monitor and define Filter.

1482

Troubleshooting
3. Add the following conditions:
l Process Name equals SWJobEngineWorker2.exe.
l Path contains oci.dll.

4.
5.
6.
7.

Click OK.
Restart the JobEngine v2 service and wait for it to fully restart.
Go to the Oracle Database Edit page and test one of the components.
Wait until the test is finished and then stop the trace (File > Capture
Events).
8. Analyze the results. There will be information about SWJobEngineWorker2.exe trying to find the oci.dll file, (which is part of the Oracle Client),
revealing a list of directories it was searching for and whether or not it was
successful. The Load Image event indicates whether or not SAM was able
to load that library successfully. This may fail if the architecture of this library does not match the architecture of the polling job (as defined on the
Application Edit page in SAM).

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Configuring and Integrating

9. See the following illustration:

Below is sample output when the Oracle Client is not installed and therefore not
found:

Here you can see which directories are being searched to locate the file. Below
you can see that the full Oracle Client was installed:

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Troubleshooting

Here you can see SAM was not able to load the Oracle Client because it does not
match the platform of the polling job. In this case, the Oracle Database application
is set to run as 64-bit, but the 32-bit version of the Oracle Client was installed. You
can also see that SAM finds the oci.dll and opens it to read from it, but it detects
that this is the wrong platform. Consequently, there is no Image Load operation:

Oracle User Experience Monitor is Unable to Connect to the Oracle Server

Following is a screenshot of this error:

1485

Configuring and Integrating

Troubleshooting steps:
1. Make sure a firewall is not blocking communication between SAM and
Oracle computers.
2. Verify the configuration of the Oracle User Experience Monitor.

1486

Troubleshooting
Use a third party tool, SQL*Plus, to try and connect to the Oracle Server using the
same settings that SAM is using. Refer to the section, "Using the Oracle
SQL*Plus Tool to Troubleshoot Connectivity Issues."
Using the Oracle SQL*Plus Tool to Troubleshoot Connectivity Issues:
The following steps demonstrate how to use SQL*Plus to check the
following:
l
l

l
l

Connectivity issues to the Oracle Server from the SAM computer.

You are using the correct and valid Oracle endpoint, (i.e. Service_Name
or SID).
You are using correct and valid Oracle credentials.
You have credentials with enough permission to query Oracle system
views.
Note: This is required for troubleshooting the Oracle Database default template.

The Oracle SQL*Plus tool is included in the Oracle Data Provider for .NET
(ODP.NET) package. This package should be installed first as described in the,
Installing ODP.Net, section. Once installed, navigate to the installation directory
and ensure that the sqlplus.exe file exists.

Connecting to an Oracle Server Using Simple Syntax

1. Run cmd.exe and navigate to the directory where sqlplus.exe is located.
2. Run the following command to test simple syntax:
sqlplus<UserName>/<Password>@<OracleServerNameOrIP>/<ServiceNam
eOrSid>
where

1487

Configuring and Integrating

l
l

<UserName> is the username of the account used by the Oracle User

Experience Monitor in SAM.
<Password> is the valid password for this account as defined in the SAM
Credential Library.
<OracleServerNameOrIP> is the Oracle Server hostname or IP address.
<ServiceNameOrSid> is the Oracle endpoint Service_Name or SID value
as defined in the Oracle User Experience Monitor settings.

For example:
sqlplus SYSTEM/[email protected]/XE
This is used to connect to the XE instance on the Oracle Server running on
10.199.2.219 under the System account using Password1 as the password.
l

SqlPlus will show information on whether or not the connection was successful. If the connection was unsuccessful, the error message should contain the reason why it failed.
If the connection was successfully established, then the prompt, SQL>, is
shown.

Connecting to the Oracle Server Using Full Oracle Connection Syntax

To more accurately simulate how SAM is connecting to the Oracle Server, run
SQL*Plus using the full Oracle connection syntax , which is the equivalent of
using the tnsnames.ora syntax:
sqlplus <UserName>/<Password>@(DESCRIPTION=(ADDRESS_LIST=
(ADDRESS=(PROTOCOL=TCP)(HOST=< OracleServerNameOrIP>)
(PORT=<PortNumber>)))(CONNECT_DATA=
(<EndPointType>=<ServiceNameOrSid>)))
where
l

<UserName> is the username of the account used by the Oracle User

Experience Monitor in SAM.

1488

Troubleshooting
l

l
l

<Password> is the valid password for this account as defined in the SAM
Credential Library.
<OracleServerNameOrIP> is the Oracle Server hostname or IP address.
<PortNumber> is the specified TCP port where the Oracle endpoint
listens.
<EndPointType> specifies the type of Oracle endpoint. This value must
be either Service_Name or SID. This should match the Oracle User Experience Monitor settings in SAM.
<ServiceNameOrSid> is the Oracle endpoint Service_Name or SID value
as defined in the Oracle User Experience Monitor settings.

For Example:
sqlplus SYSTEM/Password1@(DESCRIPTION=(ADDRESS_LIST=
(ADDRESS=(PROTOCOL=TCP)(HOST=10.199.1.219)(PORT=1521)))
(CONNECT_DATA=(SERVICE_NAME=XE)))
Note: This example is used without specifying the password on the command line (Sqlplus will prompt for a password.)sqlplus SYSTEM @
(DESCRIPTION=(ADDRESS_LIST=(ADDRESS=(PROTOCOL=TCP)
(HOST=10.199.1.219)(PORT=1521)))(CONNECT_DATA=(SERVICE_
NAME=XE)))
See the following illustration:

1489

Configuring and Integrating

Using SQL*Plus to connect using this method must be tried if SAM is unable to
connect to the Oracle Server. If the connection does not work from SQL*Plus, then
it will not work from SAM.
Executing queries using SQL*Plus
1. Connect to the Oracle Server as described in previous sections. Ensure
SQL*Plus shows the SQL> prompt.

2. Verify that it is possible to execute simple queries by typing, Select 1 from

dual;Note the semicolon at the end.

1490

Troubleshooting

If this query is successful, the next step is to try the same query as used in the
Oracle User Experience Monitor in SAM.
3. Type the SQL query used by the Oracle User Experience Monitor and put
a semicolon at the end. Note: Semicolons are required in SQL*Plus.
4. Press Enter to run the query.

This query may fail if you do not have privileges to access these SQL tables or
views. If this is the case, you should connect to the Oracle Server using the
Oracle administrator account (System) and execute the query under this account.
If this works, then the issue is permissions related and needs to be changed or a
different account should be used in SAM for monitoring.

1491

Configuring and Integrating

PowerShell
The ability to employ PowerShell scripts within SAM is a powerful advantage for
system administrators. This document merely provides an introduction to
PowerShell, as well as its role with SAM.
Windows PowerShell is a command-line shell created for system administrators.
PowerShell includes an interactive prompt and a scripting environment that can
be used independently or in combination.
PowerShell is built on top of the .NET Framework Common Language Runtime
(CLR) and the .NET Framework, and accepts and returns .NET Framework
objects.
PowerShell also introduces the cmdlet. A cmdlet is a simple command that can
manipulate objects in PowerShell. Cmdlets have a unique format -- a verb and
noun separated by a dash (-), such as Get-Help. You can use each cmdlet
separately or in combination to perform complex tasks. PowerShell includes more
than one hundred cmdlets, and you can write your own.
PowerShell gives you access to the file system on the computer. In addition,
PowerShell providers enable you to access other data stores, such as the
registry, for example.
Things you should know about PowerShell:
l

PowerShell does not process text. Instead, it processes objects based on

the .NET Framework.
PowerShell comes with a set of built-in commands with a consistent interface.

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PowerShell and SAM: Configuration and Usage

In order to use PowerShell with SAM you must have PowerShell 2.0 installed on
the SAM and target servers. PowerShell 2.0 can be found here:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/968930
Once PowerShell is installed on the SAM and target servers, ensure that
Windows Remote Management (WinRM) is properly configured and enabled on
the SAM and target servers. To do this, follow these steps:
1. On the SAM server, open a command prompt as an Administrator. To do
this, go to the Start menu and right-click the Cmd.exe and then select Run
as Administrator.
2. Enter the following in the command prompt:
winrm quickconfig qwinrm set winrm/config/client @{TrustedHosts="*"}
3. On the target server, open a command prompt as an Administrator and
enter the following:
winrm quickconfigwinrm set winrm/config/client @{TrustedHosts="IP_ADDRESS"}
where IP address is the IP address of your SAM server. Once you have
successfully completed these steps, PowerShell will be able to properly
communicate with SAM.
Exchange 2010 Management Tools
Many SAM PowerShell components rely on Exchange Management Tools. Both
the 2007 and 2010 editions are acceptable.
If you plan to monitor Exchange 2007 then you must use the Exchange 2007
Management Tools. If you plan to monitor Exchange 2010 then you will need to
install the Exchange 2010 Management Tools.
Exchange Management Tools must be installed on the SAM server and any
additional poller that will poll using PowerShell scripts. Any snap-ins that
PowerShell may require must also be installed in the same location.
To ease PowerShell plug-in management in a multi-poller environment, you may
prefer to assign nodes with PowerShell templates to a single polling engine.
Exchange 2010 Management Tools will be used for the following instructions:

1493

Configuring and Integrating

Installation of Exchange Management Tools:
To install Exchange Management Tools on your Windows computer, you first
need to configure the pre-requisite components.
1. Open the Control Panel, click on Programs and then click Turn Windows
Features On or Off.
2. Enable the features shown below:

3. Download the Exchange Server 2010 SP1 installation files and extract
them to a temporary folder on your computer.
4. From that folder launch Setup.exe. (If your computer is missing the .NET
Framework, visit Microsoft.com to download and install it. Additionally,
Steps 1 and 2 of the Exchange Server 2010 SP1 installation will prompt
you to install pre-requisites if they are missing, as shown in the following

1494

PowerShell and SAM: Configuration and Usage

illustration.)

5. If needed, install the pre-requisites for Exchange Server 2010 SP1. If not,
click on Step 3 from the install screen and choose Install only languages
from the DVD.

6. Choose language options for installing Exchange Server 2010 SP1 on

Windows.
7. Next, click on Step 4 from the install screen to begin the installation.

1495

Configuring and Integrating

8.
9.
10.
11.
12.

Begin the installation of Exchange Server 2010 SP1 on Windows.

Click Next at the introduction page, then Accept the license agreement.
Click Next, then choose your preference for Error Reporting.
Click Next.
At the Installation Type page, select Custom Exchange Server Installation, and also check the box to Automatically install Windows Server
roles and features required for Exchange Server.
13. Click Next.

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PowerShell and SAM: Configuration and Usage

14. Select the Management Tools role and then click Next.

64-bit vs. 32-bit

Using the 64-bit (x64) or 32-bit (x86) version of PowerShell depends on how your
target server and applications are configured. Ideally, both machines should be
running on the same platform to get the most out of PowerShell.
Platform Scenarios
For the most part, you will not encounter any differences between the 64-bit and
32-bit versions of PowerShell; however, each version of the shell, in some cases,
can only load matching snap-ins. This means you should use the correct 64-bit or
32-bit version of any snap-ins you plan to use. Below are some guidelines to help
you determine which version of PowerShell you should use for your particular
monitoring environment:
l

If SAM is installed on a 64-bit sever and polling a 64-bit machine, you

should poll using the 64-bit version of PowerShell.
If SAM is installed on a 64-bit sever and polling a 32-bit machine, you
should poll using the 32-bit version of PowerShell.
If SAM is installed on a 32-bit sever and polling a 32-bit machine, you
should poll using the 32-bit version of PowerShell.

1497

Configuring and Integrating

If SAM is installed on a 32-bit server and polling a 64-bit machine, you may
encounter some errors. You should install SAM on a 64-bit server if you
need to poll 64-bit machines.

Note: There may be instances where installed software on a 64-bit machine may
have added its own cmdlets into the 32-bit version of PowerShell. If this is the
case, you should use 32-bit polling.
On Windows machines, you can determine the platform you are using by rightclicking My Computer and clicking Properties.
Troubleshooting PowerShell Snap-In Compatibility
The most common issue with PowerShell is the incompatibility of the snap-ins
with the platform of PowerShell being used; meaning both PowerShell and its
snap-ins should both be either 64-bit or 32-bit. When running your script in SAM,
typical errors of this type resemble the following:

However, no evidence of a snap in problem exists in PowerShell itself.

