Add or manage Monitor Views
This guide teaches how to add and manage a Monitor View
Tutorial overview
Use the following table as your to-do list managing Monitor Views:
Step 1: Add or Manage Monitor View
Click the Add/New button to create a new Monitor View or click on the Duplicate button to clone current.
Click the 'Add/New' button to add a new Monitor View
Step 2: Name the Monitor View
Now give your Monitor View a unique name, the name can be changed at any time later:
Edit Monitor View
Mandatory fields
- Name: A Monitor View must have a unique user-friendly name assigned. You can safely change this name at any point later.
Optional fields
- Description - You can and should give your Monitor View a user-friendly description of its intended purpose
- Web Site - You can provide a quick link for users when working with and viewing the Monitor View. This link usually points to a WIKI/Sharepoint site with additional documentation
Step 3: Assign Roles
In this step, you will manage who has access to the Monitor View. In the next step, you will configure what options are enabled for the set of selected Roles.
Add or remove Roles to allow access to the Monitor View. If a User does not belong to an assigned Role, he/she will not even see the Monitor View.
- Click the Edit button to manage the list of assigned Roles.
Add or remove Roles for the Monitor View
A Nodinite Administrator may have the right to create and manage Monitor Views but this does not mean he/she has access to the actual Monitor View*
From the list of existing Roles, check the ones to be added to the list of Selected roles.
In the Selected tab, the list of assigned Roles can be further managed.
Step 4: Assign Access Rights
In this step, you will manage the access rights for selected Roles.
Example with the set of different permit options
The access right can be selected with one of the following options:
- Inherited (which means that they are disabled/not avaialble) - Default
- Allow - Enabled and visible for the end-users part of the Role
- Block - Disabled and blocked
Try to go for the Inherited option first. The Block option wins at all times, and if an end-user is part of multiple roles, the block option will always win regardless of an explicit allowance in other roles.
The different access rights are applied to the following set of features:
Apply the different access rights for the set of selected Roles
Access this View
This permission affects the Monitor View on the highest level. Normally, if you have selected a Role, it means that permissions can be set for that role. The only time you would normally re-configure this permission is to Deny end-users of the specific Role access at all.
Execute Remote Actions
This permission regulates, if end-users in the selected Roles, can perform log audited Remote Actions, or not. This setting is currently applied to the whole set of included Resources, default = inherited -> not allowed.
Select the Allowed permission option to allow end-users of the assigned Roles to execute Remote Actions on Resources part of this Monitor View.
View Metrics
This permission regulates, if end-users in the selected Roles, can view metrics on Resources. This setting is currently applied to the whole set of included Resources, default = inherited -> not allowed.
View History
This permission regulates, if end-users in the selected Roles, can view historical records for the Resources. By allowing this feature, the end-user is able to see how all and individual resources have changed state within Nodinite over time. The history is limited by a system parameter DaysToKeepMonitorEvents in the configuration database for Nodinite.
View Repository Model
This permission regulates, if end-users in the selected Roles, can see linked data from the Nodinite Repository Model, or not.
View Articles
This permission regulates, if end-users in the selected Roles, can see linked Knowledgebase Article, or not.
Step 5: Configure Alerts
The Monitoring Service iterates over the selected Alarm plugin(s) and thereby pushes alerts (positive and negative as checked) to users in roles for Monitor Views.
In this section:
- Select one or more plugins used to push the alert to end-users
- Out of the box plugins
- E-mail with options
- Windows Event Log - for use with for example SCOM
- HTTP Webhook
- 3rd party plugins can be added
- Out of the box plugins
You can customize the output of the alert using the Stylesheets feature.
- Configure for Recurrence
You can add more than one Alarm Plugin to a Monitor View to push information when errors or warnings occur (also for the OK status change). For example, the email plugin sends an email to concerned users (with an email address specified) to notify about changes in the state of Resources part of the Monitor View.
