Architecture

We use a three-tiered architecture to allow maximum power and flexibility in GroundWork deployments. All three tiers are included in a single standard GroundWork Monitor Enterprise server, though in large deployments, the database and polling server components may be distributed for performance reasons.

Tier 1: Instrumentation

This is the layer that utilizes the most varied components. Data gathering is performed by Nagios®, by Cacti, and by other optional compoents that use a standard, well documented data feeder for their output. Data is captured as state changes, events, and performance measures.

Tier 2: Normalization

Essentially, this layer stores the data in a normalized form, and presents it on demand through web services or database queries. Think of it as the data foundation of the next tier.

Tier 3: Portal

This is the tier most users see on a day-to-day basis: a dynamic, real-time display of the data from the Normalization tier, in the form of graphs of performance data, time stamped events, and current status representations.