Novell GROUPWISE 8 - MONITOR User manual

Monitor
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XIV
Monitor
Chapter 62, “Understanding the Monitor Agent Consoles,” on page 1003
Chapter 63, “Configuring the Monitor Agent,” on page 1007
Chapter 64, “Configuring the Monitor Application,” on page 1029
Chapter 65, “Using GroupWise Monitor,” on page 1037
Chapter 66, “Comparing the Monitor Consoles,” on page 1061
Chapter 67, “Using Monitor Agent Startup Switches,” on page 1063

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Understanding the Monitor Agent Consoles
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Understanding the Monitor Agent
Consoles
The Monitor Agent offers three different consoles where you can check the status of your
GroupWise agents:
Section 62.1, “Monitor Agent Server Console,” on page 1003
Section 62.2, “Monitor Agent Web Console,” on page 1003
Section 62.3, “Monitor Web Console,” on page 1004
For a comparison of the capabilities of the three consoles, see Chapter 66, “Comparing the Monitor
Consoles,” on page 1061
For detailed instructions about installing and starting the GroupWise®Monitor Agent for the first
time, see “Installing GroupWise Monitor” in the GroupWise 8 Installation Guide.
62.1 Monitor Agent Server Console
The Monitor Agent server console is available for the Windows Monitor Agent but not for the Linux
Monitor Agent.
Figure 62-1 Monitor Agent Server Console
All agent configuration tasks can be performed at the Monitor Agent server console, but some
reports are not available.
62.2 Monitor Agent Web Console
The Monitor Agent Web console is platform-independent and can be viewed at the following URL:
http://web_server_address:8200

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Figure 62-2 Monitor Agent Web Console
To create the Monitor Agent Web console display, your Web server communicates directly with the
Monitor Agent to obtain agent status information. You must be behind your firewall to use the
Monitor Agent Web console. Because the Linux Monitor Agent does not have a server console, you
use the Monitor Agent Web console in its place on Linux.
The Monitor Agent Web console is divided into the Agent Groups window on the left and the Agent
Status window on the right. Using the Agents Groups window, you can create and manage agent
groups the same as you can at the Monitor Agent server console.
Several Monitor features are available at the Monitor Agent Web console that are not available at the
Monitor Agent server console or the Monitor Web console. These are summarized in Chapter 66,
“Comparing the Monitor Consoles,” on page 1061.
62.3 Monitor Web Console
The Monitor Web console is also platform-independent and can be viewed at the following URL:
http://web_server_address/gwmon/gwmonitor
Figure 62-3 Monitor Web Console
To create the Monitor Web console display, your Web server communicates with the Monitor
Application (a component of your Web server), which then communicates with the Monitor Agent
to obtain agent status information. This enables the Monitor Web console to be available outside
your firewall, while the Monitor Agent Web console can be used only inside your firewall.

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The Monitor Web console is divided into the Agent Groups window on the left and the Agent Status
window on the right. Using the Agents Groups window, you can create and manage agent groups the
same as you can at the Monitor Agent server console.
The Monitor Web console does not include some features that are available at the Monitor Agent
server console and the Monitor Agent Web console. These are summarized in Chapter 66,
“Comparing the Monitor Consoles,” on page 1061.

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Configuring the Monitor Agent
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Configuring the Monitor Agent
For detailed instructions about installing and starting the GroupWise®Monitor Agent for the first
time, see “Installing GroupWise Monitor” in the GroupWise 8 Installation Guide.
The default configuration of the GroupWise®Monitor Agent is adequate to begin monitoring
existing GroupWise agents (Post Office Agents, Message Transfer Agents, Internet Agents, and
WebAccess Agents). You can also customize the configuration to meet your specific monitoring
needs.
On Windows, you configure the Monitor Agent at the Monitor Agent server console on the
Windows server where the Monitor Agent is running.
Figure 63-1 Monitor Agent Server Console on Windows
On Linux, similar functionality is available in your Web browser at the Monitor Agent Web console:
http://localhost:8200

