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ActiveXperts Network Monitor is a network and server monitoring tool to allow administrators to monitor the network for failures and irregularities automatically. It can monitor all aspects of your LAN- and WAN servers, workstations and IP devices. For years, ICT administrators, network operators and helpdesk employees have relied upon the power, flexibility and reliability of ActiveXperts Network Monitor.
The mission of the product is to maximize the reliability of your production servers and applications through the automatic detection and correction of problems and issues. The product runs as a service on a Windows 2022/2019/Windows 2016/Windows 2012(R2)/2008(R2)/11/10/8/7/ platform. There's a 64-bit edition and a 32-bit edition of the software.
When a problem is detected, you're immediately notified by e-mail, SMS, pager, SNMP trap or network message. If possible, the network monitor tool will try to correct the problem.
The two main programs of ActiveXperts Network Monitor are:
The ActiveXperts Network Monitor Engine service is the Engine of the product; it runs in the background as a Windows Service, without a user interface. It continuously monitors servers, workstations and IP devices in your LAN/WAN for availability. This Engine is also responsible for notifying, triggering actions, recovery and logging. There's no agent software required on the servers being monitored; the monitoring service uses protocols and application layers of the Operating System to do its job.
The ActiveXperts Network Monitor Manager application is used to view the results and to make changes to the configuration. This Manager application allows you to visually monitor the network from any desktop PC.
The Manager application can be installed on any Windows 7 or higher workstation, or any Windows 2008 or higher server, and has different authority levels. You can for instance restrict your help desk staff to only see monitoring results, and allowing network operators to make changes to the configuration.
ActiveXperts Network Monitor ships with powerful set of monitoring checks.
Virtualization checks:
IP-related checks:
Windows checks:
Windows Server related checks:
Environmental checks:
ActiveXperts supports a wide range of environmental devices. This allows you to monitor any environmental sensor, including:
Database checks:
Linux/Unix checks:
Miscellaneous checks:
Add new functionality to the product by writing your own VBScript or PowerShell routines. This way, you can monitor almost every piece of hardware, network protocol, software, and so on. Also, VBScript allows you to include techniques like WMI (Windows Management Interface) and ADSI (Active Directory Service Interfaces).
ActiveXperts Network Monitor allows you to extend the set of built-in check routines by writing your own check routines.
ActiveXperts supports PowerShell (Windows), VBScript (Windows), (Remote) Command (Windows) and SSH (Linux/Unix) for custom scripting.
PowerShell and VBScript are defacto standards for scripting in Windows. Both are popular because of its wide acceptance and its support for ActiveX technologies. PowerShell has full support for .NET frameworks. ActiveXperts ships with a large collection of PowerShell scripts, VBScript and Windows Batch scripts. You can use these script directly, or make modifications to it to meet your requirements.
SSH is a defacto secure standard for remote shell execution. RSH is the less-popular, non-secure equivalent. ActiveXperts ships with a large collection of SSH shell scripts. You can use these script directly, or make modifications to it to meet your requirements.
A Monitoring Check has a Status, which is the result of the check. These are the possible Status values:
The check meets all the conditions. The corresponding computer/device is working fine.
If a check doesn't meet the conditions as configured, the check does not fail immediately.
Instead, it gets a 'Warning' status first. After a few 'Warnings' in a row (configurable), the status changes to 'Failure'.
Think of an ICMP check for server 'www.activexperts.com'.
Sometimes, the ping will fail (for instance once a week), because a router on the Internet has a hick-up. No immediate action is required.
Only after a few problems in a row, action is required. So, the check is in the 'Warning' status first, but after a few a problems in a row (configurable), it's considered as
a 'Failure'.
A 'Failure' is the occurrence of one or more problems in a row. The first problem is a 'Warning'. The number of allowed Warnings (let's say x, the so called threshold) is configurable.
After x Warnings in a row, the check fails. On 'Failure', alarm notifications are sent out and action scripts are triggered.
For instance, with an 'ICMP Ping' check that has the threshold set to 5, a failure notification will be sent after 5 consecutive failing pings.
If the result of a check is not successful during a Maintenance period, it won't be considered as a regular 'Warning' or 'Failure'. Instead, the status will be: 'Maintenance'. This indicates that the negative result is caused by maintenance on servers, devices or network. No notifications will be sent and no actions will be triggered.
If a check fails as a result of another failed server, and there is a dependency relation between these checks, it is not be reported as a normal
failure. In this case, no notifications are sent and no actions are triggered. It is called a 'Failure by Depender'.
Imagine you have a server 'S1' on a remote location, and there's router 'R' connecting your LAN with the remote location, and you have ICMP checks for both 'S1' and 'R'.
By making 'S1' dependent of 'R', a failure of 'R' will only result in notifications for 'R', not for 'S'.
Dependencies can be configured from the Dependency command in the Tools menu.
You can put a check 'On Hold'. This means, that the check will not be monitored as long as the check remains 'On Hold'.
If a check cannot be processed by the engine, the status is set to 'Not Monitored'. Think of a monitoring check based on the SNMP check, but the Network Monitor Engine doesn't have the SNMP service installed. It cannot process the check and will set the result to 'Not Monitored'.
If the result of a check cannot be determined by the Engine, the status is set to 'Uncertain'. Think of a Disk Space monitoring check, monitoring free disk space on a file server. If the file server becomes totally unavailable, the Network Monitor Engine cannot determine the Disk Space. In this situation, the result is set to 'Uncertain'.
Note: You can change the way Network Monitor handles 'Uncertain' events. By default, all checks which results cannot be determined are set to 'Uncertain'. You can configure not to use the 'Uncertain' status, and set each undetermined result to either 'Success' or 'Failure'.
If a server changes from 'Failure' into 'Success' status, it is 'recovered'. 'Recovered' itself is not a status; however, on such status change, Notifications can be sent out and Actions can be triggered. This can be useful for Administrators and Operators, so they know that their Action was successful.
The central monitoring service runs on a (dedicated) Windows Server (or Workstation) platform, 64-bit or 32-bit; it monitors computers/devices in your LAN, WAN or even outside your enterprise. No additional software is required on the monitored servers.
The graphical 'ActiveXperts Network Monitor Manager' application is running on the operators desktop PC; it connects to the central monitoring service, and allows you to make changes to the configurations, and view the results.
The 'ActiveXperts Network Monitor Engine service' is a Windows Service (AxNmSvc.exe), and is the actual monitoring program. It runs in the background without desktop interaction. It monitors the computers/devices in your LAN/WAN for availability at specific time intervals. This service is multi-threading, allowing the service to monitor many computers/devices simultaneously.
The service is responsible for notification, actions, recovery, logging, and so on.
Note: ActiveXperts Network Monitor doesn't require agent software on the servers you monitor; the service only uses protocols and application layers of the Operating System to do its job.
The 'ActiveXperts Network Monitor Manager' application (AxsNmApp.exe) is used to view the status of your network and to make changes to the configuration. You can install the Manager application on any workstation/server in your LAN/WAN.
The Manager application can be installed on any Windows 7 or higher workstation, or any Windows 2008 or higher server.
The 'ActiveXperts Network Monitor Report Generator' is used to create new reports. There are two versions: a graphical version (AxRgGui.exe) to create reports using a wizard, and a command line version (AxRgCmd.exe) to create reports from the command line or from the Task Scheduler.
Reports are based on a Report Definition file (.rep), which describes the properties of a report (like: filters, sorting, layout, output file and more).
The 'ActiveXperts Network Monitor Graph' program (AxGraph.exe) is used to create statistical graphs.
The ActiveXperts Reports and Graphs Configuration Tool (AxRgTpl.exe) is used to manage Reports and Graphs.
ActiveXperts Web Access is a comprehensive web interface, designed for mobile devices, tablets and PC's. It allows users you to see those parts of the Network Monitor configuration that they have access to.
The ActiveXperts Network Monitor Web Access Configuration Tool (AxWebCfg.exe) is used to configure ActiveXperts Web Access.
The full ActiveXperts Network Monitor installation package is available from the ActiveXperts Download Site. There are two setup files: AxMonitorSetup64.exe (for 64-bit operating systems) and AxMonitorSetup32.exe (for 32-bit operating systems).
After you download the file from the Internet, you start the setup procedure on the server that you assigned as the monitoring server. This server doesn't have to be a dedicated server. The installation will install the monitoring service, the Manager application and several tools and utilities.
The ActiveXperts Network Monitor Engine service only runs on a Windows workstation or server platform, with the following recommended specifications:
| Â | CPU | Memory | SP | Disk Space |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Windows Server 2022 | 1.4GHz (x64) Multi-core |
4GB | - | 20GB |
| Windows Server 2019 | 1.4GHz (x64) Multi-core |
4GB | - | 20GB |
| Windows Server 2016 | 1.4GHz (x64) Multi-core |
4GB | - | 20GB |
| Windows Server 2012 R2 | 1.4GHz (x64) Multi-core |
4GB | - | 20GB |
| Windows Server 2012 | 1.4GHz (x64) Multi-core |
4GB | - | 20GB |
| Windows Server 2008 R2 | 1.4GHz (x64) Multi-core |
4GB | - | 20GB |
| Windows Server 2008 | 1.4GHz (x64) / 1GHz (x86) Multi-core |
4GB | - | 20GB |
| Windows 11 | 1GHz x64 Multi-core |
4GB | - | 20GB |
| Windows 10 | 1GHz (x64/x86) Multi-core |
4GB (x64/x86) | - | 20GB |
| Windows 8 | 1GHz (x64/x86) Multi-core |
4GB (x64/x86) | - | 20GB |
| Windows 7 | 1GHz (x64/x86) Multi-core |
2GB (x64/x86) | SP1/higher | 20GB |
It's recommended to use a server platform for the ActiveXperts Network Monitor Engine service, because server platforms support more simultaneous network connections Server platforms are optimized for application services.
Usually, the installation is done only once, on the server that is dedicated as the monitoring server. A wizard will take you through the installation.
Before you start the installation, you must assign one of your Windows servers in your network as the ActiveXperts Network Monitor Server. This machine will host the Network Monitor Engine (service).
Download the installation file (AxMonitorSetup64.exe or AxMonitorSetup32.exe) from the Internet and run this program on the server that you assigned as the monitor server.
Step 1 - Welcome Message
This is where the installation begins.
Step 2 - Setup Type
Choose "Network monitor Engine + Management Console" if you want to install the Network Monitor service. The first installation should always be this type of installation. After the first installation, you can run a "Management Console" installation on network workstations to allow users to view the monitoring results of Network Monitor, or to make changes to the configuration.
Step 3 - Licensing information
Here, you can enter you License code. If you enter 'FREE' as the license code, you will be able to use the software for free with a limited number of checks.
Step 4 - Choose Destination Folder
Choose a destination folder. Setup will copy the service, the Manager application, the Manager Setup files and other components to this location. Please make sure to have approximately 50 megabytes available.
Step 5 - Select Program Folder
Specify a name for the Program folder.
Step 6 - Service Account
The 'ActiveXperts Network Monitor Engine service' (the Engine) must be configured to run under a Windows account. This can be the built-in System user, but it is recommended to provide a Domain Admin or Enterprise Admin account, because it is likely that ActiveXperts Network Monitor needs access to servers in the domain with administrative rights to do its job. However, it's not mandatory to provide a Domain/Enterprise Admin account; for every monitoring check, alternate credentials can be provided.
You can use the Management Console (the 'ActiveXperts Network Monitor Manager') on any workstation in your domain. Use this ActiveXperts Network Monitor Manager application to:
The Manager application is already installed by default on the server where the ActiveXperts Network Monitor Engine service runs. So, there's no need to run ActiveXperts Network Monitor Manager installation on the server.
By default, installing ActiveXperts Network Monitor Manager applications on remote computers is prevented for security reasons. To allow the installation of the Manager application on other computer, a share must be created. This share will be used by the remote Manager application to communicate with the Network Monitor Engine.
To define the Share, use the 'ActiveXperts Network Monitor Manager' application and do the following:
Once you have created the share, you're ready to install the ActiveXperts Network Monitor Manager on remote PC's.
Simply run the AxMonitorSetup64.exe or AxMonitorSetup32.exe setup program (same installation as used for the server installation) on the workstation, and choose 'Install Management Console only'. The Setup program will now prompt for a share. Enter the share (UNC format) of the central ActiveXperts Network Monitor directory.
To be able to run the Network Monitor Manager application on workstations, Users (operators) need Change (RWX) permissions on the files in the shared directory.
To allow/prevent users in the network from installing/running the Network Monitor Manager, simply use NTFS permissions or Share Permissions. The easiest is to use Share Permissions: simply add/remove RWX permissions to allow/prevent Users or Groups at Share level.
Step 1 - Welcome Message
This is where the installation begins.
Step 2 - Setup Type
Choose 'Install Management Console only'. It will install the Network Monitor Manager, the Report Generator and utilities on the workstation PC.
Step 3 - Location of the central Network Monitor server
You're prompted for the location of the central Network Monitor Server share. Enter the share, as discussed in the previous topic.
Step 4 - Choose Destination Folder
Choose a destination folder. Setup will copy all program files to this location. Please be sure to have approximately 5MB available, depending on the type of installation.
Step 5 - Select Program Folder
Specify a name for the Program folder.
Note: If the central monitoring server runs a 64-bit edition of ActiveXperts Network Monitor, it is possible to install the 32-bit edition of the ActiveXperts Network Monitor on the Management console and connect to the 64-bit server.
Upgrade of ActiveXperts Network Monitor requires un-installation first, followed by a new installation of the software. All configuration files will be preserved during un-installation. However, it is recommended to export the configuration to a save place, before you uninstall the product.
For instructions, please see: FAQ item #Q6500005.
Use the ActiveXperts Network Monitor Manager application to make configuration changes, to view real-time monitoring information, and to analyze results. The Manager application can be launched from any 64-bit or 32-bit Windows platform, or from the machine where the service is running on.
To make changes to the configuration from a script, use the Configuration API. There are many VBScript and Powershell included with the product.
The 'ActiveXperts Network Monitor Engine service' reloads its configuration every time the configration is modified.
The ActiveXperts Network Monitor configuration can be imported, exported and cleared at any time. By using the command, the configuration can be backed up to a save location. By using command, a configuration can be loaded and set as the current configuration. By using the command, you can clear your current configuration and start from scratch. None of the above commands need a restart of the ActiveXperts Network Monitor Engine service.
Note: The Config.sdf configuration file is an MS SQL Server Compact database.
You can open this file using either Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio (ships with Microsoft SQL Server 2008 and higher), or using Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 or higher.
The ActiveXperts Network Monitor configuration consists of checks and global settings, and is stored in an Microsoft SQL Server Compact Database named Config.sdf. In a default installation, it is located in folder:
C:\ProgramData\ActiveXperts\Network Monitor\Configuration\
Use the ActiveXperts Network Monitor Manager application to make configuration changes, to view real-time monitoring information, and to analyze results. The Manager application can be launched from any 64-bit or 32-bit Windows platform, or from the machine where the service is running on.
You don't need to restart the 'ActiveXperts Network Monitor Engine service' every time you make changes to the configuration. The service will detect configuration changes as they are made, and will reload the configuration.
The ActiveXperts Network Monitor configuration can be imported, exported and cleared at any time. By using the command, the configuration can be backed up to a save location. By using command, a configuration can be loaded and set as the current configuration. By using the command, you can clear your current configuration and start from scratch. None of the above commands need a restart of the ActiveXperts Network Monitor Engine service.
Note: The Config.sdf configuration file is an MS SQL Server Compact database.
You can open this file using either Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio (ships with Microsoft SQL Server 2008 and higher), or using Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 or higher.
To launch the 'ActiveXperts Network Monitor Manager', click Start, point to the ActiveXperts Software folder, point to the Network Monitor folder and click on the Network Monitor Manager icon.
The 'ActiveXperts Network Monitor Manager' application window is divided into three views:
You can assign permissions to users by the use of Operator Roles.
In the server view, an icon precedes every server entry. Here's a list of all possible status values (with corresponding icons) and their meanings:
For an explanation, see Warnings, Failures and Recovery.
The configuration API enables administrators to read and modify configuration settings programmatically. Use the API to script or automate tasks that need to be performed frequently or in large batches, such as creating new checks, modifying checks, or requesting the engine to immediate monitor a server.
There are samples included for Powershell and VBScript. To read more about the Configuration API, click here.
In ActiveXperts Network Monitor, all checks are organized in folders. Folders are used to organize/group checks.
To add a new folder:
To rename a folder:
To delete a folder:
To add a new monitoring check, click on the toolbar. To configure an existing monitoring check, double click on the particular check entry in the Manager application, or right-click on the selected check and choose 'Properties'.
Most important configuration items of a Monitoring Check are:
The configuration of checks is discussed in detail in Chapter: Managing Checks.
Options are global properties, used by all Checks. You can configure these options from the , by selecting the item.
See topic: Application Logging
'Scan Defaults' apply to new Monitoring Checks. Default values can be defined in the Options dialog:
The following default values can be configured per check-type:
Scan Default values only apply to new checks; they do not affect existing monitoring checks. However, you can apply the default values to all monitoring checks by pressing the from the .
