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IPSentry - Options - System Settings

The System Settings tab contains application specific configuration options for controlling the basic functionality of IPSentry.

From the System Settings tab, you can Export and Import IPSentry configuration settings for backup or migration purposes.

Export Settings
The Export Settings button allows you to export the configuration to a file.  The default extension for IPSentry Entries is .IPE .   Once you have completed the export, be sure to keep the file in a save place since it may contain sensitive information about your network.

Note: We highly recommend performing the Export function after making configuration modifications.  In the event you lose your drive or Windows registry, this file can save you many hours of reconfiguration headaches.

Import Settings
The Import Settings button allows you to import all of the configuration information that was previously exported.   The import will merge and overwrite data that might exist in the current configuration.

For example: If you exported settings that contained DeviceA and DeviceB, then you later added DeviceC.  Import of the previously saved file would overwrite the settings for DeviceA and DeviceB, but would leave DeviceC unchanged.

Note: It is not advisable to use the Import/Export routines to merge settings.  Ideally, the import should only be utilized after a new installation of IPSentry.

The System Settings tab contains settings in four distinct areas:
(Click on a link below for details)

• General Settings

• Logging

• Remote Access

• Statistics

General

• Sentry Cycle Interval
  This value represents the amount of time (in minutes) that IPSentry remains idle between full polling cycles.  IPSentry monitors devices sequentially, in alphabetical order (depending on dependency settings).  Once the last device in the list has been polled, IPSentry will go idle for the duration set in this field.
  
  If you find that 1 minutes is too long for IPSentry to remain idle, you can over-ride the "Minute" setting by adding an "s" to the value you enter.  By entering 15s in this field, IPSentry would only remain idle for 15 seconds before starting another monitoring cycle.
   
  

• Default Action Timeout
  The default amount of time that IPSentry will use when awaiting a response from a remote system. 
  For example, if you will be monitoring many of the same items (web servers?), this would be the amount of time allowed to connect to the server, send the request, and await a response.  Each of the actions CONNECT, SEND, RECEIVE will use this value.
  
  You can over-ride this value for any monitored item by entering a different value in the Timeout field when configuring the item.  In most cases, you will be using a different value for the specific machine in order to optimize the monitoring efficiency based on the normal speed of the request.
  
  Note: Be careful not to use the default value for ICMP-Ping since ping timeout is measure in milliseconds rather than seconds.  If you use set this value to 30 and use the default time on ICMP-Ping items, a timeout will occur if an echo response is not received in 30 milliseconds - this is a tight value, even for some local networks.
   

• Ignore Poll Frequency for Failed Devices
  By checking this option, IPSentry will ignore the "Poll Frequency" value while a device is in the "Alert" state.  This allows for a much quicker notification of recovery.
   
  

• Start Minimized
  Checking this option simply tells IPSentry to minimize itself to the system tray immediately after it starts.
   
  

• Launch at Startup
  Select this option to enable the following functionality:
  On Windows 95/98: Starts IPSentry with windows.
  On Windows NT: Starts a desktop instance of IPSentry after login.
   
  

• NT Service Settings (Button)
  When running IPSentry on WIndows NT or Windows 2000, use this option to install (or uninstall) IPSentry as a system service.  You may also start & stop the service from the window presented during this action.

  Service Settings window Options
  

  • Automatic
    Select this option to set the IPSentry service to automatically start with windows (preferred).
    

  • Manual
    Select this option to have IPSentry start on-demand only.  Note that when using this setting and the system is rebooted - IPSentry will not be started without user intervention.
    

  • Install Service / Uninstall Service
    This button changes captions depending on the current state of the service.
    
    If the service is already installed, use this button to stop and Uninstall the service.
    
    If the service has not been installed, use this button to install the service with the settings specified in Startup Type and Log On As.
    

  • Start/Stop
    This button changes captions depending on the current state of the service.
    
    If the service is already running, use this button to stop the service.
    
    If the service is not  running, use this button to start the service.
    
    If the service is not installed, this button will be disabled.
    

  • Account Name
    Enter the account login name under which the IPSentry service should run when it starts.  We highly recommend a domain administrator account to provide all access to various monitoring components that may be used.
    
    At a minimum, this should be set to the user account being used to configure IPSentry to ensure that network devices that are accessible during configuration are also available to IPSentry when running as a service.
    
    The format is: DOMAIN\Username  (.\Username for local account login) 
    

  • Password / Verify Password
    Enter the password used to login under the Account Name.
    
