Adding a Monitoring Check

To add new device check, please select Monitoring Settings... in the object's context menu. Then click the button Add. You can also select several hosts at a time and configure the same monitoring check for all the selected hosts.

The Monitoring Settings Wizard will arise (Fig. 1).

Fig. 1: The Monitoring Settings Wizard window. Step 1 of 3: check's settings. Select check type and set its parameters.

Select monitoring check type (ICMP ping, TCP port check, etc) and configure its parameters on the step 1. You can also configure a number of check attempts and the interval between the attempts. If the first check fails, the program will run that check again after the configured interval of time. This helps to avoid receiving false alerts when a temporary network outage occurs. If all the attempts finally fail, you will receive a fail alert.

Warning! If you are configuring a check for several selected hosts at a time, you can use the %A key for substituting a host's network address to a necessary field (for example, to a file or folder path, to URL, etc.).

Click Next>> and proceed to the step 2.

Configure monitoring dependencies on the step 2.

Fig. 2: The Monitoring Settings Wizard window. Step 2 of 3: dependencies on other checks.

Dependencies are checks that define the availability of servers (e.g., ISA Server or Proxy Server) and services (e.g., DNS Server or DNS Client) required by a target computer (i.e., on which a target computer is dependent). The specified dependency check(s) must be successfully executed before the other monitoring checks can be run. E.g., If you access the Internet through a Proxy Server, an ICMP Ping dependency check can be set to check the availability of the Proxy Server, before executing a HTTP monitoring check. If the dependency check fails, the HTTP check will not be run but will be classified as a “Failed by Dependency” and the device will have the “Unknown” status.
TIP: Use dependencies to avoid receiving a flood of alerts, when servers on which other checks depend are down (VPN servers, routers, gateways).

Then click Next>> and proceed to the step 3.

Fig. 3: The Monitoring Settings Wizard window. Step 3 of 3: alert's settings. Configure notifications.

On this step, you can configure actions which will be taken when alerts arise according to check results.

There are several types of actions:

1. Message

The program generates the message which is shown on the screen, or sent via e-mail or SMS. You can configure message text at the Settings window (the section Alerts).

• Screen: The predefined text message can be shown on the local computer's screen. You can specify time duration for displaying message window.
• SMS: The program can send SMS messages to your cell phone. You should specify mobile phone number in this pattern: <country code><phone number> (for example: 19021235566). The program sends SMS by sending an E-Mail message to the cellular operator's SMS server. A majority of GSM operators have special e-mail addresses (something like your-number@your-provider.com) which accept messages and deliver them to your cell phone via SMS (Usually they deliver e-mail's subject only). You must enable this feature at your operator and find out server's address and message composition rules (number in message body, text in message body, etc.). Get this information from your operator's customer service. Then create your own template and specify country code prefix (without the "+" sign) at the Settings window (the section SMS).
• E-mail: The program sends e-mail messages to the addresses that you specify. Mail server settings can be defined at the Settings window (the section E-mail).

2. Run Application

Launches external application, with parameters if necessary. For instance: if you specify the net command as the application (available in Windows NT, 2000, and XP only) and send <computer name> <message text>, you can receive messages from computers that run the program while you are working on a remote computer.

3. Sound Notification

Plays specified audio file (WAV).

4. Log, Event Log

Saves text message to:

1) the program's log file, the name of which you can specify in the program settings, in the Alert section (by default, it is Alert.log in the user documents folder\10-Strike\LANState\Logs\). On the same screen you can view the existing log file as well.

2) Windows Event Log. Select a record type (notification, warning, error). You can view the Event Log by clicking the View log file... button.

5. Restart

Allows starting/stopping/restarting a specific service on the computer being checked and rebooting/shutting down/turning on the computer being checked. The actions listed on this tab require administrator rights on remote computers.

To configure the service action, select the Service box, click the '<<' button, and then select the required service on the list.

If a current user does not have administrator rights on the remote computer, you will need to provide the remote administrator's credentials in order to complete the service, power up/down , or restart operations successfully. To do that, please select the Authorization required box and fill in the Username and Password fields.

6. Execute Script

Allows executing a VBScript or JScript. The script code is to be created in an external text editor and to be loaded into this window by clicking the Load button. Or, you can copy the script to the Source code field. Provide a name of the main function of the script in the appropriate field. You can execute the script for test purposes by clicking the Test button.

Once you have configured all properties that are required, you can test out the alarm's performance by clicking the Test button. All actions that are selected (marked with the checkmarks) will be executed.