The ActiveXperts Network Monitor Engine Service Account credentials are used to monitor remote Windows servers and workstations. However, you may need other credentials to monitor computers outside a domain. See topic: Credentials - Windows".
Credentials for Linux, SSH, VMware and other platforms are stored globally for each server. See topic: Credentials - Other.
See topic: Configuring Threads.
To avoid notifications and actions during maintenance hours, you can configure maintenance schedules. All failures that happen during these schedules won't be notified, and no actions will be triggered.
The maintenance schedules can be configured as Every Day of the Week, or as On This Date.
To configure maintenance schedules:
By default, the maintenance schedules are inherited by all Monitoring Checks; however, you can configure maintenance schedules for each check individually in the 'Advanced' tab of the Monitoring Check properties. Let's say a company has maintenance on every Friday at 11:00 pm for nearly all servers (use the global maintenance schedules for that). But for one server (server 'A'), maintenance is scheduled on Saturday at 09:00 am. Configure individual maintenance schedules for server 'A'.
The 'ActiveXperts Network Monitor Engine service' can make a regular backup for you, to a save location. It is recommended to choose a destination folder for your backup that is part of your regular backup procedure.
All program data is located in the programs data folder. In a default installation, it is located in folder:
C:\ProgramData\ActiveXperts\Network Monitor\
With Auto-Backup, you can specify which items to backup automatically to a safe location.
Configure the following items for your Backup Location and Schedule:
Configure What to Backup
See topic: Operators and Roles".
Network Monitor does not use Windows' Date/Time settings for displaying information, because results can be viewed by non-Windows users (Web interface, reports, etc.). Therefore, you can set Date/Time settings; these settings are stored in the configuration database, and will be used by all Manager applications, Web Views, Reports, etc..
To configure Date/Time settings:
To import a previously saved configuration, use the Restore function. Note that the current configuration will be overwritten.
To import a configuration:
Note: It is possible to Restore a configuration file that was created on another computer.
It's a good practice to make a backup after major configuration changes. The 'Backup Configuration' function exports all of the configuration settings. This means: all global configuration settings (like mail server, default scan time, etc.) as well as all monitoring checks.
To backup a configuration:
Note: The Auto Backup feature automatically backups the configuration periodically. Auto Backup can be configured from the Auto Backup tab of the Options dialog.
The New Configuration function clears the existing configuration and creates a new one. The 'ActiveXperts Network Monitor Manager' will ask you to save the current configuration before you clear it.
To create a new configuration:
The ActiveXperts Network Monitor Engine (service) has a configuration database maintenance job that is performed at the following times:
During the configuration database maintenance job, there are messages displayed in the Real-Time Activity View (View: 'Activity-System') like:
The following actions are performed:
You can force a Configuration Database Maintenance operation using the Configuration API:
CD "C:\ProgramData\ActiveXperts\Network Monitor\Configuration API\PowerShell\Server Commands\" Powershell .\ForceConfigDbMaintenance.ps1
or
CD "C:\ProgramData\ActiveXperts\Network Monitor\Configuration API\VBScript\Server Commands\" CSCRIPT ForceConfigDbMaintenance.vbs
The Engine will then perform a Maintenance operation a few moments later.
To add a new built-in Monitoring Check:
Almost all built-in Checks have a scripted equivalent in both Powershell, VBScript and Windows Script. Using scripted Check, you can customize a Check by modifying the script.
To add a new scripted Monitoring Check:
The creation of Checks can be automized programmatically by using the Configuration API.
To Copy an existing Monitoring Check:
To Paste a Monitoring Check:
You can copy/paste multiple checks at the same time. There's the option to change the hostname (or IP addresses) during the Paste operation, so you can apply a set of pre-defined checks to a new server, or even multiple servers.
NOTE: Copy/Paste is a powerful command in ActiveXperts Network Monitor. You can define checks for a new server in just a single operation, due to the ability to change the hostname (or IP address) during Paste. You can even Paste to a list of new hosts!
To copy the properties of an existing Monitoring Check:
To paste properties:
You can apply the following properties to other checks:
To delete an existing Monitoring Check:
Confirm that you really want to remove the Check from the configuration.
The Monitoring Check dialog will pop up. This dialog contains 4 tabs:
Select the tab, and configure the following fields:
Select the tab, and configure the following fields:
For all of the above items (except SNMP Traps), you can select recipient groups from the global Address Book.
If you want to use different recipients (or traps) for a particular Monitoring Check, press the '.' next to the corresponding item.
You can define an action for each particular check. Actions are triggered when a check fails, or when a check recovers from a failure. There are no global settings for Actions; all settings are made in the properties of the monitoring check.
There are 3 different types of actions:
You can pass parameters to these programs on the command line. You can also use Notification Variables as parameters, as described in Appx E. Notification Variables.
To configure Alert Actions, select the tab, and configure the following fields:
To restart a service or reboot a computer, the 'ActiveXperts Network Monitor Engine service' credentials are used by default (i.e. the credentials used to start the ActiveXperts Network Monitor Engine service, see also the "Services" applet in the "Administrative Tools" folder). However, if a server is in a different domain or forest, and there is no trust, you may need to pass different credentials to restart or reboot.
To do so, press the button and from the Alternate Credentials list. Alternate credentials are administrated globally.
Select the to configure the following items:
The ActiveXperts Network Monitor Engine runs as a service on a Windows 2019/2016/2012(R2)/2008(R2)/10/8/7 operating system. This service run with Local System credentials or with Local/Domain Administrator credentials.
To change the ActiveXperts Network Monitor Engine service credentials:
To monitor servers in a domain, enter an account that has Administration privileges on all domain members. A 'Domain Administrator' or 'Enterprise Administrator' account will suffice. You can use the UNC notation for the domain account, i.e.: DOMAIN\Account. You can also use other dotted domain notations (mysubdomain.mydomain.dom\Account) or user principle names (j.doe@mydomain.dom).
To monitor servers in another domain, ActiveXperts Network Monitor requires administrator rights on that domain. This can be established through a trust relationship between these domains. However, if there is no trust relationship, the service account credentials cannot be used.
To monitor servers in another - untrusted - domain, you need to enter alternate credentials for each Windows server in the table (see Options). This also applies to stand-alone servers.
If the alternate credentials fail, ActiveXperts will NOT try the ActiveXperts Network Monitor Engine service credentials, unless you set the following registry value (you MUST restart the ActiveXperts Network Monitor Engine service in order for changes to take effect):
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\ActiveXperts\Network Monitor\Server\WinLoginFallbackToService: 1
ActiveXperts Network Monitor can monitor VMware ESXi servers to check various performance counters, including CPU, Memory, Network Trafic, Physical Status and more. Checks can be performed on the ESXi host itself, and/or on the Virtual Machines that it is hosting.
A VMware ESXi check requires the following parameters:
ActiveXperts Network Monitor can monitor Citrix XenServer servers to check various performance counters, including CPU, Memory, Network Trafic, Physical Status and more. Checks can be performed on the XenServer host itself, and/or on the Virtual Machines that it is hosting.
A Citrix XenServer check requires the following parameters:
The Hyper-V Server check monitors services, processes and WMI counters related to Microsoft Hyper-V Server.
The Hyper-V Server check requires the following parameters:
ActiveXperts Network Monitor can monitor Nimboxx VERDE servers to check various performance counters, including CPU, Memory, Network Trafic, Physical Status and more. Checks can be performed on the Nimboxx VERDE host itself, and/or on the gold images that it is hosting.
A Nimboxx VERDE check requires the following parameters:
ActiveXperts Network Monitor can monitor DHCP servers to check IP addresses in use, IP addresses offered and IP addresses available. The DHCP server have SNMP v.1 or SNMP v.2 enabled to allow Network Monitor to retrieve the performance data.
A DHCP Server check requires the following parameters:
ActiveXperts Network Monitor can resolve any DNS record and check the result against a specified value. Allowed record types include the 'A' record, 'MX' record' and 'CNAME' record'.
A DNS Server check requires the following parameters:
ActiveXperts Network Monitor can check the availability of an FTP site. You must pass credentials (username and password) to access the actual FTP site. If the FTP server allows anonymous access, specify 'anonymous' in the 'Account' field, and specify a valid e-mail address in the 'Password' field. With the FTP check, you can check for a file in one of the subdirectories on the FTP server, and even check for a specific pattern in the file.
An FTP check requires the following parameters:
ActiveXperts Network Monitor can check the availability of HTTP and HTTPs sites, on default ports (i.e.: 80 and 443) or on alternate ports. If the HTTP(s) server is not directly accessible, you can configure ActiveXperts Network Monitor to go through a Proxy server to access the particular HTTP(s) server, even passing credentials for that Proxy server (to be able to make use of the Proxy). Additionally, you can pass credentials (username and password) to access the actual HTTP(s) site if required. ActiveXperts Network Monitor supports web site content checking; contents of web sites can be searched for text patterns (including tags).
An HTTP/HTTPs check requires the following parameters:
ActiveXperts Network Monitor can check IMAP mail servers by establishing a connection on the remote IMAP port (usually port 143) and do a handshake. By handshaking, ActiveXperts Network Monitor can verify that the remote server's IMAP protocol is working well.
An IMAP Mail Server check requires the following parameters:
LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) is a protocol for querying (and modifying) directory services like Microsoft Active Directory and Novell Netware.
The LDAP check requires just one parameter:
The check will by default try to retrieve the full name of the queried directory service, and match the result against a pattern. One may check want to use more sophisticated queries; for this reason, the check is a VBScript check to allow customization.
ActiveXperts Network Monitor can check NNTP news servers by establishing a connection on the remote TCP port (usually port 119) and do a handshake. By handshaking, ActiveXperts Network Monitor can verify that the remote server's NNTP protocol is working well.
An NNTP News Server Availability check requires the following parameters:
Commercial organizations today rely on networks of computers, all of which have clocks that are the source of time for files or operations they handle. Most of these organizations use a time server to ensure accurate time settings. The NTP protocol is the protocol used to synchronize times between workstations and servers, and external time sources. ActiveXperts Network Monitor uses the IP based NTP protocol to check availability of internal and external time sources.
An NTP check requires one parameter:
Ping/ICMP checks a remote host for availability using the ICMP protocol. Local hosts should normally respond to ping requests within milliseconds. However, on a very congested network it may take up to 3 seconds or longer to receive an echo packet from the remote host. If the time-out is set too low under these conditions, it will appear that the remote host is not reachable (which is almost the truth). ActiveXperts Network Monitor checks servers for availability by sending ICMP Echo commands and wait for the responds. An ICMP time-out failure doesn't necessarily mean that the remote host is actually functioning beyond its ability to echo packets.
An Ping/ICMP check requires the following parameters:
Ping/TCP checks a remote host to make sure it is listening to a specific TCP port. It can send multiple TCP connect requests and calculates the average connect time. You can set Connect Time limit. If exceeded, the check will fail.
An Ping/TCP check requires the following parameters:
ActiveXperts Network Monitor can check POP3 mail servers by establishing a connection on the remote TCP port (usually port 110) and logon to a mailbox on that mail server.
A POP3 check requires the following parameters:
ActiveXperts Network Monitor can check RADIUS (Remote Authentication Dial In User Service) servers by authenticate a user.
A RADIUS check requires the following parameters:
ActiveXperts Network Monitor can check the availability of an SFTP server. SFTP (Secure File Transfer Protocol) allows secure network file transfer over an insecure network, such as the Internet. The Secure File Transfer Protocol is an extension to the SSH version 2.0 protocol. Most SSH server implementations will also allow for SFTP logins. SFTP is the secure successor to FTP.
An SFTP check requires the following parameters:
ActiveXperts Network Monitor can check the availability of an SMPP server. SMPP (Short Message Peer-to-Peer Protocol) is a telecommunications industry protocol for exchanging SMS messages between peer entities.
An SMPP check requires the following parameters:
ActiveXperts Network Monitor can check SMTP mail servers by establishing a connection on the remote TCP port (usually port 25) and do a handshake. By handshaking, ActiveXperts Network Monitor can verify that the remote server's SMTP protocol is working well.
An SMTP Mail Server check requires the following parameters:
This check verifies whether an e-mail service is working properly by sending a test e-mail message through an SMTP server and verifying that it has been delivered to the recipient's mailbox.
An SMTP to POP3 check requires the following parameters:
SNMP means: Simple Network Management Protocol. The SNMP GET message allows the Network Monitor Engine to request information about a specific variable on a remote computer or device. The agent, upon receiving a GET message, will issue a GET-RESPONSE message to the Network Monitor Engine with either the information requested or an error indication as to why the request cannot be processed.
An SNMP GET check requires the following parameters:
The SNMP Trap Receive check listens for real-time network traps for processing. The SNMP Trap Receiver must be enabled at a global level. To enable the SNMP Trap Receiver:
An SNMP Trap Receive check works different than other checks in Network Monitor: the SNMP Trap Receive check is event-driven. The check is not executed at timed intervals, but is triggered on a newly received trap. As a result, you cannot specify a time interval for SNMP Trap Receive checks.
An SNMP Trap Receive check requires the following parameters:
ActiveXperts Network Monitor can check local- or remote servers by challenging a specific port. It makes a connection to it, and performs a challenge/respond (by sending a sequence of bytes to it, wait for the respond and analyzing the received information).
A TCP/IP check requires the following parameters:
ActiveXperts Network Monitor can check the availability of a TFTP host by checking the existence of a file on the TFTP host. TFTP stands for 'Trivial File Transfer Protocol' and is a forerunner of the FTP protocol. It has less functionality than FTP: it is based on the (unreliable) UDP protocol, has no support for directory browsing and has not protected by a logon and password. With the TFTP check, you can check for a file in a directory on the TFTP host, and check for a specific pattern in the file.
A TFTP check requires the following parameters:
By default, ActiveXperts uses the ActiveXperts Network Monitor Engine service credentials to access the remote Windows machines.
However, if the service does not have sufficient rights to access the remote Windows machine, you can specify alternate credentials for this Windows machine.
To read more, see topic Monitoring servers in other domains.
The Active Directory check monitors services, processes and WMI counters related to Microsoft Active Directory.
The Active Directory check requires the following parameters:
The BizTalk check monitors services, processes and performance counters related to Microsoft BizTalk.
The BizTalk check requires the following parameters:
With ActiveXperts Network Monitor, you can check MS Dynamics NAV servers. The Dynamics NAV check monitors services, processes and performance counters related to Microsoft Dynamics NAV.
The Dynamics NAV check requires the following parameters:
With ActiveXperts Network Monitor, you can check MS Dynamics AX servers. The Dynamics AX check monitors services, processes and performance counters related to Microsoft Dynamics AX.
The Dynamics AX check requires the following parameters:
With ActiveXperts Network Monitor, you can check MS Dynamics CRM servers. The Dynamics CRM check monitors services, processes and performance counters related to Microsoft Dynamics CRM.
The Dynamics CRM check requires the following parameters:
With ActiveXperts Network Monitor, you can check MS Dynamics GP and MS Dynamics SL servers. The Dynamics GP/SL check monitors services, processes and performance counters related to Microsoft Dynamics GP and MS Dynamics SL.
The Dynamics GP/SL check requires the following parameters:
The Exchange Server check monitors services, processes and performance counters related to Microsoft Exchange Server.
The Exchange Server check requires the following parameters:
The Forefront check monitors services, processes and performance counters related to Microsoft Forefront TMG.
The Forefront check requires the following parameters:
The IIS Server check monitors services, processes and performance counters related to Microsoft IIS Server.
The IIS Server check requires the following parameters:
The Index Server check monitors services, processes and performance counters related to Microsoft Index Server.
The Index Server check requires the following parameters:
The ISA Server check monitors services, processes and performance counters related to Microsoft ISA Server.
The ISA Server check requires the following parameters:
The SharePoint Server check monitors services, processes and counters related to Microsoft SharePoint Server.
The SharePoint Server check requires the following parameters:
The SQL Server check monitors services, processes and counters related to Microsoft SQL Server.
The SQL Server check requires the following parameters:
By default, ActiveXperts uses the ActiveXperts Network Monitor Engine Service credentials to access the remote Windows machines.
However, if the service does not have sufficient rights to access the remote Windows machine, you can specify alternate credentials for this Windows machine.
To read more, see topic Monitoring servers in other domains.
The Anti-Virus/Internet Security check allows monitoring various popular Anti-Virus/Internet Security packages on workstations and servers. There are many Anti-Virus/Internet Security suites supported, including Avast, AVG, BitDefender, Eset, F-Secure, G Data, Kaspersky, McAfee, Norman, Sophos, Symantec, Trend Micro, Vipre, Zonealarm and many more.
An Anti-Virus/Anti-Spam check requires the following parameters:
ActiveXperts Network Monitor can check Windows Certificates managed by the Windows Certificates Services Role. It monitors the validity (in days) of the certificate(s). Only Windows Certificates can be monitored.
A Certificate check requires the following parameters:
ActiveXperts Network Monitor can check Citrix ICA servers by establishing a connection on the remote TCP port (usually port 1494) and do a handshake. By handshaking, ActiveXperts Network Monitor can verify that the remote server's ICA protocol is working well.