In order to diagnose and correct this problem, verify that the snap-ins are properly
registered by doing the following.
1. Find the following registry path:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\PowerShell\1\PowerShellSnapIns

Notice the ApplicationBase path is C:\Program

1498

PowerShell and SAM: Configuration and Usage

Files\Microsoft\Exchange Server\bin not C:\Program Files (x86). The
C:\Program Files (x86) path would suggest 32-bit PowerShell extensions are registered.

2. Open PowerShell though the GUI and check to see if the process is running in 32-bit mode. This is denoted by the *32 next to the process name.
Since this is a 64-bit server with the 64-bit Exchange Management
installed, PowerShell should not have a "*32" next to the process name. It
should look similar to the image below:

3. Open your 64-bit PowerShell session and run the following:

add-pssnapin Microsoft.Exchange.Management.PowerShell.E2010
4. Run get-PSSnapin registered. You should see the snap-in listed as
shown below:

5. Now you should be able to execute a PowerShell command such as GetMailboxDatabase -Server {exchange server hostname} and have it return

1499

Configuring and Integrating

results similar to the following:

6. Your snap-in module has properly been registered. SAM templates that
use PowerShell will now work properly.

PowerShell Templates and Monitors

Many SAM templates contain component monitors that allow for the use of
PowerShell scripts. An easy way to find a list of these templates is to navigate to
the Manage Application Monitor Templates page and search for the word,
"PowerShell." This can be done from the SAM web console by navigating to
Settings > SAM Settings > Manage Templates. The search text box is at the topright of the screen.
Below is a sample list of the templates found when "PowerShell" is searched. To
examine and edit a template, check the box next to the template name. Once a
template is checked, the Edit button will become enabled. Click Edit at the top of
the list to open the selected template.

In this example, the Exchange 2007-2010 Mailbox Send and Receive Statistics
with PowerShelltemplate is used. This template tracks Exchange Mailbox
Send/Receive statistics of Exchange 2007-2010 servers with the Mailbox role
using PowerShell scripts.
The following screen appears once you have selected a template to edit,
revealing the individual component monitors as well as details about the
template:

1500

PowerShell Templates and Monitors

The following documentation accompanies this template:

Prerequisites:
l

l
l

PowerShell 2.0 and Exchange Management Tools 2007 or 2010 installed

on the SAM server.
The Exchange server must have an Exchange Mailbox role.
The SAM server and the Exchange server must be in the same domain.

Credentials:
The credentials must be an Exchange Administrator (Organization Manager)
account with at least view-only permissions.
Note: Before using this template, under the Advanced tree collapse [+], you
should set the correct platform; either 32-bit or 64-bit, from the drop down menu.
The default it set to 32-bit.

1501

Configuring and Integrating

For all PowerShell component monitors: You must specify the correct name of
your Exchange user and server in the Script Arguments field of the corresponding
PowerShell Monitor. If you fail to do this, the counter will return with an error of
"Undefined" status.
For example: If the name of your Exchange server is exchange.mydomain.com,
and the user you want to monitor is [email protected], the value in the
Script Arguments field should be the following:
[email protected],exchange.mydomain.com.
To see the names of your Exchange servers, run the following PowerShell
command in the Exchange Management Shell: Get-ExchangeServer
To see the names of the users, run the following PowerShell command in
Exchange Management Shell: Get-Mailbox
To examine and edit an individual PowerShell component monitor within the
template, click [+] to the left of the monitor. For example: Number of items
received by specific user during last month.

The following details about the selected component monitor are revealed:

1502

PowerShell Templates and Monitors

Using a PowerShell script, the monitor in this example is designed to return the
number of items received by a specific user during the last month.
In order to use this monitor, you will need to change the Script Arguments field
from the default example of, [email protected],server.domain.sw to something
that will suit your needs for your particular environment. You can do this by
clicking the Edit button (highlighted above).You also have the ability to alter the
pre-defined script that comes with PowerShell component monitors.
Note: Unless otherwise directed by the documentation, you should not need to
edit pre-defined scripts.
Once you have changed the Script Arguments field, click Submit to begin using
the component monitor within the template. The output for this script using the

1503

Configuring and Integrating

SAM monitor, Number of items received by specific user during last month,
should be similar to the following illustration:

The output for the script using only PowerShell should be similar to the following
illustration:

PowerShell Code with SAM

SolarWinds does not provide customer support for any scripting language. For
scripting support with SAM, the SolarWinds public community on thwack.com
may be of assistance.
Note: Unless otherwise directed by the documentation, you should not need to
edit pre-defined scripts.
To edit the default script for the Number of items received by specific user during
last month monitor, click the Edit button for that monitor. Below is the default
PowerShell script for this component monitor:
Note: Each statistic and message output pair of your script requires a unique
identifier. A maximum of 10 output pairs can be monitored per script.
$ErrorActionPreference = "silentlycontinue";
add-pssnapin Microsoft.Exchange.Management.PowerShell.E2010;
add-pssnapin Microsoft.Exchange.Management.PowerShell.Admin;
$address = $args.get(0);
$server = $args.get(1);
$Error.Clear();
if ( !$address )
{
Write-Host "Message: Can't find "user_mailbox" argument.

1504

PowerShell Code with SAM

Check documentation.";
exit 1;
}
if ( !$server )
{
Write-Host "Message: Can't find "server" argument. Check
documentation.";
exit 1;
}
$t1 = Get-Date;
$t2 = $t1.AddMonths(-1);
$stat = (Get-MessageTrackingLog -Server $server -Recipients
$address -EventID "Receive" -ResultSize "Unlimited" -Start $t2
-End $t1 | Measure-Object).Count;
if ($Error.Count -eq 0) {
Write-Host "Message: User $address received: $stat items
during last month";
Write-Host "Statistic: $stat";
Exit 0;
}
Write-Host "Message: $($Error[0])";
Exit 1;

Variables are used for storing information. In SAM, variables are prefixed with "$",
as highlighted below. The following code snippet from the above code calculates
a numerical value and then stores it in the variable $stat. In the illustration below,
the variable's value is reported as 9356, as highlighted in the Statistic column's
output.

Text and variables within quotes indicate information that may be visible to the
user. When made visible, the variables in the message will be replaced with the
values the variables store. The variables are highlighted below in both the code
and the output:

1505

Configuring and Integrating

With these same lines of code, Message: and Statistic: refer to the columns
where the information will be placed:

Scripts Must Report Status Through Exit Codes

Scripts must report their status by exiting with the appropriate exit code. The exit
code is used to report the status of the monitor, which is seen by the user through
the interface. The following table explains the exit codes and their values:
Exit Code

Meaning

Down

Warning

Critical

Any other value Unknown

The following code snippet shows proper usage of exit codes.

1506

PowerShell Code with SAM

The two exit codes in this example are conditional, meaning either one or the
other will be triggered based on a certain outcome. When Exit 0; (status of Up) is
reported, the message and statistic are displayed and the monitor shows a status
of Up. When Exit 1; (status of Down) is reported, the message and statistic are
not displayed and a status of Down is reported.
If you want to inform SolarWinds SAM that a PowerShell script reports an Up
status, you would exit the script using Exit 0;
Scripts with Text Output
Scripts report additional details by sending text to the scripts standard output.
SAM supports multiple values returned by a script using the following format.
There is a limit of 10 Statistic and Message pairs for the script. These can be
placed anywhere in the script output. The Statistic and Message names you
give must contain valid letters and/or numbers.
Detail Type

Required Meaning

Statistic

Yes

A numeric value used to

determine how the monitor
compares to its set thresholds.
This must be an integer value,
(negative numbers are
supported).
Statistic.Name1: 123Statistic.Name2: 456

Message

An error or information message

to be displayed in the monitor
status details. Note: Multi-line
messages are supported. To use
this functionality, print each line

1507

Configuring and Integrating

using a separate command. For

example:
Message.Name1: abc
Message.Name2: def

For more information, refer to the following sections:

l
l

"Creating a Windows PowerShell Monitor" on page 344.

For more information about Windows PowerShell, visit: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb978526.aspx.
For a complete list of available PowerShell cmdlets, visit: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee692945.aspx

Remote Execution vs. Local Execution

When you select remote execution, SAM creates a remote session via WinRM on
the target server. The script is then copied to the target server and run there.
When you select local execution, a local version of the PowerShell console will
open. If you need to run specific non-default cmdlets for the target server, you
should have the needed cmdlets installed on the SAM machine.
The following script can be used inside of SAM (local/remote execution modes)
and outside of SAM in the PowerShell console. The script returns 0 and the
Hostname of the SAM machine (SAM local execution) or the Hostname of the
target machine (SAM remote execution). In the Windows PowerShell console, the
script returns the local machine Hostname. If for some reason the script cannot
get the hostname, it returns 1 and a message of Host not found.
Script:
$stat = $env:computername;
if ($stat -ne $null)
{
Write-Host "Statistic: 0";
Write-Host "Message: $stat";
}
else
{
Write-Host "Statistic: 1";
Write-Host "Message: Host not found";

1508

Remote Execution vs. Local Execution

}

To save this script as a PowerShell (ps1) file:

In Notepad, save the script as Get-Date.ps1 (You can rename an existing file from
*.txt to *.ps1.)
To open the PowerShell console:
For Windows x64:
l

For x64, navigate to Start > Accessories > Windows PowerShell > Windows PowerShell
For x86, navigate to: Start > Accessories > Windows PowerShell > Windows PowerShell (x86)

For Windows x86:

Navigate to Start > Accessories > Windows PowerShell > Windows

PowerShell

To run this command via remote execution:

invoke-command ComputerName SOME_PC -Credential SOME_PC\SOME_
USER -ScriptBlock { Get-Date }

To run this command via local execution:

Name the file Get-Date.ps1 and run it by double-clicking it.

1509

Configuring and Integrating

Execute Scripts Remotely via Secure WinRM

Note: The steps outlined below are only for advanced users. Following the steps
outlined in the section, " PowerShell 2.0 Remoting Configuration" on page 1512
should be sufficient for most users and environments.
Aside from new remoting specific cmdlets with enhanced capabilities,
PowerShell 2.0 also ships with full remoting functionality. It is possible to connect
your local PowerShell session to a remote computer and execute commands just
as if you were sitting in front of the server console. The technology to make this
happen relies on WinRM 2.0, which is Microsofts latest implementation of the
WS-Management Protocol, a SOAP-based protocol used to manage a variety of
hardware devices. The theory behind this is that it will provide a shared way for
differing systems to communicate with each other.
WinRM 2.0 communicates via HTTP, and so is likely to be firewall-friendly; it also
listens on ports 5985 (default) and 5986 (encrypted), avoiding issues with locally
installed IIS. Even though it uses HTTP for communication, security has still been
considered; either NTLM or Kerberos are used for authentication, and if you wish
to configure WinRM 2.0 to use SSL, that is possible too. A lot of the configuration
can be carried out via new PowerShell cmdlets shipped with version 2.0.

1510

PowerShell 2.0 Remoting Requirements

Since PowerShell 2.0 and WinRM 2.0 go hand in hand, Microsoft has bundled
them up together along with a new version of BITS (Background Intelligent
Transfer Service) 4.0, making a single package known as the Windows
Management Framework. Although this collection makes some sense if you know
the background, there can be some confusion if an administrator is searching for
the download of PowerShell 2.0, ends up at the homepage for the Windows
Management Framework (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/968929) and wonders
what the heck that is. Well, now you know!
The components of the Windows Management Framework are already installed
with both Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows 7, although WinRM 2.0 is not
enabled by default on Windows 7. The components have also been made
available for older OS versions, and you can download all of those from the
homepage of the Windows Management Framework. Essentially, it is available
for the various flavors of Windows Server 2008 and 2003, as well as the Windows
Vista and XP client operating systems although BITS 4.0 is not available for
Windows Server 2003 or XP. This might sound like a muddle, but in short, it is
possible to run remote PowerShell 2.0 sessions both to and from all these
different operating systems.

