GroundWork Portlets

This page reviews the functionality of each of the available GroundWork portlets. For configurable portlet features see Developer Reference > Configuring GroundWork Portlets.

Contents

1.0 Event

The Event portlet is an embedded Event Console application which provides an event list for the Entire Network, a selected Host Group, Host, or Service along with the capability of applying actions, sorting, and pausing incoming events. This portlet is part of the Dashboards > Trouble View, is embedded in the Status application at the Host Group, Host, and Service levels, and can be added to custom dashboards.

1. Select All - To select events to apply actions to, use Select All to include all events or select each event individually.
2. Actions - Enables a user to change the identified log messages to a selected operation status (based on associated applications), these include; Accept Log Message, Notify Log Message, Nagios Acknowledge, Close Log Message, Open Log Message, and Submit Passive Check SNMPTRAP specific). Once actions have been applied the events will be removed from the Events List and relocated to the Operation Status folder available in the Event Console application.
3. Pause Incoming Events and Resume Incoming Events - Used to freeze/resume active updating of events.
4. Event List -- List of all event details with pagination:
   • Received by GW - Monitoring system date and time the event was initially reported and received by GroundWork Monitor.
   • Msg Count - Count of occurrences of one particular message - many messages are very similar and are consolidated into one event message. This consolidation feature reduces the number of similar messages in the LogMessage table. For each insert the consolidation criteria will be applied to the incoming message, then the First Inserted and Last Inserted date/time is tracked. Consolidation of events is built in to the adapter module for each source of data, so depending on the adapter settings, messages may be individually recorded, or displayed as the same message record with an incrementing count.
   • Host - The host where the event was reported. The host column device names are actual links to monitors in the Status application.
   • Service - The name of the Service for the Service Alert. This is a Nagios specific displayed column in Event Console.
   • Status - Current status mapped internal to Nagios state. Color coding matches the status. OK is color coded in green indicating that a device is OK and that it is up; CRITICAL is red indicating the device is in a critical, fatal, down or unreachable state depending on the application type, and WARNING is color coded in yellow indicating that an event is in a warning state and although not critical should eventually be looked into. There is also a PENDING status which is color coded in orange indicating an unknown state.
   • Message - The event message indicating status and a brief description of the event. Hover over this message to read the entire contents.
   • Application Type - The application type of the event. This can be system level errors, Nagios monitoring type events, SNMP Trap, or Syslog.
   • Severity - Application severity. Severity type will depend on what type of events are being viewed.
   • Last Detected - Date and time the last message came in for this event.
   • First Detected - Date and time the first message came in for this event.
     
     Figure: Event Console Portlet in Dashboards Trouble View
     

2.0 Hit List

The Hit List dashboard provides an at-a-glance and up-to-date view of all unresolved issues, both acknowledged and unacknowledged, from all monitoring sources.

New installations of GroundWork Monitor version 7.1.1 and above include Hit List dashboard as a shared dashboard from the Dashboards menu option. Systems upgraded from 7.1.0 to 7.1.1 do not include the Hit List dashboard as a shared dashboard by default and must be added, see Appendix A: Adding Hit List Dashboard on this page. This same procedure needs to be used for new installations to be able to access the Hit List portlet when creating new dashboards and pages.

Figure: His List Portlet in Dashboards Hit List

3.0 Host Health

The Host Health portlet displays the current state of the selected host. This portlet is embedded in the Status application at the Host level and can be added to custom dashboards.

1. Host Name - Name and Alias for the selected host along with a color-coded status indicator representing the current state of the host.
2. Current State Date and Time - Displays the current date and time since the the host has been in the current displayed state.
   
3. Groups for this Host - The usage of host groups simplifies access control, status displays, notifications, scheduling maintenance, multi-server commands, and reports. The portlet displays the number of host groups this host belongs to and links to a popup window with status information and further drill-down capability.
4. Parents for this Host - Parents are typically routers, switches, firewalls, etc. that lie between the monitoring host and a remote host. The portlet displays the number of parents this host belongs to and links to a popup window with status information and further drill-down capability.
   
   Figure: Host Health Portlet in Status
   

4.0 Host Information

The Host Information portlet displays detailed status and check information. This portlet is embedded in the Status application at the Host level and can be added to custom dashboards.