An Citrix ICA check requires the following parameters:
The Citrix XenApp check monitors services, processes and WMI counters related to Citrix XenApp.
The Citrix XenApp check requires the following parameters:
ActiveXperts Network Monitor provides the 'CPU Usage' check to monitor processor(s) on Windows platforms. When the CPU load exceeds the limit, an alert is generated. For multi-processor systems, you can select to monitor all CPU's (default) or monitor an individual CPU.
A CPU Usage check requires the following parameters:
You are running Windows Server and some of your users insist on copying the contents of their notebook computer to your file server. Other users want to download everything they see on the Web. Unfortunately, you're running out of disk space. Disk space is your server's most expensive subsystem, so it's a good practice to monitor - for instance - user's Home Directories. The 'Directory check' can be of good help.
A Directory check requires the following parameters:
ActiveXperts Network Monitor can monitor all physical disk drives on servers running the Windows operating system. If a malfunctioning disk drive is detected on the computer, an alert is generated.
A Disk Drive check requires the following parameters:
The amount of free disk space is checked periodically, and if it drops too low you're immediately notified. It can also notify if used space gets too high.
A Disk Space check requires the following parameters:
Note: The 'Disk Space' check uses the system's administrative shares (i.e. C$, D$ etc.) to access drives on remote computers. For security reasons, these share are sometimes renamed by system administrators, for instance: MYCDRIVE$. You can type such a name in the selection box, and the Network Monitor Engine will use this administrative share name instead of the defaults administrative share name.
ActiveXperts Network Monitor can read Windows Event logs on local- or remote computers. It can look for specific Event Sources, Categories, Event ID's and so on. It can look for a pattern in the Description of the Event. It can do advanced filtering in Event Logs; it can look for multiple events in the Event Log, and notify the system administrator if one of the Events occurred in a specific time interval. For instance, as a network administrator, you want an alert if there's a McAfee or Norton virus message in the Application Event Log, but only if the event is posted in the last 30 minutes. ActiveXperts Network Monitor uses VBScript and WMI for this.
It enables you to fully customize Event Log filtering, speeding up performance by checking for more than one event in each cycle.
An Event Log check requires the following parameters:
ActiveXperts Network Monitor can monitor file existence, file size and file content. This is particularly useful in situation where log files need to be analyzed. In many organizations, batch jobs run at night and produce logging information; ActiveXperts Network Monitor can check this logging information and analyze it. It can check the existence, or search for patterns. It can also check the size of a file.
A File check requires the following parameters:
ActiveXperts Network Monitor can check the memory usage of the Windows Operating System. It can monitor the total available physical memory usage, the committed memory or the pages per second.
A Memory Usage check requires the following parameters:
ActiveXperts Network Monitor monitors the status of the MS Message Queue's. It can check a queue for its length (i.e. number of jobs in the queue) or for its total size (MB).
An MSMQ check requires the following parameters:
ActiveXperts Network Monitor monitors the status of the Operating System's Terminal Server role (part of Windows 2019/2016/2012(R2)/2008(R2)/10/8/7) by checking the number of active/inactive sessions.
A Terminal Server check requires the following parameters:
The Performance Counter check monitors one or more Performance counters.
One or more Performance Counters must be defined:
Even the most mechanically sound printer stops working or needs maintenance from time to time:
Printers run low on toner, run out of paper, or get jammed - unavoidable situations that prevent users from printing their documents. Unfortunately, when a printer stops working, no notice is sent to users; in addition, users can still send print jobs to the printer. If the problem is not identified and corrected, those jobs will continue to accumulate as long as the printer is unavailable. For these reasons, monitoring the printers in your organization is an important part of print management. With a well-designed monitoring strategy in place, you can receive timely notification whenever a printer stops functioning and take immediate steps to either get the printer back online or transfer print jobs to a different printer. ActiveXperts Network Monitor checks printers for availability by checking its status. Windows knows a wide range of printer status values, like: 'Running', 'In Test', 'Power Off', 'Offline', 'Power Save', and so on. If the Printer Status is not equal to Running or Power Save, then the printer is considered as malfunctioning.
A Printer Availability check requires the following parameters:
Note: The printer availability check is based on WMI.
ActiveXperts Network Monitor allows users to check processes on local- and remote computers; if a process is active, a computer is considered available. Additionally, memory usage of a process can be checked, to detect memory leaks.
A Process check requires the following parameters:
Note: The process check is based on WMI; it requires WMI on both monitored and monitoring system.
ActiveXperts Network Monitor can check a registry value on a remote Windows machine. You can compare a current registry value with a predefined pattern. You can even monitor registry changes.
A Registry check requires the following parameters:
Use the Removable Drive check to detect the presence of USB drives, CompactFlash, memory cards and other portable storage devices on your domain or network.
A Removable Drive check requires the following parameters:
With the Scheduled Task check, one can check if a scheduled task has completed successfully or not. A Scheduled Task check can only be applied to a task that should run today. I.e. you cannot check the completion of a task that ran - for instance - yesterday.
A Scheduled Task check requires the following parameters:
Service monitoring involves a probe that returns the status of a service. ActiveXperts Network Monitor monitors services on local- and remote computers by checking if the status equals "Running". If so, the server is running fine, otherwise it's not.
A Service check requires the following parameters:
The Windows Defender check monitors services, processes and WMI counters related to Microsoft Windows Defender.
The Windows Defender check requires the following parameters:
The Windows Update check monitors the update status of a Windows machine. It monitors the number outstanding critical updates, security updates, regular updates, feature packs and more. It requires the Windows Update service on the remote machine to be installed. If the service is not running, ActiveXperts will try to start it.
The Windows Update check requires the following parameters:
The WMI Counter check monitors one or more WMI counters.
One or more WMI Counters must be defined:
PowerShell is a command line interface shell for Microsoft Windows platforms. It is a standard feature on Windows platform. It is installed by default on Windows 2008R2 Server platforms and higher, and also on Windows 7 workstation platforms and higher. On lower platforms, it is available but not installed by default.
ActiveXperts Network Monitor can check any Windows server by running a PowerShell script. The script is executed on the monitoring machine. There's no need to have PowerShell installed on the monitored server; it must be installed on the monitoring computer. PowerShell scripts do not need to be copied to the monitored computer; you can have all PowerShell scripts located on the monitoring computer to monitor remote computers.
ActiveXperts Network Monitor ships with a collection of PowerShell (.ps1) that work out of the box.
ActiveXperts Network Monitor requires the PowerShell script output (i.e. StdOut) to be formatted according to the following syntax:
[SUCCESS | ERROR | UNCERTAIN]: { <explanation> } { DATA:<value>}
The <explanation> field is displayed in the 'Last Response' column in the Manager application. The <value> field is displayed in the 'Data' column in the Manager application.
Samples:
ERROR: Free Disk space is less than 40 GB DATA:34
SUCCESS: CPU Usage is 10%, maximum allowed is 50% DATA:10
A PowerShell check requires the following parameters:
ActiveXperts Network Monitor can check any Windows server by executing a command on a remote computer. The command file (executable, batch-job, etc.) must be located on the remote monitored computer.
ActiveXperts Network Monitor requires the remote command output (i.e. StdOut) to be formatted according to the following syntax:
[SUCCESS | ERROR | UNCERTAIN]: { <explanation> } { DATA:<value>}
The <explanation> field is displayed in the 'Last Response' column in the Manager application. The <value> field is displayed in the 'Data' column in the Manager application. Samples:
ERROR: Free Disk space is less than 40 GB DATA:34
SUCCESS: CPU Usage is 10%, maximum allowed is 50% DATA:10
A Remote Command check requires the following parameters:
Note: The Remote Command check installs a service on the remote computer in order to execute the command. This service is called 'ActiveXperts Remote Command service'; the associated executable name is 'AxRemSvc.exe'. The service is uninstalled after the check has completed and is re-installed once the check is processed again.
ActiveXperts Network Monitor provides a programming interface to IT administrators. VBScript is the standard scripting language in ActiveXperts Network Monitor product. VBScript is the most popular scripting language in Windows environments.
A VBScript check requires the following parameters:
Visit www.activexperts.com/support/network-monitor/online/vbscript/ for detailed information on writing custom VBScript checks.
SSH Secure Shell allows secure network services over an insecure network, such as the Internet. With SSH, ActiveXperts Network Monitor can login onto a remote machine running the SSH daemon, and execute a command or shell script. ActiveXperts Network Monitor requires the output (i.e. StdOut) to be formatted according to the following syntax:
[SUCCESS | ERROR | UNCERTAIN]: { <explanation> } { DATA:<value>}
The <explanation> field is displayed in the 'Last Response' column in the Manager application. The <value> field is displayed in the 'Data' column in the Manager application.
Samples:
ERROR: Free Disk space is less than 40 GB DATA:34 SUCCESS: Daemon 'LPD' is running
To allow clients (incl. ActiveXperts Network Monitor) to run a shell script on Linux/Unix machine using SSH, the following pre-conditions must be met:
An SSH Shell Script check requires the following parameters:
SSH Secure Shell allows secure network services over an insecure network, such as the Internet. With SSH, ActiveXperts Network Monitor can login onto a remote machine running the SSH daemon, and execute a command or shell script. ActiveXperts Network Monitor requires the output (i.e. StdOut) to be formatted according to the following syntax:
[SUCCESS | ERROR | UNCERTAIN]: { <explanation> } { DATA:<value>}
The <explanation> field is displayed in the 'Last Response' column in the Manager application. The <value> field is displayed in the 'Data' column in the Manager application.
Samples:
ERROR: Free Disk space is less than 40 GB DATA:34 SUCCESS: Daemon 'LPD' is running
To allow clients (incl. ActiveXperts Network Monitor) to run a shell script on Linux/Unix machine using SSH, the following pre-conditions must be met:
An SSH Shell Script check requires the following parameters:
RSH is a client process that opens connections to an rsh daemon; it sends a command to execute on the remote server and retrieves its output, both stdout and stderr. The connection is established on standard port 514 (tcp port for the shell/cmd protocol). ActiveXperts Network Monitor requires the output (i.e. StdOut) to be formatted according to the following syntax:
[SUCCESS | ERROR | UNCERTAIN]: { <explanation> } { DATA:<value>}
The <explanation> field is displayed in the 'Last Response' column in the Manager application. The <value> field is displayed in the 'Data' column in the Manager application.
Samples:
ERROR: Free Disk space is less than 40 GB DATA:34 SUCCESS: Daemon 'LPD' is running
To allow clients (incl. ActiveXperts Network Monitor) to run a shell script on Linux/Unix machine using RSH, the following pre-conditions must be met:
A RSH Shell Script check requires the following parameters:
ActiveXperts Network Monitor uses OLE DB (also known as ADO) to check availability of databases. OLE DB (sometimes written as OLEDB or OLE-DB) is an API for accessing different types of data stores in a uniform manner, including: MS SQL, MS Access, Oracle, MySQL and more.
The Database Query check requires the following parameters:
You can use an AND/OR operator to create an advanced condition.
Note: For advanced database checks, you should use the custom VBScript database check. This check can be fully customized to meet your requirements. For instance, you can build complex queries, and analyze the query output. To create a new VBScript based database check, select from the , choose , and select 'Database.vbs'. Then, modify 'Database.vbs' to meet your requirements.
ActiveXperts Network Monitor uses ODBC to check availability of a variety of databases. Most major database systems support ODBC, such as: Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft Access, Microsoft Excel, Oracle, FoxPro, Paradox, SyBase, Informix, OpenIngres, InterBase, Progress, IBM LANDP, DB2 and AS/400. You must configure ODBC (from the Control Panel on the server where ActiveXperts Network Monitor is running on) before ActiveXperts Network Monitor can check ODBC compliant databases.
An ODBC check requires the following parameters:
ActiveXperts Network Monitor also provides Oracle checks based on SQLNet, like TNSPing and logon/logoff through SQLNet.
Note: The 'ADO / OLE/DB' check requires fewer configurations and is usually faster. As a result, it is the preferred way to check database, unless the database doesn't ship with an OLE DB driver.
ActiveXperts Network Monitor uses SQL*Net to monitor Oracle servers for availability. The role of SQL*Net is to establish and maintain a connection between the client application and the server and exchange messages between them. SQL*Net is a software layer that is required to communicate between Oracle clients and servers. It provides both client-server and server-server communications across any network. It enables client tools to access, modify, share, and store data on Oracle servers over a Network. The communication between client applications and servers takes place across one or more networks, and is referred to as client/server communication.
ActiveXperts Network Monitor has two SQL*Net based checks for Oracle:
A Database-Oracle TNSPing check requires the following parameters:
A Database-Oracle Logon/Logoff check requires the following parameters:
ActiveXperts supports a wide variety of Environmental Monitoring devices. These devices are characterised by the following: a) they have an IP interface, and b) they have ports to connect multiple sensors.
A sensor is a (long) cable that connects on one side to one of the ports of the device, and on the other side has the actual sensor.
ActiveXperts has native support for the following brands:
In addition, ActiveXperts provides support for almost all environmental monitoring devices available worldwide, through the use of the standard protocols:
ActiveXperts provides native support for all AVTech Room Alert models, namely:
The AVTech devices have the following features in common:
For a comprehensive AVTech product overview, as well as price information, click here.
ActiveXperts Network Monitor supports a wide variety of sensors attached to your environmental monitoring device, including:
An Environmental check requires the following parameters:
By default, a check in ActiveXperts is executed once every few seconds or minutes. This is sufficient for most checks. However, some checks require immediate alerting. A good example is a door sensor. Suppose the door sensor is executed once in a minute, then it is still quite possible that someone will quickly enter and there is no alerting. Same goes for the motion sensor. A movement can be a fraction of a second.
Immediate alerting can be accomplished through the use of SNMP Traps, for instancne for an AVTech Room Alert monitoring device:
AVTech devices have only ONE alarm OID for all sensors.
AVTech Room Alert 32S:
iso.org.dod.internet.private.enterprises.avtech.products.roomalert32S.traps.alarmmessage.0 .1.3.6.1.4.1.20916.1.11.2.1.0
AVTech Room Alert 12S / 12SR:
iso.org.dod.internet.private.enterprises.avtech.products.roomalert12S.traps.alarmmessage.0 .1.3.6.1.4.1.20916.1.12.2.1.0
AVTech Room Alert 3S:
iso.org.dod.internet.private.enterprises.avtech.products.roomalert12S.traps.alarmmessage.0 .1.3.6.1.4.1.20916.1.12.2.1.0
As the Trap OID is not unique to the sensor, but is used for all sensors, there must be another way to distinguish the sensor. We do this by constructing a regular expression, accepting/not accepting the received SNMP Trap.
For example, if you have a Door Sensor and a Motion sensor (both are Switch Sensors) on a Room Alert 32S device with IP 10.1.1.155, this is what needs to be done:
ActiveXperts Network Monitor allows you to query a serial device (e.g. a modem, a weight indicator, etc.) and analyze the response. The device must have a serial port interface, for instance an RS-232 interface. USB devices are also supported, but only if the device ships with a driver to emulate a serial port.
A Serial Device check requires the following parameters:
ActiveXperts Network Monitor monitors groups and group membership. In case of unexpected members in certain groups (for instance: unexpected Domain Admins members), it'll notify the network administrators.
ActiveXperts Network Monitor checks different kinds of Directory Services, for instance: Active Directory, or Novell NDS. You can configure ActiveXperts Network Monitor to check user accounts (locked out, disabled, etc.), groups, group membership, organizational units, and so on.
The User/Group Membership check requires the following parameters:
ActiveXperts Network Monitor allows you to extend the set of built-in check routines by writing your own check routines.
ActiveXperts supports PowerShell (Windows), VBScript (Windows), (Remote) Command (Windows) and SSH (Linux/Unix) for custom scripting.
PowerShell and VBScript are defacto standards for scripting in Windows. Both are popular because of its wide acceptance and its support for ActiveX technologies. PowerShell has full support for .NET frameworks. ActiveXperts ships with a large collection of PowerShell scripts, VBScript and Windows Batch scripts. You can use these script directly, or make modifications to it to meet your requirements.
SSH is a defacto secure standard for remote shell execution. RSH is the less-popular, non-secure equivalent. ActiveXperts ships with a large collection of SSH shell scripts. You can use these script directly, or make modifications to it to meet your requirements.
Out of the box, the Operating System does not allow you (or ActiveXperts Network Monitor) to run PowerShell scripts. You must enable PowerShell scripting first from the command line.
PowerShell is a command-line shell with associated scripting language from Microsoft. It was released in 2006, and is part of Windows Operating Systems currently support by Microsoft.
Out of the box, the Operating System does not allow you (or ActiveXperts Network Monitor) to run PowerShell scripts. You must enable PowerShell scripting first from the command line.