PowerShell 2.0 Remoting Requirements

To enable PowerShell remoting, all computers participating in remote
management should have the following software:
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Windows PowerShell 2.0

NET framework 2.0 SP1 or later
Windows Remote Management (WinRM) 2.0

All of the above are installed by default on Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008
R2. However, earlier versions of Windows will require you to download the
updates from Microsoft website and install them yourself.
PowerShell 2.0 and WinRM 2.0 are included as a part of Windows Management
Framework download and are available for Windows XP, Windows Server 2003,
Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008.
To be able run scripts and commands on remote computers, the user performing
remote script execution must be:
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A member of the administrators group on the remote machine or

Should be able to provide administrator credentials at the time of remote
execution or
Should have access the PS session configuration on the remote system

1511

Configuring and Integrating

Also, on client OS versions of Windows such as Windows Vista and Windows 7,
network location must be set either to Home or Work. WS-Management may not
function properly if the network location for any of the network adapters is set to
public.

PowerShell 2.0 Remoting Configuration

To get PowerShell remoting working we need to configure Remoting Client and
Remoting Server. In this document Remoting Client is a SAM box (including
additional pollers if there are any); The Remoting Server is any target node, which
we are going to monitor with the use of the PowerShell monitor configured to
execute scripts remotely via WinRM. As an example, we will discuss the remoting
configuration procedure against Windows Server 2008 R2.
Note: Some commands (or steps) may be different if Windows Server 2003 is
used.
Configuration of the Remoting Server
To turn your computer in to a Remoting Server that is accessible from other
machines, the prerequisites for Remoting Server need to be in place:
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SSL Certificate: This is required if we are going to secure our WinRM connection.
Listener: Inside WinRM, a listener needs to be set up that listens on the network port Windows PowerShell the Remoting Server uses to communicate.
Firewall Exception: A firewall exception is needed that allows outside
requests to reach the WinRM service;
WinRM Service: This service receives requests from other computers and
needs to be running.

Create a Self-signed Certificate

You will need an SSL certificate to use a secure WinRM connection. WinRM
HTTPS requires a local computer Server Authentication Certificate with a CN
matching the IP address that is not expired or revoked to be installed.
There are two well-known tools available to create self-signed certificates;
MakeCert.exe and SelfSSL.exe. MakeCert.exe is for testing purposes only and
comes with Visual Studio. SelfSSL.exe is a part of the Internet Information
Services (IIS) 6.0 Resource Kit Tools. SelfSSL.exe will be used in this example.

1512

PowerShell 2.0 Remoting Configuration

The following commands should be executed on the Remoting Server computer.
This is the target node to be used with the SAM PowerShell monitor.
1. Download Internet Information Services (IIS) 6.0 Resource Kit and start
setup:

1513

Configuring and Integrating

2. Choose the Custom Setup option:

3. Select only the SelfSSL.exe tool (if you have no need for the additional
components):

1514

PowerShell 2.0 Remoting Configuration

4. Open a Command Prompt as an administrator from the Start menu, (rightclick):

5. Change the current location on SelfSSL install path. Typically the path is
C:\Program Files (x86)\IIS Resources\SelfSSL:

1515

Configuring and Integrating

6. Enter the following command to create a self-signed certificate. Replace

the parameters with actual values, as explained below. Note: Ignore the following possible error message: Error opening metabase: 0x80040154.
This indicates that IIS 6.0 compatibility mode may not be installed.
selfssl.exe /N:CN=<Local Server IP Address> /V:<Certificate time
to live in days> /P:<WinRM listener port> /T /Q
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<Local Server IP Address> This is the IP address of the Remoting

Server node. Use the IP address and not the computer name. SAM uses
this IP address when the probes are run;
<Certificate time to live in days> This is the time interval, in days, for
which the certificate remains valid;
<WinRM listener port> This is the port on which the HTTPS listener will
be created. The default value for the WinRM HTTPS listener port is 5986;
/T This option adds the self-signed certificate to the Trusted Root Certificates list;
/Q Quiet mode. This will prevent you from be prompted when SSL settings are overwritten.
For example: selfssl.exe /N:CN=192.168.0.198 /V:3600 /P:5986 /T /Q

1516

PowerShell 2.0 Remoting Configuration

7. Verify that certificate was created properly. Start the Management Console
(MMC.exe):

8. Add the Certificates snap-in and verify that the recently created self-signed
certificate is listed in both the Personal and Trusted Root Certificate

1517

Configuring and Integrating

Authorities storages.

9. Follow the red steps in the graphic, 1 through 4, to select the Certificates:
snap-in

1518

PowerShell 2.0 Remoting Configuration

10. Once complete, you should have the following:

11. Verify that the certificate is in Personal storage:

12. Verify that the certificate is in Trusted Root Certificate Authorities storage:

1519

Configuring and Integrating

13. Open the created certificate by double-clicking it.
14. On the Details page, select and copy the Thumbprint field value:

15. Copy the values highlighted above to the clipboard. These copied values
will be used in creating a Listener in the following section.
Create a WinRM HTTPS Listener
Create the Windows Remote Management Listener and bind it to the certificate
using the following steps:
1. Open a Command Prompt as an administrator from the Start menu, (rightclick):

2. The following command should be executed on the Remoting Server computer. This is the target node which will be used with the SAM PowerShell
monitor. It is also the computer where the self-signed certificate was created in the previous section.

1520

PowerShell 2.0 Remoting Configuration

3. Enter the following command with the parameters replaced with actual values, as explained below:
winrm create winrm/config/Listener?Address=<IP Address used to
bind listener>+Transport=HTTPS @{Hostname=<The name or IP of
your remoting server>;CertificateThumbprint=<Paste from the previous step and remove the spaces>;Port=<Port number>}
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<IP Address used to bind listener> - To bind the certificate to the

Listener, specify the Remoting Server's local IP address. You can use the
wildcard, (*), symbol to allow listening on all available local addresses;
<The name or IP of your remoting server> - The Remoting Server's
node name or IP address;
<Paste from the previous step and remove the spaces> - Paste the
self-signed certificate thumbprint created in steps 13-14 of the previous section;
<Port number> - This is the port number for the Listener. You can specify
the default WinRM HTTPS port of 5986.

For example:
winrm create
winrm/config/Listener?Address=IP:192.168.0.171+Transport=HTTPS @
{Hostname="192.168.0.198";CertificateThumbprint="6aa47ed7356fb0f1e3b4
34850a7bb51ed40b0d3a";Port="5986"}

Once the command has been successfully executed, the output will look similar to
the following illustration:

1521

Configuring and Integrating

Adding a Firewall Exception

The following steps will create a in-bound exception for the Windows firewall
using WinRM HTTPS port 5986.
1. Open a Command Prompt as an administrator from the Start menu, (rightclick):

2. Enter the following command with the parameters replaced with actual values, as explained below:
netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="<Rule name>" protocol=TCP dir=in localport=<Port number> action=allow

<Rule name> - This is the name of the rule shown in the Windows Firewall under Advanced Security > Inbound Rules;
<Port number> - This is the port number in use for the Listener
that was created in the previous section.

For example:
netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="WinRM via HTTPS - Open Port
5986" protocol=TCP dir=in localport=5986 action=allow

1522

Remoting Client/SAM Computer Configuration

Import the self-signed certificate from the Remoting Server with the
following steps:
1. On the Remoting Server, open the management console;

2. Add the Certificates snap-in;

3. Locate the created certificate and right-click on it then selet All Tasks >
Export

1523

Configuring and Integrating

4. The Certificate Export Wizard will be launched:

5. Select, No, do not export the private key, then click Next.

1524

Remoting Client/SAM Computer Configuration

6. Select, DER binary X.509 (.CER), and then click Next.

7. Specify the file, and then click Next.

1525

Configuring and Integrating

8. Click Finish.

Transferring the Certificate:

1. Now you need to transfer the certificate. On the Remoting Client, open the
Management Console.

1526

Remoting Client/SAM Computer Configuration

2. Add the Certificates snap-in.

3. Follow the red steps in the graphic, 1 through 4, to select the Certificates
snap-in:

1527

Configuring and Integrating

4. Click OK when done.

5. Locate Trusted Root Certification Authorities, right click on it, then navigate
to All Tasks > Import.

6. The Certificate Import Wizard will be launched. Find the file to import and
then click Next.

1528

Remoting Client/SAM Computer Configuration

7. Select, Place all Certificates in the following Store. The store is "Trusted
Root Certification Authorities."

1529

Configuring and Integrating

8. Complete the wizard by clicking Finish.

9. Verify that certificate was imported successfully:

Communicate with Remoting Host

If your machine is only acting as a client in a domain environment, meaning it is
accessing other systems but not being accessed itself, you do not need to
configure anything out of the ordinary.
The following minimum setup will only allow access to other systems that have
enabled remoting. You will not be able to test remoting on your own computer.
To set up TrustedHosts without calling Enable-PSRemoting, you need to add a
registry key and then temporarily run the WinRM service.
The following steps will set up TrustedHosts:

1530

Communicate with Remoting Host

1. Run a Windows PowerShell console as an administrator (right-click):

2. Execute the following commands:

l PS> Set-ItemProperty HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\SystemLocalAccountTokenFilterPolicy 1 -Type DWord
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PS> Start-Service WinRM

3. Add the TrustedHosts entry:

PS> Set-Item WSMan:\localhost\Client\TrustedHosts

Value * -Force

4. Turn off the WinRM service and revert the value of the LocalAccountTokenFilterPolicy registry entry:
l PS> Stop-Service WinRM PS> Set-ItemProperty
HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System
LocalAccountTokenFilterPolicy 0 -Type DWord
Your client is now able to access other systems remotely using Windows
PowerShell remoting and is no longer limited to Kerberos and machines inside a
domain.

1531

Configuring and Integrating

Setup Windows PowerShell Monitor in SAM

Create and test the SAM PowerShell monitor using the following steps:
1. From the SAM web console, navigate to: Settings > SAM Settings > Manage Templates.
2. Search for "PowerShell."
3. Select a template by checking the box next to the template name, an then
clicking Edit.
4. Click [+] to the left of a monitor name to reveal its details:
5. You must choose Remote Host as the execution mode.
6. Check the Use HTTPS Protocol setting.
7. The Port Number value, (the default value is 5986 for WinRM secure connection), should correlate with the port on which the Listener was created on
the Remoting Server.

8. Enter a simple script in the monitor for testing by clicking Edit, for example:
write "Statistic.RemoteMachineName: 0";
write "Message.RemoteMachineName: $env:computername";
exit 0;
Note: This script is printing the computer name (the machine on which this
is executed).

1532

Setup Windows PowerShell Monitor in SAM

9. Define the output columns for the script:

1533

Configuring and Integrating

10. View the script output:

11. Create an application based on our template and assign it to the Remoting
Server target node:

12. Examine the script output. Done correctly, you should see the name of the
Remote Server node in the output, not the SAM server, (i.e. the script was
executed remotely).

1534

LDAP
You now have a PowerShell monitor configured to execute scripts remotely via
secure WinRM connection.

LDAP
Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) is a protocol for accessing
directory servers. In other words, LDAP is a directory, not a database. There are
no rows or tables in LDAPs directory and there are no relational links. The result
is a simple yet structured directory design that is easy to navigate.
Every object in LDAP can contain one or more sub-objects, much like the folder
and sub-folder relationship used in Windows operating systems. LDAP runs
directly over TCP port 389 by default. It is used to store information about users,
including the network privileges assigned to each user. Revoking or changing
privileges can be done from one entry in the LDAP directory, rather than at many
machines across the network. LDAP also supports SSL and TLS for security.

LDAP Key Terms and Components

Following is a list of key terms and components along with their respective
definitions.
Distinguished Names
Distinguished Names (DNs) are a fundamental part of LDAP. LDAP uses path
syntax to identify objects in the store.
Typical Windows path syntax:
C:\Files\Pictures\Pic1.jpg
DNs work in reverse order, meaning the most specific node is on the left of the
path syntax. Typical example of a DN:
CN=SomeUser,OU=SomeContainer,DC=SomeDomain,DC=com
This DN is composed of four Relative Distinguished Name (RDN) parts:
CN=SomeUserOU=SomeContainerDC=SomeDomainDC=com
Each RDN is a child of the object whose RDN is to its right. The object deepest in
the tree in this DN example is the object, CN=SomeUser.
Each RDN is composed of two parts: the name of the attribute that provides the
primary name of the object, and the value of that attribute. In this example, CN,
which stands for Common Name, is the name of the attribute that provides the
primary name for objects of its class. SomeUser is the value of this attribute.

