Windows Server Monitoring and Event Log Management Solutions
November 1, 2011 - Volume 6, Number 11 |
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-In this Issue- |
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October Curiosity Poll Results - Windows 8 Developer Preview November Curiosity Poll - Event Correlation Not Strictly Business - Cheesy Turkey 100%
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ELM Enterprise Manager 6.5 Advances Server Monitoring and Log Management
| October 18, 2011 marked the official release date of ELM Enterprise Manager version 6.5. This exciting new release is filled with enhancements and new features which we've previewed over the last few months in this newsletter. This month we'll cover the highlights - and there are quite a few! |  |
New Improved Database Design
One of the marquee features of ELM 6.5 is a new star schema database design. By reducing redundancies that make up an event, separating format strings from parameters, and reallocating space requirements for normalization, the overall footprint of the database has been dramatically reduced. Average space savings for event records exceeds 50%!!
Better performance has also been achieved by utilizing features found in SQL Server 2008, new embedded SQL code, partitioning and archiving techniques.
New Licenses - More Choices
We've introduced two new licenses to provide even more choices for your monitoring needs!
The event logs, perfmon data, service states and process information published by Windows operating systems provide the "Core" metrics for proactive management, hence the name Core License.
We've also combined the most useful features for monitoring network devices such as firewalls, switches, hubs, routers and other network devices into a lightweight, efficient new Network License.
Notification Methods
Notification Methods have been reworked and now are based on Event Views rather than Rules to simplify and streamline setup. Event Views now have the option of assigning a Notification Method directly to them. When a new event is added to that Event View, it will trigger the Notification Method (or increment the Notification threshold counter). In addition, a new variable has been added to email notifications which designates which Event View triggered the notification for better fine tuning!
Agent Categories Can Be Used In Filters
ELM 6.5 introduces the ability to include one or more Agent Categories in the Event Filter criteria. This new feature provides a deeper, more advanced level of customization and behavior for Monitor Items, Event Views and Notification Methods.
PowerShell Support
Microsoft PowerShell support has been added to ELM's Command Script Notification providing full access to COM and WMI, enabling administrators to perform administrative tasks on both local and remote Windows systems. Microsoft is extending PowerShell support even further in the upcoming Windows 8 OS.
Ping Monitor in All Licenses
The Ping Monitor sends
ICMP echo requests to verify TCP/IP connectivity and the Quality of Service. It provides an early warning alert of a problem with the remote system's status. This feature has been so popular and useful that it has been added to all six of the licenses available in ELM Enterprise Manager 6.5!
Other Performance and Usability Improvements
Agents Tab
Now in ELM 6.5 you'll find a new tab on each Monitor Item labeled "Agents". This shows all Agents in your ELM deployment that the Monitor Item is assigned to. This is also a great shortcut if you want to add or remove this monitoring feature to Agents in your deployment!
Performance Counters
Another great shortcut for fine tuning your Performance Collectors is the ability to quickly add a new Performance Counter through a shortcut we've added! This simple feature makes working with performance metrics in ELM a lot easier.
Event Views
A common practice with ELM's Event Views is to switch to Summary View mode and sort by count to see where your heaviest event activity is and then investigate. However, in a busy environment this can be challenging as events continue to flood in, the ELM Console continues to refresh and your sorted event count can move quickly down the screen. The Pause feature found in Detail Event Views (where events really move quickly!) has been added to the Summary Event View as well in ELM Enterprise Manager 6.5, making investigation into event activity much easier.
We've also made it much more efficient to work with Event Filters in Event Views by adding a quick shortcut to create New Event Filters. Whether you are creating a new Event View or modifying an existing one, this new shortcut will be a real time saver when you don't have an existing Event Filter in place and need to create a new one on-the-fly.
Alerts Container Discontinued
In an effort to streamline the UI and minimize confusion, the Alerts container has been removed from ELM Enterprise Manager 6.5. The Alerts sometimes gave the impression that they were some form of notification method which they were not. For current ELM users who have been utilizing the Alerts container in their daily operations have no fear; we have included a way to easily re-enable Alerts for those who request.
See it for yourself!
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This list is just a few of the highlights you'll benefit from with ELM Enterprise Manager 6.5. Ready to get started? Click the download button now to experience it for yourself! |
October Curiosity Poll Results - Windows 8 Developer Preview
Last month we followed up the Microsoft BUILD conference with interest in the Windows 8 Developer Preview available for public consumption, wondering if while some can't wait, others may care less. So last month we asked...
Have you downloaded the Windows 8 Developer Preview to have a look?
And as of the publishing of this newsletter here's what respondents had to say:
Interestingly enough, over 50% of respondents said they have or are planning to explore the Windows 8 preview.
For comparison, we asked a similar question back in January of 2009. "Have you downloaded the Windows 7 Beta and installed?" And here's what respondents had to say back then:
This is not to suggest that the upcoming Windows 8 is not a worthy OS, but rather a reminder of how, shall we say "less worthy" of an OS Vista turned out to be. There's a high likelihood this helped to further drive interest in the release of Windows 7 back then.
