End-User Web Guide

12.1 Introduction

Welcome to NetVigil! Fidelia NetVigil provides your organization with proactive monitoring, event detection, reporting and problem escalation for mission-critical components of IT infrastructures.

NetVigil provides Instant Business Visibility by monitoring your critical IT Infrastructure including but not limited to your network based services, Applications and Systems. Current monitoring services include availability, performance, Applications, E-Commerce, SNMP, port monitoring, and custom tests. NetVigil is designed to be a flexible system where you can set thresholds, test intervals, filters on status views, schedule notifications and generate standard or custom reports based on the privileges you have. NetVigil's Instant Business Visibility provides you access to your data through a web interface. It saves you time and reduces costs by enabling you to quickly identify and resolve downtime problems without any investment in additional infrastructure or technical expertise.

NetVigil offers two types of reporting, real-time status reports and periodic trend reports. Immediately upon login to the NetVigil system, by default you are able to see the real-time status of your monitored devices on the Device Summary page. Instantly you are able to see any current failures and performance losses. In a single click NetVigil provides you with test details on any monitored device, a 24 hour graphical snapshot of performance and event history, and test results for the last 30 days.

12.2 NetVigil Terms

NetVigil monitors the availability and performance of your network and application systems, and their underlying components. These systems and components may be routers, switches, servers, databases, networks, or applications.

A test is the measure of device functioning. Tests are used to monitor your devices. NetVigil reports the status of each test. Test status (shown on the Status | Tests page) is the current status category (ok, warning, critical, unknown, unreachable, suspended, unknown or not configured) for a test. Device status (shown on the Status | Device page) is the worst current test status for a device.

NetVigil uses boundaries called thresholds to determine a test's status. An event occurs whenever a test result crosses a threshold.

An action is an activity that is automatically triggered by an event. Actions can be designed to take place immediately when a single event occurs or after the same event occurs repeatedly. For instance, an E-mail notification can be sent whenever a test crosses the warning threshold, or it can be sent after a test has crossed the warning threshold five consecutive times.

12.3 NetVigil Basics

12.3.1 The NetVigil Interface

Figure 12.1 below shows the top three rows of the NetVigil interface. All NetVigil pages have the components shown, including:

Tabs with links to the four main areas: STATUS, REPORTS, MANAGE, and HELP
A navigation bar with links to the pages within the current main area
The name of the current page and device or test identifiers (if applicable)
Additional instructions to guide the user through the use of the current screen

The NetVigil Interface

Figure 12.2 displays all the NetVigil icons (except TRANSIENT) used to communicate device and test status. okay, warning, and critical test statuses are determined by the thresholds for a specific test. Test status is unknown if the test cannot be performed (for example, if the device is down) or if the database cannot be reached. Although not represented by a particular icon, a test can have status = FAIL, which means that the device was reached but the test failed to be performed. An example is when a POP3 port test is performed and the supplied login/password combination fails.

A test status is not configured if a device has been added to the application for monitoring but no tests have been created for it. An unreachable test status will be shown if a parent/child dependency has been created between two or more devices and a failure in the parent device causes the child to be physically unreachable via the network. Please refer to Section 8.3, "Device Dependency" on page 8-3 for detailed information on NetVigil's device dependency feature.

NetVigil Symbols Used to Report Status

12.3.2 Site Map

The diagrams that follow show the top levels of the hierarchy of pages in the NetVigil User Interface. Each diagram shows the hierarchy for one of the main menus. Some items are only available to administrators and do not appear if you are logged in as an end-user.

Site Map, Account Menu

Site Map, Reports Menu

Site Map, Manage Menu

Site Map, Help Menu

12.4 Getting Started

Your administrator will set up your account and provide you with an account name, login and password.

To enter NetVigil:
Type http://netvigil.your.domain into your web browser.
Enter your Username and Password, and then click Login.
To have your password E-mailed to you, click Forgot your password? Click here.
Click on the Login button to enter the site.

