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This help page is for version 8.2. The latest available help is for version 9.4.

PA Server Monitor Documentation Table of Contents

Welcome & Install

Product Overview
Getting Started with PA Server Monitor
Concepts & Terms
PA Server Monitor is composed of a console that you interact with, and a system service that is started when the computer boots up and is always running in the background.
Main Installation
Installing the Central Monitoring System (Typical Install)
Starting the Console
How to start the Console and connect to a monitoring service

Getting Started

Console
If a problem persists for longer and longer, different sets of actions can be run to progressively deal with the issue (for example try auto resolving, and if that doesn't work contact the tech staff).
Startup Wizard
The Startup Wizard walks you through a few standard dialogs to help configure your system for basic monitoring.
Global Settings
Group servers together in visual groups to help keep track of them. Group-based status reports are also available.
Database Settings
Easily point PA Server Monitor at the embedded SQLite database or use an external Microsoft SQL Server.
Report Settings
Configure how often the server status reports are generated via the Report Settings dialog.
HTTP Settings
Control the HTTP port that PA Server Monitor uses, and optionally enable HTTPS (SSL)
Smart Config
Paste a list of servers or IP address into a list and let PA Server Monitor inspect and self-configure for each server/device. Or easily copy the configuration from one configured server to one or more other servers.
Adding Computers
Automatic configuration of monitors for a server. Each monitor inspects a server and then creates appropriate default monitors for that specific server.
Adding Monitors
Paste a list of servers or IP address into a list and let PA Server Monitor inspect and self-configure for each server/device. Or easily copy the configuration from one configured server to one or more other servers.
Adding Actions
Perform changes of settings in actions, monitors, reports and scheduling for several servers at one time, or copy configuration settings to other servers.
Bulk Config
Perform changes of settings in actions, monitors, reports and scheduling for several servers at one time, or copy configuration settings to other servers.

Adv. Configuration

Acknowledging Alerts
Acknowledge alerts to indicate they have been seen, are owned, and being worked on.
Adv. Monitor Options
Many advanced options that exist on every monitor can help PA Server Monitor work the way you want it to.
Alert Reminders
Configure reminders to get sent for previous alerts that might not have been handled yet
Automatic Config
Automatic rules-based detection and configuration of monitors.
Automatic Fail Over
Setup a second instance of PA Server Monitor to monitor the primary monitoring service, and take over if it fails
Command Line
Different options that can be used to help automate PA Server Monitor.
Config Email Ack
Acknowledge alerts by replying to an email.
Config Security
Password protect the Console, and alert on changes that could affect monitoring.
Credential Manager
View and change existing credentials in the Credential Manager.
Credentials: AWS
Edit AWS settings centrally to control the credentials used when monitoring a server via the AWS (Amazon Web Services) CloudWatch API.
Credentials: ESX
Edit ESX settings centrally to control the credentials used when monitoring a server via the VMWare ESX API.
Credentials: IPMI
Edit IPMI settings centrally to control the credentials used when monitoring a server via IPMI.
Credentials: SNMP
Edit SNMP settings centrally to control the credentials used when monitoring a server via SNMP.
Credentials: SSH
Edit SSH settings centrally to control the credentials used when monitoring a server via SSH.
Credentials: Windows
Edit Windows credentials to control the credentials used when monitoring a server via Windows RPC.
Custom Icons
Servers/devices and groups can have custom icons manually or automatically assigned based on what the Inventory Collector monitor finds.
Custom Properties
Set cascading iCustomer Properties on Groups, Computers/Devices and Monitors which can be used in monitor, scripts and message templates.
Customize Menus
Customize the Operations right-click pop-up menu in the Console to add your own commands, or change or remove existing commands
Error Auditing
Keep track of which errors have been reviewed and acknowledged. Also a great way for administrators to have an overview of any errors within their area of responsibility.
Event Deduplication
Detects errors which are very similar or identical to existing outstanding alerts and suppresses them.
Event Escalation
Many monitors are capable of sending escalating events. For example, low disk space alerts could first go to a first-tier Ops team. If the aren't handled in a specified time frame, they could be forwarded to a second-tier Ops team.
Expansion Variables
Variables with details about alerts can be used to change the output of custom messages.
External API
Send basic configuration requests to the product via an HTTPS URL.
File Locations
Locations of files used in the product
Import & Export
Paste a list of servers or IP address into a list and let PA Server Monitor inspect and self-configure for each server/device. Or easily copy the configuration from one configured server to one or more other servers.
Locking Configuration
Lock monitors or actions to prevent their configuration from being changed.
Maintenance Mode
While a computer is in maintenance mode, PA Server Monitor won't run monitors. It will turn itself back on automatically after the maintenance window expires if you manually entered maintenance mode, or it can automatically enter and leave maintenance mode on a schedule.
Mobile: Android
PA Server Monitor for Android lets you stay up to date even if you're away
Mobile: iPhone
PA Server Monitor for iPhone lets you stay up to date even if you're away
Monitor Schedule
You can configure how often every single monitor runs -- put them on a custom poll cycle or let them run with the default schedule.
Monitor Templates
Create monitors at a group level that are automatically deployed to all servers/devices within the group.
Secure Settings
Controls various security related functions in the application
VMWare ESX
Monitor aspects of a VMWare ESX host server.