November Curiosity Poll - Event Correlation
Event Correlation is not a new concept, but not a widely adopted approach used in system monitoring and event log management. Several SIM and SIEM industry experts both agree and disagree on the usefulness and use friendliness of correlation in the real world. We've been watching various discussions for some time and got to wondering...
Which most closely represents your opinion of, or experience with, event correlation for system monitoring, or problem analysis and resolution?
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One of the new enhancements you'll find incredibly useful in ELM Enterprise Manager 6.5 is that we've included the Ping Monitor in all Licenses. The Ping Monitor sends ICMP echo requests to verify TCP/IP connectivity and the Quality of Service, providing an early warning alert of a problem with a remote system's status.
In versions of ELM prior to 6.5, the Ping Monitor was only available with Systems Licenses and was a default enabled monitor item for All Agents out of the box. If you were running System Licenses in your monitoring environment, nothing has changed. However if you have a mix of licenses, for example System and Event together, the systems with Event Licenses assigned will not automatically pick up the Ping Monitor after upgrade, even though it may be assigned to All Agents.
The reason for this is that during installation of an ELM update or an upgrade, ELM will check the configuration files for any custom settings. It will not overwrite the existing configuration during install, therefore a new feature available may not automatically be enabled.
To enable the Ping Monitor across your systems being monitored you have a couple of options depending on how you would like to proceed.
All New
If you did not have System licenses to begin with, or you were not using the Ping Monitor, then you will simply walk through the New Monitor Item Wizard, and assign the Ping Monitor to your desired systems (typically we recommend the All Agents category).
Mixed Environment
If you had a mix of System licenses as well as others, there's a good chance you were already using the Ping Monitor for those System licenses as it is enabled by default. To enable the Ping Monitor for the rest of your systems you can:
1) One by one
| Open the properties of each agent by right-clicking on it from within the console. | |
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Next we'll navigate to the Monitor Items tab (shown below). Here we can see all Monitor Items available for the License assigned to this agent. Those that are already checked are enabled. Others are available but not installed yet. We can select the Ping Monitor, then click OK, and this agent now has the Ping Monitor assigned. For a small number of agents that need to be added, manually updating them through the agent properties is not a bad way to go.
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2) All at once Another option is to simply unassign, then reassign the Ping Monitor to the All Agents category. This will update the configuration of all Agents at once. To do this, we'll go to the All Monitors folder under the Monitoring container. Then double-click the Ping Monitor to show its properties.
Here we can see on the Categories tab that it is assigned to All Agents. We'll uncheck that box, and then click OK. All agents will be updated (Ping Monitor removed).
We'll double-click the Ping Monitor again and recheck the All Agents box on the Categories tab. Once again, click OK, and All Agents will be updated and assigned the Ping Monitor, including those which did not have it after the upgrade to version 6.5. To verify that the Ping Monitor has been picked up by All Agents, We can open it again, and this time go to the Agents tab. Here we'll see all of the agents assigned to this Monitor Item. All should be shown with a checked box.
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We hope that you found this new article on features of the ELM Enterprise Manager 6.5 informative and wish you continued success with your ELM deployment!
NOTE: All ELM 411 articles are written based on ELM Enterprise Manager Version 6.5 and instructions may not be accurate for previous ELM Versions. If you would like assistance upgrading to ELM 6.5 so you can use these tips - please contact support@tntsoftware.com.
Share your own ELM tips!
Have a tip or trick with our ELM products you'd like to share with our newsletter subscribers? Send your ideas and any applicable screen shots to info@tntsoftware.com with "ELM 411" in the subject line. We'll take a look and if usable you'll see it published here in the ELM 411 section of upcoming newsletters!
Dates to Remember
November 6
Daylight Saving Time Ends
November 8
Election Day
November 11
Veterans Day
November 24
Thanksgiving
TNT Software will be closed November 24-25 in recognition of the Thanksgiving holiday.
Not Strictly Business - Cheesy Turkey
Cheesy Thanksgiving Jokes - ammunition for your big get-together this year!
What happened when the turkey got into a fight?
He got the stuffing knocked out of him.
How did Albert Einstein celebrate Thanksgiving?
He was very thinkful.
How many cooks does it take to stuff a turkey?
One, but you really have to squeeze him in!
Which side of the turkey has the most feathers?
The outside.
Why can't turkeys play football?
Too much fowl play.
Who is not hungry at Thanksgiving?
The turkey, he's already been stuffed!
If the Pilgrims were alive today, what would they be most famous for?
Their age!
A lady was picking through the frozen turkeys at the grocery store, but couldn't find one big enough for her family. She asked the store clerk, "Do these turkeys get any bigger?" The clerk answered, "No ma'am, they're dead."
Sources: Various
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