12.5 Viewing Status

To view the Device Summary for your account, do one of the following:
Log in to NetVigil. You will be taken to the Device Summary page for your account.
If you are already logged in, click on the STATUS tab and your Device Summary screen will load.

12.5.1 Device Summary View

The Device Summary View is the default view after the STATUS tab is selected. There is one row for each device on the account being monitored. Each row gives the device name and the status for each of three categories of tests: Network, System, and Application.

The modify icon links you to a page for modifying a device's settings.

If the device status for one group of tests is warning, at least one current test result for that test category is in warning range. Similarly, if the device status for one category of tests is critical, at least one current test result for that group is in critical range. The worst test status of all tests in the category determines the icon displayed. The rule for displaying the icons (from most to least severe) is:

critical (most severe)
warning
transient
unreachable
unknown
ok
suspended
not configured (least severe)

A sample Device Summary page is shown below.

Device Summary Page

To modify the settings for a device:
Click on the STATUS tab on the main navigation bar to go to the Status Summary page
Click on the modify icon for the desired device and you will be taken to the Update Device page.
See the Section 12.6.2, "Managing Devices" on page 12-14 for instructions on managing devices.

12.5.2 Test Summary View

The Test Summary page contains one row for each test being conducted. Each row contains test status, test name, current test value, the warning and critical thresholds, the time the last test was conducted, and the time the test has remained in the current state.

Test Summary Page

To view the test summary for a specific device:

Click on the STATUS tab on the main navigation bar to go to the Device Summary page. Click on the device name link for the device of interest and you will be taken to the Device Status Details page.

12.5.3 Test Details View

The Test Details page graphically displays performance and event history for a single test over the last 6-24 hours. Figure 5 below illustrates the four graphs on the Test Details page:

a three-dimensional bar graph of test results for the last 6 hours
a pie chart showing percent of last 24 hours in each of the following statuses:
OK
WARNING
CRITICAL
UNKNOWN
UNREACHABLE
a line graph of test results for the last 24 hours
a frequency distribution graph for the last 24 hours

Test Details Page

To view the details for one specific test:
Click on the STATUS tab on the main navigation bar to go to the Device Summary page.
Click on the device name link for the device of interest and you will be taken to the Test Summary page.
Click on the test name link for the test of interest and you will be taken to the Test Details page for that test.

From the Test Details page, users also have access to the following information for that test:

Event log - WARNING & CRITICAL events for the last 24 hours
Raw event data - ALL test results recorded for the last 24 hours (regardless of severity)
Historical Graphs - performance graphs for last week, last 30 days, and last year
Trend analysis

12.5.4 Service Container Summary View

The Service Container Summary View, available via STATUS | containers displays custom groupings of tests and/or devices to create a consolidated view of a logical system or application. Please see Section 12.6.4, "Managing Service Containers" on page 12-19 for more detailed information.

12.5.5 Device Display Filters

Via NetVigil's device summary views (i.e. Device Summary and Device Groups Summary pages), users can set default filters in order to only view devices in specific states. For example, users may elect to filter out devices that are in an 'OK' status. Additionally, users can specify how many devices are displayed on a single page. Especially for large deployments, these two features can dramatically cut down on the number of entries a user must scroll through to get a quick snapshot of system health. A toggle switch on the Device Summary & Device Groups Summary pages quickly disables or enables the filter(s).

To set device filter and paging preferences,
Click on the MANAGE tab on the main navigation bar.
Click on the USER tab in the secondary navigation bar and you will be taken to the Update User page.
At the bottom of the page in the Preferences section, select the checkboxes for all the device states you wish to view on the summary pages, leaving blank all those you wish to filter out by default.
Change the number of devices to view on each page in the Maximum To Display field.
Click the Update User button to save your changes.

These changes will become part of your user profile and will serve as defaults each time you log in to NetVigil.