1535

Configuring and Integrating

There are also RDN attributes for OU (Organizational Unit) and DC (Domain
Component).
Like any file system, the name for an object in an LDAP container must be
unique. Thus, CN=Kate uniquely identifies this object within its container,
OU=CustomerSupport. As a result, the entire DN uniquely identifies this
particular object in the entire directory tree.
Search Operation
The most important operation in LDAP is the ability to search. This is how objects
are found in the directory tree and how values are read. The syntax is somewhat
different from more familiar query syntaxes such as SQL. However, LDAP is also
much simpler than SQL with SQL's joins, sub-queries, ordering, and grouping.
An LDAP query is composed of four basic parts: a search root, a search scope, a
filter, and a list of attributes to return. There are more parameters and options, but
these basic four are enough for most cases.
Search Root
The search root determines the place in the tree from which the search will start.
This value is passed as a DN in string format. To search the entire directory, pass
the DN of the object that is the root of the tree. To search lower in the hierarchy,
specify a lower-level DN.
Search Filter
The search filter determines which objects will be returned in the query. It is
analogous to the Where clause in a SQL statement. Each object in the scope of
the query will be evaluated against the filter to determine whether or not it
matches. Objects that do not meet the filter criteria are eliminated from the search.

Basic LDAP Syntax

The following table outlines basic operators for use with LDAP:
Operator Operator Definition
Definition

Example

(givenName=Kate)

Equal to

This argument means an

attribute must be equal to a
certain value to be true.

1536

This will return all

objects that have

Basic LDAP Syntax

the first name of

"Kate."
Note: Because there
is only one
argument in this
example, it is
surrounded with
parentheses for
illustration.
&

And

Use & when you have more

than one condition and you
want all conditions to be true.
For example, if you want to find
all of the people that have the
first name of Kate and live in
Austin, you would use the
example in the right-hand
column.

(&(givenNamee=Kate)(l=Austin))

Not

The ! operator is used to

exclude objects that have a
certain attribute. If you need to
find all objects except those that
have the first name of Kate, you
would use the example in the
right-hand column. This would
find all objects that do not have
the first name of Kate.

(!givenName=Kate)
Note: Because there
is only one
argument in this
example, it is
surrounded with
parentheses for
illustration.

Note: The ! operator goes

directly in front of the argument
and inside the argument's set of
parentheses.
*

Wildcard

Use the * operator to represent

a value that could be equal to

1537

(title=*)

Configuring and Integrating

anything. If you wanted to find

all objects that have a value for
title, you would then use the
example in the right-hand
column. This would return all
objects that have the title
attribute populated with any
value.
*

Wildcard

This would apply to all objects

whose first name starts with
"Ka."

(givenName=Ka*)

Advanced Examples of LDAP Syntax:

You need a filter to find all objects that are in NYC or Austin, and that have
the first name of "Kate." This would be:
(&(givenName=Kate)(|(l=NYC)(l=Austin)))

You have received 9,360 events in the Application log and you need to
find all of the objects that are causing this logging event. In this case, you
need to find all of the disabled users (msExchUserAccountControl=2)
that do not have a value for msExchMasterAccountSID. This would be:
(&(msExchUserAccountControl=2)(!msExchMasterAccountSID=*))

Note: Using the ! operator with the * operator will look for objects where that
attribute is not set to anything.

The LDAP User Experience Monitor

Use the LDAP Monitor to test that:
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An LDAP client can open a connection with an LDAP server.

Specified objects exist and can be located in the LDAP catalogue.
The server responds within a required time frame.

1538

Integrating the LDAP User Experience Monitor

The LDAP Monitor supports LDAP version 2, which is the most commonly
supported version. Most LDAP version 3 servers will support LDAP version 2
client requests.
How this Monitor Works:
1. It creates an instance of the LDAP Connection class using the specified directory identifier.
2. It configures the connection which can be encrypted.
3. It establishes an LDAP connection and passes user authentication with the
bind operation.
4. It prepares and sends an LDAP search request. LDAP Search Root and
LDAP Filter monitor settings are used.
5. It reads and proceeds with an LDAP response. The monitor returns the
number of found entries as statistic data. It also calculates and shows the
server response time.

Integrating the LDAP User Experience Monitor

Prerequisites
The target LDAP server IP address and name must be successfully DNS
resolved from the SolarWinds server.
Fields Defined
The fields highlighted below are unique to this monitor, therefore, only they are
defined immediately following this illustration:
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Port Number: Port 389 is the default port for a non-encrypted connection.
Use port 636 if you use encryption.
Encryption Method: Choose either SSL or StartTLS to encrypt your data.
Authentication Method: Below are the five available options:
o Anonymous: Indicates that the connection should be made without
passing credentials.
o Simple: Indicates that basic authentication should be used with the
connection. This only requires a valid username and password.
o NTLM: Indicates that Windows NT Challenge/Response (NTLM)
authentication should be used on the connection. This requires user
name, password, and domain (Realm).
o Kerberos: Indicates that Kerberos authentication should be used on
the connection. This requires a user name, password and domain
(Realm).

1539

Configuring and Integrating

Negotiate: Indicates that Microsoft's Negotiate authentication should
be used with the connection. This only requires a valid username
and password.
Realm (User Domain): This is the user's domain (e.g. for DC=soolarwinds,DC=com the realm would be solarwinds).
LDAP Search Root: This is the place in the LDAP tree that you want to
start your search. (e.g. The Users folder, as illustrated below):
o

This example is based on the Active Directory Domain Controller lab.rio. The
LDAP search root would be CN=Users,DC=lab,DC=rio because the context
name Folder is Users, and the domain DC is lab.rio.
In general, you may specify just the domain root (DC=lab,DC=rio) to begin a
search because the monitor always applies the SearchScope.Subtree request
option. The query will search the entire domain tree for the requested object from
the specified root.
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LDAP Filter: This describes the search condition for an LDAP query and
matching attributes.

1540

Integrating the LDAP User Experience Monitor

Credentials
Credentials should be used without the domain because the Realm field is
defined with this information.
LDAP Monitor Statistics.
The following illustrates typical field entries for a working LDAP User
Experience monitor within SAM:

In the illustration below, the Statistic and the Response Time values are
highlighted. A statistic of 1 is returned indicating that 1 user was found that
matched the filter criteria. This query took 259 milliseconds, as indicated by the
Response Time value of 259.

1541

Configuring and Integrating

1542

How To...
This section provides simple examples of how to use the tools and resources that
SAM provides. If you would like to know How To do something or you have an
example of How To accomplish something, please post your idea at: Thwack
Suggestions. If selected, your idea will be listed in this chapter when a new
version of this guide is available.
Following are the examples included:
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How to Monitor an Application Process Launched from a Specific Path.

How to Stop the Polling of all Applications Monitored by SAM.
How to Control Whether Alerts are Repeated or Suppressed if a Condition
Still Exists
How to Wrap a VBScript Around an Executable File
How to Monitor Multiple Instances of Sqlservr.exe
How to Remove an Application Template from Multiple Nodes
How To Change the Width and Number of Columns in a Page View
How To Add and Manage Resources in a Page View
How to Restart a Windows Service with an Alert Action

How To Add and Manage Resources in a Page

View
1. Click Customize Page in the top right corner of the web console.
2. The following screen appears showing the current resources implemented
for both columns in the current view. With the icons to the right of each
column, you can add, delete, and move resources about the page by selecting that item and then clicking an action icon. Hovering the mouse over an
icon reveals the action that icon will take when clicked.

1543

How To...

For example, clicking the green [+] icon will allow you to add a resource to
that column, which brings up the following screen:

3. From here, you can select a category to group resource items by from the
Group by drop down menu:
Note: The Classic category reflects the tree views found in previous
versions of SAM for this resource.
4. Select the resources you want, and then click Add Selected Resources.
5. Click Done.
Notes:
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Some resources will not be available for certain views.

The Last 25 Application Events resource is used across all
applications.
The Last XX Application Events resource is used for a single
application.

1544

How To Change the Width and Number of Columns in a Page View

How To Change the Width and Number of

Columns in a Page View
1. Click Customize Page in the top right corner of the web console.
2. Click Edit.

3. The following screen appears, allowing you to select one, two, or three
columns. From here you can also select the width of each column in pixels.

4. When done, click Submit.

How To Disable Asset Inventory Data Collection

For existing nodes, you can disable Asset Inventory data collection by
executing the following SQL command:
UPDATE [SolarWindsOrion].[dbo].[AssetInventory_Polling] set Enabled
= 0;

To disable this for future nodes added, rename the following file:
C:\Program Files (x86)
\SolarWinds\Orion\Discovery\Plugins\SolarWinds.AssetInventory.Disc
overy.plugin

For example: SolarWinds.AssetInventory.Discovery.plugin-Disabled

How to Handle Microsoft Server Clusters in

AppInsight for SQL
Question: Should you monitor a cluster virtual node or the real server?
Answer:It is recommended that AppInsight for SQL be applied to the cluster VIP.
You should also have each cluster member node managed/monitored in SAM.
For more information, see Monitoring Clusters with AppInsight for SQL

1545

How To...

AppInsight for SQL: Create an alert trigger based

on how much available space is occupied by
actual data in the database.
To measure how much of the maximum size is actually used by data, use
the following custom SQL alert:
Use the following as a filter in for the trigger condition:
JOIN APM_SqlBbDatabaseFileAlertsData AS dbfile
ON APM_SqlBbDatabaseAlertsData.DatabaseID = dbfile.DatabaseID
WHERE dbfile.FileType = 0 AND ((dbfile.UsedSpace * 100.0 / (dbfile.Size
+ dbfile.DatabaseFileFreeSpace)) > 5.0)

Use the following as a filter for the reset condition:

JOIN APM_SqlBbDatabaseFileAlertsData AS dbfile
ON APM_SqlBbDatabaseAlertsData.DatabaseID = dbfile.DatabaseID
WHERE dbfile.FileType = 0 AND ((dbfile.UsedSpace * 100.0 / (dbfile.Size
+ dbfile.DatabaseFileFreeSpace)) <= 5.0)

Where the 5.0 means "if more than 5.0% of the available space is being used by
the data, trigger the alert."

How to Remove an Application Template from Multiple Nodes

1. Navigate to Settings > SAM Settings > Manage Application Monitors.
2. From here, you can change the Group By drop down menu to Application
Monitor Template.
3. Find the template in the list on the left and click that template.
4. Multi-select the nodes you want to delete the Application Monitor from.

How to Monitor Multiple Instances of Sqlservr.exe

Let us assume you are using SAM to monitor your SQL servers and that you have
multiple instances of sqlservr.exe running. You want to monitor each instance of
sqlservr.exe individually so you can determine which instances (databases) are
causing excessive CPU usage.
In this example there are four instances of sqlservr.exe you want to monitor:
DB1, DB2, DB3, and DB4. By using command-line filtering when setting up an
application monitor, you can instruct SAM to monitor specific instances.

1546

How to Restart a Windows Service with an Alert Action

When viewing Task Manager on the SQL server, you can see that each of the
separate instances use a switch to specify the particular instance. For example, sDB1 is found at the end of that invoked instance.
Using the command-line filter of your SAM template, you can enter that switch to
get a list of the specific instances and their respective memory and CPU usage.

You also may be interested in: How to Monitor an Application Process Launched
from a Specific Path.

How to Restart a Windows Service with an Alert

Action
Example Alert Manager Trigger Action to Restart a Windows Service
Execute program: APMServiceControl.exe ${ComponentId}

Using the Preconfigured Restart a Service Alert

The SolarWinds Alert Manager includes a pre-configured alert called Restart a
Service that has a recovery action to restart a service if a Windows service
component monitor is down. You must enable this alert manually because it is
disabled by default.
To enable the Restart a Service alert:
1. Click Start > All Programs > SolarWinds > Alerting, Reporting, and Mapping > Advanced Alert Manager.
2. Click Configure Alerts.
3. Check Restart a Service.
4. Click Done.
For more information, see Restarting Windows Services with an Alert Action.

1547

How To...