To allow execution of Powershell scripts in ActiveXperts Network Monitor, please do the following:
ActiveXperts Network Monitor ships with a set of PowerShell that run out of the box. These can be used to check servers and can be modified in order to meet your requirements. ActiveXperts Network Monitor requires the output (i.e. StdOut) of the PowerShell script to be formatted according to the following syntax:
[ SUCCESS | ERROR | UNCERTAIN]: { <explanation> } { DATA:<value>}
The <explanation> will be shown in the 'Last Response' column in the Manager application. The <value> field will be shown in the 'Data' column in the Manager application. For example:
ERROR: Free disk space is less than 40 GB DATA:34
or
SUCCESS: Free disk space is more than 40 GB DATA:102
ActiveXperts Network Monitor contains a comprehensive set of built-in monitoring checks. The product is designed to let operators write their own monitoring checks and use them in the product. ActiveXperts uses VBScript because it is the most popular scripting language in Windows environments.
ActiveXperts ships with a collection of cooked VBScript files and routines. These scripts are located in the folder '\Scripts\Monitor (vbs)' folder, and can be used out of the box. Feel free to modify these scripts.
VBScript check routines should return one of the following values:
Keep the following in mind when writing a new VBScript function:
Function template:
Const retvalUnknown = 1
Dim SYSDATA, SYSEXPLANATION
Function Foo( var1, var2, ..., varn )
If( Not Pre-condition ) Then
SYSEXPLANANTION = "Unable to determine..."
Foo = retvalUnknown
Else
If( condition ) Then
SYSEXPLANANTION = "Yes it is true because ..."
SYSDATA = 5
Foo = True
Else
SYSEXPLANANTION = "No it's not true because ..."
SYSDATA = 6
Foo = False
End If
End If
End Function
To add a VBScript check:
To create a new VBScript file, choose from the box and a new file will be created. To create a new function in a VBScript file, choose from the selection box and a new function will be written.
Any commands and functions related to a console or User Interface should be avoided. Keep in mind that the Network Monitor Engine runs as a service, and has no user interface. Message boxes and console output statements may lead to undesirable results. Some objects will not work in Network Monitor:
Also, avoid functions that display a dialog box, like InputBox.
ActiveXperts Network Monitor includes a debug control to print debug information to a log file while the Network Monitor Engine interpreter runs the script. The debug control is called ActiveXperts.VbDebugger.
ActiveXperts.VbDebugger has the following properties:
ActiveXperts.VbDebugger has the following functions:
The following sample shows how to use the debug control:
Function IsWeekend()
Set objDebugger = CreateObject( "ActiveXperts.VbDebugger" )
objDebugger.DebugFile = "c:\temp\debug.txt"
objDebugger.ClearDebugFile ' Clear the file is desired
objDebugger.Write "Function WeekDay will be called now... " & vbCrLf
If WeekDay( Date() ) = VBSaturday or WeekDay( Date() ) = VBSunday Then
SYSEXPLANATION = "Yes, weekend"
IsWeekend = True
Else
SYSEXPLANATION = "No, no weekend"
IsWeekend = False
End If
objDebugger.Sleep 3000 ' Hold the script for three seconds
objDebugger.Write "Exit IsWeekend" & vbCrLf
End Function
Visit www.activexperts.com/support/network-monitor/online/vbscript/ for detailed information on writing custom VBScript checks. It contains detailed information about writing custom scripts, describes the debugger and contains various samples.
ActiveXperts Network Monitor supports the execution of a command script on the local Windows monitoring server; the result of the Check is based on the standard output.
ActiveXperts Network Monitor requires the output (i.e. StdOut) to be formatted according to the following syntax:
[ SUCCESS | ERROR | UNCERTAIN]: { <explanation> } { DATA:<value>}
The <explanation> will be shown in the 'Last Response' column in the Manager application. The <value> field will be shown in the 'Data' column in the Manager application. Samples:
ERROR: Free Disk space is less than 40 GB DATA:34 SUCCESS: Daemon 'LPD' is running
ActiveXperts Network Monitor supports the execution of a command on a remote server; the result of the Check is based on the standard output.
The check is executed by installing a service on the remote monitored server. This service is called 'ActiveXperts Remote Command Service' (AxRemCmd). After installation, the service is started and is ready for a request from the Network Monitor service. After the command has been executed, the service is uninstalled by the Network Monitor service.
ActiveXperts Network Monitor requires the output (i.e. StdOut) in the same way as the Windows Command Script check.
The Secure Shell Script (SSH) check allows you to login to a Linux/Unix host and run a shell script in a secure way. There are two ways to login: using an account and a password, or using an account and a private key file.
ActiveXperts Network Monitor requires the output (i.e. StdOut) to be formatted according to the following syntax:
[SUCCESS | ERROR | UNCERTAIN]: { <explanation> } { DATA:<value>}
The <explanation> field is displayed in the 'Last Response' column in the Manager application. The <value> field is displayed in the 'Data' column in the Manager application.
Samples:
ERROR: Free Disk space is less than 40 GB DATA:34 SUCCESS: Daemon 'LPD' is running
Sample Shell Script to check directory existence:
#!/bin/sh
# Macro definitions
FREE=`free -m | awk '/^Mem:/ { printf( "%s\n", $4 ); }'`
USED=`free -m | awk '/^Mem:/ { printf( "%s\n", $3 ); }'`
# Validate number of arguments
if [ $# -ne 2 ] ; then
echo "UNCERTAIN: Too few arguments Usage: memory <free>|<usage> <size>";
exit 1;
fi
# Validate arguments
if [ $1 != "free" ] && [ $1 != "used" ]; then
echo "ERROR: Wrong parameters entered DATA:0";
fi
# Check free memory
if [ $1 == "free" ] ; then
if [ $FREE -gt $2 ]||[ $FREE == $2 ] ; then
echo "SUCCESS: Free memory is [$FREE MB], minimum required=[$2 MB] DATA:$FREE";
else
echo "ERROR: Free memory is [$FREE MB], minimum required=[$2 MB] DATA:$FREE";
fi
fi
# Check used memory
if [ $1 == "used" ] ; then
if [ $USED -lt $2 ]||[ $USED == $2 ] ; then
echo "SUCCESS: Used memory is [$FREE MB], maximum allowed=[$2 MB] DATA:$FREE";
else
echo "ERROR: Used memory is [$FREE MB], maximum allowed=[$2 MB] DATA:$FREE";
fi
fi
ActiveXperts Network Monitor installs a collection of SSH monitoring checks. In a default installation, it is located in folder:
C:\ProgramData\ActiveXperts\Network Monitor\Scripts\Monitor (ssh)
Alert Notifications are sent:
Notification Settings are software settings that are global for all monitoring checks. You can configure these from the Tools menu, by selecting the Notification Settings item.
For all notification types - except pager notifications and SNMP traps - you can use an Address Book. In the Address Book, you can organize notification recipients in groups. Groups can be used in any check. But you can still define a custom list of recipients for individual checks.
The following alert notification types are supported by ActiveXperts Network Monitor:
Default Alert Notification settings apply to new Monitoring Checks. These values can be defined in the Notifications Settings dialog:
The following Alert Nootification defaults can be configured:
The Address Book contains all Contacts and Contact Groups used to send out Alert Notifications when there's an incident.
A Contact has properties like 'First Name', 'Last Name', 'E-mail Address' and 'SMS Mobile Number'.
You can group one or more Contacts in one or more Contact Groups.
At a Check level, you can assign Contact Groups and/or Contacts to the Alert Notification properties of the Check. The Contact Addresses will be used to send out the Notifications.
The Address Book is also used by the Reports module, where Reports are scheduled and sent as e-mail attachments to those who want to receive the Reports.
NOTE: It is recommended to assign Contact Groups rather than individual Contacts to the Check's Alert Notification properties. With a Contact Groups, you don't need to change the Check's properties when there's a new User.. You just need to modify the Contact Group membership list one time.To use SMTP e-mail notifications, the ActiveXperts Network Monitor Engine service must have access to a (secure) SMTP server to send out e-mails. It can be any SMTP (secure) compliant mail server.
ActiveXperts Network Monitor supports the SSL/TLS secure protocol, as well as STARTTLS, is compliant with SMTP servers that require SMTP authentication, like Microsoft Exchange. SMTP AUTH is the protocol that is used to verify that you are one of the users of the SMTP server. ActiveXperts Network Monitor is RFC 821 and RFC 822 SMTP AUTH compliant. It also supports multiple character sets, including English (ISO-8859-1), Chinese (big5) and Japanese (ISO-2202-JP).
To configure global e-mail Alert Notification Settings use the 'ActiveXperts Network Monitor Manager':
To test the E-mail Notification Settings, use the button. It will send a request the Network Monitor Engine to send an E-mail message using the given settings.
Message Templates are discussed in topic Message Templates.
Note: Be aware of e-mail clients that do not have Rich Text enabled for security reasons.
For each check, you can make the following configuration settings:
ActiveXperts Network Monitor supports alpha-numeric SMS messaging in four ways:
To configure global SMS Alert Notification settings:
Get yourself a Twilio subscription first. This can be either a paid subscription, or a free Twilio test account. For more information, see: www.twilio.com/try-twilio
Use your Twilio account information to fill in:
In the GSM Modem setup dialog, you must select the Windows telephony device (recommended) or a physical COM port (directly) that is used to connect to the physical GSM modem. As soon as you select the device from the list, the Network Monitor Manager tries to detect the device connected to the Network Monitor server. If a GSM modem cannot be detected, a log file is provided for troubleshooting purposes.
Use the button to configure advanced communication settings.
Auron SMS Server is an SMS messaging framework to enable sending, receiving and processing of SMS messages. You can relay SMS notifications from any application (including Network Monitor) to the SMS Server.
With Auron SMS Server, you can benefit from the product's SMPP support. SMPP is the fastest and most reliable way of sending bulk SMS messages.
To relay Network Monitor SMS notifications to Auron SMS Server, you must install the Auron SMS Server Client Tools on the server that has the Network Monitor Engine service running. Once installed, you can select an SMPP channel.
The SMS recipient number must be in International Number Format: the SMS number, prefixed by the international dialing number and the '+' character. The use of the '+' character is required. For example: +4412345678
For each check, you can make the following configuration settings:
Note: To log all modem operations, you must enter a valid file name in the following registry entry:
HKLM\Software\ActiveXperts\Network Monitor\Server\Trace\NotifySms
ActiveXperts Network Monitor supports numeric DTMF Paging (using a Hayes compatible modem) and alpha-numeric paging (using an SNPP provider).
The modem must be connected to the server where the 'ActiveXperts Network Monitor Engine' service is running. When there's a failure, ActiveXperts Network Monitor will use the modem to dial-out to the Pager recipients.
To configure global Pager Alert Notification settings:
In the Pager/SNPP setting dialog:
In the Pager/DTMF setting dialog:
Note: A Pager recipient can only consist of the following characters:
T0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,+,-,*,#@,a,b,c,d,A,B,C,D,w,WT
For each check, you can make the following configuration settings:
Note: To log all Pager operations, you can enter a valid file name in the following registry entry:
HKLM\Software\ActiveXperts\Network Monitor\NotifyPager
ActiveXperts Network Monitor supports SNMPv1, SNMPv2c and SNMPv3 Trap notifications.
To configure global SNMP Trap notification settings:
A trap consists of the following parameters:
For each monitoring check, you can configure the following settings:
Network Notifications are the well-known 'Net Send' (or 'NetPopup') messages over the network. Only machines that support NetBIOS can send/receive these messages. NetBIOS messages can be sent to users and/or computers.
To configure global Network Alert Notification settings:
To test the Network Notification Settings, use the button. It will send a request the Network Monitor Engine to send an network popup message using the given settings.
For each check, you can make the following configuration settings:
A notification message can be customized. Use the button in the appropriate global notification tab of the dialog from the . Each notification type has its own message template.
Inside a message template, you can use system variables. These variables are substituted each time the message is sent out. System variables must be enclosed between <% and %> strings, for example: <% DATE %>. See also Appx E. Notification Variables for a complete list of Notification Variables.
Example of a message template:
Message from ActiveXperts Network Monitor, <% DATE %> <%TIME %>: Item: <% DISPLAYNAME %> Result: <% RESULT %> Explanation:<% EXPLANATION %>
Note: Using newlines in SMS Message Templates is NOT recommended. Many GSM phones don't know how to handle newlines and will display bad characters.
Dependencies allow you to create a hierarchy of checks that depend on each other. This hierarchy is not related to the Folder structure of your Network Monitor configuration. Dependencies prevent you and your network administrators from being overwhelmed with notifications when a central router or server goes down. Without a dependency configuration, the failure of a central server or device would cause a failure of other servers, and as a result many notifications would be sent out. There are at least two items involved when configuring dependencies:
A dependee cannot be a folder, only a check. You can make other checks and/or folders dependent on the Dependee. It is recommended to use Folders rather than Checks as a Depender, because it is dynamic.
For more information about Dependencies, visit the Online Dependency Guidelines on the ActiveXperts web site. It contains a good sample and some best practice hints.
ActiveXperts Web Access is a comprehensive web interface, designed for mobile devices, tablets and PC's. It allows users you to see those parts of the Network Monitor configuration that they have access to.
ActiveXperts Web Access requires the Web Server (IIS) server role to be installed on the Windows Operating System running ActiveXperts.
ActiveXperts Web Access has a mobile first, responsive design and can be viewed by any browser, on any (touchscreen) mobile device, tablet or PC, running iOS, Anndroid or Windows.
Each ActiveXperts Network Monitor Folder can be published in ActiveXperts Web Access, each one having its own credentials. A Folder can have one or more so called 'Filters', so users can filter on different aspects, for instance displaying only Failure results, or displaying only VMware and Citrix checks, or combined. You can even draw Graphs on your (mobile) device, to see the history of a Check.
ActiveXperts Web Access uses jQuery on the (mobile) device to fetch the information live from the ActiveXperts database.
For each check displayed in ActiveXperts Web Access, there's a small icon that you can press to plot a Graph. This requires Classic ASP to be installed.
Up to ActiveXperts Network Monitor v.2017, Web Access had a not responsive design without underlying jQuery technology. XML pages were generated every 30 secs (by default), and were made-up by XSL templates. The drawback was a less responsive web interface, but it had a large flexibily in terms of customization. This flexibility is still popular amongst the customers. For that reason, the XML/XSL based interface is still available but disabled by default. To read more on the v.2017 XML/XSL web interface, click here.
To use ActiveXperts Web Access, Microsoft 'Web Server (IIS)' role must be installed on the server hosting ActiveXperts. Using the ActiveXperts Web Access Configuration tool is the best and easiest way to install/configure Web Server (IIS). It makes sure all necessary components are installed. If the 'Web Server (IIS)' role is already installed but some features are missing, the 'ActiveXperts Web Access Configuration' will (re)install/(re)configure the features:
But you can also use the Windows 'Server Manager' to install/configure the 'Web Server (IIS)' role.
NOTE: If you use Server Manager instead to install/configure 'Web Server (IIS)', make sure you install the 'Application Development' feature and select 'classic' ASP.
Classic ASP is required to run Graphs in a web browser.
After the 'Web Server (IIS)' role is installed, configured and running, you need to host the ActiveXperts Web Access web site on IIS:
ActiveXperts Web Access needs a web site in Microsoft Web Server (IIS). The easiest is to use the 'ActiveXperts Web Access Configuration' tool.
To create a new site using the 'ActiveXperts Web Access Configuration' tool:
To create a new site using the microsoft 'Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager' tool:
The following sample shows the basics of ActiveXperts Web Access:
ActiveXperts Network Monitor is used by company Northwind Traders Ltd. to monitor all internal servers and devices.
The domain is named 'northwind.intra' and is divided into two sub-domains:
- Domain: 'usa.northwindtraders.intra'
- Domain: 'emea.northwindtraders.intra'
There's the following Folder structure configured in Network Monitor:
Entire Network
|-- usa.northwindtraders.intra (folder-id #1)
|-- system administration (folder-id #1000)
|-- production (folder-id #1001)
|-- webservers (folder-id #1002)
|-- vmware (folder-id #1003)
|-- emea.northwindtraders.intra
|-- sales (folder-id #2001))
|-- support (folder-id #2002))
The first step is, to publish ActiveXperts Web Access through Microsoft Information Services (IIS).
The root of the Folder to be published is C:\ProgramData\ActiveXperts\Network Monitor\WebRoot\ (default).
Use the ActiveXperts Web Access Configuration program to publish the above. In this sample, it is published as:
https://webaccess.northwindtraders.intra:8080
A port is opened on the firewall with NAT translation, to make Web Access available from the ublic Internet through the following URL:
https://webaccess.northwindtraders.com
In this configuration, we define the following Views:
View: ALL
View: System Administration
View: Production
View: Support
Index page
In this samples, there are the following Active Directory groups:
Members from the 'Production' should not have access to monitoring results other than https://webaccess.northwindtraders.com/1001/. To achieve this, the following permssions are defined for C:\ProgramData\ActiveXperts\Network Monitor\WebRoot\1001\:
Members from the 'Support' should not have access to monitoring results other than https://webaccess.northwindtraders.com/1002/. To achieve this, the following permssions are defined for C:\ProgramData\ActiveXperts\Network Monitor\WebRoot\1002\:
ActiveXperts Network Monitor stores its monitoring results in XML files, which are accessed by the (mobile) web clients. For each filter in a web view, an XML data file is written. In the sample configuration of the previous section, the data files (with default filters) would be like this:
Entire Network
\WebRoot\1\all.xml
\WebRoot\1\failed.xml
\WebRoot\1000\all.xml
\WebRoot\1000\failed.xml
\WebRoot\1001\all.xml
\WebRoot\1001\failed.xml
etc.