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Figure 63-2 Monitor Agent Web Console on Linux
The following topics help you customize the Monitor Agent for your specific needs:
Section 63.1, “Selecting Agents to Monitor,” on page 1008
Section 63.2, “Creating and Managing Agent Groups,” on page 1011
Section 63.3, “Configuring Monitoring Protocols,” on page 1014
Section 63.4, “Configuring Polling of Monitored Agents,” on page 1017
Section 63.5, “Configuring E-Mail Notification for Agent Problems,” on page 1018
Section 63.6, “Configuring Audible Notification for Agent Problems,” on page 1021
Section 63.7, “Configuring SNMP Trap Notification for Agent Problems,” on page 1022
Section 63.8, “Configuring Authentication and Intruder Lockout for the Monitor Web
Console,” on page 1023
Section 63.9, “Configuring Monitor Agent Log Settings,” on page 1024
Section 63.10, “Configuring Proxy Service Support for the Monitor Web Console,” on
page 1026
Section 63.11, “Monitoring Messenger Agents,” on page 1026
Section 63.12, “Supporting the GroupWise High Availability Service on Linux,” on page 1028
63.1 Selecting Agents to Monitor
By default, the Monitor Agent starts monitoring all GroupWise agents (Post Office Agents, Message
Transfer Agents, Internet Agents, and WebAccess Agents) in your GroupWise system, based on the
information from a domain database (
wpdomain.db ). You might not want to continue monitoring all
agents. And under certain circumstances, you might want to monitor agents that are not part of your
local GroupWise system.
Section 63.1.1, “Filtering the Agent List,” on page 1009

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Section 63.1.2, “Adding All Agents on a Server,” on page 1009
Section 63.1.3, “Adding All Agents on a Subnet,” on page 1010
Section 63.1.4, “Adding an Individual Agent,” on page 1010
Section 63.1.5, “Removing Added Agents,” on page 1011
63.1.1 Filtering the Agent List
You can configure the Monitor Agent to stop and start monitoring selected agents as needed.
At the Windows Monitor Agent server console:
1Click Configuration > Filter.
or
On Linux, at the Monitor Agent Web console, click Preferences > Filter.
The Filtered Out list displays all agents that are not currently being monitored.
2Select one or more agents in the Monitored list, then click Remove to move them to the Filtered
Out list.
3Click OK.
Agents in the Filtered Out list are not monitored and do not appear at the Monitor Agent server
console or at the Monitor Agent Web console. To start monitoring a filtered-out agent, move it back
to the Monitored list.
63.1.2 Adding All Agents on a Server
If you add a new server to your GroupWise system or want to monitor agents in a different
GroupWise system, you can easily start monitoring all the agents running on that server.
At the Windows Monitor Agent server console:
1Click Configuration > Add from Machine.
or
On Linux, at the Monitor Agent Web console, click Preferences > Add Agents.

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2Type the IP address of the new server, then click OK.
All GroupWise agents on the new server are added to the list of monitored agents.
If the new server is part of your local GroupWise system, you can simply restart the Monitor Agent
and it picks up all new agents in your system.
63.1.3 Adding All Agents on a Subnet
If you add several new servers to your GroupWise system or want to monitor agents in a different
GroupWise system, you can easily start monitoring all the agents running on the same subnet.
At the Windows Monitor Agent server console:
1Click Configuration > Add from Network.
or
On Linux, at the Monitor Agent Web console, click Preferences > Add Agents.
2Type the subnet portion of the IP addresses of the new servers, then click OK.
All GroupWise agents on the subnet are added to the list of monitored agents.
If the new servers are part of your local GroupWise system, you can simply restart the Monitor
Agent and it picks up all new agents in your system.
63.1.4 Adding an Individual Agent
You can start monitoring an individual agent anywhere in your GroupWise system or another
GroupWise system.
At the Windows Monitor Agent server console:
1Click Configuration > Add Agent.
or
On Linux, at the Monitor Agent Web console, click Preferences > Add Agents.

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2Type the IP address of the server where the agent runs.
3Type the port number the agent listens on.
4Click OK.
The agent is added to the list of monitored agents.
63.1.5 Removing Added Agents
To stop monitoring agents that you have manually added to the Monitor Agent’s configuration:
At the Windows Monitor Agent server console:
1Click Configuration > Remove Agents.
or
On Linux, at the Monitor Agent Web console, click Preferences > Remove Agents.
2Select the agents you want to remove, then click Remove.
3Click OK.
63.2 Creating and Managing Agent Groups
You might find it convenient to group related agents together for monitoring purposes. Initially, all
agents are in a single group with the same name as your GroupWise system.
Figure 63-3 Monitor Agent Console on Initial Startup
Agent groups are displayed on the left side of the Monitor Agent server console. When you select an
agent group, the monitored agents in the group and their status information are listed on the right
side of the Monitor Agent server console.

