TNT Software June 2008 Newsletter

See You at Tech-Ed 2008

Be sure to stop by booth #725 at the Tech-Ed 2008 show and visit TNT Software. If ELM has been on your radar, then you won't want to miss out on the special show only pricing discounts available!

June 10-13, 2008
Orlando, FL

June Product Demonstration Schedule

June 18, 2008 - Centralized System Monitoring Demonstration with ELM Enterprise Manager

Would you like to know more about the system monitoring and event log management capabilities ELM can provide your organization? Would you and/or your team like to "kick the tires" and take a look under the hood before deploying ELM Enterprise Manager? Then you're in luck! TNT Software will be giving a live demonstration of ELM Enterprise Manager on June 18. This one hour overview presentation will introduce you to the architecture, power, flexibility, and efficiency ELM can bring to your IT Operations.

Areas we will cover include:

Monitoring

Deploying Agents - Virtual and Service Agents for agentless or real-time monitoring

Setting up Monitor Items - Collectors, Alarms and Monitors

Creating Agent Categories - apply common monitoring templates across groups of servers

Notifications

Filters - the "criteria" for all notifications

Notification Methods - Email, Scripts, Pager, Desktop ELM Advisor and more

Rules - the "connector" between Filters and Notifications

Results

Alerts - open and closed status (Agent color coding: Red, Yellow)

Event Views - default and customization options: include filters and custom date and time range settings

Demonstration Details
What: ELM Enterprise Manager 5.0 Live Overview and Demonstration
When: Wednesday June 18, 2008, 8:30 am, PDT
Where: WebEx On-line Presentation
Duration: 1 hour

How do I attend?

Register by using this link: https://tntsoftware.webex.com/tntsoftware/j.php?ED=98532477&RG=1&UID=0

-Or-

Request a formal meeting invitation by emailing: sales@tntsoftware.com
The subject line should read: ELM 5.0 Live Demonstration Invite 6/18

Last Call for ELM 5.5 Beta Testers!

Development on ELM 5.5 is well underway and we are putting out the final call for beta test sites. If you are interested in getting a first look and hands on experience with the latest release of ELM and the new features available we'd like to hear from you.

Don't wait! Take an active role in the future of TNT Software's ELM products by sending an email to info@tntsoftware.com with "ELM Beta Test Site" in the subject line. Our development team will then contact you to discuss the opportunity and requirements for being a Beta Site for the newest version of ELM. We hope to hear from you soon!

ELM 3.1 Final Sunset Reminder

Effective July 1, 2008, TNT Software will terminate commercial and technical support of all ELM 3.1 products in accordance with our product lifecycle policy. This our last reminder!

If you have not already done so, we encourage you to upgrade today. The upgrade license is available free of charge for all users with current Premier Support. Please contact a sales account manager for information on purchasing an upgrade.

Tips for Living Greener

Ready to live "Green?" Here are a few simple tips to help you get started in some key areas of everyday life.

Water

Fix any leaky faucets, toilets or water pipes. Even a small drip can add up to a lot of water over time.

Wash your car in a car wash; this limits the amount of detergents and other chemicals that make their way into storm drains from washing at home.

Install water saving faucets.

Energy

Conserve fuel by turning down the heat at night and while you are away from your home - or install a programmable thermostat.

Use compact fluorescent light bulbs.

Insulate your home against heat loss and periodically check insulation.

Fix air leaks with weather stripping and caulking. - In the winter, change your furnace filters once a month. The heater uses more energy when it is full of dust.

Avoid using cars - walk, cycle or use public transportation whenever possible

Avoid anything battery operated (or use rechargeable or solar rechargeable if batteries are unavoidable).

Buy locally - not only is it good for the local economy, it will save energy because products haven’t traveled across the globe to get to you.

Toxics

Use non-toxic cleaning alternatives in your home.

Furnish your home with furniture made of natural fibers, wood, metal and glass.

Avoid the use of polyvinyl chloride (also known as PVC or vinyl) in your home. The entire life cycle of products made from PVC pollutes the environment and your home. PVC items include shower curtains, flooring, even some children’s toys.