1. Status Information - 
   • Status: Current state of the host, IP address, performance via RTA (round trip average), lost % (packet loss).
   • Acknowledged: Notification acknowledgement.
   • In Downtime: Indicates if the monitor is currently in downtime.
   • Last Notification: Date and time of the last notification received.
2. Check Information - 
   • Last Check: Displays the current  date and time of the last check.
   • Next Check: Displays the current  date and time of the next check, (check interval).
   • Check Attempt: Tallies the number of check attempts out of the configured max check attempts, if reached initiates an alert.
   • Latency/Duration: Time interval between the input and response.
   • % State Change: Using the state transitions to determine a percent state change value (a measure of change) for the host.
3. Related Links - Enables the display of custom links to access related information.

   An administrator can customize these links for Status in the status-viewer.properties file, and for Dashboards within edit preferences. Only administrators and operators type users can see links in this section. See Developer Reference > Configuring GroundWork Portlets.

   Figure: Host Information Portlet in Status
   

5.0 Host List

The Host List portlet provides a listing with status of the selected host group's hosts. This portlet is part of the view in Dashboards > Trouble View and System View, is embedded in the Status application at the Host Group, and can be added to custom dashboards. The portlet can be configured to show hosts for the Entire Network or for a specific Host Group, to not show hosts in specified states, and to not show acknowledged hosts.

1. Event, Nagios Statistics & Host List - Expanding this area displays the host list at the bottom of the screen.
2. Host Name - The portlet allows for each device name to be selected to drill-down into more detail.
3. Acknowledge - Each host problem can be directly acknowledged.
   
   Figure: Host List Portlet in Status
   

6.0 Host Summary

The Host Summary portlet shows host monitoring statistics with drill-down capability for viewing detailed data. This portlet is visible in Status at the Entire Network and Host Group levels and can be added to custom dashboards. The image below shows the Host States filter set for Hosts UNSCHEDULED DOWN and Unacknowledged with results shown in a graph and listed in the corresponding filtered totals.

1. Graph - This portlet displays a graph for an at-a-glance Filtered Totals view of your overall host status representing segments of host states, listed to the right.
2. State Values - The displayed values indicate the number of Filtered (these are graphed) and Total hosts in a specific state.
3. Total Hosts  - Shows totals for both filtered and all monitored hosts.
   
   Figure: Host Summary Portlet in Status
   

7.0 Host Availability

The Host Availability portlet displays color-coded status for the selected host and time period. This portlet is part of the Dashboards > Monitoring view, is embedded in the Status application at the Host level, and can be added to custom dashboards. The image below shows the host availability for the selected host applicationhost with (11 Services).

1. Host Availability & Performance Measurement - Expanding this area displays the the host availability portlet along with performance graphs.
2. Host Name and Services - The name of the host and number of services are listed first and horizontal bars show host-services availability by status color.
3. Time Selector - The time selector enables the user to change the present time period for the graph.
   
   Figure: Host Availability Portlet in Status
   

8.0 HostGroup Health

The HostGroup Health portlet displays the status for the selected host group's host and service availability. This portlet is visible in Status at the Host Group level and can be added to custom dashboards. The image below shows the host availability for the selected host group Linux Servers a Host availability of 95% and Service availability of 89.0%.

1. Availability - Displays hostgroup host and service availability.
2. Host Group Status - Shows a color coded status indicator as the host group's (as a parent node), most critical state, (e.g. Down if any of the underlying hosts are in a Down state).
   
   Figure: HostGroup Health Portlet in Status
   

9.0 HostGroup Summary

The Host Group Summary portlet shows host group monitoring statistics with drill-down capability for viewing detailed data. This portlet is part of Dashboards > Enterprise View, is embedded in the Status application at the Entire Network level, and can be added to custom dashboards.

1. Graph - Displays a graph for an at-a-glance Filtered Totals view of the host group's status representing segments of host group states, listed to the right.
2. State Values - The displayed values indicate the number of Filtered (these are graphed) and Total host groups in a specific state.
   
   Figure: HostGroup Summary Portlet in Status
   

10.0 Monitoring Performance

The Monitoring Performance portlet shows performance monitoring graphs and statistics in the form of dial charts and communicates with Nagios performance JMS to show graphs for Service Latency, Service Execution and Checks. This portlet is part of the Dashboards > Monitoring view, and can be added to custom dashboards.

1. Service Latency -  Measures service latency in seconds (it’s the time interval between the input and response).
2. Service Execution - Measures the number of seconds for check execution.
3. Service Checks - Measures the number of checks performed per minute.
   
   Figure: Monitoring Performance Portlet in Dashboards Monitoring View
   

11.0 Performance Measurement

Graphs may not be available for a service unless configured by a system administrator using the Configuration > Performance feature in GroundWork Monitor.