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Figure 63-4 Monitor Agent Console with Agent Groups Defined
You can create additional groups and subgroups as needed to make monitoring similar agents easier.
You might want to create agent groups based on geographical areas, on administrative
responsibilities, or on agent configuration similarities. The number of agents in the group is
displayed to the right of the group name in the agent groups window.
In addition, by creating agent groups, you can provide configuration settings for monitoring just
once for all agents in each group, rather than having to provide them individually for each agent in
your GroupWise system.
Section 63.2.1, “Creating an Agent Group,” on page 1012
Section 63.2.2, “Managing Agent Groups,” on page 1013
Section 63.2.3, “Viewing Your Agent Group Hierarchy,” on page 1013
Section 63.2.4, “Configuring an Agent Group,” on page 1013
NOTE: On Linux, you perform these tasks at the Monitor Agent Web console or Monitor Web
console, using steps similar to those provided in this section
63.2.1 Creating an Agent Group
At the Windows Monitor Agent server console:
1Right-click the folder where you want to create the agent group, then click Create.
2Type a name for the group, then click OK to create a new folder for the agent group.
The group name must be unique within its parent group.
3Click a folder containing agents that you want to add to the new group.
4Drag and drop agents into the new group as needed.
5Click the new group to view its contents.
You can nest groups within groups as needed.

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63.2.2 Managing Agent Groups
Managing agent groups is easy at the Monitor Agent server console:
To rename an agent group, right-click the agent group, click Rename, type the new name, then
press Enter.
To move an agent group, drag and drop it to its new location.
To delete an agent group, right-click the agent group, then click Delete. A group must be empty
before you can delete it.
63.2.3 Viewing Your Agent Group Hierarchy
When you create nested groups, you can choose how much of the hierarchy you want displayed at
the Monitor Agent server console:
You can open and close groups manually by clicking the plus and minus icons beside each
folder.
To expand your entire group hierarchy, click View > Expand Tree.
To collapse your entire group hierarchy, click View > Collapse Tree.
You can also decide whether you want to view just the agents in the currently selected group or the
agents in subgroups as well. By default, only the agents in the selected folder are listed in the agent
window. Right-click an agent group, then click Show Subgroup Agents to display the contents of
nested groups along with the selected group.
Figure 63-5 Monitor Agent Server Console with Subgroup Agents Displayed
Numbers in brackets beside each group indicate the number of agents in the selected group and the
total number displayed.
63.2.4 Configuring an Agent Group
Configuration settings for monitoring can be set individually for each monitored agent, for each
agent group, or for all monitored agents collectively. You can establish default configuration settings
for all agents by setting them on the root agent group that is named the same as your GroupWise
system. Those default settings can be inherited by each subgroup that you create thereafter if you
select Apply Options to Subgroups. Those default settings can be overridden by establishing
different settings for an agent group or for an individual agent if you deselect Use Parent Options.

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63.3 Configuring Monitoring Protocols
By default, the Monitor Agent uses HTTP to communicate with the agents it monitors. If HTTP is
not available, the Monitor Agent changes automatically to SNMP.
GroupWise 8 agents, GroupWise 7 agents, GroupWise 6.xagents and 6.x-level gateways, as well as
the GroupWise agents provided with the GroupWise 5.5 Enhancement Pack, can be monitored using
HTTP. Agents dating from GroupWise 5.5 and earlier, as well as 5.5-level GroupWise gateways,
must be monitored using SNMP.
Section 63.3.1, “Configuring the Monitor Agent for HTTP,” on page 1014
Section 63.3.2, “Configuring the Monitor Agent for SNMP,” on page 1016
63.3.1 Configuring the Monitor Agent for HTTP
You can customize how the Monitor Agent communicates with your Web browser.
At the Windows Monitor Agent server console:
1Click Configuration > HTTP.
or
At the Linux Monitor Agent Web console, click Preferences > Setup, then scroll down to the
HTTP Settings section.
2Modify the HTTP settings as needed:
HTTP Refresh: Specify the number of seconds after which the Monitor Agent sends updated
information to the Monitor Web console. The default is 300 seconds (5 minutes).
HTTP Port: Specify the port number for the Monitor Agent to listen on for requests for
information from the Web console. The default port number is 8200.
Open a new window when viewing agents: Select this option to open a new Web browser
window whenever you display an agent Web console. This enables you to view the Monitor
Web console and an agent Web console at the same time, or to view two agent Web consoles at
the same time for comparison.
3Click OK to put the new HTTP settings into effect.