You can also choose the starting page when you logon to the NetVigil.

12.5.6 Device Comment Field

A user can enter a comment that will display on the Device Summary page. This could be used in any way by the user to communicate device-specific information, such as to identify why a device is being suspended or as general information on the current state of the device.

To create a comment for a specific device:
Click on the MANAGE tab on the main navigation bar to go to the Manage Devices page.
Click on the Comments link for the device of interest and you will be taken to an Update Device page.
Add the comments and click the Update Device button to save changes. (This can also be accomplished when suspending a device.)
Navigate to the Device Summary page and confirm that the comment appears for the device you updated.

12.5.7 Context-sensitive Help or Action

NetVigil's Test Summary view displays a HELP link used to provide context-sensitive help to users. Selecting the link displays a pop-up window with information configured by your administrator or operations personnel to address device or test help topics. Although completely customizable, one suggested use of this functionality is to provide online help documentation for a specific device or test in the absence of senior administration personnel (e.g. nighttime operations).

An alternative to providing text based help, is to enable an action (e.g. server re-start) via the HELP link. This is a powerful option, as an administrator can configure any number of files to work in this fashion, enabling a large number of background processes via the web app. Please contact your NetVigil administrator for details of how the functionality is being deployed in your organization.

12.5.8 Event Logs

An Event Log lists every time a test status has changed in the past 24 hours. Each entry gives the device name, time the event occurred, test name, type of test, low (warning) and high (critical) thresholds, and the actual test value. The Event Log can be viewed in aggregate for all devices and tests on an account, or may be viewed in a filtered manner for a specific device or test. The various levels of viewing event logs are explained below.

To view the Event Log for all devices:
Click on the STATUS tab on the main navigation bar.
Click on the Tests tab on the secondary navigation bar.

Please wait for the information to load, as the databases for all the data gathering elements (DGEs) are being queried.

To view the Event Log for only one device:
Click STATUS | devices.
Click a device to view its Test Summary page.
Click Events for the last 24 hours link to see events for the device.
To view the Event Log for only one test:
Click STATUS | tests.
Click a test to view its Test Details page.
Click Events for the last 24 hours to see events for only that test.

12.5.9 Messages

Messages are the alerts generated by the system for each event of importance including the Administrator or user actions that result in changes in what needs to be monitored and how. Examples include Suspension, Deletion, Modification of Devices

To View Messages:
Click on the Status link in the Main Navigation Bar.
Click View Messages on the Device Summary page.

12.6 Managing NetVigil

12.6.1 User Groups

Each account belongs to only one User Group. Your administrator will assign privileges and limits to each User Group which will in turn govern your account's ability to perform create/delete, suspend/resume and update activities on devices, tests, testing intervals, thresholds, actions, reports, and any applicable limits to the same. For example, you may or may not have the ability to delete devices, tests, and actions if your User Group has not been given these privileges. As well, the default minimum test interval may vary with the User Group, giving higher order User Groups the ability to configure more frequent test intervals than lower order User Groups.

All accounts belonging to a User Group will have identical privileges and limits, although some exceptions may exist for users who have been given read-only access to an account.

12.6.2 Managing Devices

The Manage Devices page displays all the account's devices and links to perform various administrative functions on the devices. Each row contains the device name and address, type of device, whether monitoring is currently active or suspended, a link for suspending or resuming monitoring, and the physical device location. Additionally, there are links for updating or deleting the device, and for managing the tests for the device.

