Version 4.1 User's Guide
Defining Groups	Previous | Next Contents

PageSentry Sentries each perform a single test and trigger an action (or multiple actions) if the test fails. Sometimes, however, it is useful to collect several Sentries into a single group, either to allow them to act together, or simply for better organization. PageSentry allows you to create Groups of Sentries by first defining the Group, and then assigning Sentries to it.

The first reason for creating a Group is to allow multiple Sentries to act together to resolve a problem. For example, suppose you run a Macintosh server with both Web and FTP server applications. You might create 3, or possibly more, Sentries to monitor the server: one to check the Web server, one to check the FTP server, and another that performs a simple Ping to verify that the Macintosh is on and connected to the network. Each of these Sentries might send a warning e-mail or page when the server fails, which means that if the Mac is unplugged, for example, you will get 3 separate notices. Worse, if you are using a PowerKey Pro to automatically restart the server, PageSentry may try to restart the server 3 times.

The problem is solved by creating a Group and assigning all 3 Sentries to it. The e-mail and/or pager Notifiers are then assigned to the group, as is the PowerKey Notifier that restarts the server. In this case, as soon as any of the 3 Sentries detect a failure, the other 2 Sentry tests are immediately run. If all 3 tests detect an error, the warning and restart Notifiers are triggered just one time. In the event that only some Sentries detect a failure, then the Notifiers assigned to the individual Sentries are executed.

The other common reason for creating Groups is for organization and reporting. An ISP, for example, that runs several servers for several different clients, can create a Group for each. Each client can then access PageSentry's Web report and see only the Sentries they are interested in. For additional details about Web reporting and breaking out Web reports by Group, see the "Web Reporting and Administration" section later in this User's Guide.

To create a Group, select "Open Group - New Group..." from the "Setup" menu, or click the "Create" button on the Object Manager window. The Group Editor window, as shown in Figure 34, will open:

Figure 34: The Group Editor window.

Group Name

Choose any Group name you wish, and enter it here. Unique, descriptive names are best, as you will need to be able to easily recognize the name when assigning Sentries. If you will be using Groups to allow targeted Web reporting, shorter names that include only letters and numbers work best, as they are easier to remember and avoid problems entering URLs into Web browsers.

Sentries Assigned

When you first create the Group, there will be no Sentries assigned and this list will be empty. Once the Group has been created, you can assign Sentries by opening the Sentry Edit window and selecting the Group from the Groups pop-up menu. The Sentries will then appear in this list when you re-open the Group window.

Notification Setup

Notifiers are assigned to Groups in exactly the same way that they are assigned to Sentries. Move Notifiers that you would like executed when all Sentries in the Group fail to the "Notifiers To Execute" list. For details on managing the list, see the "Defining Sentries" chapter of this User's Guide.

It is important to remember that the assigned Notifiers for the Group will only be executed if all Sentries in the Group detect failures. If one or more Sentries in the group run tests that show that the server is functioning correctly, then the Notifiers attached to the failed Sentry(s) will be executed independently.

Also, if no Notifiers are attached to the Group, then the Sentries in the Group will always execute their own Notifiers. In other words, they will perform their Notifications as if the Group didn't exist at all. This is useful in the event that you want to use Groups only to facilitate Web reporting, and don't want the defined Groups to have any impact on your Notification strategy.

Copyright © 1995-2002 Maxum Development Corporation http://www.maxum.com/ Rev. 7/10/02	Previous | Next Contents