Database Alerts

The Database Alert sends an alert message with a description of the problem as a record to a SQL database. You can then use database tools to provide more advanced recording, sorting, and reporting on your monitoring data.

Use of the SiteScope Database Alert type requires:

Access to an SQL compliant database
The applicable database connection URL which the SiteScope server will use to connect to the database
Installation of the applicable database middleware driver that the SiteScope application will use to communicate with the database on the SiteScope server
Database table(s) that have been created and a corresponding SQL statement that SiteScope will use to enter the alert into the database

Creating a Database Alert Definition

Follow the steps below to create a SiteScope Database Alert definition.

Click the Alerts button on the SiteScope main navigation bar at the top of the SiteScope screen. The Alert Definitions page is displayed.
Click the Add link in the Alert Actions section below the Alert Definitions table. The Add Alert selection page is displayed.
Select the monitor status category that will trigger the alert. For example, select error for the alert to be triggered when any monitor to be associated with this alert reports an error condition.
Select the Database Alert in the Alert Type section and click the Define Alert button. The Define Database Alert page is displayed.
Select the monitors or groups that will trigger this alert using the Alert Subject(s) menu tree. Complete the Define Database Alert form as described in the section below. When the required selections are made, click the Add Database Alert button to create the alert definition.

Completing the Database Alert Form

Complete each section of the form as described below and then click the Add or Update button to record the changes.

Alert Subject(s)

Select the groups or monitors that will trigger this alert. You can select multiple groups and monitors by holding down the control key while making your selection. The choices include:

All Groups - Select All Groups if you want SiteScope to perform an action whenever any monitor on this installation returns the indicated status condition. For example, you would choose this option if you want SiteScope to page you whenever any monitor returns an error status.

[group name] - Select a specific group if you want SiteScope to perform an action whenever any monitor in the selected group returns the indicated status condition. For example, you would select the Network group if you wanted SiteScope to page you if any monitor in the Network group returned an error status.

[group name]: [monitor name] or [group name]:[subgroup name]: [monitor name] - Select a specific monitor if you want SiteScope to perform an action only if the selected monitor returns the indicated status condition. For example, you would choose this option if you wanted SiteScope to send you e-mail if one specific monitor returned a warning status.

Alternatively, you may select all groups or multiple groups and then define an alert filter rule in the Global and Group Alert Filtering section under the Advanced Options on the lower portion of the page.

Database Connection URL

Enter a URL to a Database Connection. The easiest way to create a database connection is to use an ODBC driver manager to create a named connection to a database. For example in Windows NT, first use the ODBC Data Sources manager in the Settings control panel to create a connection called test. Then, enter jdbc:odbc:test in this box as the connection URL.

SQL Statement

Enter the SQL statement used to add the alert to the database. Items enclosed in < and > are replaced with fields from the monitor which caused the alert. For example, entering

INSERT INTO SiteScopeAlert VALUES('<name>')

will add a record with the name of the monitor which caused the alert.

When

The number of times the alert conditions should be met before SiteScope executes the action you specified.

Always, after the condition has occurred at least N times - After the condition occurs at least N times, SiteScope executes the action every time the alert conditions are met. Type the minimum number of times the alert conditions must be met in the text box.
Once, after condition occurs exactly N times - SiteScope executes the action once, after the conditions are met for the Nth time. Type the number of times the alert conditions must be met in the text box.
Initial alert X and repeat every Y times afterwards - Executes the alert action after the condition occurs X consecutive times and then repeats the alert every consecutive Y occurences thereafter. For example,if X was set to 3, and Y was set to 4, then the action would be triggered on the 3rd, 7th, 11th, and so forth, occurrences of the condition. Choose this option by selecting the applicable radio button, entering the multiple (Y) and the minimum number of times (X) the alert conditions must be met in the text input boxes provided.
Note This feature was modified in SiteScope version 5.5. Alert parameters set for this option in prior versions are transposed to this new format when upgrading to version 5.5 and may result in a change in the originally intended behavior.
Once, after N errors in this group - SiteScope executes the action only after any monitor in the group has been in error exactly N consecutive times. Type the number of errors in the text box.
Once, when all monitors of group are in error - SiteScope executes the action the first time all monitors in the group are in error.

Advanced Options

The Advanced Options section presents a number of options for disabling the alert and define a filter for conditions should trigger the alert.

Database User Name: If a user name is required in order to connect to the the database, enter the user name in this text box.
Database Password: If a user name and password is required in order to connect to the the database, enter the user password in this text box.
Backup Database Connection URL: If a backup database for SiteScope alert logging is required, enter the URL to the backup database connection to use if the main database connection fails (for example, if the ODBC connection for the backup database connection is called testdb2, the URL would be jdbc:odbc:testdb2).
Database Driver: Enter the java class name of the JDBC database driver. The default, sun.jdbc.odbc.JdbcOdbcDriver, uses ODBC to make Database connections. SiteScope uses the same database driver for both primary and backup database connections. If a custom driver is used, the driver must also be installed in the SiteScope/java directory. See the Setup Requirements section for the Database Monitor for more information about setting up database drivers for SiteScope.

Disable Alerts

Use the Disable Alerts alerts section to manually control suppression of this alert. This can be useful when the the systems being monitored are off-line for maintenance or if the recipient of the alerts is unavailable for a period of time.

Enable Alert: This check box cancels any disable conditions and makes the alert active. Select this radio button to override any disable action on the alert.
Disable alert permanently: Select this radio button to prevent SiteScope from executing the alert action, even if the conditions are met. Note: This permanently disables the alert action until this radio button is cleared.
Disable alerts for the next time period: Select this radio button to immediately prevent SiteScope from executing the alert action for the time period entered, even if the conditions are met. The alerts are re-enabled when the time period expires. This is useful for temporarily turning off alerts immediately.
Disable on a one-time schedule from time1 to time2: Select this radio button to prevent SiteScope from executing the alert action for the time period indicated, even if the conditions are met. The alerts are disabled at the beginning of the time period and re-enabled after the time period expires. This is useful for temporarily turning off alerts during scheduled maintenance.

Global and Group Alert Filtering

You use the Global and Group Alert Filtering option to define alerts for a large number of monitors and then apply a filter so that only certain monitors within the selected list will actually trigger the alert. See Using SiteScope Alerts for more information.

Name Match: This option lets you suppress the alert for all associated monitors except those with a specific text appearing as part of their name. Enter all or part of the monitor name string you want to use as a filter criteria. For example, entering the string URL: will limit this alert to monitors whose name contains the string "URL:". The match is case sensitive. You can enter a regular expression in this text box to match a status string pattern
Status Match: This option lets you suppress the alert for all associated monitors except those returning a specific status text. Enter a string that you expect to appear in the status text for the monitor you want to trigger this alert. For example, if you type timeout in this box, an alert will only be triggered by a monitor associated with this alert which also has a status of "timeout." This match is case sensitive. You can enter a regular expression in this text box to match a status string pattern
Monitor Type: You can use this option to select a specific monitor type match for the alert. Select the monitor type within the set of monitors associated with this alert that should actually trigger the alert. Select Any Monitor to trigger the alert action for any monitor type associated with this alert.