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At the Windows Monitor Agent server console:
4Click Configuration > Poll Settings.
or
On Linux, at the Monitor Agent Web console, click Preferences > Setup, then scroll down to
the HTTP Settings section.
5Fill in the following fields:
Poll Cycle: Specify the number of seconds after which the Monitor Agent polls all monitored
GroupWise agents for updated information.
By default, the Monitor Agent starts 20 threads to poll monitored agents. You can use the /
pollthreads startup switch to adjust the number of threads. For more information, see
Chapter 67, “Using Monitor Agent Startup Switches,” on page 1063.
By default, the Monitor Agent communicates with other GroupWise agents by way of XML.
However, if XML is unavailable, the Monitor Agent automatically uses SNMP instead. Prior to
the GroupWise 5.5 Enhancement Pack, GroupWise agents did not support XML, so the
Monitor Agent must use SNMP to monitor these older agents. If you need to monitor older
agents, see Section 63.3.2, “Configuring the Monitor Agent for SNMP,” on page 1016.
If all monitored agents in the group require the same username and password in order to
communicate with the Monitor Agent, you can provide that information as part of the Monitor
Agent’s configuration.
HTTP User Name: Provide the username for the Monitor Agent to use when contacting
monitored agents in the group for status information.
HTTP Password: Provide the password, if any, associated with the username specified in the
field above.
NOTE: On Linux, at the Monitor Agent Web console, the HTTP User Name and HTTP
Password fields are not available. However, you can use the --httpagentuser and --
httpagentpassword startup switches when you start the Monitor Agent to achieve the same
functionality. For more information, see Chapter 67, “Using Monitor Agent Startup Switches,”
on page 1063.
If the monitored agents use different usernames and passwords, you are prompted to supply
them when the Monitor Agent needs to communicate with the monitored agents.

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6Select Apply options to subgroups if you want subgroups to inherit these settings.
7Click OK to put the specified poll cycle into effect.
63.3.2 Configuring the Monitor Agent for SNMP
The Monitor Agent must use SNMP to communicate with GroupWise agents that date from earlier
than the GroupWise 5.5 Enhancement Pack. You can customize how the Monitor Agent
communicates with such older agents and how it communicates with SNMP monitoring and
management programs.
At the Windows Monitor Agent server console:
1Click Configuration > Poll Settings.
or
On Linux, at the Monitor Agent Web console, click Preferences > Setup, then scroll down to
the SNMP Settings section.
2Specify the number of seconds after which the Monitor Agent polls all monitored GroupWise
agents for updated information using SNMP.
3In the SNMP box, modify the SNMP settings as needed:
Time-out: Specify the number of seconds the Monitor Agent should wait for a response from
servers where GroupWise agents run.
Number of Retries: Specify how often the Monitor Agent should try to contact the servers
where GroupWise agents run.
SNMP Community Strings: Provide a comma-delimited list of community strings required to
access the servers where GroupWise agents run.
Force polling through SNMP: Select this option to use SNMP polling instead of the default
of XML polling when contacting servers where agents in the group run.
4Click Apply options to subgroups if you want subgroups to inherit these settings.

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5Click OK to put the new SNMP settings into effect.
6Make sure the GroupWise agents you want to monitor using SNMP are enabled for SNMP. See
Section 37.6.1, “Setting Up SNMP Services for the POA,” on page 555 and Section 42.6.1,
“Setting Up SNMP Services for the MTA,” on page 683. The same instructions can be
followed for all GroupWise 5.x, 6.x, 7, and 8 agents.
63.4 Configuring Polling of Monitored Agents
By default, the Monitor Agent polls all monitored agents every five minutes. You can adjust the poll
cycle as needed.
At the Windows Monitor Agent server console:
1Select the root agent group to set the poll cycle default for all monitored agents.
or
Select any agent group to set the poll cycle for the agents in the selected group.
or
Select any agent to set the poll cycle for that individual agent.
2Click Configuration > Poll Settings.
or
At the Linux Monitor Agent Web console, select one ore more agents, click Preferences >
Setup, then scroll down to the HTTP Settings section.
Unless you selected the root agent group, Use Parent Notification Options is selected and all
options are dimmed. Deselect Use Parent Notification Options to set up e-mail notification for
an agent group.
3Increase or decrease the poll cycle as needed, then click OK.