The Performance Measurement portlet provides RRD graphs for the various host services. This portlet is part of the Dashboards > Monitoring view,  is embedded in the Status application at the Host and Service levels, and can be added to custom dashboards. In the image below the the host sf2-hp-sw-1 provides the http_alive and icmp _ping_alive performance graphs.

1. Host Availability & Performance Measurement - Expanding this area displays the performance graphs. which are arranged in the same order of the Host Availability portlet and aligned also by their timelines.
2. Graphs - The integrated performance graphs display time-series data such as; network bandwidth, CPU utilization, machine-room temperature, transaction response times, and server load averages.
3. Time Filters - Today, Last 24 Hours, Last 30 Days, Custom Date-Time etc, can be selected as needed.
   
   Figure: Performance Measurement Portlet in Status
   

12.0 Service Availability

The Service Availability (Recent State Changes) portlet displays color-coded status for the selected service and time period. This portlet is visible in Status at the Service level, and can be added to custom dashboards. The image below shows the specific service availability for the selected host demo.

1. Service Availability & Performance Measurement - Expanding this area displays the the service availability portlet along with performance graphs.
2. Services - The service is listed first and a horizontal bar shows the service availability by status color.
3. Time Selector - The time selector enables the user to change the present time period for the graph.
   
   Figure: Service Availability Portlet in Status
   

13.0 Service Health

The Service Health portlet displays the current state of the selected service. This portlet is embedded in the Status application at the Service level, and can be added to custom dashboards.

1. Service Name - Name for the selected service along with a color-coded status indicator representing the current state of the service.
2. Current State Date and Time - Displays the current date and time since the the service has been in the current displayed state.
3. Groups for this Service - The usage of service groups simplifies access control, status displays, notifications, scheduling maintenance, multi-server commands, and reports. The portlet displays the number of service groups this service belongs to and links to a popup window with status information and further drill-down capability.
4. Host for this Service - This is the selected service's host, and if selected opens an additional Status tab for that host.
   
   Figure: Service Health Portlet in Status
   

14.0 Service Information

The Service Information portlet displays detailed status and check information. This portlet is visible in Status at the Service view level, and can be added to custom dashboards and configured to display a selected host and service.

1. Status Information - 
   • Status: Current state of the service, IP address, performance via RTA (round trip average), lost % (packet loss).
   • Acknowledged: Notification acknowledgement.
   • In Downtime: Indicates if the monitor is currently in downtime.
   • Last Notification: Date and time of the last notification received.
2. Check Information - 
   • Last Check: Displays the current  date and time of the last check.
   • Next Check: Displays the current  date and time of the next check, (check interval).
   • Check Attempt: Tallies the number of check attempts out of the configured max check attempts, if reached initiates an alert.
   • Latency/Duration: Time interval between the input and response.
   • % State Change: Using the state transitions to determine a percent state change value (a measure of change) for the host.
3. Related Links - Enables the display of custom links to access related information.

   An administrator can customize these links for Status in the status-viewer.properties file, and for Dashboards within edit preferences. Only administrators and operators type users can see links in this section. See Developer Reference > Configuring GroundWork Portlets.

   Figure: Service Information Portlet in Status
   

15.0 Service List

The Service List portlet provides a listing with status of the selected host's services. This portlet is part of the Dashboards > Trouble View and System View, is embedded in the Status application at the Host and Service levels, and can be added to custom dashboards and configured to display the Entire Network, a Host Group, Service Group, or Host for specific states.

1. Service List - Expanding this area displays the service list.
2. Service Name - The portlet allows for each service name to be selected to drill-down into more detail.
3. Acknowledge - Each service problem can be directly acknowledged.
   
   Figure: Service List Portlet in Status at Host Level
   

16.0 Service Summary

The Service Summary portlet shows monitoring statistics for services with drill-down capability for viewing detailed data. This portlet is part of the Dashboards > Trouble View, is embedded in the Status application at the Entire Network, Host Group, Service Group, and Host levels, and can be added to custom dashboards and configured to display the Entire Network or a specific Host Group.

1. Graph - This portlet displays a graph for an at-a-glance Filtered Totals view of your overall service status representing segments of service states, listed to the right.
2. State Values - The displayed values indicate the number of Filtered (these are graphed) and Total services in a specific state.
3. Total Services  - Shows totals for both filtered and all monitored services.
   