    NOTE:  In order to change the startup method or account log on information, the service must NOT be installed.  If it is already installed, simply "Uninstall", change the settings, and then "Install".  You may need to "Start" the service after installing.
    

• Startup Delay
  In some cases, initialization of dependent applications and services on the IPSentry machine may consume a substantial amount of time. If IPSentry depends on these applications or monitors these services while they are initialization, false alerts may appear to be generated.
  
  This setting will cause IPSentry to wait at least (n) minutes before executing the first monitoring cycle thus allowing most, if not all, applications and services to start AND initialize properly.
  
  A setting of "1" (one minute) should be adequate for most systems.
   

• Retain Counters
  When IPSentry starts, the default action is to clear all failure counters.  In some cases, this may not be desired since no "UP" alerts will be generated for items that failed prior to IPSentry shutdown.  If you need IPSentry to generate UP alerts for failed machines even when IPSentry has been shutdown and restarted, select this setting.  When selected, the internal failure counters will not be cleared at load time and any devices that come back on-line, that are marked for UP alerts, and were in a state of failure prior to IPSentry shutdown, will be triggered on success. 
  
  Note: You may find some network devices inaccessible due to security restrictions on your network.  We highly recommend running IPSentry on Windows NT or 2000 as a system service under the domain administrator account in order to provide IPSentry with full network rights sometimes required to access devices.
   

• Restart if No Activity
  Select the number of minutes allowed for IPSentry to run with no polling or user activity before the service manager terminates the process and restarts the service.  This option helps avoid the potential of leaving the options editor open thus causing no monitoring to take place.  It is recommended that this value be set to a high value (20 or greater) if you set it at all.

Logging

• Disable Logging
  When this item is checked, IPSentry will not perform any activity logging.  Selecting this option may make it difficult to isolate problems and evaluate historical activity from the log files. 
   

• Log File Retention
  This number represents the number of days that log files should remain in the log file directory.  Once the retention period is expired, any log files older than this value still contained in the log file path will be purged by IPSentry.
  
  If you set this value to zero, IPSentry will not purge the logs - ever.
   

• Log File Path
  Specifies the location in which to store the log files.  The directory MUST exist and the default is the IPSentry application path.
  
  Note: If you are logging the Active Display History, be sure to set this path to a drive with plenty of drive space.  The active display history buffer can consume a substantial amount of space depending on the number and frequency of devices being monitored as well as the use of short or long display.
   

• Include HEADER Row in Log File
  Checking this option will cause the log files to contain a header record identifying the field names within each record.  The header is a quoted/comma delimited record structure that can be used for field naming and mapping with various text converters and importers.
  
   

• Log (Application) Information
  Logs the following information to a log file named APyyyymmdd.LOG relating to Application events, errors, and activity such as START, STOP, ERROR, etc.
  
  The log file is Quoted/Comma Delimited for easy parsing.
  The record structure is as follows:
  
  Date, Time, Event, Info
   

  • Date
    Contains the "Short" style date and is dependent on your system configuration.
    i.e. m/d/yy - To include the century, change your "Short Date" format system setting accordingly.
     
    

  • Time
    Contains the "Medium" style time and is dependent on your system configuration.
    i.e. HH:mm:ss - See your TIME FORMAT settings for your system.
     
    

  • Event
    The event that triggered the logged item.  Possible events are:

    • START
      The application was started.
      

    • PAUSE
      Monitoring was Paused.
      

    • RESUME
      Monitoring was Resumed.
      

    • END
      The application terminated.
      

    • ERROR
      An internal error occurred.
      

    • RVCONNECT
      Connection on Remote Viewing port.
      

    • RVDISC
      Connection Terminated on Remote Viewing Port.
      

    • RVKILL
      Remote Viewing Connection was Killed.
      

    • CLEARSTATS
      Statistics were cleared.
      

    • CLEARCOUNTERS
      Current failure counters were cleared.
      

    • CLEARESC
      Alert Escalation counters were cleared.
      

    • CONNBACKUP
      Connection established on the Backup Monitoring port.
      

    • SUSPENDMACH
      A Monitored Entry was suspended.
      

    • RESUMEMACH
      A Monitored Entry was un-suspended.
      

  • Info
    Contains free-form information related to the logged information.
     

• Log (Monitoring) Information
  Logs the following information to a log file named MOyyyymmdd.LOG relating to Monitoring events and status.  Each entry represents a polling cycle for a specific item.
  
