Monitor Your Network & Receive Alerts with Spiceworks

Break Out Session 2

Monitor Your Network & Receive Alerts

Francis SullivanCTO & Co-founder, Spiceworks Inc.

Session Overview

• kinds of alerts and monitors

• default configuration

• advanced topics

• futures

• Q&A

What Can Be Monitored?

AntiVirus: Keep your machines up and running with current antivirus software. Is not up-to-date: Be alerted when virus definitions need updating. Has > 1 installed: Be alerted if more than one antivirus program is installed.

Having more than one antivirus program installed can slow down the performance of a machine and actually leave it more vulnerable to an attack.



Device: A device is any computer connected to the network. You can monitor a specific device, or monitor them all by typing "Any Device". Is online: Be alerted if a device goes online. Is offline: Be alerted if a device goes offline. Is discovered: Be alerted if a new device is discovered on the network.


Device: A device is any computer connected to the network. You can monitor a specific device, or monitor them all by typing "Any Device". Is online: Be alerted if a device goes online. Is offline: Be alerted if a device goes offline. Is discovered: Be alerted if a new device is discovered on the network. New - offline for a time period


Disk: Find out if there are issues with any disk on your system. You can keep an eye on every disk on your system by typing "Any Disk", or pick one particular disk. Was added: Be alerted when a hard drive is added. Was removed: Be alerted when a hard drive is removed. Is < x% free: Be alerted when diskspace falls below a certain percentage. Choices are 5, 10, 15,

20, and 25%. Has < x MB/GB free: Be alerted when diskspace falls below a certain value. Choices are 50,

100, 250, 500 MB and 1, 5, 10 GB.


Software: Stay on top of software issues with this monitor. You can designate a specific program to be monitored, or choose to monitor all software by typing "Any Software". Is installed: Be alerted when programs are installed. Is uninstalled: Be alerted when program are removed. Is not compliant: Be alerted if too many copies of a program are installed.


Service: A service is a program that runs in the background of a computer to keep everything else working right. You can monitor a specific service, or monitor them all by typing "Any Service". Is uninstalled: Be alerted when a service is uninstalled. Is installed: Be alerted when a service is installed. Is stopped: Be alerted when a service has stopped. Is started: Be alerted when a service has started.


Hotfix: A hotfix is a patch that is downloaded to fix a program. You can decide to monitor all hotfixes by typing "Any Hotfix", or choose to monitor one individual hotfix. Is uninstalled: Be alerted when a hotfix is uninstalled. Is installed: Be alerted when a hotfix is installed.


User Account: Keep track of the user accounts on your network. You can monitor one specific account or monitor them all by typing "Any User Account". Is removed: Be alerted when a user account is deleted. Is created: Be alerted when a new user account is added.


Printer Supply Level: Keep track of your printer supplies so you don't have to drop what you're doing when you're out of toner. Is < x%: Be alerted when the ink or toner in your network printers drop below a certain

level. Choices are 2, 5, 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50%.


Event: You can find out when an event of your choosing happens such as a certain ID logging in. Or you can monitor all events by typing "Any Event". Is triggered: Be alerted when an event is triggered.


IT Service: Keep track of how long you have until an IT service end date. Is < x Days: Be alerted when an IT service end date is approaching. Choices are 10,

30, and 60 days.

Where Alerts Show Up

»On Inventory Summary


»On Inventory Summary


» On Group Summary (new in 3.5)


» On Group Summary (new in 3.5)


»email notification






»on the device


»on the device

Default Configuration

• pre-configured monitors

• changing thresholds

• email configuration

Default Out-of-the-box Monitors

Changing Thresholds

Changing Thresholds in 3.5

e-mail configuration



Advanced Topics

behind the scenes:

•online/offline checking

•network health check

•network scanning

Sqlite DB

scannerSpiceworks Main App

IT Admin

Spicedesk

http

Online/Offline Checking

Sqlite DB


IT Admin

Spicedesk

http

Network Health Check

Sqlite DB


IT Admin

Spicedesk

http

Network Scanning

Sqlite DB


IT Admin

Spicedesk

http

Network Scanning

Futures

• timed actions

• activities

• tricks with email

• APIs

Nagios Example

Nagios Example

Nagios Example

Nagios Example

Nagios Example

Nagios Example

Nagios Example

Nagios Example

Alert API’s - Web REST Interface

POST /api/alerts.json?title=AlertTitle&hostname=HOST&...- create a new external monitor alert

GET /api/alerts.json - array of all monitor alerts

GET /api/alerts/{id}.json - details for the alert with the specified id

GET /api/alerts.json?data_monitor_id={id}- array of all monitor alerts for the data monitor with the specified id

Alert API’s - Web REST Interfacefiltered

GET /api/alerts.json?filter=active- array of all active monitor alerts

GET /api/alerts.json?filter=recent- array of all alerts generated in the last 7 days

GET /api/alerts.json?filter=recent&date=2008-10-20- array of all alerts generated since the specified date

GET /api/alerts.json?filter=external- array of all external alerts

Questions?

Technology

Monitor Your Network & Receive Alerts with Spiceworks