   Figure: Service Summary in Status at Entire Network Level
   

17.0 ServiceGroup Health

The ServiceGroup Health portlet displays the status for the selected service group's services availability. This portlet is visible in Status at the ServiceGroup level and can be added to custom dashboards. The image below shows the service availability for the selected service group Local with a Service Availability of 100%.

1. Availability - Displays service group service availability.
2. Host Group Status - Shows a color coded status indicator as the service group's (as a parent node), most critical state.
   
   Figure: ServiceGroup Health Portlet in Status
   

18.0 ServiceGroup Summary

The Service Group Summary portlet shows service group monitoring statistics with drill-down capability for viewing detailed data. This portlet is part of Dashboards > Enterprise View, is embedded in the Status application at the Entire Network view level, and can be added to custom dashboards.

1. Graph - Displays a graph for an at-a-glance Filtered Totals view of the service group's status representing segments of service groups states, listed to the right.
2. State Values - The displayed values indicate the number of Filtered (these are graphed) and Total service groups in a specific state.
   
   Figure: ServiceGroup Summary Portlet in Status
   

19.0 Seurat View

The Seurat View portlet provides an overall view of monitored host and host-services status using color coded indicators. This portlet is part of the Dashboards > Enterprise View, can be added to custom dashboards and configured to display the Entire Network or a specific Host Group.

1. Sort By - Select one of the three sort options from the drop-down list and click Apply. Host Name sorts by host name in ascending order, Status sorts by overall host and host-services state with the highest severity first, and Last State Change sorts by host with the last change of state.
2. Legend - Select the arrow to display or hide the legend which describes each of the status indicators for hosts and host-services.
   
3. Total and Last Updated - Indicates the number of monitored hosts and the date and time of the last system display update.
   
4. Host Status
   • Host Details - Hover over each host to show details including host name, current state, and date and time since it has been in an OK state.
   • Drill-down to Status - Click a host icon to drill-down directly into the Status application to view additional details and acknowledge host and service problems.
   • Recently Recovered Hosts - A host icon will flash if it has been recently recovered and remains in a green Host Recently Recovered state for a period of 15 minutes by default.
   • Blinking Hosts - A host icon will flash if it's in a non-OK state, each state for a default period of time.  

     Recently Recovered Hosts state and Blinking Hosts default times can be configured in the status-viewer.properties. See Developer Reference > Configuring GroundWork Portlets.

     Figure: Seurat View Portlet in Dashboards Enterprise View
     

Appendix A: Adding Hit List Dashboard

1.0 Prerequisites

• 7.1.1 version of GroundWork Monitor, upgraded from 7.1.0 running
• Root user access to the GroundWork Web Portal

  No downtime is needed for these steps, however we do suggest getting a backup prior to any configuration changes such as this one.

2.0 Importing the Hit List Application

1. Log in to the GroundWork Monitor as user root (or the equivalent).
2. From the top of the screen, select Group > Portal Administration > Application Registry.
3. Select the Import Applications from the upper right, and confirm the dialog. The portlet will then be available under Dashboard.
   
   Figure: Import Applications
   

3.0 Adding a Shared Dashboard with the Hit List Portlet

1. While still logged in as root, select Site > Classic > Dashboards from the top of the screen, this displays the default dashboard.
2. Then select Site Editor > Add New Page.
3. Enter a Node Name (e.g. HitList, no space) and Display Name (e.g. Hit List), click Next.
4. Leave the Empty Layout and click Next.
5. From the Applications tab, select the Dashboard category, and drag the Hit List Dashboard portlet to the empty dashboard.
   
   Figure: Page Creation
   
6. Hover over the Hit List portlet and select the pencil icon.
7. Make any desired changes to the preferences, such as refresh interval or default number of items to display.

   For the Refresh Interval, the shorter the interval, the higher the impact of the dashboard on overall system performance. We recommend 60 seconds.

   You can also restrict a given instance of the Hit List to a specific host group, if you'd like. By default, it will show all issues system-wide. This default is enabled by putting entering the following into the HostGroup field, the dashes are not needed for specifying any other host groups.

   --ALL--

8. Next, select the Access Permission tab and uncheck the Public box to select roles and memberships for visibility. We suggest this dashboard be visible to Administrators and Operators, gw-monitoring-administrator and gw-monitoring-operator.
9. Save and Close the portlet preferences.
10. In the upper right corner of the screen, click the disk icon to save the page.
11. Then go to Dashboards and you (and any other allowed users) should see the Hit List dashboard listed.