  Date, Time, Event, Machine Name, Machine Desc., Monitor Info, Result ID, Result Desc, Action Time, Result Value, Result Info, Total Time
   

  • Date
    Contains the "Short" style date and is dependent on your system configuration.
    i.e. m/d/yy - To include the century, change your "Short Date" format system setting accordingly.
    

  • Time
    Contains the "Medium" style time and is dependent on your system configuration.
    i.e. HH:mm:ss - See your TIME FORMAT settings for your system.
    

  • Event
    The Monitoring Type that triggered the entry. Possible values are:
    

    • NETWORK
      An Network Monitoring Event
      

    • DRIVE
      A Drive Monitoring Event
      

    • SERVICE
      An NT Service Monitoring Event
      

    • ADDIN
      An External Add-In Monitoring Event

  • Machine Name
    The unique name of the monitored entry.
    

  • Machine Desc
    The description of the monitored entry.
    

  • Monitor Info
    General information regarding the monitored item settings.  The format is dependent on the "Event" and are as follows:
    

    • NETWORK
      Contains "IPADDRESS:PORT"
      

    • DRIVE
      Contains "SHARENAME:DRIVEMAP"
      

    • SERVICE
      Contains "SERVICENAME:SERVICEDESC"
      

    • ADDIN
      Contains "ADDIN LOADNAME:ARGS"
      

  • Result ID
    This is a numeric value identifying the result information.  Possible values are:
    

    • SUCCESS (0)
      Monitoring was successful
      

    • DOWNTIMESCHED (1)
      Item was skipped due to an active Down Time Schedule
      

    • DEPFAIL (2)
      Item was skipped due to being a dependent of a failed item.
      

    • DEPSUSPENDED (3)
      Item was skipped due to being a dependent of a suspended item.
      

    • SUSPENDED (4)
      Item was skipped because it was suspended.
      

    • CONNECTFAIL (5)
      The entry failed while attempting to connect.
      (ResultValue = Status Code or Zero if Timed Out. [see Result Info for Description])
      

    • SENDFAIL (6)
      The entry failed while attempting to send data to host.
      (ResultValue = Status Code (see Result Info))
      

    • RECVFAIL (7)
      The entry failed (or timed out) waiting to received data from host.
      (ResultValue = Status Code (see Result Info))
      

    • NOSHARE (8)
      The Drive Monitoring entry failed to connect to the share.
      

    • NOSPACE (9)
      The Drive Monitoring entry failed due to lack of disk space.
      

    • SVCSTOP (10)
      The NT Service Monitoring entry failed because the service was "Stopped"
      

    • SVCSUS (11)
      The NT Service Monitoring entry failed because the service was "Paused"
      

    • SVCOTHER (12)
      The NT Service Monitoring entry failed because the service was not in "Running" state (inaccessible, starting, stopping, etc..)
      

    • ADDINFAIL (13)
      The Add-In returned a failure response.
      (Result Value = Result Code return by add-in [ see Result Info for detail])
      

    • REVERSED (14)
      The "Reverse Alert" triggered the failure.
      

    • POLLCOUNT (15)
      The item was skipped since the Poll Count threshold had not yet been reached.
      (Result Value = Current Poll Count)
      

    • OTHER (-1)
      Undefined ID - App Error, etc..
      (Result Value = Error Code (see Result Info))
      
      

  • Result Desc.
    Text value associated to the Result ID.  It is preferable that you reference this value rather than the numeric value.
    

  • Action Time
    The monitoring result time (in milliseconds).
    For ICMP-Ping, this is the packet response time.
    For HTTP, POP, etc.. this is the time to Connect, Send, Recv.
    For Drive Space Monitoring, this is the time to retrieve the drive space.
    For NT Service Monitoring, this is the time to obtain the Service Status.
    For Add-In monitoring, this is the time to process the Add-In.
    

  • Result Value
    An internal value which is dependent on the monitoring style as well as the result of the monitoring.
    For Drive Space Monitoring, this is normally the disk space reported.
    If ICMP Timed out, this will be a zero (0)
    

  • Result Info
    Freeform summary information regarding the Result Value, Error Description, etc...
    

  • Total Time
    The total number of milliseconds for the monitored entry even from start to finish.   This includes all alerts being processed, failures logged, etc...

   

• Log (Alert) Information
  Logs the following information to a log file named ALyyyymmdd.LOG relating to Alerting events and status.  Each entry represents a single alert being fired and contains information regarding it's status.