Manage Devices Page

To create a new device
Click on the MANAGE tab. You will be taken to the Manage Devices page.
Click on the Create A Device link
Select the type of device you are configuring via the drop down list (i.e. Linux or any other Unix server, WinNT/2K/XP server, managed switch/hub, IP router, Firewall Appliance, Load Balancer, Proxy Server, VPN concentrator, Wireless Access Point or Any Other).
Give your device a name in the Device Name box.
Type in the fully qualified host name or IP address of the device.
Optionally, add comments.
Select the location where the device resides via the Location dropdown list. (This is pre-determined by your administrator.)
Optionally, select Smart Notification. Please see Section 8.2, "Smart Notification" on page 8-2 for more information.
Check all the boxes that apply for the test types you wish to discover on the device. Please note that not all tests are available on all devices. If you are not sure what tests are available on the device, please contact your administrator.
Optionally, for SNMP only: Select the SNMP version running on the device. If you are not sure what SNMP version is running on the device, please contact your administrator.
Optionally, for SNMP only: Enter the SNMP Community ID. If you are not sure of the SNMP Community ID on the device, please contact your administrator.
Click the Create Device button to begin the test discovery process.

note Test discovery may take up to 1 minute, depending on the number of test types you chose. Please follow the on-screen instructions as the device is queried.

Create Device Page

To update a device:
Click on the MANAGE tab and you will be taken to the Manage Devices page.
Click on the Update link in the row for the device you wish to update and you will be taken to the Update Device page for that device. (This link will be visible only if you have read-write privileges and the device is not a read-only device)
Enter the desired changes. For example, if a device's IP address has changed, enter the new address. The attributes that can be modified are: type of device (unix server, router, etc.), device name, device IP address (or fully qualified domain name), SNMP version, and community ID.
Click on the Update Device button at the bottom of the page.

The suspend/resume feature allows you to temporarily turn off all the tests for a device and turn them on again. This feature is useful if you are performing maintenance task on a device and do not want to receive alerts while the device is offline. Once a device is suspended, the polling and data collection for all the tests on the device is suspended and thus any associated actions to the tests will not generate notifications. The suspend/resume feature is available at both the device and the individual test level.

To suspend or resume a device:
Click on the MANAGE tab on the main navigation bar and you will be taken to the Manage Devices page.
Click on the Suspend or Activate link for the device you wish to suspend or activate. The link will be in the Status column of the device's row. If the device is currently active, the link says Suspend. If the device is currently suspended, the link says Activate.
Upon selecting the link you will be taken to a confirmation screen where you can enter a comment explaining the reason for suspending the device. This comment will appear on the Device Summary page to inform all account users to see.
Click on the Suspend or Resume button at the bottom of the page.
To delete a device:

WARNING Deleting a device will remove all information about that device from the database, including all historical records. Deletions are not reversible. Suspending a device may be preferable because there is no loss of data.

Click on the MANAGE tab on the main navigation bar and you will be taken to the Manage Devices page.
Click on the Delete link for the device you wish to delete and you will be taken to a confirmation screen.
Click on the Delete button at the bottom of the page to confirm the deletion.

12.6.3 Auto-Update for Device Capacity Change

NetVigil provides a mechanism for refreshing maximum values or SNMP object identifiers (SNMP OID) when an SNMP test has changed. For example, when memory or disk capacity has changed, tests that return percentage-based values would be incorrect unless the max value (for determining 100%) is refreshed. As well, in the case of a device rebuild, it is possible that the SNMP OIDs may change, thus creating a mismatch between the current SNMP OIDs and the once which NetVigil discovered during initial provisioning.

If one of the previous situations occurs, the user need only repeat the test provisioning process in the web application for a changed device. NetVigil will discover whether any material changes on the device have occurred and highlight those changes on the Configure Tests page, giving the user the option to also change thresholds and/or actions that apply to the test.

12.6.4 Managing Service Containers

Service containers allow you to group tests and devices to create logical, business-oriented views of your network in addition to your hardware-oriented views. An Administrator can create a service that includes tests and/or devices from multiple Departments (e.g., any Departments associated with a User-Class that the Administrator controls).

There are two types of service containers:

Virtual Devices contain tests only. A real NetVigil device has a collection of tests associated with it. A Virtual Device is a collection of tests that are logically related, but not associated with the same physical device. For example, you can create a Virtual Device that includes ping tests for all devices on your network. This allows you to see at a glance which devices are unreachable without looking at test results for individual devices.