Partners and customers can create custom Alarm plugins when there is a need to send an alert to another system. Typical use cases are:
- Ticket handling systems like Jira, Freshdesk, ZenDesk
- Databases for custom follow up
- SMS (however most of our customers and partners are using shared mailboxes)
A C# .NET based template exists and can be used for free, part of the license (SA agreement). Contact our support to acquire the latest/compatible version.
- Custom built Alarm Plugins that you provide using our templates and SDK's - for use with your issue tracking system
Monitoring Service is responsible for making you aware, Nodinite is Always Aware
Settings
The list of plugins can be narrowed down by entering a filter string. Press the 'Add' button to use the selected Alarm plugin.
You can Add, Filter and Remove Alarm Plugins from the Monitor View.
Add or remove Alarm Plugin for Monitor View
Stylesheet support
Some of the plugins (email plugins out of the box) has support for user customization of content sent for an alert. These are based on the built-in Stylesheet support.
example of an alert
Recurrence
Alerts can be resent using the Recurrence feature available in the configuration modal. The values are based on the settings from the Time Interval Configurations. For each Monitor View different settings for the Recurrence of pushing the alert can be set. These can further be detailed on the severity level for the included Resources:
- Monitoring Agent Configuration unavailable - If there is a problem for the Monitoring Service to communicate with the Monitoring Agents
- Unavailable - If there are problems (typically invalid configurations) with specific Resources
- Error - If there are Resources in error state
- Warning - If there are Resources in warning state
Step 6: Customize Columns
With Nodinite Monitor Views the Administrator can change the layout of columns listed.
Customize Columns for Monitor Views option
- Default Columns - These are the typical columns we at Nodinite provide out of the box. May change with newer versions
- Use an existing configuration - Use the columns defined in a Display Field Configuration
You can create your own default Display Field Configuration and reuse in multiple Monitor Views
- Advanced column configuration - Select the columns of your choice only for this specific Monitor View
- Drag and drop columns
- Artifact rename columns
- Provides ability to show additional columns not shown using the default option
- Provides ability to include dynamic columns
Customize columns configuration, do note the artifact renaming option
Step 7: Select all Resources from Monitoring Agent
Select the Monitoring Agents (one or more) that you want to monitor in this Monitor View.
You can Add, Remove and Filter Monitoring Agents.
Select Monitoring Agents to include monitoring Resources from
Step 8: Select all Resources for Category
Select one or more Categories to monitor in this Monitor View.
Step 9: Select all Resources for Application
Select one or more Applications to monitor in this Monitor View.
Step 10: Select specific Resource
Included Monitoring Resources is the Resources included in the Monitor Views.
You can Add, Remove and Filter based on Monitoring Agents, Application, Category, and characters.
Step 11: Exclude specific Resource
After a Monitor Monitoring Agents is chosen, you can exclude resources from within the chosen Monitoring Agent Configuration.
You can Add, Remove and Filter based on Monitoring Agent Configuration, Application, Category, and characters.
Filter on Monitoring Agent Configuration
Filter on Application
Filter on Category
Step 12: Add Repository Model Documentation
Next, you can manage which Integrations should be included in the Monitor Views.
Example of included Integrations on Monitor View
Click the Edit button to open the modal with selection options.
You can Add, Filter and Remove Integrations
There are 2 tabs available
- All - All Integrations to choose between
- Selected - Integrations already added to the Monitor View
Example of the All tab with the currently defined Integrations possible to add to the Monitor View
Do not forget to manage the permission set governing the right to View the Repository Model.
Step 13: Save
Click on either the Save button or the Save and Close button to persist changes. If this is a brand new Monitor View the Show button is not displayed until you have performed the save operation.
Make your changes permanent by clicking either Save or Save and close
Step 14: Using the Monitor View
Click the Show button to view the Monitor View with configured options.
Example of the Show Monitor View button
Next Step
Tip You can create a Monitor View for Dashboard usage. Put a large screen TV in your support team room and use a dedicated user within Nodinite. The Monitor View won't send any notifications if there are no plugins selected.