  Date, Time, Event, Machine Name, Machine State, Alert Info, Alert Time, Result ID, Result, Result Info

  • Date
    Contains the "Short" style date and is dependent on your system configuration.
    i.e. m/d/yy - To include the century, change your "Short Date" format system setting accordingly.
    

  • Time
    Contains the "Medium" style time and is dependent on your system configuration.
    i.e. HH:mm:ss - See your TIME FORMAT settings for your system.
    

  • Event
    The alert Event logging the entry.  Possible events are:

    • AUDIBLE
      An Audible Alert was triggered.
      

    • PAGER
      A Pager Alert was triggered.
      

    • MAIL
      An Email Alert was triggered.
      

    • EXEC
      An External Command Launch Alert was triggered.
      

    • X10
      An X10 Alert was triggered.
      

    • ADDIN
      An Add-In Alert was triggered.
      

    • SYSLOG
      A Syslog Messaging Alert was triggered
      

  • Machine Name
    The monitored entry that caused the alert to be triggered. NAME
    

  • Machine State
    The state of the monitored entry causing the alert (UP or DOWN)
    

  • Alert Info
    Free-form information regarding the alert settings used.
    

  • Alert Time
    Total number of milliseconds for the alert to be processed.
    

  • Result ID
    0 = Success (NO ERROR)
    1 = Failure (ERROR)
    

  • Result
    Numeric value representing the alert result.  If Result ID=1, this is usually an error number associated with the reason the alert failed.
    

  • Result Info
    Free-form information regarding the alert result. Error Message, General Result Info, etc...

   

• Log Active Display Buffer
  Checking this option will replicate everything displayed in the Active Display window into a file called HIyyyymmdd.BUF.  
  
  This log may come in handy during initial configuration and when adding or modifying systems or evaluating potential problems where alerts do not appear to be successful (e.g. pager service changes their phone number or your PIN). 

Remote Access

• Respond on
  Checking this option will cause IPSentry to listen on the Local Port # for incoming TCP connections. 
  
  Use this option if you intend to utilize redundant monitoring by installing a secondary IPSentry monitoring system to monitor this system.  If IPSentry is shutdown or does not respond, your secondary IPSentry can alert you that your master monitoring system is in a state of failure.
  
  Upon connect from a remote system, IPSentry will simply send "IPSentry v #.#.###" (without the quotes). All input data is ignored and nothing more than the above-noted output is sent out this port.
  
  (See: How to configure redundant monitoring)
    

• Local Port #
  The port number on which to listen for incoming connections. 
   

• Telnet Enabled
  IPSentry will allow an incoming telnet to perform minor management functions and also offers remote viewing ability.  
  
  You have the ability to view machine status, suspend machines, pause checking, and resume machines via remote telnet client.  The purpose of this functionality is to give you a way to quickly suspend checking on a downed machine giving you time to reach the site and correct the problem.  Nobody likes getting paged every 5 or 10 minutes at 3am when they are already on their way to fix the problem.
  
  This feature is also required if you wish to view the active display console when IPSentry is running as a system service.  You can access this with any ANSI/VT100 compliant telnet client.
  
  For a list of available commands used during a Telnet session, type HELP after login.
    

• Port Number
  Select the TCP port on which to listen for connections to offer telnet ability.   The default telnet port is 23, but you should use some value above 10000 to avoid conflicts.
   

• Password / Verify
  When you connect to IPSentry via telnet, you will be required to enter a password.  Enter the password of your choice in both the password and verify fields.

Statistics

• Auto Output Statistics
  Check this option to enable IPSentry to generate scheduled statistic reports into the specified directory.
    

• Output File Name
  Enter the path/file name you wish to create for IPSentry statistics.  This file will be in HTML format and should be located in a secured directory that is accessible via a web server.  This will give you access to statistics via the web.
    

• Output Every
  Enter the number of minutes that should elapse between output of statistics report updates.
   

• Output Now (button)
  Outputs the statistics and images to the specified directory and html page. This allows you to test your output configuration to make sure it the settings are correct and the directory/path specified is accessible.
   

Related Topics

• IPSentry - Options Dialogue (configuration editor)

• How-To: Change the Internal Retry for ICMP-Ping

• How-To: Set the delay between IPSentry monitoring cycles.

• How-To: Define types of activities to be logged for reference.

• How-To: Run IPSentry as NT System Service.

SCREEN SAMPLES

SYSTEM SETTINGS GENERAL


SYSTEM SETTINGS - NT Service Settings

SYSTEM SETTINGS LOGGING

SYSTEM SETTINGS REMOTE ACCESS

SYSTEM SETTINGS STATISTICS