How to Wrap a VBScript Around an Executable

File
The following example demonstrates how to write a simple vbscript to open
Notepad.exe:

1. Open Notepad and paste the following code into a new document:
Set WshShell = WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
Dim exeName
Dim statusCode
exeName = "%windir%\notepad"
statusCode = WshShell.Run (exeName, 1, true)
MsgBox("End of Program")

2. Save the file as Example.vbs (manually change the extension to .vbs)

3. Double-click Example.vbs to run the program which launches Notepad.exe
Note: Change the highlighted section to the path and .exe you want to
execute, for example, C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe

How to Control Whether Alerts are Repeated or

Suppressed if a Condition Still Exists
By default, alert actions happen once after a trigger. They will only trigger again
after the existing trigger condition clears. To have them trigger continuously
during each event, employ Alert Escalation on the Trigger Action. Following is the
flow of an alert:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Event happens
Check alerts that match Trigger Condition
Matching alert found, perform Trigger Actions
Perform all applicable Trigger Actions based on action configuration (Escalation falls here)

1548

How to Stop the Polling of all Applications Monitored by SAM.

5. Reset Condition matched

6. Perform all applicable Reset Conditions

How to Stop the Polling of all Applications Monitored by SAM.

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To do this permanently: Delete all SAM applications.

To do this temporarily: Unmanage all applications.
To disable polling quickly and temporarily, without changing application parameters:
1. locate the following file: C:\Program Files (x86)\Common
2.

Files\SolarWinds\JobEngine.v2\plugins\SolarWinds.APM.Probes.plugin
Next, move it to a different location and restart the Job Engine v2

ser-

vice.
Note: This will result in an invalid configuration which may generate
errors.
3. Return the file to its original place and restart the Job Engine v2 service to return this to a working state.

How To Use VB Script to Monitor Your SSL Expiration Date

Important: SAM has an SSL Expiration Date Monitor which can be found at
SSL Certificate Expiration Date Monitor. The following example demonstrates a
typical use case scenario using a Windows Script Monitor utilizing VB script.
In order to calculate the number of days until an SSL certificate expires, a vbscript
can be implemented with the Windows Script Monitor. This script relies on
OpenSSL being installed on your SolarWinds server to check for the expiration

1549

How To...
date. The script below accepts one argument in the form of a URL, with the socket
number, and returns the statistic in the number of days remaining until expiration.
Before using this script you need to install OpenSSL, which is freely available on
the internet. Ensure the path given below has the OpenSSL plug-in installed or
change the path as per your OpenSSL plug-in.
For each instance of the monitor, change the text file that the monitor writes to,
(e.g.: cer1.txt, cer2.txt), otherwise the monitors may return a value of, Unknown.
Warning: The code below is user-submitted. Use at your own risk. SolarWinds is
not responsible for the impact this code may have on your system. Exercise
caution when executing any code with which you are not familiar.
Installation: You will need to pass the argument site name plus the port number.
Example:
www.google.co.uk:443
Code:
Option Explicit
Dim
Dim
Dim
Dim
Dim
Dim
Dim
Dim
Dim
Dim
Dim
Dim
Dim
Dim
Dim
Dim
Dim

oShell
ArgObj
Fh
FSO
Line
Expiry
DaysLeft
ExpDate
oExec
cert
tstream
i
str
PluginPath
CertFilePath
char
XString

Const ForReading = 1
CertFilePath = "C:\TMP\cert99.txt"
PluginPath = "C:\Program Files\Solarwinds\Common\OpenSSL\bin\"

1550

How To Use VB Script to Monitor Your SSL Expiration Date

Set FSO = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
Set tstream = FSO.createtextfile(CertFilePath, True)
ArgObj = wscript.Arguments(0)
Set oShell = wscript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
'Calling funtion to retieve the host
Set oExec = oShell.exec(PluginPath & "openssl.exe s_client -connect " & ArgObj)
'Write the certificate into a text file
Do Until oExec.StdOut.AtEndOfStream
char = oExec.StdOut.Read(1)
tstream.Write (char)
If Len(XString) < 20 Then
XString = XString & char
ElseIf XString = "END CERTIFICATE-----" Then
Exit Do
Else
XString = Mid(XString, 2, 19)
XString = XString & char
End If
Loop
tstream.Close
oExec.Terminate
'Read SSL certificate for start date and end date
Set oExec = oShell.exec(PluginPath & "openssl.exe x509 -noout in " & CertFilePath & " -dates")
'Return start date and end date of the certificate
Line = oExec.StdOut.Readall
'Get the expiration date of the certificate
Expiry = (Mid(Line, Len(Line) - 24, 24))
ExpDate = ConvertDate(Expiry)
'Calculating number of days
DaysLeft = DateDiff("d", Now(), ExpDate)
'Display the number of days remaining until expiration
wscript.echo "Statistic: " & DaysLeft
wscript.echo "Message: Number of days remaning of expiry for
SSL certificate are " & DaysLeft

1551

How To...
'Object Closing code
oExec.Terminate
Set oShell = Nothing
Set oExec = Nothing
'This function converts the date into the required format
Function ConvertDate(DateStr)
Dim Components
Dim Month
Dim Day
Dim Year
Components = Split(DateStr)
Select Case Components(0)
Case "Jan", "January"
Month = 1
Case "Feb", "February"
Month = 2
Case "Mar", "March"
Month = 3
Case "Apr", "April"
Month = 4
Case "May"
Month = 5
Case "Jun", "June"
Month = 6
Case "Jul", "July"
Month = 7
Case "Aug", "August"
Month = 8
Case "Sep", "Sept", "September"
Month = 9
Case "Oct", "October"
Month = 10
Case "Nov", "November"
Month = 11
Case "Dec", "December"
Month = 12
Case Else
Month = 1
End Select

1552

How to Monitor an Application Process Launched from a Specific Path.

Day = Components(1)
Year = Components(3)
If UBound(Components) = 5 Then
Day = Components(2)
Year = Components(4)
Else
Day = Components(1)
Year = Components(3)
End If
ConvertDate = CDate(Day & "/" & Month & "/" & Year)
End Function

How to Monitor an Application Process Launched

from a Specific Path.
You want to monitor an application process launched from a specific path.
For example:
Imagine your organization uses an application that runs multiple instances of the
same executable file for specific data needs. Each executable process is
launched from a different folder, and the catch is that these applications are
running on the same server.
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Data application 1 is located in C:\DataApp1\APP.EXE

Data application 2 is located in C:\DataApp2\APP.EXE
Data application 3 is located in C:\DataApp3\APP.EXE

You can set up a Process Monitor (WMI) and SolarWinds SAM will display each
process ID (PID) in the dashboard. However, you need to monitor and report each
separate application that has been launched from each folder. What you want to
be able to do is set up an application template to monitor Data Application 1 that
resides in C:\DataApp1\APP.EXE, then set up another template for data application
2, and so on.
How can you monitor an application that has been launched from each
specific folder/path?
You can use the Command Line filter to get information about concrete instance
(s). Check the command line using Task Manager (it is hidden by default) and if
the command line contains the full path. You can use this as a filter.

1553

How To...

You also may be interested in: How to Monitor Multiple Instances of Sqlservr.exe

1554

Troubleshooting
If you have problems with a SolarWinds product, the causes are usually related to
an incorrect configuration or corrupted files. The suggestions listed in this section
can often clear up these problems.
Additionally, you can visit our knowledge base repository for articles to help
remedy specific issues. The address is: http://knowledgebase.solarwinds.com/kb/
You can also talk to other users as well as the SolarWinds staff by logging on to
thwack.com
Back Up Your Data
As a first step in any troubleshooting procedure, you should back up your Orion
database. For more information, see Creating Database Backups on page1144.
Verify Program Operation
SolarWinds runs many components at the same time to deliver a view of your
network status. Confirm that the following components are running on your
SolarWinds server:
Services:
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Message Queuing
Net.Tcp Port Sharing Service
SNMP Trap Service
SolarWinds Alerting Engine service
SolarWinds Collector Data Processor, Management Agent, and Polling Controller services
SolarWinds Information Service
SolarWinds Job Engine and Job Engine v2
SolarWinds Job Scheduler
SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor Service. All SolarWinds products
use this service. It is not exclusive to SolarWinds SAM.
SolarWinds Product services
SolarWinds Information Service
SolarWinds Module Engine
SolarWinds Syslog and Trap Services

1555

Troubleshooting

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SQL Server
Internet Information Service (IIS)

Stop and Restart

Many problems disappear when programs are restarted. Stopping and restarting
Internet Information Service (IIS) may eliminate web page problems. Problems
with polling or data gathering may be eliminated by stopping and restarting the
SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor Service using the available shutdown
tool that you can locate as follows:
1. Click Start> All Programs> SolarWinds> Advanced Features> Orion
Service Manager.
For a complete refresh of the system, reboot the computer.
Run the Configuration Wizard
Running the Configuration Wizard, which refreshes files on the web server and
performs checks on the structure of your database, may solve many problems.
Note: Before you run the Configuration Wizard, you should close all open
applications and stop the SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor Service in
the Windows Services Control Panel. It will be restarted by the Wizard at the end
of its process.
Using Full Variable Names
If you are having difficulty acquiring expected values from a selected variable,
using the ${VariableName}format, it may be helpful to include the database table
name within the variable name, as in ${Nodes.IP_Address}.

Slow Performance on Windows Server 2008

If SolarWinds is installed on Windows Server 2008 or Windows Vista and there
are any devices on your network, between your SolarWinds server and your
database server, that do not support RFC 1323, TCP Extensions for High
Performance, the TCP window size auto-tuning feature of Windows Server 2008
and Windows Vista may prevent your SolarWinds server from successfully
connecting with your Orion database. This TCP auto-tuning feature is intended as
a network-sensitive restriction, applied by the receiveryour SolarWinds
serveron the amount of data it is allowed or able to receive. If any devices along
the network path between your SolarWinds server and your Orion database do
not support the TCP window scaling detailed in RFC 1323, the allowed size of
the TCP window in packets sent to your SolarWinds server may not match the

1556

Why do my SAM WMI Monitors Show Status Unknown?

TCP window size reported by packets sent from your SolarWinds server. This
mismatch may lead to failed connections between your SolarWinds server and
your Orion database. The following procedure disables this TCP auto-tuning
feature, resetting the TCP receive window to 64kB.
To Disable TCP Auto-tuning:
1. Click Start > All Programs > Accessories.
2. Right-click Command Prompt, and then click Run as administrator.
3. If you are prompted by User Account Control, click Continue to open
the elevated command prompt.
Note: In some cases, having User Account Control (UAC) enabled on Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista (evaluation-only) can lead to installation errors. For more information about disabling UAC, see the article,
Disabling User Account Control (UAC) in the SolarWinds Knowledge
Base.
4. At the prompt, enter the following: netsh interface tcp set global autotuninglevel=disabled

5. Close the command prompt window, and then restart your SolarWinds
server.

Why do my SAM WMI Monitors Show Status

Unknown?
To monitor SAM applications containing WMI component monitors, the
following conditions must be true:
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WMI on the remote server is enabled and functioning properly.

The remote server is accessible through a RPC connection in order to run
the WMI queries.

If these conditions cannot be met, the WMI component monitors in SAM show an
Unknown status. Examples of some issues that can prevent these conditions from
being met include, but are not limited to:
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Trying to connect to a remote computer where you do not have local Administrator rights.
A firewall blocking the WMI traffic.
An operating system that is not configured for WMI.
Mistyping the credential password in the SAM component monitor.

To help diagnose and fix these issues and others, we can test the WMI services,
the remote WMI connections, and the SolarWinds SAM component configuration

1557

Troubleshooting
to discover and correct the issues that can prevent your WMI component monitors
from functioning correctly.
The topics in this guide are as follows:
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WMI Troubleshooting Flowchart for SolarWinds SAM. Provides a flowchart

of the troubleshooting decisions described in this guide.
Testing Local WMI Services. Ensures WMI is running correctly on the target
computer.
Testing Remote WMI Connections. Ensures the WMI connection to the target computer is not being blocked, ignored, or rejected.
Testing SolarWinds SAM Component Configuration. Ensures you are properly configuring the WMI component credentials in SolarWinds SAM.

Working with Temporary Directories

The following sections provide procedures for moving Windows and SQL Server
temporary directories to optimize SolarWinds server performance and resources.

Moving the SQL Server Temporary Directory

The SQL Server temporary directory, tempdb, where temporary database objects
generated during table creation and sorting are stored, is typically created in the
same location on your Orion database server as the master, model, and msdb
databases. Moving the tempdb database to a physical drive separate from your
Orion database can significantly improve overall system performance.
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For more information about moving the SQL Server 2008 temporary directory, tempdb, for see Moving System Databases Example A: Moving
the tempdb Database.