If you define a new filter, for instance filter'ICMP' on Folder #1001, the XML data files in folder #1001 would look like this:
Entire Network
\WebRoot\1001\all.xml
\WebRoot\1001\failed.xml
\WebRoot\1001\icmp.xml
etc.
An XML data file looks like this:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<monitor>
<webview-name>Entire Network View</webview-name>
<webview-description>All Checks</webview-description>
<refreshtime>04/09/2020 08:14:53 AM</refreshtime>
<check>
<id>10001</id>
<displayname>www.monitortools.com - Ping (ICMP)</displayname>
<host>www.monitortools.com</host>
<folder>\</folder>
...
</check>
<check>
<id>10001</id>
...
</check>
</monitor>
The web clients access the XML data files using qQuery and Ajax to show the results in the web browser.
A Web View is an ActiveXperts Web Access Page with the following properties:
To Create a new View:
To Configure a new View:
Controlling access to your ActiveXperts Web Views is crucial for hosting ActiveXperts Web Access. With Windows and the security features in IIS, you can effectively control how users access your Web Views, granting/denying access to particular Views.
For example, enabling Anonymous access for all pages of ActiveXperts Web Access will allow any users to see what's happening on the Network. In most cases this is not acceptable.
You can control user access to your Web server content by properly configuring your Windows file system and Web server security features. When a user attempts to access your Web server, the server carries out several access control processes to identify the user and determine the allowed level of access.
The following is an outline of the process:
Internet Information Services relies on NTFS permissions for securing individual files and directories from unauthorized access. You can use NTFS permissions to precisely define which users can access your content and how those users are allowed to manipulate that content.
ActiveXperts recommends the following NTFS permissions on the root of the Web Access folder and all sub folders. This is by default: C:\ProgramData\ActiveXperts\Network Monitor\WebRoot\).
To prevents users from preventing access to specific Folder except one group, set the following permissions on that Folder:
For instance yo prevents users from preventing access to Folder 1005 except group Support, set the following permissions on folder C:\ProgramData\ActiveXperts\Network Monitor\WebRoot\1005\:
Client devices refresh their Views in order to update data provided by the ActiveXperts Network Monitor Engine service. For each View, you can configure the Client Browser Refresh Interval (seconds). The default is set to 10 seconds.
If there are many check in a Folder, or if Check intervals are configured execute only once an hour or so, a user may prefer to have the frequency less frequent. Imagine a user is monitoring a Folder with only Temperature checks; updating once every 2 minutes would suffice.
The ActiveXperts Network Monitor Engine service provides data for Client devices. This is done once every 10 seconds by default. This value can be changed. Having a lower freqeuncy rate will offload the Engine's CPU and Disk activity.
A confugration with only Ping checks may need a more frequent interval rate (e.g. once every 5 seconds) because usually, Ping checks run at a frequent rate producing different Ping reply times.
On the other hand, confugration with only Temperature checks may need a less frequent interval rate (e.g. once every 5 minutes) .
The web interface displays information about the status of your network servers and devices. You can tailor the visual design of these pages to make them fit into the look and feel of your internet or intranet site. Customization requires basic HTML and CSS knowledge.
The design of the web interface is controlled via HTML files and CSS files. The majority of the HTML and CSS code is implemented in the following files:
Please beware of the following:
After you have finished customization, the modified code must be copied to the _installer folder:
C:\ProgramData\ActiveXperts\Network Monitor\WebRoot\_installer\
The 'Installer Folder' is further explained in the next topic. At the end of the section, there is a step-by-step customization guide.
ActiveXperts Web Access uses an 'Installer Folder'. After you've finished implementing and testing your modifications, you must copy the modified files to the 'Installer Folder':
C:\ProgramData\ActiveXperts\Network Monitor\WebRoot\_installer\
After that, you must delete all Files and Folders in C:\ProgramData\ActiveXperts\Network Monitor\WebRoot\ folder EXCEPT the _installer folder. The Engine will then regenerate all files and folders.
This is explained later on in this section in the 'step-by-step' guide.
If you have made a mistake in the _installer, and you want revert to the original one, all you need to do is deleting the following folder:
C:\ProgramData\ActiveXperts\Network Monitor\WebRoot\
The Engine will then copy its original WebRoot folder from the C:\Program Files\ActiveXperts\Network Monitor\Sys\Tpl\ folder.
The following folders in the _installer folder are relevant for customization:
Use the following steps to customize ActiveXperts Web Access:
Step 1: Modify MAP.HTML and LIST.HTML
It is important to understand that map.html and list.html have copies in all folders. For that, we are going to modify map.html and list.html in ONE folder and copy these to the installer folder after all customizations have completed.
Step 2: Modify the CSS file
All styles are implemented in the following file:
C:\ProgramData\ActiveXperts\Network Monitor\WebRoot\libs\activexperts\css\style.css
Make changes to this file and test from your browser.
After completion, copy the file to the following folder:
C:\ProgramData\ActiveXperts\Network Monitor\WebRoot\_installer\libs\activexperts\css\
NOTE: A change to style.css may require a deletion of your browser cache before testing.
Step 3: Modify the JS (Javascript) files
All Javascript functions are implemented in the following folder:
C:\ProgramData\ActiveXperts\Network Monitor\WebRoot\libs\activexperts\js\
Make changes to the file(s) and test from your browser.
After completion, copy the file(s) to the following folder:
C:\ProgramData\ActiveXperts\Network Monitor\WebRoot\_installer\libs\activexperts\js\
NOTE: A change to any Javascript file may require a deletion of your browser cache before testing.
Step 4: Modify the INDEX files
There are three different index files:
index-webviewsdisabled.html, index-webviewsvcnotrunning.html and index-webviewsenabled.html
All three are described in the 'Installer Folder' topic in this section.
You can find these three files in folder:
C:\ProgramData\ActiveXperts\Network Monitor\WebRoot\_installer\
Only one of these files is copy to the root of Web Access by the engine and is accessible by the browser using URL:
https://hostname/index.html
Modify and test all three directly in the _installer folder.
Step 5: Let the Engine recreate all Files and Folders from the 'Installer Folder'
Now that you completed all customizations, let the ActiveXperts Network Monitor Engine service regenerate all Files and Folders from the _installer folder. This is a simple but very important step:
Delete all Files and Folders in C:\ProgramData\ActiveXperts\Network Monitor\WebRoot\
EXCEPT the _installer folder.
In a few seconds, all Files and Folders will be regenerated by the Engine service.
In this section, we will add the 'comments' field to the Web Access List View. The 'comments' field is displayed in the Manager, but it not shown by default in Web Access.
Step 1: LIST.HTML
Adding a single field does not require a change in list.html, so we skip this step.
Step 2: Modify the CSS file
#aidBodyList #aidDivData .aclDataRow .aclRowPrimary span:nth-child(7) {
padding-left: 15px;
padding-bottom: 5px;
-ms-grid-column: 1;
-ms-grid-row: 6;
grid-row: 6;
grid-column: 1/3;
}
Step 3: Modify AXCORE.JS and AXLISTVIEW.JS Javascript files
Open the following file:
C:\ProgramData\ActiveXperts\Network Monitor\WebRoot\libs\activexperts\js\axcore.js
and add the following line in the ajxParseMonitoringData function:
items.push({
id: parseInt($(value).find('id').text()),
class: strStatusClass,
valDisplName: $(value).find('displayname').text(),
valDisplNameshort: $(value).find('displayname-short').text(),
valHost: $(value).find('host').text(),
valHostshort: $(value).find('host-short').text(),
valType: $(value).find('type').text(),
valTypeshort: $(value).find('type-short').text(),
valResultOrder: $(value).find('result-sortorder').text (),
valData: $(value).find('data').text(),
valLastMon: $(value).find('update').text(),
valLastMonSecs: $(value).find('update-secs').text(),
valLastMonshort: $(value).find('update-short').text(),
valLastResponse: $(value).find('explanation').text(),
valComments: $(value).find('comments').text()
});
Open the following file:
C:\ProgramData\ActiveXperts\Network Monitor\WebRoot\libs\activexperts\js\axlistview.js
and add the following line in the drawMonitoringData function:
datalist
.append($("", { class: "aclDataRow " + item.class,
"id" : item.id,
"data-datdisplname": item.valDisplName,
"data-datdisplnameshort": item.valDisplNameshort,
"data-dathost": item.valHost,
"data-dathostshort": item.valHostshort,
"data-dattype": item.valType,
"data-dattypeshort": item.valTypeshort,
"data-datdata": item.valData,
"data-datlastmon": item.valLastMon,
"data-datlastmonshort": item.valLastMonshort,
"data-datlastresponse": item.valLastResponse,
"data-datcomments": item.valComments,
click: clickEvent })
.append($("", { class: "aclRowPrimary" })
.append($("", { class: "aclRowIndicator" }))
.append($("", { text: item.valDisplNameshort + " (#" +item.id + ")" }))
.append($("", { text: "Host: "+ item.valHost }))
.append($("", { text: item.valTypeshort + " - Value: " +item.valData }))
.append($("", { class: "aclRowLastupdate", text: "Last Update: "+item.valLastMon }))
.append($("", { class: "aclRowExplanation", text: item.valLastResponse }))
.append($("", { text: "Comments: "+ item.valComments }))
)
);
Step 4: INDEX.HTML
Adding a single field does not require a change inone of the index files, so we skip this step.
Step 5: Let the Engine recreate all Files and Folders from the 'Installer Folder'
Now that you completed and tested all customizations, copy the modifed files in step 2 and step 3 manually to the _installer folder, and let the ActiveXperts Network Monitor Engine service regenerate all Files and Folders from the _installer folder. This is a simple but very important step:
Delete all Files and Folders in C:\ProgramData\ActiveXperts\Network Monitor\WebRoot\
EXCEPT the _installer folder.
In a few seconds, all Files and Folders will be regenerated by the Engine service.
As mentioned in the previous section, the client web browser uses jQuery and Ajax to access the XML monitoring data and display it in a nice way on the (mobile) device. This is not way it used to be in ActiveXperts Network Monitor v.2017 and older. Those version used an XSL layer on the XSL data files to make-up the web pages. The XSL stylesheet was included in the first line of the XML data. Almost all browsers available today are able to display XML data files formatted by an XSL template.
This technique is still popular amongst the ActiveXperts customers, as it offer huge flexibilty on customizing the web interface, and therefore it is still offered by current ActiveXperts versions. By default, the XSL formatting is disabled, but can enabled easily:
Once enabled, you can associate an XSL stylesheet with each Web View configured. That XSL line is inserted in each XML data file that is published, like this:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<?xml-stylesheet type="text/xsl" href="/libs-xsl/ChecksByResult.xsl"?>
<monitor>
<webview-name>Entire Network View</webview-name>
<webview-description>All Checks</webview-description>
<refreshtime>04/09/2020 08:14:53 AM</refreshtime>
<check>
<id>10001</id>
<displayname>www.monitortools.com - Ping (ICMP)</displayname>
<host>www.monitortools.com</host>
<folder>\</folder>
...
</check>
<check>
...
</check>
</monitor>
To customize the v.2017 XSL/XSL layout, you should make changes to files in the following folder:
C:\ProgramData\ActiveXperts\Network Monitor\WebRoot\_installer\libs-xsl\
IMPORTANT: After customization, you MUST delete all files and folders in C:\ProgramData\ActiveXperts\Network Monitor\WebRoot\ EXCEPT the _installer\ folder. That way, all files and folders (customizations) will be rewritten in the C:\ProgramData\ActiveXperts\Network Monitor\WebRoot\ folder.
If you have made a mistake in the _installer, and you want revert to the original one, all you need to do is deleting the complete folder:
C:\ProgramData\ActiveXperts\Network Monitor\WebRoot\
The Engine will then copy its original WebRoot folder from the C:\Program Files\ActiveXperts\Network Monitor\Sys\ folder.
To customize the XSL/XML web interface, you need to modify the *.xsl files and/or the axnetmonstyle.css files.
With a little knowledge of XSL and CSS, it is very straightforward.
The following XSL elements are used frequently:
With the ActiveXperts Report Generator, users can create virtually any report. Reports can either be created using a Wizard, or can be generated by a Windows 'Task Scheduler' task without user interaction, which will generate them automatically, periodically (e.g. daily, weekly, monthly). If a report is run from a schedule, the actual report(s) can be sent automatically to a list of e-mail recipients.
ActiveXperts Reports features the following:
Report Data is retrieved from a database called the Statistical Database. All data is retrieved from the ReportData table.
The database also stores the Graph Data used to plot Graphs .
You can configure Statistical Database settings using the Report and Graphs Configuration Tool:
To read more about the Statistical Database and the Report and Graphs Configuration Tool, see chapter Statistical Data Logging.
You can launch the ActiveXperts Report Generator from the Manager.
To do so, Open from the and select .
Select a Report Definition (.rep) file. A definition file includes all properties of the new report, including type of report, formartting, timeframe, filters and more.
Press to create the report.
The report is saved in the Reports folder; in a default installation, it is located in folder:
C:\ProgramData\ActiveXperts\Network Monitor\Stats\
A Log file is created in the Logs folder; in a default installation, it is located in folder:
C:\ProgramData\ActiveXperts\Network Monitor\Logs\
Additionally, you can send the report to the e-mail recipients; the check box is only enabled if the Report Definition file contains e-mail recipients.
ActiveXperts Reports allows you to send out reports automatically to a specified list of e-mail recipients. This can be useful for scheduled reports, for instance for reports that run automatically every week or every month.
To send a report to e-mail recipients from a scheduled job, you must configure the e-mail recipients in the Report Definition (.rep) file.
ActiveXperts Reports uses the same global e-mail settings as the ActiveXperts Network Monitor Manager and the ActiveXperts Network Monitor Engine service, like: SMTP server, fallback SMTP server (if any), SMTP login credentials (if any), E-mail Address Book, etc. To change global e-mail settings, you must use the ActiveXperts Network Monitor Manager.
To configure e-mail recipients for a Report Definition (.rep) file:
NOTE: It is recommended to use E-mail Distribution Groups (from the E-mail Address Book) rather than individual recipients. With a Distribution Group, you don't need to change the Report Definition file to add/remove a recipient. You just need to modify the Distribution Group's recipient list. Besides that, a Distribution Group can be used by multiple Report Definition files.
Before you schedule a report using the Task Scheduler, it is recommended to test the report using the command line tool AxRgCmd.exe. This command line tool produces the same result as the graphical report tool (AxRgGui.exe) described in Chapter 7.2, but does not require any user intervention so it can be run from the Task Scheduler.
To create a new report from the command line:
Report creation can be automated by scheduling the creation of a report using the Windows Task Scheduler. Scheduling is often used to create monthly reports and send the report to a specified list of e-mail recipients.
With the Task Scheduler, you can only run the command-line version of the Report Creation Tool (AXRGCMD.EXE). The graphical version (AxRgGui.exe) requires user input and is not designed to run from the Task Scheduler.
'Step 3' already described how to use the AxRgCmd.exe tool command line tool. This tool can be used to create a report from the command line using a Report Definition (.rep) file, without user intervention, like this:
@echo off CD "C:\Program Files\ActiveXperts\Network Monitor\Program" AXRGCMD.EXE /f "detail-today-pdf.rep"
Or (similar)
@echo off CD "C:\Program Files\ActiveXperts\Network Monitor\Program" "C:\Program Files\ActiveXperts\Network Monitor\Program\AXRGCMD.EXE" /f "incident-today-pdf.rep"
For scheduled tasks, it is recommended to make use of a batch file to encapsulate parameters. For instance, see:
C:\Program Files\ActiveXperts\Network Monitor\Report Definitions\BatchJobs\Incident-Day.cmd
The properties of a report is described in a Report Definition file (.rep) file. This definition file describes the properties of a report, including:
You can manage Report Definition file (.rep) files, use the ActiveXperts Report Configuration Tool. You can start this application from the 'ActiveXperts Network Monitor Manager':
To create/modify a Report Definition File, start the ActiveXperts Reports and Graphs Configuration Tool and do the following:
On of the configurable items in a Report Definition File is the type of report. There are two types:
An Availability Report provides overall availability information of your servers/checks during the nominated date range. You can see uptimes and downtimes, in days, hours, minutes and seconds, and also as percentages. An 'Availability Report' is used for instance to compare real availability statistics against the SLA requirements.
A Incident Report provides a detailed list of all status changes during the nominated date range. For each check, you can see exactly when and why it failed, and for how long.
On of the configurable items in a Report Definition File is the report output filename.
You can choose for:
On of the configurable items in a Report Definition File is the report output filename. If you use scheduled day/week/month/quarter/year reports, it is recommended to use dynamic filenames. Otherwise, new report files will automatically overwrite older ones, because the report output files have identical names.