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63.5 Configuring E-Mail Notification for Agent
Problems
The Monitor Agent can notify you by e-mail when agent problems arise.
Section 63.5.1, “Configuring E-Mail Notification,” on page 1018
Section 63.5.2, “Customizing Notification Thresholds,” on page 1019
63.5.1 Configuring E-Mail Notification
You can configure the Monitor Agent to notify one or more users by e-mail if an agent goes down.
You can also receive e-mail confirmation messages showing that the Monitor Agent itself is still
running normally.
At the Windows Monitor Agent server console:
1Select the root agent group to set up e-mail notification defaults for all monitored agents.
or
Select any agent group to set up e-mail notification for the agents in the selected group.
or
Select any agent to set up e-mail notification for that individual agent.
2Click Configuration > Notification.
or
On Linux, at the Monitor Agent Web console, select one or more agents, then click Preferences
> Setup to display the Notify settings.
Unless you selected the root agent group, Use Parent Notification Options is selected and all
options are dimmed. Deselect Use Parent Notification Options to set up e-mail notification for
an agent group or an individual agent.
3Specify one or more e-mail addresses or pager addresses to send notifications to.

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4Specify the Internet domain name of your GroupWise system.
5If the mail system to which e-mail notification is being sent performs reverse DNS lookups,
specify the IP address or hostname of a server to relay the notification messages through.
The Monitor Agent should relay e-mail notifications through a server that has a published DNS
address.
6Click Test Notify to determine if the Monitor Agent can successfully send to the addresses
specified in the Notification List field.
A message informs you of the results of the test. If the test is successful, a test message arrives
shortly at each address. If the test is unsuccessful, double-check the information you provided
in the Notification List, Mail Domain Name, and Relay Address fields.
7Select the events to trigger e-mail notification messages.
Agent Down
Server Down
Threshold Exceeded
State returns to Normal
If you want to be notified of more specific states, see Section 63.5.2, “Customizing Notification
Thresholds,” on page 1019.
8Select the amount of time that you want to elapse before repeat e-mail notifications are sent.
9To monitor the Monitor Agent and assure it is functioning normally, select Periodic Monitor
Confirmation, then select the number of minutes between Monitor Agent e-mail confirmation
messages.
10 Click OK to save the e-mail notification settings.
63.5.2 Customizing Notification Thresholds
To refine the types of events that trigger e-mail notification messages, you can create your own
thresholds that describe very specific states. Using thresholds, you can configure the Monitor Agent
to notify you of problem situations peculiar to your GroupWise system.
1Make sure that notification has been properly set up as described in Section 63.5.1,
“Configuring E-Mail Notification,” on page 1018.
2Select one or more agents or agent groups.
At the Windows Monitor Agent server console:
3Click Configuration > Thresholds.
or
On Linux, at the Monitor Agent Web console, click Preferences > Thresholds.

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The tabs at the top of the dialog box enable you to create a separate threshold for each type of
GroupWise agent.
4Select the type of agent to create a threshold for.
5In the Expression field, select a MIB variable.
GroupWise agent MIB files are located in the
\agents\snmp directory of your GroupWise
software distribution directory or the GroupWise 8 DVD or downloaded GroupWise 8 image.
The MIB files list the meanings of the MIB variables and what type of values they represent.
The meaning of the MIB variable selected in the Expression field is displayed above the field.
6Select an operator from the drop-down list.
7Type the value to test for.
For example, you might want to test the mtaOldestQMsg variable for a specific number of
seconds that you consider to be too long for a message to be in the queue.
8In the State field, select an existing state.
or
Create a new state:
8a In the Group Thresholds window, next to the State field, click Define State.
Icon State
Unknown
Normal
Informational
Marginal
Warning
Minor
Major
Critical