Redefining Windows System Temporary Directories

Following established Windows standards, the SolarWinds installer may use
Windows User and System TEMP and TMP variable directories as temporary
scratch spaces for file expansion and execution. If you do not have the required
scratch space available in the default User or System TEMP and TMP directories,
use the following procedure to redefine your default locations.
Note: Regardless of where you actually install SolarWinds, some common files
may be installed where the operating system of your SolarWinds server are
located.

1558

Redefining Windows System Temporary Directories

To Redefine Default System Temporary Directories:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Log on to your SolarWinds server as a user with administrative rights.

Right-click My Computer, and then click Properties.
Click Advanced, and then click Environment Variables.
Select the variable name representing the directory you want to redefine,
click Edit, and then provide a new path as the Variable value for the selected temporary directory variable.

1559

Troubleshooting

WMI Troubleshooting Flowchart for SolarWinds

SAM

1560

Testing Local WMI Services

Note: The following Microsoft article describes how to set permissions in a
workgroup after an upgrade from Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional to
Microsoft Windows XP Professional. http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=290403

Testing Local WMI Services

Testing the local WMI services helps us isolate any faults on the target server we
are trying to monitor. The testing program is a Microsoft program named
WBEMTest that comes already installed on Microsoft Windows operating
systems.

Test WMI on the Target Server

Complete the following procedure to check whether WMI on the target
server is functioning correctly:
1. Log on to the target server with an administrator account.
2. Click Start > Run, enter wbemtest.exe and then click OK.

3. Click Connect on the Windows Management Instrumentation Tester window.

1561

Troubleshooting
4. Enter root\cimv2 in the field at the top of the dialog box next to the Connect button.

5. Click Connect.
6. Click Enum Classes.

1562

Test WMI on the Target Server

7. Select the Recursive radio button without entering a superclass name, and
then click OK.

8. If the WMI class you are querying appears in this list, local WMI services are functioning correctly. Skip to the next topic and test remote WMI.

9. If the list does not appear or does not contain the desired WMI class,
WMI is not functioning correctly. Continue reading this section for guidance
on repairing WMI services on the target server.
10. Click Close, and then click Exit.

1563

Troubleshooting

Reset the WMI Counters

At times, the WMI performance counters may not get transferred to WMI because
services were delayed or started out of order
(http://support.microsoft.com/kb/820847).
To manually reset the WMI counters:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Stop the Windows Management Instrumentation service.

Click Start, click Run, type cmd, and then click OK.
At the command prompt, type winmgmt /resyncperf, and then press Enter.
At the command prompt, type wmiadap.exe /f, and then press Enter.
Type exit, and then press Enter to close the command prompt.
Start the Windows Management Instrumentation service.

After resetting the WMI counters, retest WMI. If resetting the WMI counters did not
solve your problem, see WMI is Still Not Working. Now What?

Testing Remote WMI Connectivity

Testing the remote WMI connectivity of the target server helps us isolate faults
that could prevent the target server from receiving or responding to our remote
WMI requests. The testing program is a Microsoft program named WBEMTest that
comes already installed on Microsoft Windows operating systems.

Remotely Test WMI on the Target Server

Complete the following procedure to check whether the target server is
responding appropriately to remote WMI requests that originate from the
SolarWinds SAM server:
1. Log on to the SolarWinds SAM server with an administrator account.
2. Click Start > Run, enter wbemtest.exe and then click OK.

1564

Remotely Test WMI on the Target Server

3. Click Connect on the Windows Management Instrumentation Tester window.
4. Enter \\Target_Primary_IP_Address\root\cimv2 in the field at the top of the
dialog box. Replace Target_Primary_IP_Address in the above example
with the actual Hostname or Primary IP Address of the target server.

5. Enter the user name in the User field, the password in the Password field,
and NTLMDOMAIN:NameOfDomain in the Authority field. Replace
NameOfDomain with the domain of the user account specified in the User
field.
6. Click Connect.
7. Click Enum Classes.

1565

Troubleshooting
8. Select the Recursive radio button without entering a superclass name,
and then click OK.

9. If the WMI class list appears, remote WMI is functioning correctly. Skip to
the next topic and test your SAM credentials.

10. If the list does not appear, remote WMI is not functioning correctly.
Continue reading this topic for guidance on restoring remote WMI connections on the target server, and retest remote WMI after completing each
troubleshooting step.
11. Click Close, and then click Exit.

1566

Verify Administrator Credentials

Only a credential that has administrator rights on the target server has the
necessary permissions to access the target servers WMI services. Make sure that
the username and password you are using belongs to an administrator on the
target server.
If the administrator credential is a domain member, be sure to specify both the
user name and the domain in the standard Microsoft syntax. For example:
DOMAIN\Administrator.

Enable Remote Procedure Call (RPC)

Remote WMI connections use RPC as a communications interface. If the RPC
service is disabled on the target server, remote WMI connections cannot be
established.
To enable the RPC service:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Log on to the target server with an administrator account.

Click Start, click Run, type services.msc, and then press Enter.
Scroll the list to Remote Procedure Call (RPC)
Right-click Remote Procedure Call (RPC), and then click Start on the
shortcut menu.

Configure Distributed Component Object Model (DCOM) and User

Account Control (UAC)
If the target computer is running Windows Vista or Windows Server 2008, you
may be required to make settings changes to allow remote WMI requests
(http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa822854(VS.85).aspx).
Item

Need
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DCOM
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Default and Limits permissions edited to allow the following actions:

Local launch (default permission)
Remote launch (default permission)
Local activation (limits permission)
Remote activation (limits permission)
For more information, see Enabling DCOM

1567

Troubleshooting

WMI
Namespaces

User
Account
Control

Modify the CIMV2 security to enable and remote enable

the account used to access the server or workstation
through WMI. You must ensure the security change
applies to the current namespace and sub-namespaces.
For more information, see Enabling Account Privileges in
WMI
Remote UAC access token filtering must be disabled
when monitoring within a workgroup environment. For
more information, see Disabling Remote User Account
Control for Workgroups

Enabling DCOM
WMI uses DCOM to communicate with monitored target computers. Therefore, for
Server & Application Monitor to use WMI, DCOM must be enabled and properly
configured.
To enable DCOM permissions for your Server & Application Monitor credentials:
1. Log on to the target server with an administrator account.
2. Navigate to Start> Control Panel> Administrative Tools>Component
Services. You need to switch to the Classic View of the Control Panel to
use this navigation path. You can also launch this console by
double-clicking comexp.msc in the /windows/system32 directory.
3. Expand Component Services> Computers.
4. Right-click My Computer, and then select Properties.
5. Select the COM Security tab, and then click Edit Limits in the Access Permissions grouping.
6. Ensure the user account you want to use to collect WMI statistics has
Local Access and Remote Access, and then click OK.
7. Click Edit Default, and then ensure the user account you want to use to
collect WMI statistics has Local Access and Remote Access,
8. Click OK.
9. Click Edit Limits in the Launch and Activation Permissions grouping.
10. Ensure the user account you want to use to collect WMI statistics has
Local Launch, Remote Launch, Local Activation, and Remote Activation, and then click OK.

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Enabling Account Privileges in WMI

11. Click Edit Default, and then ensure the user account you want to use to
collect WMI statistics Local Launch, Remote Launch, Local Activation,
and Remote Activation.
12. Click OK.

Enabling Account Privileges in WMI

The account you specify in the Credentials Library must possess security access
to the namespace and sub-namespaces of the monitored target computer. To
enable these privileges, complete the following procedure.
To enable namespace and sub-namespaces privileges:
1. Log on to the computer you want to monitor with an administrator account.
2. Navigate to Start> Control Panel> Administrative Tools>Computer
Management> Services and Applications. You need to switch to the
Classic View of the Control Panel to use this navigation path.
3. Click WMI Control, and then right-click and select Properties.
4. Select the Security tab, and then expand Rootand click CIMV2.
5. Click Security and then select the user account used to access this computer and ensure you grant the following permissions:
Enable Account
Remote Enable
6. Click Advanced, and then select the user account used to access this computer.
7. Click Edit, select This namespace and subnamespaces in the Apply to
field, and then click OK.
8. Click OK on the Advanced Security Settings for CIMV2 window.
9. Click OK on the Security for Root\CIMV2 window.
10. Click Services in the left navigation pane of Computer Management.
11. Select Windows Management Instrumentation in the Services result
pane, and then click Restart.

Disabling Remote User Account Control for Workgroups

If you are monitoring a target in a workgroup, you need to disable remote User
Account Control (UAC). This is not recommended but it is necessary when
monitoring a workgroup computer. Disabling remote user account control does
not disable local user account control functionality.
Warning: The following procedure requires the modification or creation of a
registry key. Changing the registry can have adverse effects on your computer

1569

Troubleshooting
and may result in an unbootable system. Consider backing up your registry before
making these changes.
To disable remote UAC for a workgroup computer:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Log on to the computer you want to monitor with an administrator account.

Click Start> Accessories> Command Prompt.
Enter regedit.
Expand HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System.
5. Locate or create a DWORD entry named LocalAccountTokenFilterPolicy and provide a DWORD value of 1.
Note: To re-enable remote UAC, change this value to 0.

Add a Windows Firewall Exception for Remote WMI Connections

If the target computer has Windows Firewall enabled, it must have a Remote WMI
exception to allow remote WMI traffic through (http://msdn.microsoft.com/enus/library/aa389286(VS.85).aspx).
To add this exception:
1. Click Start, click Run, type cmd and then press Enter.
2. At the command prompt, type netsh advfirewall firewall set rule groupp="Windows Remote Management" new enable=yes, and then press
Enter.
3. At the command prompt, type exit, and then press Enter.
If adding the firewall exception did not solve your problem, see WMI is Still Not
Working. Now What?

Do You Need an Additional Polling Engine?

Symptoms that may indicate you need an additional polling engine include, but
are not limited to, the following:
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Polling completion rates are lower than expected which leads to gaps in
data.
Sporadic component monitor timeouts usually resulting in component monitors showing an "Unknown" status, reporting the error, "Connection
timeout. Job cancelled by scheduler."
Resourceexhaustionon the SQL server.

For more information, see "Additional Polling Engine and Web Console" on page
1167.

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Verify SAM Component Configuration

Make sure that the credential you are using for remote WMI is the same credential
that you are using in the SAM component.
After you click Set Component Credentials to set the component credentials,
you must also click Submit at the bottom of the page.

Service reporting, "Invalid Class"

There are various possibilities for this to occur. Read the following section to help
troubleshoot this issue. In APM v4 and higher, services can be polled via RPC or
WMI. Ensure the correct service is running by navigating to Edit Application >
RPC or WMI.
Repair the WMI Repository according to this KB article:
http://knowledgebase.solarwinds.com/kb/questions/633/Error+message+%22Inva
lid+Class%22+when+using+WMI+monitors

1571

Troubleshooting
Note: Vista and Windows 2008 have a built-in method for repairing the WMI
repository. Open an Administrator command prompt and run: winmgmt
/salvagerepository
If you are using APM prior to version 4 and using WMI, try the following:
There are three required WMI queries for service monitoring to work:
SELECT * FROM Win32_Service
SELECT * FROM Win32_Process
SELECT * FROM Win32_PerfRawData_PerfProc_Process

You can test these by going to Start > Run > WBEMTEST on the SolarWinds
server.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Click on Connect.
In the whitespace at the top, you should have \\ipaddress\root\CIMV2
For user and password, fill in the credentials used in APM.
For Authority, type in NTLMDOMAIN: and enter your domain.
Click Connect.
Click Query
Enter the above three queries, one at a time.

More often than not, the culprit is the last query. If your problem still exists,
try the following:
1. Re-sync the counters by opening a command prompt and typing: winmgmt
/resyncperf
2. Check to make sure performance counters are not disabled: http://thwack.com/forums/68/application--server-management/21/application-performance-monitor/23124/win32perfrawdataperfprocpro/
Note: WMI is an operating system component. If the previous steps do no
work, you may need to contact Microsoft for further information.

WMI is Still Not Working. Now What?