Monitors

Action Scheduler
Automate common IT tasks with the Action Scheduler. It will run your defined Actions when you specify.
Active Dir. Change
Monitor creation, deletion, and changes of the Active Directory objects.
Active Directory Login
Monitor login and other security-related activity in Active Directory, Domain servers, and even for local logins.
All-Systems-GO
Reports to the All-Systems-GO service which can notify you if the monitoring installation is affected in any way that would prevent its from alerting.
Bandwidth
Monitor bandwidth, network error counts, broadcasts and other values from SNMP-based devices as well as from Windows Performance Counters.
Calculated Status
This monitor lets you calculate its status by running a script on the statuses of other monitors.
Citrix Server
Monitor and alert on Citrix XenApp (Presentation Server) client connect and login response times. Alert if too slow, and record times for historical charts.
Database
The Database Monitor can watch that individual databases are up and running, keep an eye on the transaction log size, and alert if databases are added or deleted from a server.
Directory Quota
The Directory Quota Monitor keeps track of directory sizes, and executes actions if the directory sizes are over the quota. End users (directory owners) can be notified via email with the Monitor-Directed E-mail action. Includes reports.
Disk Space
Monitor the free disk space on server drives. You can set the warning threshold in absolute size, or percentage of disk space. Includes reports and auto-configuration.
DNS
Monitor the results of a DNS lookup, or a reverse DNS lookup. You can specify which DNS server the request should be sent to. If an unexpected result is returned, actions are fired.
Dynamic Server List
Dynamic Server Lists are groups of serves that meet your criteria. Once the list is known, you can define Dynamic Groups based on the list, and use that group everywhere else groups are used.
Email
Monitor email messages in a POP3 or IMAP4 mail box for messages that contain specific text. When a match is found, alerts are fired.
Environment
Connects to an Esensors EM01b Websensor on the LAN and monitors the current temperature, humidity and luminescence, and notifies you if the values go above thresholds that you set. Historical reports as well.
Event Log
Checks any specified Windows Event Logs (Application, System, Security plus custom event logs) and executes actions you specify if a source you're interested in adds an event to the log.
Event Validator
Verifies that specific events, such as backup succeeded or anti-virus pattern file updated events are in the event log. If they are missing, fire alerts.
Execute Scripts
Execute your custom written scripts written in the Visual Basic Scripting Edition language. You can use custom or 3rd party ActiveX controls. The script determines whether to trigger actions using your own logic.
File Age
Monitor file ages and alert if the files become too old (good for watching server queues, spool directories, etc).
File/Directory Size
Track the size of a directory or a set of specific files within a directory. Includes reports.
File & Directory (CIFS)
This monitor is a host-based IDS (Intrusion Detection System) that will notify you when the date, size or even content of a file changes on local files, or files on any CIFS share. File creation and deletion is also monitored. A good tool to help with configuration management as well. Auto-configuration functionality is available.
FTP Server
The FTP Server monitor can login to FTP servers (including SSL-enabled FTP servers) to make sure they are up and running.
Hardware
Monitor the hardware status of ESX, Dell DRAC/iDRAC, HP iLO, IBM RAS and other IPMI-based devices.
Inventory Alerter
Alerts on inventory data collected by the Inventory Collector monitor.
Inventory Collector
Collects inventory information (hardware information, pending Windows Update, anti-virus status, etc) from a variety of sources including WMI, SNMP and an optional System Details application.
Log File
Periodically checks the content of one or more log files for target text. Target text and be a simple text phrase or a regular expression.
Mail Server
Monitor your mail servers (POP3, IMAP & SMTP) and validate that they are running and accepting incoming connections.
Network Scan
The Network Scan monitor will periodically perform a ping scan of a specified IP address range looking for new devices that are not already being monitored. They can automatically get added to the system and configured for monitoring.
Performance
The entire breadth of the system Performance Counters can be monitored allowing you to set actionable thresholds on CPU usage, memory usage, NIC traffic, etc. Performance counter values are stored in a database so you can view historical counter reports and understand trends.
Ping
Tests a connection/device by periodically testing it with a ping. No response or too great a delay triggers actions. Ping response times are recorded in a database for reporting and graphing.
Plugin
Runs an executable or external script launched via Windows, or via SSH, and parses the output to determine whether alerts should be fired. Plugins can also return values that are recorded to the database and can be charted.
Process
Monitor that specified processes are running on Windows or Linux servers.
RD Gateway
Monitor Remote Desktop Gateways and show currently connected sessions on a dashboard
Server Temperature
Using the free SpeedFan utility, the Server Temperature Monitor will watch the values from the various temperature probes on your server and notify you if they go above the thresholds you set.
Service
Watches system services and runs customized actions (including restarting the service) if they are not running.
SNMP
Connects to local or remote SNMP agents and queries SNMP object values. Custom MIBs are supported. The value is compared to a threshold that you set and actions are fired as specified. SNMP values are also recorded to a local database for reporting purposes. Supports SNMP v1, v2c and v3.
SNMP Trap
Receives SNMP Traps and optionally filters on trap text before running attached actions.
Syslog
Receives Syslog log events and optionally filters on incoming log text before running attached actions.
Task Scheduler
Monitors the enable/disable status and the Last Run Result value of Windows Task Scheduler tasks.
TCP Port
Makes a TCP connection on a specified port. Optionally send command text and check response text. Timing data is recorded for reporting purposes.
Web Page
Monitor one or many pages on a web site. Checks for positive cases (text that must be found), negative cases (alerts if error text found) and if the page has changed at all. Response times are checked and recorded, and reports can be generated to understand trends.