Device Containers can contain real devices and Virtual Devices (described above). They can also include other Device Containers, creating a nested hierarchy. For example, you can create a Device Container called Payroll that includes the web server, router, and backend database used by the Payroll division. This allows you to quickly spot and troubleshoot problems that affect the Payroll group's ability to provide service.

You can generate reports on virtual devices and device containers, get uptime, and get real-time status if any of the underlying components fail or cross any threshold.

NOTE Service Container is a generic term, and can refer to either a Virtual Device or a Device Container.

Figure 12.12 illustrates a Device Container that contains real devices, a Service Container, and a nested Device Container.

Example: Device Containers and Virtual Devices

To create a Virtual Device:
Select MANAGE | containers.
On the Manage Service Containers page click Create a Service Container.
Enter the Service Container Name.
For the Container Will Include option, select Tests (Virtual Device).
Populate the container by selecting devices in the Available column and clicking the right arrow to transfer them to the Currently Used column. DO NOT select containers (those names that are prefaced with a # sign). If you select containers when creating a Virtual Device, the selection is silently ignored by NetVigil.
When you have selected all of the devices whose tests you want to include in this Virtual Device, click Create Container.
On the Create a Virtual Device (Test Container) page, select those tests that you want to include in the Virtual Device. For each real device that you selected, you can include all current and future tests, or you can specify only the selected tests. If you specify only the selected tests, select the desired tests from the scroll list provided.
Click Submit to create the Virtual Device.
To create a Device Container:
Select MANAGE | containers.
On the Manage Service Containers page click Create a Service Container.
Enter the Service Container Name.
For the Container Will Include option, select Devices and Containers.
Populate the container by selecting devices in the Available column and clicking the right arrow to transfer them to the Currently Used column. For a Device Container, you can select real devices, Virtual Devices, or other Device Containers. (The names of Virtual Devices and Device Containers are preceded by a # sign.)
When you have selected all of the devices and/or containers that you want to include in this Device Container, click Create Container to create the Device Container.

NOTE Updating or deleting a Service Container has no impact on devices or tests. If you delete a Virtual Device, for example, the tests included in the Virtual Device still exist in NetVigil.

12.6.5 Managing Actions

NetVigil supports actions in the form of E-mail, Compact E-Mail, SNMP Trap or executing an external script. Typically, actions are some form of notification that a test result has crossed a defined threshold into OK, WARNING, CRITICAL or UNKNOWN status. An action consists of a group of 1 to 5 sub-actions, allowing the user to define multiple notification recipients and specific notification rules for each recipient. Figure 12.13 below illustrates how a test result can trigger multiple actions.

Example of Test Results Triggering Actions

In this latest release of Fidelia's NetVigil, actions can be created by either end-users or an administrator to notify up to five (5) separate recipients when a test status changes, or when a test status has been in a particular state for a predetermined number of test cycles. In the above example, the action has been configured with three (3) separate sub-actions in a typical escalation scenario. When the Ping RTT test on the NT Server reaches a WARNING status, the NOC Admin user receives an E-mail notification of the problem. If the test crosses the upper threshold to CRITICAL status, the NOC Manager is notified. Once the test has remained in CRITICAL status for three (3) test cycles, the CTO is notified.

Note Actions and their sub-actions must first be defined before they are available to be assigned to one or more tests.

Note When you receive an E-mail notification that a test result for one of your devices has crossed into WARNING or CRITICAL status, that E-mail has only been sent to you or to the distribution list of which you are a member. The thresholds your administrator uses to trigger notifications may be different from your personal thresholds. Please do not create actions to alert the administrator or IT staff.