This guide depicts only the most common scenarios that can cause WMI services
to fail. If you are unable to get WMI services to work at this point, it is time to
consult Microsoft on this topic.
l

WMI Troubleshooting. Microsoft Developer Network. http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa394603.aspx

1572

Troubleshooting Hardware Health

This following sections describe possible causes and solutions concerning
hardware resources either not being reported or being reported incorrectly:
l
l
l
l
l

Hardware Prerequisite Checklist

Hardware Troubleshooting Flowchart
Troubleshooting an SNMP Node
Troubleshooting a WMI Node
Troubleshooting a VMWare Node

Hardware Prerequisite Checklist

If the following conditions cannot be met, the Hardware Health resources will not
be displayed. To monitor hardware in SAM, the following must be true:
l

The monitored node must be HP Proliant, Dell PoweEdge, IBM X-Series,

HP C7000, HP C3000, or Dell M1000e.
The node must be monitored using one of the following protocols:
l SNMP
l WMI
l ICMP nodes are allowed for VMWare when the Poll for VMware
option is selected.
The Hardware Monitoring Agent software, (provided by the vendor), is
installed on the remote server. This applies for both SNMP and WMI.
Required software can be found at "Monitoring Hardware Health".
For VMware, the minimum requirements are as follows: ESX server version
3.5, 4.0, 4.1, ESXi version 5.0, vCenter version 4.0, 4.1, 5.0.

The following systems have been verified to work properly with SAM's hardware
monitoring features.
Note: Other systems may work as well.
l

l
l

Dell PowerEdge M610, R210, R610, R710, R900, 1950, 2850, 2950, 2970,
6850
HP ProLiant DL320 G4, DL360 G3, DL360 G4, DL380 G4, DL380 G6,
ML570 G3
IBM IBM System x3550, System x3550 M2, System x3550 M3, System
x3650, System x3650 M2, System x3650 M3, x3850, eServer 306m
HP C7000, HP C3000
Dell M1000e.

Note: IBM's ServeRAID Manager software must be installed on IBM X-Series

servers for storage hardware health information to be displayed in SolarWinds

1573

Troubleshooting
SAM. HPs WBEM providers are required for HP servers polled via WMI.
Installation instructions can be at "Monitoring Hardware Health" on page 1037.

1574

Hardware Troubleshooting Flowchart

1575

Troubleshooting
Note: Dell does not make array and hard disk health information visible from WMI
managed nodes. To monitor storage health on Dell servers, use SNMP.

Troubleshooting an SNMP Node

The most common issue customers face is that hardware information is not
available via SNMP because the Hardware Monitoring Agent software was
installed before SNMP was installed. This means MIBs were never installed
and/or configured correctly. The easiest solution is to uninstall and then re-install
the Hardware Monitoring Agent software after installing SNMP on the server. If
this is not the case, follow the troubleshooting steps as outlined below:
Verify the node was successfully added using SNMP:
1. Verify the polling method on the Node Details page as shown below:

2. Verify the Hardware Monitoring Agent software is installed on the remote

server and running. For verification instructions, see "Accessing Hardware
Monitoring Agent Software" on page 1039.
3. Determine if SNMP responds for the proper OID. Below are the correct
OIDS for each vendor:
For HP:1.3.6.1.4.1.232.2.2.2.1.0
For Dell:1.3.6.1.4.1.674.10892.1.300.10.1.8.1
For IBM:1.3.6.1.4.1.2.6.159.1.1.60.3.1
l

To determine if the remote server responds to the correct OID, you can use
the MIB browser from SolarWinds Engineers Toolset, which can be downloaded from http://www.solarwinds.com/downloads/. Additionally, you can
use other applications capable of making SNMP requests.

1576

Troubleshooting an SNMP Node

If you do not have a tool for checking OIDs on the remote server, you can create
an SNMP walk by using the SNMPWalk.exe installed with SAM, normally located
at C:\Program Files (x86)\SolarWinds\Orion\SnmpWalk.exe. SNMPWalk.exe
will be used in this demonstration.
Using SNMPWalk.exe:

1. Start SNMPWalk.exe and type in the IP address of the remote server and
the community string for SNMP.
2. Click Scan.
3. After completing the scan, save the SNMP walk in a text file.
4. Open the text file and manually search for the OIDs.
If the Remote Server does not respond on this OID, the Hardware Monitoring
Agent software may not be properly configured. Check to see if the Hardware
Monitoring Agent software has imported the correct MIBs as outlined in the
following table.
For information on verifying Hardware Monitoring Agent software, see "Accessing
Hardware Monitoring Agent Software" on page 1039.
HP

Dell

IBM

CPQSTDEQMIB

MIB-Dell-10892

IBM-SYSTEM-HEALTH-MIB

CPQSINFO-

StorageManagement-

IBM-SYSTEM-ASSETID-MIB

1577

Troubleshooting

MIB

CPQIDA-MIB

IBM-SYSTEM-LMSENSOR-MIB

CPQHLTHMIB

IBM-SYSTEM-MEMORY-MIB

CPQSTSYSMIB

IBM-SYSTEM-POWER-MIB

CPQIDE-MIB

IBM-SYSTEM-PROCESSOR-MIB
IBM-SYSTEM-RAID-MIB
ADAPTEC-UNIVERSALSTORAGE-MIB

Troubleshooting a WMI Node

The following conditions must be met before you can proceed troubleshooting
WMI nodes:
l
l
l

The node has successfully been added via WMI.

WMI is working properly on the remote server.
The Hardware Monitoring Agent software is installed on the remote server
and running.

Using Wbemtest.exe to troubleshoot WMI:

1. Open wbemtest.exe, usually located at C:\Windows\System32\wbem\wbemtest.exe.
2. Connect from the problematic node (either the SAM server or the additional
poller server) to the remote server using wbemtest.exe.
3. Click Connect.
4. In the Namespace field enter:
For IBM and HP enter: \\RemoteServerIpAddress\root
For Dell enter: \\RemoteServerIpAddress\root\cimv2

1578

Troubleshooting a WMI Node

5. Enter administrator credentials.

6. Click Connect.
7. Once connected, click Query from the main screen. The Query dialog
appears.

1579

Troubleshooting
8. Enter: select * from __Namespace

9. Replace Namespace with the following:

l For HP nodes, replace Namespace with HPQ
l For Dell nodes, replace Namespace with Dell
l For IBM nodes, replace Namespace with IBMSD
10. If the proper Namespace is found, connect to this Namespace.
l \\RemoteServerIpAddress\root\IBMSD for IBM.
l \\RemoteServerIpAddress\root\HPQ for HP.
l \\RemoteServerIpAddress\root\cimv2\Dell for Dell.

11. Run a Query for specific information:

Select Manufacturer, Model, SerialNumber from CIM_Chassis
12. If the test was not successful, re-install the platform or Hardware Monitoring
Agent software on the remote server with the latest release.

Troubleshooting a VMWare Node

VMWare nodes can be polled for Hardware information either through the
vCenter or directly by using the CIM protocol. Polling through the vCenter uses

1580

Troubleshooting a VMWare Node

VMWare's native API interface. Polling the ESX server directly uses the CIM
protocol to get Hardware information.
To determine if a node is polled through the vCenter or directly:
1. From the web console, navigate to Settings > Virtualization Settings
2. Listed will be table of all the currently polled VMWare nodes. This table
contains the Polling Through column.
Note: This column may be hidden. If the column is hidden, unhide it by
clicking the drop down menu of an adjacent column and check the Polling
Through option:

3. Use the illustration below to determine how your VMWare is being polled.

1581

Troubleshooting

Troubleshooting AppInsight for Exchange

The following sections will help you identify and correct AppInsight for Exchange
errors concerning configuration and performance counters:
l
l
l
l

Troubleshooting Error Codes in AppInsight for Exchange

Important: The following log file contains all the information and errors related to
the WinRM configuration process:
C:\ProgramData\Solarwinds\Logs\APM\RunWinRMConfigurator.log

Troubleshooting Permissions
The following information will help you troubleshoot issues with the following:
l
l
l
l

Non-Domain Accounts
Adding Local Administrative privileges to Active Directory Account
Exchange Access
Mailbox Exchange Access

1582

Troubleshooting Permissions
5. Alternatively, you can add an Active Directory group to the Local Administrators group and then add the AD user accounts to that group.
6. To verify the account and local group membership has been configured
properly, run the following in a PowerShell session:
$Recurse = $true
$GroupName = 'Administrators'
Add-Type -AssemblyName System.DirectoryServices.AccountManagement
$ct = [System.DirectoryServices.AccountManagement.ContextType]::Machine
$group = [System.DirectoryServices.AccountManagement.GroupPrincipal]::FindByIdentity
($ct,$GroupName)
$LocalAdmin = $group.GetMembers($Recurse) | select @{N='Domain'; E=
{$_.Context.Name}}, samaccountName, @{N='ObjectType'; E={$_.StructuralObjectClass}} -Unique
$LocalAdmin = $LocalAdmin | Where-Object {$_.ObjectType -eq "user"}

1583

Troubleshooting
Exchange Access
Granting Least Privilege access to the Exchange Organization can be
accomplished using Active Directory Users and Computers (ADUC)
1. From the Start Menu open ADUC and navigate to the Microsoft Exchange
Security Groups OU.
2. Double click on the View-Only Organization Management group.
3. After the window opens, click the Members tab and then click Add.
4. Type the username of the account you want to grant access to the
Exchange organization, and then click OK.
5. Click Apply and then click OK .
6. Close the ADUC window.
Access can also be granted using the Exchange Management
Shell with the following command:
Note: Replace the word "user" with the correct user name of the
service account.
Add-RoleGroupMember -Identity "View-Only Organization
Management" -Member "USER"

To verify the management role is properly assigned, use the

or
Get-ManagementRoleAssignment -RoleAssignee USER |
Where-Object {$_.RoleAssigneeName -eq "View-Only
Organization Management" -or $_.RoleAssigneeName -eq
"Organization Management"}

Mailbox Search Access

1584

Troubleshooting Exchange Performance Counters

Note: Exchange Management Roles can be assigned to role

assignees using either regular or delegating role assignments.
l

Regular role assignments enable the role assignee to access

For more information, see:

l
l

Troubleshooting Exchange Performance Counters

Example: [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\ESE\Performance]
"Close"="ClosePerformanceData"
"Collect"="CollectPerformanceData"

1585

Troubleshooting
"Library"="<Path to performance counter DLL file>"

Example: "Library"="C:\\Program Files\\Microsoft\\Exchange

Server\\V15\bin\\perf\\%PROCESSOR_ARCHITECTURE%\\eseperf.dll"

"Open"="OpenPerformanceData"
"PerfIniFile"="<Name of performance counter INI file>"

Example: "PerfIniFile"="eseperf.ini"
The "Library" file path is typically "C:\Program
Files\Microsoft\Exchange
Server\%ExchangeVersion%\Bin\perf\%Processor_
Architecture%\%DLLFileName%"

Figure 1.

1586

Troubleshooting Exchange Performance Counters

6. If the values First Counter, First Help, Last Counter, and Last Help are listed (See Figure 3), it is highly recommended to unload the performance
counters prior to reloading them.
Figure 3.

To Unload Performance Counters: (See Figure 4)

1587

Troubleshooting
a. The default location for Exchange counter definition files is: C:\Program Files\Microsoft\Exchange Server\%ExchangeVersion%\Setup\perf\%XMLFileName%

To Reload Performance Counters: (See Figure 4)

5. Check the application log to verify the counters were properly loaded and
no PerfLib errors exist. Reopen PerfMon to ensure the counters are available.
Figure 4.

Troubleshooting Error Codes in AppInsight for Exchange

1588

Troubleshooting Error Codes in AppInsight for Exchange

\ProgramData\Solarwinds\Logs\APM\RemoteExecutableStarter.log).

Error message: Remote configuration was

Remediation:

1589

Troubleshooting

1. On the target Exchange server, navigate to

the Windows Services console and find the
Windows Remote Management (WS-Management) service.
2. Set Startup type to Automatic.
3. Start the Windows Remote Management
(WS-Management) service.

Error: Unable to access remote administrator

1590

Troubleshooting Error Codes in AppInsight for Exchange

Error message: Remote configuration was unsuccessful due to the following:

1591

Troubleshooting

SolarWinds.APM.RemoteWinRmConfiguratorFull.exe

was deleted or modified..

Remediation: Add SolarWinds.APM.RemoteWinRmConfiguratorFull.exe to the

following folder: C:\Program Files (x86)\SolarWinds\Orion\APM.