Actions

Action List
Groups of actions for common notifications, group notifications, etc.
Call URL
This action will call a URL you specify, optionally posting information about the current alert. This makes it easy to connect to a helpdesk/ticketing system.
Desktop Notifier
Delivers alerts to Windows desktops via a pop-up message box or a slider in the lower right corner of the screen.
Dial-Up Connection
Connects or disconnects a Windows Dial-up Connection. Typically this is for servers that are not on the Internet, but need to connect to send alerts.
E-mail Alert
Sends SMTP email messages to mail boxes, cell phones, mobile devices, etc. The E-mail action has Alert Digests which are a powerful/friendly feature that combines multiple alerts that happen within a short time into a single email notification. This can be very helpful when something goes really wrong. You can easily specify when messages should be sent or suppressed.
Execute Script
Similar to the Execute Script monitor, this Action lets you extend the list of available actions via your own script written in VBScript. Many variables from the source monitor are also available for creating rich, situation-specific responses.
Message Box
A simple message box that displays monitor findings. These message boxes are smart: if there are many pending alerts you can easily dismiss them all at once.
Directed-Email
The monitor which detects a problem specifies the email address to use for each alert. This is very useful when sending reminders and alerts to end users such as with the User Quota Monitor and the Directory Quota Monitor.
Network Message
Sends a message box containing the critical monitor details to every place that you are logged in.
Pager Alert via SNPP
Send monitor results to pagers via standard Simple Network Paging Protocol (SNPP). You can easily specify when messages should be sent or suppressed, and the content of the message.
PagerDuty Integration
Send alerts directly to your PagerDuty account and track them using the full power of the PagerDuty platform.
Phone Dialer
Dials a modem/phone and optionally sends DTMF commands or other commands (to send SMS messages for example). This is typically used by a disconnected server to send an alert over a normal phone line (where the CallerID identifies the server)
Play Sound
Audible alert when monitors detect a problem with the server.
Reboot Server
Reboots the server if a monitor has detected a critical system failure.
Run Report
When this action is triggered, it will run the specified Scheduled Report including sending any emails or saving PDF or CSV files that report requires.
SMS Text Message
Send SMS text messages to your mobile device via your service providers SMS Internet gateway (SMPP server). You can control which information gets sent, as well as when messages are allowed.
Server Maintenance
Set or remove the Immediate Maintenance period for a server or servers
SNMP Trap
Sends an SNMP Trap with details from the monitor firing the action
Start Application
Starts a specified application when the monitor triggers actions
Start Service
Sends control messages to the Windows Service Control Manager to start, stop or restart a specified service.
Syslog
Sends monitor alerts to a Syslog server on the network
Write to Event Log
Writes monitor details to the Windows Event Log.
Write to Log File
Log the findings of any triggered monitor to a file. Separate files can be created for each day, week, month, etc.

Reports

Ad Hoc Reports
Generate reports on the fly to quickly see graphical trends
Branding Reports
Easily brand reports with your company logo at the top
