Version 4.1 User's Guide
Actions And Other Menu Options	Previous | Next Contents

For the most part, PageSentry is a "set it and forget it" type of program; you configure Sentries and Notifiers to monitor your servers, and then PageSentry does it's job. However, there are a number of actions outside of initial setup and configuration that are available for various administration tasks.

Opening Sentries, Notifiers, and Groups

There are several ways to open an object to make changes or simply check your configuration settings. Sentries, Notifiers, and Groups can all be opened by selecting the desired object from the "Sentries", "Notifiers", or "Groups" menus. Alternatively, you can open the "Object Manager" using the "File" menu, and then click on the object and click the corresponding "Open" button. For details, see the "Object Manager" section earlier in this User's Guide.

Sentries can also be opened by selecting the Sentry in the list on the main status window, and then choosing "Open Sentry" from the "Actions" menu. Double-clicking the Sentry name on the main status window is also a shortcut to opening a Sentry window.

Manually Triggering Sentry Tests

You can force a Sentry to perform it's test immediately by selecting the Sentry and choosing "Run Test Now" from the "Actions" menu. Double-clicking the Sentry Status (usually "OK" or "Err") on the main status window is a shortcut that will also force an immediate test. Tests triggered this way behave in exactly the same way as regularly scheduled tests.

Temporarily Suspending Testing

Occassionally, you will want to take PageSentry off-line, suspending all testing and error notices. For example, if you upgrade your Web server software, the server won't be available for a short period. In this case, the last thing you would want during the middle of a software upgrade is for PageSentry to shut down power to your Web server trying to restart it. Accordingly, Sentries can be taken "Off Duty" to temporarily suspend testing.

To take a Sentry off duty, select the Sentry in the list on the status window, and choose "Off Duty" from the "Actions" menu. If the currently selected Sentry is already off duty, the menu option changes to "On Duty" and will re-activate it. A short cut for toggling between the off duty and on duty states is double-clicking on the "Next Test" value for the desired Sentry.

When a Sentry is taken off duty, it will remain in that state until manually placed back on duty. All Sentries can also be taken off duty for a fixed period of time using the "Snooze" feature, available by choosing "Snooze..." from the "Actions" menu.

Figure 44: The Snooze Window.

When the Snooze window is open, all PageSentry activity is suspended. When you close the Snooze window, activity resumes where it left off. The window will also automatically close when the timer counts down to 0.

You can set the counter to count down from any time that is convenient. The counter can also be reset as many times as you require. Once the timer reaches 0, the window will close and PageSentry processing will resume.

Individual Sentries can also be put back on duty by selecing the Sentry in the Status window and choosing the "Put On Duty" item from the "Actions" menu. These Sentries will then perform their tests and notifications normally while the Snooze window is open, and will continue to do so after it closes.

Reset All Sentries

Sometimes, a networking or related problem might disrupt a number of Sentries, triggering notices, sounding alarms, and so on. Once the problem is fixed, it may be convenient to reset Sentry statuses to "OK" and have PageSentry quickly return to it's normal state. "Reset All Sentries" does just this, changing the status of all Sentries back to normal. When you choose this option, all Notifiers are reset, and back-up notices will be cleared away as well. Essentially, choosing "Reset All Sentries" from the "Actions" menu is a way to tell PageSentry that you know a problem was encountered, that it has been fixed, and that all is well. Use of this action is rarely necessary, as PageSentry will normally detect that servers are back up during the course of normal testing.

Statistic Reset Options

The "Reset Sentry History" and "Reset All Histories" options clear the historical statistics for one or all Sentries. The recent successful tests and error histories, as well as the "Up Time Percentage" and related values will all be permanently cleared.

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