With dynamic files, the name of the report file depends on the date it is created. You can use the following placeholders:
Filename: IncidentReport%MMDDYY%.xml Date of creation: 20180422 Result: IncidentReport042218.xml Filename: IncidentReport%YYYYMMDD%.xml Date of creation: 20180422 Result: IncidentReport20180422.xml
One of the configurable items in a Report Definition File is the report output format. ActiveXperts Network Monitor supports four different output formats:
On of the configurable items in a Report Definition File is the Start Date and the Start Date of a report. You can select the absolute Start Date and End Date, but it is recommended to use a relative Start Date and End Date. For example
You can define filters in your Report Definition File to show only a subset of all checks in your reports. You can define the following filters:
The 'ActiveXperts Report Generator' allows you to send out reports automatically to a nominated list of e-mail recipiuents. This is particularly useful for automated reports, where reports are created daily/weekly/monthly, automatically. Recipients are automatically notified of a new report. They just need to click on the URL that is inside the e-mail message.
The 'ActiveXperts Report Generator' makes use of the SMTP settings and E-mail address book of the ActiveXperts Network Monitor configuration. So, it uses the same primary- and secundary SMTP server as used by the ActiveXperts Network Monitor Engine service. You can use the same e-mail distribution groups as used for e-mail alerts.
The PDF and HTML reports are based on an XSL stylesheet to format the report. With the PDF/HTML report, the stylesheet is used to create the report. Once the report has been created, you cannot change the format of the generated report. With XML based reports, a link to the XSL stylesheet is included in the XML report. This means that report data and formatting are stored in two separate files, so you can change the format of the XML report at any time.
Appx D. Report Definition XML Tags describes the Report Data of the XML files.
The 'ActiveXperts Report Generator' allows you to send out reports automatically to a nominated list
By default, all PDF/HTML 'detail' reports are based on the following XSL stylesheet:
IncidentReport.xsl
All PDF/HTML 'availability' reports are based on the following XSL stylesheet:
AvailabilityReport.xsl
To change the format of a report, you can either modify the XSL file, or create a new custom XSL file and link the reports to the new XSL file.
To create a new XSL file:
To link a report to a new custom XSL file:
To modify an XSL file:
To change the format of an HTML or XML report requires basic knowledge of XSL. A good tutorial to XSL can be found here: www.w3schools.com.
Use the <xsl:for-each> tag to iterate over a set of checks.
<xsl:for-each select="monitor/check">
...
<br><xsl:value-of select="result"/><br>
</xsl:for-each>
The XSL <xsl:for-each> element can be used to select every XML element of a specified node set.
The <xsl:value-of> element can be used to select the value of an XML element and add it to the
output stream of the transformation.
Use the <xsl:sort> tag to sort a record set.
<xsl:for-each select="monitor/check">
<xsl:sort select="result"/>
<xsl:sort select="displayname"/>
...
<xsl:for-each>
To sort output it at the same time, simply add the <xsl:sort> sort element inside the for-each
element in your XSL file. Use multiple <xsl:sort> elements to sort on multiple columns.
Use the <xsl:if> tag to use a condition.
<xsl:if test="result > 2"> ... </xsl:if> To put a conditional if test against the content of the file, simply add an <xsl:if> element to your XSL document. The value of the required test attribute contains the expression to be evaluated.
Appx D. Report Definition XML Tags describes the XML tags that can be used in the report definition stylesheets (.xsl).
With the ActiveXperts Graphs tool, users can create graphs for any Check. You can have multiple Graphs in one screen for multiple Checks, with the restriction that the Checks must be of the same check type (e.g., all ICMP).
Graphs are created from the Manager using the Check's context menu. Simply right-click on a check, and the Graphs option will appear.
ActiveXperts Graphs features the following:
Graph Data is retrieved from a database called the Statistical Database. All data is retrieved from the GraphData table.
The database also stores the Report Data used to create Reports .
You can configure Statistical Database settings using the Report and Graphs Configuration Tool:
To read more about the Statistical Database and the Report and Graphs Configuration Tool, see chapter Statistical Data Logging.
Launch the ActiveXperts Network Monitor Manager.
Select a single Check, or select multiple Checks of the same check type.
, and choose .
Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) is like a database of information about a Windows machine. Nearly every piece aspect of a Windows device is stored within the WMI repository. For example: network interfaces, disks, memory, CPU's, user accounts, performance data, and many more. Besides information about Windows devices, all kinds of information about the Windows Operating System and Windows applications is stored in this repository.
ActiveXperts relies on WMI to query Windows machines. There are two ways for ActiveXperts to access WMI:
ActiveXperts recommends using WinRM when possible since it executes faster, it is more secure and easier to configure through a firewall.
DCOM is the traditional protocol used by WMI to connect to remote Windows machines. Over the years, WinRM has superseded DCOM as recommended remote WMI protocol. There are three disadvantages of DCOM compared to WinRM:
Verify DCOM only (without WMI) on a (remote) Windows machine
If you just want to check if DCOM is enabled or disabled without checking WMI, use the following Powershell command:
New-CimSession -ComputerName MYSERVER01 -SessionOption (New-CimSessionOption -Protocol Dcom) -Credential "MYDOMAIN01\Administrator"
Verify WMI over DCOM on a (remote) Windows machine
You can easily check if DCOM is enabled or disabled by using the following Powershell command:
Get-WmiObject -ComputerName MYSERVER01 -Credential "MYDOMAIN01\Administrator" -Query "SELECT * FROM Win32_UserAccount"
Disable DCOM on a (remote) Windows machine
On the monitored Windows machine, open the Windows Run prompt and type DCOMCNFG. Then:
WinRM is a Microsoft implementation of WSMan. WSMan is a SOAP based protcol that is used to query hardware and operating systems. WinRM uses HTTP or HTTPs. Default ports are 5985 (HTTP) or 5986 (HTTPs). WinRM uses both NTLM and Kerberos (domain) authentication natively. After authentication, AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) is used for data interchange. There are three advantages of WinRM compared to DCOM:
Verify WinRM only (without WMI) on a (remote) Windows machine
If you just want to check if WinRM is enabled or disabled without checking WMI, use the following Powershell command:
Test-WSMan -ComputerName MYSERVER01 -Credential "MYDOMAIN01\Administrator" -Authentication default
Verify WMI over WinRM on a (remote) Windows machine
You can easily check if WMI/WinRM is enabled or disabled by using the following Powershell command:
Get-WSManInstance -ComputerName MYSERVER01 -Credential "MYDOMAIN01\Administrator" -Enumerate -ResourceURI wmicimv2/* -Filter "SELECT * FROM Win32_UserAccount"
How to enable WinRM on Windows domain member servers in a Windows Active Directory Domain
To enable WinRM on Windows member servers in a Windows Active Directory Domain, you can use a Group Policy Object (GPO):
Note: WinRM is enabled by default on Windows Server 2012 and later, but if it's not enabled on your servers, this process will help you enable it.
How to enable WinRM on a standalone Windows Server
To enable WinRM on a standalone Windows Server:
Note: WinRM is enabled by default on Windows Server 2012 and later, but if it's not enabled on your servers, this process will help you enable it.
ActiveXperts Network Monitor Engine runs as a service on the Windows Operating System.
The Service Account credentials - as configured in the Windows Services applet - are used to monitor remote Windows Servers/Workstations,
unless other credentails are required for a Server/Workstation. If other credentials are required (for instance because the remote machine is member of another domain, or because the server is a standalone server),
you need to define alternate Windows Credentials.
The Service Account is also used for MS SQL Server logging with Windows Authentication enabled on the MS SQ Server.
Service Credentials are NOT used for non-Windows operations that require authentication. For instance an FTPs check requires authentication. Such Check always requires an explicit Account and Password.
All Logon credentials to monitor Operating Systems are defined only once and are stored in the global settings of the configuration. This includes credentials for:
Windows credentials are defined in a separated tab named 'Credentials - Windows'; all the others are stored in are defined in a tab named 'Credentials - Other'.
The ActiveXperts Network Monitor Engine Service Account credentials are used to monitor remote Windows machines. If these credentials do not have administrative permissions on a remote Windows machine, you can need to define alternate credentials. These alternate credentials are administrated globally, and can be used in any Windows check.
IMPORTANT: If you use a Domain Admin account as Service Account for the ActiveXperts Network Monitor Engine service, there's NO need to specify alternate credentials for your Windows machines that are member of the domain.
To monitor a Windows machine operates outside a domain, you need to create an Alternate Credentials entry for such Windows machine:
If Alternate Credentials are defined for a Windows machine, the Engine will try these Alternate Credentials first and will fallback to the Service Credentials if the Alternate Credentials fail. This is the default setting, but can be changed:
An Alternate Windows Credentials entry has the following fields:
A Credentials entry has the following properties:
Access to the configuration of ActiveXperts Network Monitor is controlled by Operator Roles. Allow full control to any user on all configuration aspects, or allow only predefined operators to access the configuration and associate permissions to those operators.
The Microsoft SQL Compact Database Config.sdf file holds ALL the configuration data. In a default installation, it is located in folder:
C:\ProgramData\ActiveXperts\Network Monitor\Configuration\
Permissions that Operators have on aspects of the configuration are also stored in this file.
By default, all users with a valid Windows login on the ActiveXperts Network Monitor server have 'Full Administrator' permissions. This means that they can make any changes to the ActiveXperts Network Monitor configuration. However, if you want to limit permissions to users, you can assign an Operator Role to each individual.
If you don't want 'Full Administrator' permissions to all users of Network Monitor, you need to select the Active Directory users that you want to grant access to the Network Monitor configuration. To each user, an Operator Role must be assigned.
A Windows user account can be assigned one of the following Operator Roles:
As mentioned, all users with a valid Windows login on the ActiveXperts Network Monitor server have 'Full Administrator' permissions by default. To have different Operator Rules for operators, you must first enable this option:
You can associate 'Operator Roles' to one or more Windows accounts. Do do so:
NOTE: You can also enter a valid hostname in the , in case you want to select local user accounts.
Dependencies allow you to create a hierarchy of Checks that depend on each other. This hierarchy is independent of the Folder structure of your Network Monitor configuration.
Dependencies prevent you and your network administrators from being overwhelmed with alert notifications when a central router or server goes down. Without a dependency configuration, the failure of a central server or device would cause a failure of other servers, and as a result many alert notifications would be sent out.
A dependency will not stop the monitoring of a Check or a set of Checks as soon as a specific Check is in Failure status; it will continue monitoring, but it will show a different status: Dependency Failure, with a orange icon. In Reports and Graphs, the status will also be 'Dependency Failure'.
There are at least two items involved when configuring dependencies:
There's more information on Dependencies on the ActiveXperts Web Site: activexperts.com/support/network-monitor/online/dependencies. There's a sample included to illustrate how dependencies should be used.
Usually there are planned periods of time during which systems undergo maintenance activities that can cause service disruption. During such periods, you don't want Alert Notifications to be generated and Alert Actions to be executed. In addition, you wouldn't like such periods to be taken into account when calculating the Availability report information of your system.
To avoid such situations, ActiveXperts enables you to define maintenance windows. ActiveXperts enables you to define Maintenance Plans, each one having one or more time schedules. These Maintenance Plans can be assigned to Checks. All Maintenance Plans are managed globally.
In ActiveXperts, there's a default Maintenance Plan that is assigned to a Check when it is created. If you do not have any maintenance activity in your network, you can can have zero schedules assigned to this maintenance plan. Otherwise, configre one or more schedules.
If you have servers, or groups of servers that need a different maintenance window that the default Maintenance Plan, you can create new Maintenance Plans that you can assign to Checks.
Configure your Maintenance Plans in the of the menu.
To create a new Maintenance Plan, choose from the drop-down box.
To delete a new Maintenance Plan, select the Maintenance Plan that you want to rename/delete and choose from the drop-down box.
To configure a new Maintenance Plan, select the Maintenance Plan from the drop-down box. You can then Add, Remove and Configure zero or more Maintenance Schedules for a Maintenance Plan.
A Maintenance Plan consists of zero or more Maintenance Schedules. No schedules means that there's no maintenance activity defined. A Maintenance schedule can be recurring (once every monday, tuesday, etc), or can be set as one particular date. Furthermore, a maintenance schedule has a time and a fixed number of hours the system will undergo maintenance.
ActiveXperts Network Monitor has three different types of Logging:
This Chapter explains these three Logging topics.
ActiveXperts Reports and ActiveXperts Graphs make use a database called the Statistical Database.
By default, this is an MS SQL Compact Database file named Stats.sdf. In a default installation, it is located in folder:
C:\ProgramData\ActiveXperts\Network Monitor\Stats\
The Engine stores data in this database periodically (configrable). This data is used by the both Report and Graph programs to produce the reports and graphs by the use of advanced queries on the Statistical Database.
There are two tables involved in this Statistical Database:
The Engine inserts an entry in the ReportData table for each status change of a check. Once every 5 minutes (configurable), the entry is updated to store the last monitored date/time stamp.
As soon as there's a status change, a new entry is written.
If you want, you can change this value through the registry. See FAQ item #Q7780030.
The Engine inserts an entry in the Graph table for each status change of a check, and once every 5 minutes by default. If you want the Engine to write more frequent to have a more accurate Graph, use the ActiveXperts Reports and Graphs Configuration Tool:
It is strongly recommended to migrate the MS SQL Server Compact Database Stats.sdf database to either MS SQL Server or MySQL server, to boost the performance of the creation of reports and graphs.
MS SQL Server Compact Database is an embedded database; MS SQL Server and MySQL are server-side relational databases. Server-side relational databases are installed as an independent service and run outside of the scope of the ActiveXperts application. That is why they can perform much better because of the intrinsic support for multi-core and multi-CPU architectures, using OS features like pre-caching.
Migration is easy and seemless; use the ActiveXperts Reports and Graphs Configuration Tool:
The ActiveXperts Network Monitor Engine (service) has a statistical database maintenance job that is performed at the following times:
During the statistical database maintenance job, there are messages displayed in the Real-Time Activity View (View: 'Activity-System') like:
The following actions are performed:
You can force a Statistical Database Maintenance operation using the Configuration API:
CD "C:\ProgramData\ActiveXperts\Network Monitor\Configuration API\PowerShell\Server Commands\" Powershell .\ForceStatsDbMaintenance.ps1
or
CD "C:\ProgramData\ActiveXperts\Network Monitor\Configuration API\VBScript\Server Commands\" CSCRIPT ForceStatsDbMaintenance.vbs
The Engine will then perform a Maintenance operation a few moments later.
The ActiveXperts Network Monitor Engine (service) has a statistical database maintenance job that is performed at the following times:
During the statistical database synchronization job, there are messages displayed in the Real-Time Activity View (View: 'Activity-System') like:
You can force a Statistical Database Synchronization operation using the Configuration API:
CD "C:\ProgramData\ActiveXperts\Network Monitor\Configuration API\PowerShell\Server Commands\" Powershell .\ForceStatsDbSync.ps1
or
CD "C:\ProgramData\ActiveXperts\Network Monitor\Configuration API\VBScript\Server Commands\" CSCRIPT ForceStatsDbSync.vbs
The Engine will then perform a Maintenance operation a few moments later.
All operations of the ActiveXperts Network Monitor Engine service are logged, to allow administrators to see what happened exactly in the past. The following activities are logged:
The Log information is stored by default in a text file named Log.txt. In a default installation, it is located in folder:
C:\ProgramData\ActiveXperts\Network Monitor\Logs\
The Log.txt file has a configurable maximum size limit. After the limit has exceeded, the Log.txt file is copied to Log00001.txt and a new Log.txt is used. After the log is full, it will be copied to Log00002.txt, etc.
To change the Log.txt file size limit, use ActiveXperts Network Monitor Manager and do the following:
Logging to a Plain Text file is the most used option. However, if you prefer to have data logged in a database, you have three choises: MS SQL Compact Database, MS SQL Server database, or a MySQL database.
To change logging from Plain Text to a database, use the ActiveXperts Network Monitor Manager and do the following:
Once using the MS SQL Server Compact Database Log.sdf, you can migrate it to either MS SQL Server or MySQL if you prefer. However, it will not boost performance like it does with the Statistical Database, because there are no complex queries involved.
Migration is easy and seemless:
The ActiveXperts Network Monitor Manager has a Real-Time Activity View on the bottom of the screen. This shows the most recent activities of the Engine. The Real-Time Activity View has of the following tabs:
The Real-Time Activity View doesn't use any of the log files described earlier; it has its own internal temporary log files. In a default installation, it is located in:
C:\ProgramData\ActiveXperts\Network Monitor\Logs\Ipc\Activity
The above folder location is in fixed location, and cannot be changed. The log files are cleaned periodically, to boost performance.
You can change the number of entries that you want to see in the view. To do so:
The configuration API enables administrators to read and modify configuration settings programmatically. Use the API to script or automate tasks that need to be performed frequently or in large batches, such as creating new checks, modifying checks, or requesting the engine to immediate monitor a server.
Execute commands to let the Engine perform specific tasks, like:
The API is implemented as an ActiveX object, and can be used by a wide variety of programming- and scripting languages. Samples are included in PowerShell and VBScript.