Group Settings
Group summary reports can be specified and controlled in a per-group way. In addition, group reports can be automatically emailed to anyone that needs to keep track of the servers.
Inventory
Collect and report on hardware and system inventory of the monitored servers and devices.
Multi-Port Chart
Combines and shows multiple bandwidth charts on an efficient set of one or more graphs.
Password Protection
Password protect web reports in PA Server Monitor
Satellite Status
Quickly see the current status of an individual Satellite Monitoring Service.
Satellite Summaries
Two reports that let you see the status of all of the Satellites at once.
Scheduled Reports
You can create scheduled reports which will get created when you want them, and optionally email the report to a list of recipients. Scheduled report URLs are stable so you can add them to your Favorites list to quickly and easily see the latest results.
Server Status
Easily see at a glance the state of your server along with system statistics
System Activity Log
Quickly see which monitors are running, how long they are taking, which actions are being fired and more.
Standard Report Tabs
View the tabs and information that is common among most report types.
Uptime Reports
Uptime Reports can be run on many different types of data, with summarization at the raw, hourly, daily, weekly and monthly level.
Grp: All Errors Report
The All Errors report show all recent errors on all monitors on all servers/devices within a group. This is a good place to quickly get a detailed view of any problems happening on the network.
Grp: All Servers Report
This report shows all of your servers in a group in a single page. Each server is a small box that is color coded according to the status of the monitors on that server.
Grp: Custom Group
Create custom reports at a group level to show custom HTML, charts, and other status values for the contained servers.
Grp: Group Overview
A compact report that shows high-level server health with detailed monitor types in a column layout.
Grp: Group Summary
See a one line status indicator per server to see at a glance how the servers in your data center are doing. Per-group status reports are also supported.
Grp: Network Map
View all of the servers/devices within a group in a single report, grouping all computers and showing their status.
Grp: Status Map
See a graphical map that contains status indicators that show you at a glance how servers in different geographic regions are doing.
Sys: Config Audit
This report shows you what your current configuration is with your Groups, Servers, Monitors, and Actions.
Sys: Conn. Sessions
See all sessions (Console, Satellite, mobile apps) currently connected to the Central Service.
Sys: Error Audit
Powerful report to look at current and past alert conditions that have been detected by the system.
Sys: Monitor Scope
Displays a summary of what is being monitored on a per-group basis. This would be appropriate to show stake holders to indicate the level of monitoring work being done.
Sys: Monitor Status
A quick table-based overview of current monitor statuses. You can specify a specific monitor type, only monitors in error, etc.
Sys: Statistics
View system statistics such as HTTPS connections and data transferred, numbers of monitors and connected Satellites, etc.
Sys: System Audit
Find out about activities within the monitoring system, such as alert emails sent, user logins, Satellite disconnects, etc.
Sys: User Permissions
This report will display all users defined in the system, what they have access to, and their permissions.