Error message: Remote configuration was unsuccessful due to the following:

1592

Troubleshooting Error Codes in AppInsight for Exchange

Error message: Remote configuration was unsuccessful due to the following:

The high level of User Account Control settings

The provided user account does not have privileges high enough to run
*.exe files
SolarWinds.APM.RemoteWinRmConfiguratorFull.exe is not signed with a
Solarwinds certificate.

Remediation:
l
l

Reduce User Account Control settings on the remote Exchange server;

Ensure the user's account has privileges to run *.exe files

1593

Troubleshooting

Error message: Remote configuration was unsuccessful due to the following:

Ensure you have access to the Shared Storage drive.

1594

Troubleshooting Error Codes in AppInsight for Exchange

anti-spyware programs and restart the computer to isolate the problem.

Error message: Remote configuration was unsuccessful due to the following:

Remediation:Add SolarWinds.APM.RemoteWinRmConfiguratorFull.exe.config
to the following location: C:\Program Files (x86)\SolarWinds\Orion\APM.

1595

Troubleshooting

For information about Microsoft error codes, see: http://msdn.microsoft.com/enus/library/cc231199.aspx

1596

Troubleshooting Error Codes in AppInsight for Exchange

Error message: Remote configuration was unsuccessful due to the following:

1597

Troubleshooting

Error message: Remote configuration was unsuccessful due to the following:

"This account must be an Active Directory account with local administrative

1598

Troubleshooting Error Codes in AppInsight for Exchange

1599

Troubleshooting

1600

Troubleshooting Error Codes in AppInsight for Exchange

Error message:Remote configuration was unsuccessful due to the following:

Open the Computer Manager on the Exchange server

1601

Troubleshooting

Error message: Remote configuration was

1602

Troubleshooting AppInsight for IIS

The following sections will help you identify and correct AppInsight for IIS errors
concerning configuration and performance counters. For example, you may see
an error similar to the following:

1603

Troubleshooting

l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l

Using AppInsight applications with 32-bit polling on 64-bit computers via an

1604

Troubleshooting AppInsight for IIS

Important: If you received the following error: An HTTPS listener currently

exists on port 5986, use the following steps to configure the listener on an
available port by changing 5986 to an available port number throughout
these steps.
Event IDs

Access is denied when configuring AppInsight for IIS

1605

Troubleshooting
1. From the web console, navigate to Settings >SAMSettings >Manage
Templates.
2. Select an AppInsight application and click Edit.
3. Expand Advanced, and in the Platform to run polling job field, change
the value to x64.
Note: Applications assigned to 32-bit hosts with the x64bit option will continue to poll using 32-bit, regardless of this setting.

4. When done, click Submit.

1606

Troubleshooting AppInsight for IIS

Polling fails due to a missing certificate.

Issue: You receive an error similar to the following: The SSL connection cannot
be established. Verify that the service on the remote host is properly configured to
listen for HTTPS requests...
Cause: A PowerShell listener was created but its certificate is missing.
Resolution: Manually remove the existing PowerShell listener and re-run the IIS
configuration wizard. This process will create a new listener along with the
appropriate certificate needed.
IISPolling Failed
Error: Application polling failed because IIS information is currently unavailable.

1607

Troubleshooting
Cause: This is a general error message returned by Windows when a networking
component is malfunctioning.
Resolution: For details, see the log on the Orion server located at:
([ALLUSERSPROFILE]
\ProgramData\Solarwinds\Logs\APM\RemoteExecutableStarter.log). Following

1608

Troubleshooting AppInsight for IIS

1609

Troubleshooting

WinRM Testing Failed

1610

Troubleshooting AppInsight for IIS

3. Uncheck the Deny check box to enable the Full Control option under the
Permissions for Everyone group.

4. Ensure that the group to which the polling user belongs has access to
Microsoft PowerShell.

1611

Troubleshooting

1612

Troubleshooting AppInsight for IIS

For more information, see Inherit Credentials from Node.

1613

Troubleshooting

1614

Troubleshooting AppInsight for IIS

1615

Troubleshooting
Error Code 16005
Error: The configuration executable was not found on the Orion server.
Cause: The SolarWinds.APM.RemoteIISConfigurator.exe file was not found.
This can be caused by an incorrect SAM installation or the
SolarWinds.APM.RemoteIISConfigurator.exe file was deleted or modified.
Resolution: Add the SolarWinds.APM.RemoteIISConfigurator.exe file to the
following directory: C:\Program Files (x86)\SolarWinds\Orion\APM. For details,
see the log on the Orion server located at: ([ALLUSERSPROFILE]
\ProgramData\Solarwinds\Logs\APM\RemoteExecutableStarter.log). When
complete, rerun the AppInsight for IIS Automatic Configuration Wizard.

1616

Troubleshooting AppInsight for IIS

Error Code 16007

Error: The configuration executable has an invalid signature.

1617

Troubleshooting
Cause: The configuration executable cannot be started on the remote IIS server
due to one or more of the following:
l
l
l

The high level of User Account Control settings;

The provided user account does not have privileges to run executable files;
The SolarWinds.APM.RemoteIISConfigurator.exe file is not signed with a
Solarwinds certificate.

Error Code 16008

Error: The network path was not found.

1618

Troubleshooting AppInsight for IIS

are some of the more common reasons why this error message might be returned
by Windows:
l

Ensure you have access to the shared storage drive. To do this:

1619

Troubleshooting

Error Code 16009

1620

Troubleshooting AppInsight for IIS

\ProgramData\Solarwinds\Logs\APM\RemoteExecutableStarter.log). When

complete, rerun the AppInsight for IIS Automatic Configuration Wizard.

Error Code 16013

Error: Unable to access remote administrator share.
Cause: The remote administrator share cannot be accessed.
Resolution: Try enabling this feature manually by taking the following steps:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Ensure that both computers belong to the same Workgroup.

1621

Troubleshooting
5. When complete, rerun the AppInsight for IIS Automatic Configuration Wizard.

Error Code 16022

1622

Troubleshooting AppInsight for IIS

currently exists on port 5986, use the following steps to configure the listener on
an available port by changing 5986 to an available port number throughout these
steps.

Error Code 16023

1623

Troubleshooting

Error Code 16024

1624

Troubleshooting AppInsight for IIS

Error Code 16029

1625

Troubleshooting
4. Right-click the Windows Remote Management (WS-Management) service, and then click Start
5. When complete, rerun the AppInsight for IIS Automatic Configuration Wizard.

1626

Troubleshooting AppInsight for IIS

Resolution: For more information, see Other Errors. Once the problem is
isolated, rerun the AppInsight for IIS Automatic Configuration Wizard.

Error code 16090

1627

Troubleshooting

Installing PowerShell 2.0 on Windows Server 2008:

Open Server Manager.

1628

Troubleshooting AppInsight for IIS

(The permissions dialog should

appear.)
3. Uncheck the Deny check box to enable the Full Control option
under the Permissions for Everyone group.

1629

Troubleshooting

4. Ensure that the group to which the polling user belongs has
access to Microsoft PowerShell.

1630

Troubleshooting AppInsight for IIS

1631

Troubleshooting

Issue: Polling IIS servers is unsuccessful.

1632

Troubleshooting AppInsight for IIS

winrm get winrm/config/Winrs

Examine MaxMemoryPerShellMB.

If the value is less than 512, increase this

value by executing the following command:
Set-Item WsMan:\localhost\Shell\MaxMemoryPerShellMB NewValue -WarningAction SilentlyContinue;

and then press Enter.

3. Verify the configuration by typing the following: winrm get

winrm/config/listener?Address=*+Transport=HTTPS.

1633

Troubleshooting

Create a Firewall Rule

3. Run the function to create the firewall exception for WSMAN using the
following command:
Add-FirewallRule "Windows Remote Management" "5986" $null

1634

Troubleshooting AppInsight for IIS

$null

4. Verify the rule was created by navigating to Control Panel >Windows

Firewall >Advanced Settings.

Event IDs
The matrix below outlines and defines Microsoft event IDs to help aid in
troubleshooting:
Event ID

Source

Log

Severity Message

2281

Microsoft- Application Warning

WindowsIIS-

1635

Worker process failed to

1637

Troubleshooting

IISW3SVC

detected

5088,
5061,
5060

Microsoft- System
WindowsWAS

Job object associated with

the application pool
encountered an error

2227

Microsoft- Application Warning

Windows-

Warning

1638

The server was unable to

acquire a license for an SSL

Troubleshooting AppInsight for IIS

IISWMSVC

connection

2233

Microsoft- Application Warning

Warning

Windows Process Activation

Service (WAS) encountered
a failure while setting the
affinity mask of an application
pool

1639

Service (WAS) received a
change notification but was
unable to process it correctly

2296

Microsoft-

Application Warning

1640

Module has an invalid

Troubleshooting AppInsight for IIS

WindowsIISW3SVCWP

precondition

2295

Microsoft- Application Warning

WindowsIISW3SVCWP

Module registration error

detected (failed to find
RegisterModule entry point)

2293

Microsoft- Application Warning

The Global Modules list is

empty

Error

1641

Troubleshooting

W3SVCWP
2218

Microsoft- Application Warning

500, 499, Active

23, 22, 21, Server
20, 19, 18, Pages
17, 16, 9,
8, 7, 6, 5

an ISAPI filter on a server

instance, but because it
requires the SF_NOTIFY_
READ_RAW_DATA filter
notification, it must be loaded
as a global filter
Application Warning

Error

ASP application error

occurred

5030

Microsoft- System
WindowsWAS

2279,
2278,
2277

Microsoft- Application Warning

WindowsIISW3SVCWP

Worker process encountered

an error during initialization

1005

MicrosoftWindowsIISW3SVC

The World Wide Web

Publishing Service (WWW
Service) is stopping because
it encountered an error. The
data field contains the error
number

8001

MicrosoftWindowsIISWMSVC

The Web Management

Service was stopped
because it did not respond

1643

Windows Process Activation

Service (WAS) terminated
unexpectedly, and the system
was not configured to restart
it.

Troubleshooting

Troubleshooting Agents
Troubleshooting Deployment via Orion Server Push:
Following is a list of possible errors with their respective resolutions:
l

Credential test for deployment fails:

l Ensure that the used account can access the following folder: \\<hostname_or_ip>\admin$\temp. Also ensure that a folder can be created
at that location.
l Ensure that Remote Procedure Call (RPC), a Windows service, is running
l Ensure the required ports are open
l If you are using a domain account, use the complete name when entering credentials. For example: "Domain\Username"
Agent deployment fails:
l Ensure there are no other installations in progress. For example, Windows updates and installations prevents other installations from finishing successfully. If this is the case, retry agent installation when
other installations have completed.
l On the target machine, check if the SolarWinds Agent service is
installed and running. If it is, the agent may be experiencing connectivity issues with the Orion server. Ping the Orion server from the
client machine and ensure that port 17778 is open on the Orion server.
Also check that the client machine can connect to the Orion server
web interface.
l If possible, try to install the agent manually on the target machine,
ensuring that permissions are set correctly.
Note: Agent deployment failure can also occur if a previous installation or upgrade is awaiting a reboot. To resolve this issue you will
need to reboot the server before the installation of the agent can proceed on that machine.

Troubleshooting Manual Agent Deployment:

Following is a list of possible errors with their respective resolutions:
l

Agent is not able to connect to the Orion server.

l Ensure that you can ping the Orion server from the client machine
l Ensure that port 17778 is open on the Orion server and that the client
machine can connect to it
l Ensure that you are using the correct Orion administrator credentials

Troubleshooting Mass Deployment of an Agent:

1644

Troubleshooting Agents
Following is a list of possible errors with their respective resolutions:
l

Agent deployment fails:

l On the target machine, check if the SolarWinds Agent service is
installed and running. If it is, the agent may be experiencing connectivity issues with the Orion server. Ping the Orion server from the
client machine and ensure that port 17778 is open on the Orion server.
Also check that the client machine can connect to the Orion Server's
web interface.
l If possible, try to install the agent manually on the target machine,
ensuring that permissions are set correctly.
l If a host name or Fully Qualified Domain Name was used, ensure that
it can be resolved from the client computer.
l If the Orion server or the additional poller is behind a NAT, ensure that
the IP address specified in the creation of the MST file is the correctly
routed IP address the client would use to access the Orion server.

1645

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