The Powershell samples are located in the following Folder:
C:\ProgramData\ActiveXperts\Network Monitor\Configuration API\Powershell\
To run a Powershell Script:
For example:
CD "C:\ProgramData\ActiveXperts\Network Monitor\Configuration API\Powershell\Checks and Folders\" Powershell .\ShowCheck.ps1 10050
The VBScript samples are located in the following Folder:
C:\ProgramData\ActiveXperts\Network Monitor\Configuration API\VBScript\
To run a VBScript Script:
For example:
CD "C:\ProgramData\ActiveXperts\Network Monitor\Configuration API\Powershell\Checks and Folders\" CSCRIPT ShowCheck.vbs 10050
The ActiveXperts.NMConfig is the main class of the Configuration API. It has all properties and methods to add, delete and modify checks. You can also modify the global configuration settings using this object.
In Powershell, the class is instantiated in the following way:
$objNMConfig = new-object -comobject ActiveXperts.NMConfig
In VBScript, the class is instantiated like this:
Dim objNMConfig Set objNMConfig = CreateObject( "ActiveXperts.NMConfig" )
A selection of the most important Properties and methods are described below.
| Property | Type | In/Out | Description |
| Version | String | Out | Version number of the ActiveXperts Configuration API |
| Build | String | Out | Build information of the ActiveXperts Configuration API |
| Module | String | Read | Module DLL implementing the ActiveXperts Configuration API |
| ConfigDatabase | String | ReadWrite | Path of the Config.sdf Configuration Database |
| LastError | Number | Out | Result of the last called method |
Type:
String
Description:
Version information of the ActiveXperts Configuration API. This property is read-only; you cannot assign a value to it.
Sample (VBScript):
Set objNMConfig = CreateObject( "ActiveXperts.NMConfig" ) WScript.Echo "Version: " & objNMConfig.Version
Type:
String
Description:
Build information of the ActiveXperts Configuration API. This property is read-only; you cannot assign a value to it.
Sample (VBScript):
Set objNMConfig = CreateObject( "ActiveXperts.NMConfig" ) WScript.Echo "Version: " & objNMConfig.Version
Type:
String
Description:
Return the module name of the ActiveXperts Configuration API.
Sample (VBScript):
Set objNMConfig = CreateObject( "ActiveXperts.NMConfig" ) WScript.Echo "Module: " & objNMConfig.Module
Type:
String
Description:
Full path of the Configuration Database. Default path:
C:\ProgramData\ActiveXperts\Network Monitor\Configuration\Config.sdf
Sample (VBScript):
Set objNMConfig = CreateObject( "ActiveXperts.NMConfig" ) WScript.Echo "Configuration Database File: " & vbCrLf & objNMConfig.ConfigDatabase
Type:
Number
Description:
The result of a last called method.
Use it to check the result of your last method call.
A zero indicates: success. Any non-zero value means an error.
The GetErrorDescription method provides the error description of an error code.
For a complete list of error codes, check out the following page: www.activexperts.com/support/errorcodes/.
Sample (VBScript):
Set objNMConfig = CreateObject( "ActiveXperts.NMConfig" ) objNMConfig.Open WScript.Echo "Open Configuration Database, result: " & objNMConfig.LastError
| Function | Description |
| Open | Open the Configuration Database |
| Close | Closes the Configuration Database |
| LoadTreeConfig | LoadTreeConfig |
| SaveTreeConfig | SaveTreeConfig |
| CountNodes | CountNodes |
| LoadNode | LoadNode |
| SaveNode | SaveNode |
| FindFirstNode | Find first node using a Filter |
| FindNextNode | Find next node using a Filter |
| CopyNode | Copy an existing Node into a Folder |
| ForceMonitorCheckNow | Instructs Engine to immediate monitor a Check. |
| ForceMonitorFolderNow | Instructs Engine to immediate monitor all Checks in a specific Folder. |
| ForceConfigDbReload | Instructs the Engine and Manager to reload the Configuration. |
| ForceStatsDbSync | Instructs the Engine to synchronize the Statistical Database with the Configuration Database. |
| ForceStatsDbMaintenance | Instructs the Engine to execute its statistical database maintenance job. |
| GetErrorDescription | Get the description of the given error |
Description:
Opens the Configuration Database, pointed to by the ConfigDatabase property.
Parameters:
Return value:
None. Check the LastError property for the result of the method.
Sample (VBScript):
Set objNMConfig = CreateObject( "ActiveXperts.NMConfig" )
objNMConfig.Open
WScript.Echo "Open Configuration Database, result: " & objNMConfig.LastError & _
" (" & objNMConfig.GetErrorDescription( objNMConfig.LastError ) & ")"
Description:
Closes the Configuration Database, opened by the ConfigDatabase property.
Parameters:
Return value:
None.
Sample (VBScript):
Set objNMConfig = CreateObject( "ActiveXperts.NMConfig" ) objNMConfig.Open If( objNMConfig.LastError = 0 ) Then objNMConfig.Close End If
Description:
This method returns a string that holds the Tree Configuration. A sample tree configuration:
1=nodea0,nodea1,nodea2,nodea3 nodea1=nodeb1,nodeb2
If a node has an l-value, it is a Folder. In the above sample, '1' and 'nodea1' are Folders; 'nodea0', 'nodea2',' nodea3', 'nodeb1' and 'nodeb2' are Checks.
The root folder ID is always 1.
Parameters:
Return value:
A string representation of the tree configuration.
Sample (VBScript):
Set objNMConfig = CreateObject( "ActiveXperts.NMConfig" ) objNMConfig.Open If( objNMConfig.LastError = 0 ) Then WScript.Echo objNMConfig.LoadTreeConfig objNMConfig.Close End If
Description:
Saves a tree configuration.
Parameters:
Return value:
None
Sample (VBScript):
Set objNMConfig = CreateObject( "ActiveXperts.NMConfig" ) objNMConfig.Open If( objNMConfig.LastError = 0 ) Then objNMConfig.SaveTreeConfig( "1=0" ) ' Saved an emptry tree with just the Root node (ID=1) objNMConfig.Close End If
Description:
Count the number of Nodes in the Configuration Database. Use a filter to specify whih types to count.
Parameters:
Return value:
The number of Nodes.
Check the LastError property for the result of the method.
If the function fails, 0 is returned.
Sample (VBScript):
Set objNMConfig = CreateObject( "ActiveXperts.NMConfig" ) Set objNMConstants = CreateObject( "ActiveXperts.NMConstants" ) objNMConfig.Open If( objNMConfig.LastError = 0 ) Then strFilter = "Type=" & objNMConstants.CHECKTYPE_PINGICMP WScript.Echo objNMConfig.CountNodes( strFilter ) ' Print the number of ICMP Checks strFilter = "Type=" & objNMConstants.CHECKTYPE_FOLDER WScript.Echo objNMConfig.CountNodes( strFilter ) ' Print the number of Folders objNMConfig.Close End If
Description:
Loads a NMNode object, indicated by the ID.
Parameters:
Return value:
An NMNode object. Check the LastError property for the result of the method. If the function fails, a NULL object is returned.
Sample (VBScript):
Set objNMConfig = CreateObject( "ActiveXperts.NMConfig" )
objNMConfig.Open
If( objNMConfig.LastError = 0 ) Then
Set objNMNode = objNMConfig.LoadNode( 1 ) ' Load the Root Folder
If( objNMConfig.LastError = 0 ) Then
WScript.Echo "Root Folder is named: " & objNMNode.DisplayName
End If
objNMConfig.Close
End If
Description:
SaveNode a NMNode object, indicated by the ID.
Parameters:
Return value:
None. Check the LastError property for the result of the method.
Sample (VBScript):
Set objNMConfig = CreateObject( "ActiveXperts.NMConfig" ) objNMConfig.Open If( objNMConfig.LastError = 0 ) Then Set objNMNode = objNMConfig.LoadNode( 10034 ) ' Load Check #10034 objNMNode.DisplayName = "New Name for my Check" objNMConfig.SaveNode( objNMNode ) ' Save the Check objNMConfig.Close End If
Description:
Find the first Node using a Filter. Combine with FindNextNode to iterate over all Nodes.
Parameters:
Return value:
An NMNode object. Check the LastError property for the result of the method. If the function fails, a NULL object is returned.
Sample (VBScript):
Set objNMConfig = CreateObject( "ActiveXperts.NMConfig" )
Set objNMConstants = CreateObject( "ActiveXperts.NMConstants" )
objNMConfig.Open
If( objNMConfig.LastError = 0 ) Then
' Iterate over all ICMP Nodes
strFilter = "Type=" & objNMConstants.CHECKTYPE_PINGICMP
Set objNMNode = objNMConfig.FindFirstNode( strFilter )
While( objNMConfig.LastError = 0 )
WScript.Echo "Check #" & objNMNode.ID & ": " & objNMNode.DisplayName
Set objNMNode = objNMConfig.FindNextNode()
Wend
objNMConfig.Close
End If
Description:
Find the next Node using a Filter. Combine with FindFirstNode to iterate over all Nodes.
Parameters:
Return value:
An NMNode object. Check the LastError property for the result of the method. If the function fails, a NULL object is returned.
Sample (VBScript):
Set objNMConfig = CreateObject( "ActiveXperts.NMConfig" )
Set objNMConstants = CreateObject( "ActiveXperts.NMConstants" )
objNMConfig.Open
If( objNMConfig.LastError = 0 ) Then
' Iterate over all ICMP Nodes
strFilter = "Type=" & objNMConstants.CHECKTYPE_PINGICMP
Set objNMNode = objNMConfig.FindFirstNode( strFilter )
While( objNMConfig.LastError = 0 )
WScript.Echo "Check #" & objNMNode.ID & ": " & objNMNode.DisplayName
Set objNMNode = objNMConfig.FindNextNode()
Wend
objNMConfig.Close
End If
Description:
Copy an existing Node into a specified Folder. Use this method to create a new Check, by first copying it, then modify it and finally save it using SaveNode.
Parameters:
Return value:
A new NMNode object. Check the LastError property for the result of the method. If the function fails, a NULL object is returned.
Sample (VBScript):
Set objNMConfig = CreateObject( "ActiveXperts.NMConfig" )
Set objNMConstants = CreateObject( "ActiveXperts.NMConstants" )
objNMConfig.Open
If( objNMConfig.LastError = 0 ) Then
' Iterate over all ICMP Nodes
strFilter = "Type=" & objNMConstants.CHECKTYPE_PINGICMP
Set objNMNode = objNMConfig.FindFirstNode( strFilter )
While( objNMConfig.LastError = 0 )
WScript.Echo "Check #" & objNMNode.ID & ": " & objNMNode.DisplayName
Set objNMNode = objNMConfig.FindNextNode()
Wend
objNMConfig.Close
End If
Description:
Instructs the Engine to immediate monitor a Check, regardless of configured Scan Frequency. The Engine will monitor the check as soon as possible.
Parameters:
Return value:
None. Check the LastError property for the result of the method.
Sample (VBScript):
Set objNMConfig = CreateObject( "ActiveXperts.NMConfig" )
objNMConfig.ForceMonitorCheckNow( 10015 ) ' Monitor Check #10015 as soon as possible
WScript.Echo "ForceMonitorCheckNow, result: " & objNMConfig.LastError & _
" (" & objNMConfig.GetErrorDescription( objNMConfig.LastError ) & ")"
Description:
Instructs the Engine to immediate monitor all Checks in a specific Folder and all of its SubFolders, regardless of configured Scan Frequency. The Engine will monitor the checks as soon as possible.
Parameters:
Return value:
None. Check the LastError property for the result of the method.
Sample (VBScript):
Set objNMConfig = CreateObject( "ActiveXperts.NMConfig" )
objNMConfig.ForceMonitorFolderNow( 10923) ' Monitor all Checks in Folder #10923
WScript.Echo "ForceMonitorFolderNow, result: " & objNMConfig.LastError & _
" (" & objNMConfig.GetErrorDescription( objNMConfig.LastError ) & ")"
Description:
Instructs the Engine, local Manager and remote Managers to reload the Configuration after a change to the configuration.
If you make changes to the configuration through the Configuration API, the Engine and Manager(s) will not reload the configuration until you instruct them to do so through this 'ForceConfigDbReload' command.
You do not need to call Open prior to this command.
Parameters:
Return value:
None. Check the LastError property for the result of the method.
Sample (VBScript):
Set objNMConfig = CreateObject( "ActiveXperts.NMConfig" )
objNMConfig.ForceConfigDbReload
WScript.Echo "ForceConfigDbReload, result: " & objNMConfig.LastError & _
" (" & objNMConfig.GetErrorDescription( objNMConfig.LastError ) & ")"
Description:
ForceStatsDbSync instructs the ActiveXperts Network Monitor Engine service to sync the Statistical Database with the Configuration Database, which means that
all Nodes records of the Configuration Database are copied to the Statistical Database.
This is necessary because Report and Graph queries use JOIN operations that require both tables to be up to date.
You do not need to call Open prior to this command.
Parameters:
Return value:
None. Check the LastError property for the result of the method.
Sample (VBScript):
Set objNMConfig = CreateObject( "ActiveXperts.NMConfig" )
objNMConfig.ForceStatsDbSync
WScript.Echo "ForceStatsDbSync, result: " & objNMConfig.LastError & _
" (" & objNMConfig.GetErrorDescription( objNMConfig.LastError ) & ")"
Description:
ForceStatsDbMaintenance instructs the ActiveXperts Network Monitor Engine service to execute its statistical database maintenance job, to cleanup records.
Records with check id's that do not exist in the configration (anymore), or records older than x months, configurable) will be cleaned.
You do not need to call Open prior to this command.
Parameters:
Return value:
None. Check the LastError property for the result of the method.
Sample (VBScript):
Set objNMConfig = CreateObject( "ActiveXperts.NMConfig" )
objNMConfig.ForceStatsDbMaintenance
WScript.Echo "ForceStatsDbMaintenance, result: " & objNMConfig.LastError & _
" (" & objNMConfig.GetErrorDescription( objNMConfig.LastError ) & ")"
Description:
GetErrorDescription provides the error description of a given error code.
Parameters:
Return value:
The error description that is associated with the given error code.
Example:
Set objNMConfig = CreateObject( "ActiveXperts.NMConfig" )
objNMConfig.Open
WScript.Echo "Open Configuration Database, result: " & objNMConfig.LastError _
" (" & objNMConfig.GetErrorDescription( objNMConfig.LastError ) & ")"
The ActiveXperts.NMNode class is the class representation of a Check or Folder. It only has properties. Some are common, some are specific for the type of Check.
Nodes are stored in the "Nodes" table of the Configration Database.
In Powershell, the class is instantiated in the following way:
$objNMNode = new-object -comobject ActiveXperts.NMNode
In VBScript, the class is instantiated like this:
Dim objNMNode Set objNMNode = CreateObject( "ActiveXperts.NMNode" )
A selection of the most important Properties are described below. The class has only one method named "Clear", to reset all properties of a node.
Below is a listing of the most relevant properties of an NMNode object.
| Property | Type | In/Out | Description |
| ID | Number | Out | ID of the Check or Folder |
| DisplayName | String | In/Out | DisplayName of the Check or Folder |
| OnHold | Boolean | In/Out | Check is On Hold |
| Type | Number | In/Out | Type of the Check or Folder |
| ScanInterval | Number | In/Out | Scan Interval of the Check, in seconds |
| CheckServer | String | In/Out | Host or IP address |
Type:
Number
Description:
The unique record ID in the "Nodes" table of the Configuration Database.
Type:
String
Description:
The DisplayName of the Check or Folder.
Type:
Number
Description:
To pause a Check, set this value to True. Otherwise, set it to False.
Type:
Number
Description:
The Type of Check or Folder. For a list of Type-values, click here.
Type:
Number
Description:
The Scan Interval of the Check, in seconds.
Type:
String
Description:
The Host or IP address of the server/device to check.
| Function | Description |
| Clear | Clear all properties of the NMNode object |
Description:
Clear all proeprties of the NMNode object. String are set to empty, Numbers are set to 0, Booleans are set to False.
Parameters:
Return value:
None.
The ActiveXperts.NMConstants is the class containing all contant values used in the API. It only has properties.
In Powershell, the class is instantiated in the following way:
$objNMConstants = new-object -comobject ActiveXperts.NMConstants
In VBScript, the class is instantiated like this:
Dim objNMConstants Set objNMConstants = CreateObject( "ActiveXperts.NMConstants" )
A selection of the most important Properties are described below.