Remote Sites

Remote Monitoring
Monitoring remote servers and devices with PA Server Monitor
Install Prerequisites
Pre-requisites for installing a remote Console or Agent
Install Satellites
Installing a monitoring agent at a remote location
Configure Satellites
Configuring a monitoring agent at a remote location
Satellite Operations
Operations on a Satellite Monitoring Service

Remote Support

SNAP Tunnels
Safely send data to remote networks using SNAP Tunnels
Remote Desktop
Securely connect to Remote Desktop even through firewalls with PA Server Monitor

Remote Users

Install Consoles
Installing a Console GUI
Remote Access Users
Managing remote user access
Filter User Access
Control which users can see which groups and servers

HOWTO

Ack and Silence Alerts
How to acknowledge alerts such that they stop coming for known problems.
Add Licenses
How to add licenses.
Alternate Sat Upgrade
Discover how to make Satellite upgrades download the installer file from an alternate location
Audit Logons
Information on auditing Windows account logon and logon failures.
Deploy Satellites
Information on deploying Satellites remotely.
Disable Remote UAC
Steps to disable remote UAC so remote administrator rights work.
Embed Child Reports
Steps to embed child Custom Reports within parent Custom Reports
Extract Data
Extract data from the databases for use in your own systems
Group Devices
How to dynamically group servers and devices based on arbitrary device selection
Ignore Google Update
How to ignore the changing Google Update services
Integration
How to integrate with other enterprise systems and usage scenarios
Monitor ASP.NET
How to monitor ASP.NET Counters
Monitor Backups
How to monitor backup software
Monitor Databases
Techniques for monitoring databases
Monitor Exchange
How to monitor Microsoft Exchange server
Monitor IIS
How to monitor Internet Information Services (IIS)
Monitor MySQL
How to monitor MySQL
Monitor RADIUS
How to monitor RADIUS servers
Monitor SQL Server
How to monitor SQL Server
Monitor SSL Certs
How to monitor SSL certificate expiration
Monitor via SNMP
How to monitor devices via SNMP
Monitor Voice SIP
How to monitor voice SIP
Monitor Win. Firewall
How to monitor if Windows Firewall is completely on
Prepare for Imaging
How to prepare a Satellite installation for disk imaging and duplication
Predict Full Disks
How to predict when the disk will be full.
Shrink Databases
How to shrink the embedded database files in the Databases folder
Slack Integration
How to integrate with Slack by sending alerts to Slack channels.
Uptime Summary
Learn how to generate an uptime report showing the summarized uptime for a number of servers on the same report.
Use Other SSL Cert
Explains how to use your own SSL certificate in place of the default.
Using Dependencies
Explains how to add Dependencies to monitors and templates.

PA Server Monitor

Help Map