Avoid the use of aerosols.

Use hand-pump style oils to lubricate switches and hinges instead of aerosol lubricants containing solvents.

Choose water based latex paints over solvent based paints when painting your home.

If you have a furnace, fireplace or gas heater, have them serviced regularly to prevent deadly fumes and install a carbon monoxide detector.

Waste

Do not throw out your toxic household wastes, such as paint, paint thinner, and car fluids in the garbage or down the drain. Check in your local area for facilities that offer proper disposal.

Take your own bags to the grocery store. If you take plastic bags, use them until they are worn out.

Compost your food waste and use as nutrient rich soil for your lawn.

Always use reusable mugs, lunch containers, batteries, pens, razors, etc.

Replace paper products with reusable ones (use recycled, non-chlorine bleached paper when you have to use paper).

The "ELM 411" - Automatically Create Rollover Databases for Monthly Archives

The Archive Database in ELM is used for long term storage purposes. If you plan to keep records around for 6 months or longer then you will want to enable and configure the Archive DB. If you have not already done so (during setup), you can accomplish this by following these steps:

In the ELM console, right click on the ELM Server, navigate down to All Tasks, and select Database Settings. This launches the Database Connection Wizard.

After the welcome screen in the wizard, you will see the settings for your Primary Database and then your Failover Database. The next screen will show the settings for your Archive Database. If this is not already enabled at the top you can do so by checking the box at the top of the screen.

Under the Server Name and Authentication sections you will see an Options category. By checking the box 'Rollover Archive Database every' you can establish an automatic rollover archive on a schedule that you determine. For example:

Using the settings shown here, ELM will automatically rollover a new archive database once a month and keep a rolling history of 12 months. This will result in an automated data management strategy producing a clean, easy to track history of data.

Once your Archive Database and/or retention schedule has been established you will then want to review your Database Pruning settings and set the retention criteria accordingly. You can select whether or not to archive Alerts, Events, Performance Data and SNMP data if and when it is pruned from your Primary Database.

At any time you can connect to an archive database to view data and run reports by right clicking on the Results container in the left pane of the ELM Console and then select Connect Archive Database from the menu. A dialog box will appear showing the available archive databases to connect to. You can connect to more than one archive database at a time if you desire. Note: Once you are viewing an archive database you may need to change the properties of views and reports to look at past date ranges as opposed to current dates. To disconnect from an archive database, simply right click on the Results container for that specific archive database and choose Remove.

Regular pruning and archiving of data with automatic rollovers will result in a faster, more efficient primary database and a better organizational strategy for historical data. We hope that you found this article informative and wish you continued success with your ELM deployment!

NOTE: All ELM 411 articles are written based on Version 5.0 and instructions may not be accurate for previous ELM Versions. If you would like assistance upgrading to Version 5.0 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!

Not Strictly Business

Did you know?
Father's Day is a secular celebration started in the early twentieth century to complement Mother's Day in celebrating fatherhood and male parenting, and to honor and commemorate fathers and forefathers. Father's Day is celebrated on a variety of dates worldwide and typically involves gift-giving to fathers and family-oriented activities.

The first known celebration of Father's Day in the United States was on July 5, 1908 in Fairmont, West Virginia, where it was commemorated at William Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church South – now known as Central United Methodist Church. Grace Golden Clayton is believed to have suggested it to her pastor in December after a deadly explosion in nearby Monongah, killing 361 men.

It was also during a sermon in 1909 that Sonora Smart Dodd became inspired by Mother's Day. After the death of her mother, Sonora and her siblings were raised by their father William Jackson Smart, a Civil War veteran. Sonora wanted to show how thankful she was to her father and, because William was born in June, she worked to have the first Father's Day celebrated on June 19, 1910.

In 1924, President Coolidge recommended that Father's Day become a national holiday. President Johnson designated the third Sunday of June to be Father's Day in 1966. It was not until 1972 that President Nixon instituted Father's Day as a national observance.

Roses are the official flower on Father's Day, red for fathers who were still living and white for those who have passed on.

Sources: Wikipedia.org, History.com

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