Below is a listing of the most relevant properties of an NMConstants class.
| Name | Value | Description |
|---|---|---|
| CHECKTYPE_UNDEFINED | 0 | Undefined |
| CHECKTYPE_FOLDER | 1 | Folder |
| CHECKTYPE_PINGICMP | 10 | Ping (ICMP) |
| CHECKTYPE_TRACEROUTE | 11 | TraceRoute |
| CHECKTYPE_PINGTCP | 12 | Ping (TCP) |
| CHECKTYPE_DISKSPACE_WMI | 20 | Disk Space |
| CHECKTYPE_DISKSPACE_NASWIN32 | 21 | Disk Space (NAS) |
| CHECKTYPE_TCP | 30 | TCP/IP |
| CHECKTYPE_POP3 | 31 | POP3 Mailserver |
| CHECKTYPE_SMTPR | 32 | SMTP Mailserver |
| CHECKTYPE_HTTP | 33 | HTTP/HTTPs |
| CHECKTYPE_FTP | 34 | FTP |
| CHECKTYPE_RSHELL | 35 | RSH (Remote Shell Script) |
| CHECKTYPE_DNS | 36 | DNS |
| CHECKTYPE_SNMPGET | 37 | SNMP GET |
| CHECKTYPE_NNTP | 38 | NNTP Newsserver |
| CHECKTYPE_IMAP | 39 | IMAP Mailserver |
| CHECKTYPE_NTP | 40 | NTP Timeserver |
| CHECKTYPE_SNMPTRAPRCV | 42 | SNMP Trap Receive |
| CHECKTYPE_SSHELL | 43 | SSH (Secure Shell Script) |
| CHECKTYPE_ICA | 44 | Citrix - ICA |
| CHECKTYPE_DHCP | 45 | DHCP |
| CHECKTYPE_CERTIFICATE | 46 | Certificate Expiration |
| CHECKTYPE_SERVICE | 50 | Service |
| CHECKTYPE_FILE | 60 | File |
| CHECKTYPE_REGISTRY | 61 | Registry |
| CHECKTYPE_WINDOWSUPDATE | 62 | Windows Update |
| CHECKTYPE_WINDOWSCERT | 63 | Certificates |
| CHECKTYPE_IISAPPPOOL | 64 | MS IIS Application Pool |
| CHECKTYPE_SVCPROC_AV | 70 | Anti-Virus/Internet Security |
| CHECKTYPE_SVCPROC_MSACTIVEDIR | 71 | MS Active Directory |
| CHECKTYPE_SVCPROC_MSHYPERV | 72 | MS Hyper-V Server |
| CHECKTYPE_SVCPROC_MSEXCHANGE | 73 | MS Exchange Server |
| CHECKTYPE_SVCPROC_MSIIS | 74 | MS IIS Server |
| CHECKTYPE_SVCPROC_MSISASERVER | 75 | MS ISA Server |
| CHECKTYPE_SVCPROC_MSSHAREPNT | 76 | MS SharePoint Server |
| CHECKTYPE_SVCPROC_MSSQL | 77 | MS SQL Server |
| CHECKTYPE_SVCPROC_WINDEFEND | 78 | Windows Defender |
| CHECKTYPE_SVCPROC_MSBIZTALK | 79 | MS BizTalk |
| CHECKTYPE_SVCPROC_MSINDEX | 80 | MS Index Server |
| CHECKTYPE_SVCPROC_CITRIXXENAPP | 81 | Citrix - XenApp |
| CHECKTYPE_SVCPROC_MSFOREFRONT | 82 | MS Forefront TMG |
| CHECKTYPE_SVCPROC_MSDYNAMICSNAV | 83 | MS Dynamics NAV |
| CHECKTYPE_SVCPROC_MSDYNAMICSAX | 84 | MS Dynamics AX |
| CHECKTYPE_SVCPROC_MSDYNAMICSCRM | 85 | MS Dynamics CRM |
| CHECKTYPE_SVCPROC_MSDYNAMICSGPSL | 86 | MS Dynamics GP/SL |
| CHECKTYPE_EVTLOG | 90 | Event Log |
| CHECKTYPE_VBSCRIPT | 100 | VBScript |
| CHECKTYPE_ODBC | 110 | ODBC Connectivity |
| CHECKTYPE_ADOSQL | 111 | Database Query (Generic) |
| CHECKTYPE_ORACLE | 112 | Oracle Connectivity |
| CHECKTYPE_MSTSE | 120 | MS Terminal Server |
| CHECKTYPE_CPULOAD | 130 | CPU Usage |
| CHECKTYPE_FOLDERSIZE | 140 | Folder |
| CHECKTYPE_DISK | 150 | Disk Drives |
| CHECKTYPE_FLOPPY | 160 | Floppy Drive |
| CHECKTYPE_MEMORY | 170 | Memory Usage |
| CHECKTYPE_PRINTER | 180 | Printer availability |
| CHECKTYPE_PROCESS | 190 | Process |
| CHECKTYPE_SCHEDULEDTASKNT | 200 | Scheduled Task (.txt) |
| CHECKTYPE_SCHEDULEDTASKEVTX | 221 | Scheduled Task (Task Scheduler) |
| CHECKTYPE_WINLOGON | 230 | Windows Login |
| CHECKTYPE_SMTPTOPOP3 | 240 | SMTP to POP3 |
| CHECKTYPE_MSMQ | 250 | MS Message Queue (MSMQ) |
| CHECKTYPE_SERIALDEV | 260 | Serial Device |
| CHECKTYPE_TFTP | 270 | TFTP |
| CHECKTYPE_SPEEDTEST | 271 | SpeedTest |
| CHECKTYPE_REMOTECMD | 280 | Remote Command |
| CHECKTYPE_POWERSHELL | 290 | PowerShell |
| CHECKTYPE_WINCMD | 295 | Windows Batch (cmd) |
| CHECKTYPE_RADIUS | 300 | RADIUS |
| CHECKTYPE_SFTP | 310 | SFTP |
| CHECKTYPE_FTPS | 311 | FTPS |
| CHECKTYPE_WMICOUNTERS | 320 | WMI Counters |
| CHECKTYPE_PERFCOUNTERS | 321 | Performance Counters |
| CHECKTYPE_PERFCOUNTERS | 321 | Performance Counters |
| CHECKTYPE_REMDRV | 330 | Removable Drives |
| CHECKTYPE_SMPP | 340 | SMPP |
| CHECKTYPE_VMWAREESx | 350 | VMware ESXi |
| CHECKTYPE_KVM | 370 | KVM |
| CHECKTYPE_VERDE | 371 | Nimboxx VERDE VDI |
| CHECKTYPE_ENVIRONALL | 500 | Environmental (Any) |
| CHECKTYPE_ENVIRONTEMPERATURE | 510 | Temperature |
| CHECKTYPE_ENVIRONHUMIDITY | 520 | Humidity |
| CHECKTYPE_ENVIRONDEWPOINT | 530 | Dew Point |
| CHECKTYPE_ENVIRONHEATINDEX | 540 | Heat Index |
| CHECKTYPE_ENVIRONPOWER | 550 | Power |
| CHECKTYPE_ENVIRONVOLTAGE | 560 | Voltage |
| CHECKTYPE_ENVIRONSWITCH | 570 | Switch |
| CHECKTYPE_ENVIRONPOWERSTATE | 580 | PowerState |
| CHECKTYPE_ENVIRONLIGHT | 590 | Light |
| CHECKTYPE_ENVIRONMOTION | 600 | Motion |
| CHECKTYPE_ENVIRONSMOKE | 610 | Smoke |
| CHECKTYPE_ENVIRONDOOR | 620 | Door |
| CHECKTYPE_ENVIRONRESISTANCE | 630 | Resistance |
| CHECKTYPE_ENVIRONWETNESS | 640 | Wetness |
| CHECKTYPE_ENVIRONVIBRATION | 650 | Vibration |
| CHECKTYPE_ENVIRONCARBONOXIDE | 660 | CarbonOxide |
| CHECKTYPE_ENVIRONCARBONDIOXIDE | 670 | CarbonDioxide |
| CHECKTYPE_ENVIRONAIRFLOW | 680 | Airflow |
| CHECKTYPE_ENVIRONAIRQUALITY | 690 | AirQuality |
| CHECKTYPE_ENVIRONSOUND | 700 | Sound |
| NM_CHECKTYPE_AGGREGATE | 999 | Aggregate (combined) |
| Name | Value | Description |
|---|---|---|
| RESULT_NOTPROCESSED | 0 | Not processed |
| RESULT_SUCCESS | 1 | Success |
| RESULT_WARNING | 2 | Warning |
| RESULT_FAILURE | 3 | Failure |
| RESULT_MAINTENANCE | 4 | Maintenance |
| RESULT_ONHOLD | 5 | On Hold |
| RESULT_DEPENDER_WARNING | 6 | Warning by Depender |
| RESULT_DEPENDER_FAILURE | 7 | Failure by Depender |
| RESULT_UNCERTAIN | 8 | Uncertain |
The ActiveXperts Network Monitor Engine service monitors servers, workstations and devices from a central point. It is designed to run multiple checks simultaneously. To do so, it uses multiple sub-processes, so-called threads. Multi-threading gives a program the ability to perform many tasks simulteneously.
In ActiveXperts Network Monitor, multiple threads are spawned, including:
The number of threads has a strong influence on the performance of the ActiveXperts Network Monitor Engine (service). If there are only a few threads, the software will not use much CPU and memory resources, but the throughput of checks may be low. By increasing the number of threads, the throughput will increase. However, too many threads will consume too many system resources together (each thread consumes memory and CPU), decreasing the performance of the Network Monitoring engine dramatically.
To configure the number of threads:
In the tab, you find all different types of threads. You can change the number of threads that are spawned when the ActiveXperts Network Monitor is started. As a result, changes take affect after you restart the service!
The following threads are used by the ActiveXperts Network Monitor Engine service:
ActiveXperts Network Monitor maintains its own Application Log Files.
Applicion Logging is enabled by default. In a default installation, it is located in folder:
C:\ProgramData\ActiveXperts\Network Monitor\Logs
There more information about Application Logging, see topic Application Logging.
Visit our website at www.activexperts.com/support/network-monitor/ for a complete FAQ list. You can also send an email to our support staff: support@activexperts.com.
For ActiveXperts Network Monitor licensing options and pricing, please check online: ActiveXperts Network Monitor Licensing.
To purchase, please visit: activexperts.com/sales
You can also contact us via email: sales@activexperts.com.
After you purchase the product, you will receive one or more product license keys. These must be entered by using the ActiveXperts Network Monitor Manager application.
To enter the license key, go to the Help menu, and choose 'License Information'. Press the 'Enter Key' button and enter your license key.
PLEASE READ THIS SOFTWARE LICENSE AGREEMENT CAREFULLY BEFORE
DOWNLOADING OR USING THE SOFTWARE. BY CLICKING ON THE
"ACCEPT" BUTTON, OPENING THE PACKAGE, DOWNLOADING THE PRODUCT,
OR USING THE EQUIPMENT THAT CONTAINS THIS PRODUCT, YOU ARE
CONSENTING TO BE BOUND BY THIS AGREEMENT. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE
TO ALL OF THE TERMS OF THIS AGREEMENT, CLICK THE "DO NOT
ACCEPT" BUTTON AND THE INSTALLATION PROCESS WILL NOT CONTINUE,
RETURN THE PRODUCT TO THE PLACE OF PURCHASE FOR A FULL REFUND,
OR DO NOT DOWNLOAD THE PRODUCT.
GENERAL
In this Software License Agreement:
(i) "ActiveXperts" means ActiveXperts Software B.V.
(ii) "Customer" means the individual(s), organization or business entity
buying a license of the Software from ActiveXperts or its Distributors
or its Resellers.
(iii) "Software" means computer programs (and their storage medium)
supplied by ActiveXperts and known collectively as "Mobile Messaging Toolkit"
in which ActiveXperts has property rights and any user manuals,
operating instructions, brochures and all other documentation relating
to the said computer programs (the expression "Software" to include all
or any part or any combination of Software).
1. LICENSE GRANT
ActiveXperts grants Customer the following rights provided that you
comply with all terms and conditions of this License Agreement:
(a) Installation and use. Customer may install, use, access, display and
run one copy of the Software on a single computer, such as a
workstation, terminal or other device ("Workstation Computer"). A
"License Pack" allows you to install, use, access, display and run
additional copies of the Software up to the number of "Licensed Copies"
specified above.
(b) Reservation of Rights. ActiveXperts reserves all rights not
expressly granted to you in this License Agreement.
2. UPGRADES AND SUPPLEMENTS
To use a product identified as an upgrade, you must first be licensed
for the Software as eligible for the upgrade. After upgrading, Customer
may no longer use the product that formed the basis for Customer's
upgrade eligibility.
This License Agreement applies to updates or supplements to the original
Software provided by ActiveXperts, unless we provide other terms along
with the update or supplement.
3. LIMITATION ON REVERSE ENGINEERING,DECOMPILATION, AND DISASSEMBLY
Customer may not reverse engineer, decompile, or disassemble the
Software, except and only to the extent that it is expressly permitted
by applicable law notwithstanding this limitation.
4. TERMINATION
Without prejudice to any other rights, ActiveXperts may cancel this
License Agreement if Customer does not abide by the terms and conditions
of this License Agreement, in which case you must destroy all copies of
the Software and all of its component parts.
5. NOT FOR RESALE SOFTWARE
Software identified as "Not for Resale" or "NFR," may not be resold,
transferred or used for any purpose other than demonstration, test or
evaluation.
6. LIMITED WARRANTY
ActiveXperts warrants that for a period of ninety (90) days from the
date of shipment from ActiveXperts: (i) the media on which the Software
is furnished will be free of defects in materials and workmanship under
normal use; and (ii) the Software substantially conforms to its
published specifications. Except for the foregoing, the Software is
provided AS IS. This limited warranty extends only to Customer as the
original licensee. Customer's exclusive remedy and the entire liability
of ActiveXperts and its suppliers under this limited warranty will be,
at ActiveXperts or its service center's option, repair, replacement, or
refund of the Software if reported (or, upon request, returned) to the
party supplying the Software to Customer. In no event does ActiveXperts
warrant that the Software is error free or that Customer will be able to
operate the Software without problems or interruptions.
This warranty does not apply if the software (a) has been altered,
except by ActiveXperts, (b) has not been installed, operated, repaired,
or maintained in accordance with instructions supplied by ActiveXperts,
(c) has been subjected to abnormal physical or electrical stress,
misuse, negligence, or accident, or (d) is used in ultrahazardous
activities.
7. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY AND REMEDIES.
Notwithstanding any damages that you might incur for any reason
whatsoever (including, without limitation, all damages referenced above
and all direct or general damages), the entire liability of ActiveXperts
and any of its suppliers under any provision of this License Agreement
and your exclusive remedy for all of the foregoing (except for any
remedy of repair or replacement elected by ActiveXperts with respect to
any breach of the Limited Warranty) shall be limited to the greater of
the amount actually paid by you for the Software or U.S.$5.00. The
foregoing limitations, exclusions and disclaimers (including Sections 4,
5 and 6 above) shall apply to the maximum extent permitted by applicable
law, even if any remedy fails its essential purpose.
8. ENTIRE AGREEMENT
This License Agreement (including any addendum or amendment to this
License Agreements which is included with the Software) are the entire
agreement between you and ActiveXperts relating to the Software and the
support services (if any) and they supersede all prior or
contemporaneous oral or written communications, proposals and
representations with respect to the Software or any other subject matter
covered by this License Agreement. To the extent the terms of any
ActiveXperts policies or programs for support services conflict with the
terms of this License Agreement, the terms of this License Agreement
shall control.
This Agreement shall be construed in accordance with the laws of The
Netherlands and the Dutch courts shall have sole jurisdiction in any
dispute relating to these conditions. If any part of these conditions
shall be or become invalid or unenforceable in any way and to any extent
by any existing or future rule of law, order, statute or regulation
applicable thereto, then the same shall to the extent of such invalidity
or enforceability be deemed to have been deleted from the conditions
which shall remain in full force and effect as regards all other
provisions.
9. Copyright
The Software is protected by copyright and other intellectual property
laws and treaties. ActiveXperts or its suppliers own the title,
copyright, and other intellectual property rights in the Software. The
Software is licensed, not sold.
Check Type ID's and Result ID's can be used in several places in ActiveXperts Network Monitor:
A Check Type ID can hold one of the following values:
The Check Type values can be retrieved from the Config.sdf configuration database, and also from the statistical database (either Stats.sdf, an MS SQL Server database or MySQL database).
Microsoft SQL Server Compact (.sdf) databases can be loaded into Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio 2008 (ships with Microsoft SQL Server) or higher, or Microsoft Visual Strudio 2010 or higher.
To see all values, perform the following query on the CheckTypes table:
SELECT * FROM CheckTypes ORDER BY ID;
A Result ID can hold one of the following values:
The Result values can be retrieved from the Config.sdf configuration database, and also from the statistical database (either Stats.sdf, an MS SQL Server database or MySQL database).
To see all values, perform the following query on the 'Results' table:
SELECT * FROM Results ORDER BY ID;
The following Web Access XML tags are defined and used by Client Browsers:
The length of each tag can be defined in the registry. This only applies to string tags, not to numeric tags. The tag lenghts are defined in the following registry key:
HKLM\Software\ActiveXperts\Network Monitor\Server\WebAccess\XmlTags\
NOTE: After changing a registry value in the above registry hive, you MUST restart the ActiveXperts Network Monitor Engine service in order for changes to take effect
The following Report Definition XML tags are defined by ActiveXperts Network Monitor. These tags can be embedded inside XSL formatting files to create custom report pages.
The following XML tags are defined for Incident Reports:
The following XML tags are defined for Availability Reports:
The following system variables can be embedded in Notifications (SMS, e-mail, etc.) and Actions (VBScript, PowerShell, etc.):