To create a new action:
Click on the MANAGE tab on main navigation bar.
Click on the ACTIONS tab on the secondary navigation bar. You will be taken to the Manage Actions page.
Click on the Create An Action Profile link in the information window and you will be taken to the Create Action page.
Enter a unique action name (required) and a description (recommended).
For each sub-action (maximum of 5), choose the type of notification in the Notify Using drop down list (i.e. E-mail or instant messenger provider) and the message recipient's address. This is usually yourself or someone else who is responsible for monitoring your system's performance.
Check the box for each instruction you want followed ("Trigger on Warning" and "Trigger on Critical" are checked by default).
If desired, check either the box to delay initial notification and/or the box to identify a repeat interval, and the number of applicable test cycles for each.
Repeat steps 4. - 7. as desired. If you are notifying the same person via different actions, remember to avoid overlapping logic between the sub-actions, otherwise the recipient may receive duplicate notifications for a single test event.
Click on the Create Action Profile button to create the new action.
To update a single existing action:
Click on the MANAGE tab on main navigation bar.
Click on the ACTIONS tab on the secondary navigation bar and you will be taken to the Manage Actions page.
Click on the Update link in the row for the action you wish to update. You will be taken to the Update Action page for that action.
Make the desired changes to any one of the sub-actions.
If you have not already configured five (5) sub-actions, you may add more by filling in the fields as described above in "To create a new action:" on page 12-24.
You can also delete sub-actions by checking the box marked Delete this Action next to the unwanted sub-action.
Click on the Update Action Profile button at the bottom of the page to save your changes.
To assign an action to multiple devices or tests:
Click on the ADMINISTER tab on main navigation bar.
Click on the ACTIONS tab on the secondary navigation bar and you will be taken to the Manage Actions page.
Click on the Select Devices for Action link in the row for the action you wish to assign. You will be taken to the Assign Actions page.
For each device in the list, checking the ALL TESTS checkbox will assign the action to all the tests on the selected device(s).
For each device in the list, checking the SELECT TESTS checkbox will display another window for you to individually select the test(s) to which you want the action assigned.
Click on the Assign Action button at the bottom of the page to save your changes.
To UN-assign an action from multiple devices or tests:
Click on the MANAGE tab on main navigation bar.
Click on the ACTIONS tab on the secondary navigation bar and you will be taken to the Manage Actions page.
Click on the Select Devices for Action link in the row for the action you wish to un-assign. You will be taken to the Assign Actions page.
For each device in the list, UN-checking the ALL TESTS checkbox will UN-assign the action to all the tests on the selected device(s).
For each device in the list, UN-checking the SELECT TESTS checkbox will display another window for you to individually deselect the test(s) to which you want the action UN-assigned.
Click on the Assign Action button at the bottom of the page to save your changes.
To permanently delete an action:
Click on the MANAGE tab on main navigation bar.
Click on the ACTIONS tab on the secondary navigation bar and you will be taken to the Manage Actions page.
Click on the Delete link for the action you wish to delete and you will be taken to a confirmation screen.
Click on the Delete button to confirm the deletion or Cancel to return to the Manage Actions page.

12.6.6 Managing Your Account

To update your account information:
Click on the MANAGE tab on the main navigation bar.
Click on the USER tab on the secondary navigation bar and you will be taken to the Update User page.
Enter any changes desired. Modifiable fields include: E-mail, day phone, evening phone, mobile phone, pager, timezone, password hint, password hint answer, and starting page to display. Please contact your administrator if you wish to modify your contact address.
In the Preferences section, select the checkboxes for all the device states you wish to view on the summary pages, leaving blank all those you wish to filter out by default.
Change the number of devices to view on each page in the Maximum To Display field.
The Limits information details your specific limitations on the account, as defined by the User Group to which you belong. Please contact your administrator if you wish to upgrade/downgrade to another User Group.
Click the Update User button to save your changes.
These changes will become part of your user profile and will serve as defaults each time you log in to NetVigil.
To change your password:
Click MANAGE | prefs.
On the Update User page, enter your new password in the New Password and Confirm Password fields.
Click Update User.