SiteScope User's Guide

Pager Preferences for SiteScope Pager Alerts

Electronic pages are a useful way of sending an automated notification to system administrators who may not have immediate access to e-mail. Pager messages are also a method of alert escalation or to notify support personnel who may be away for the office. The Pager Preferences form is used to create and modify settings that SiteScope should use for sending a Pager Alert.

This section describes:

About SiteScope Pager Preferences

You use the Pager Preferences form to enter information to allow SiteScope to connect to a modem and communicate with a paging service provider. SiteScope sends pager alerts using a modem connected directly to the server on which the SiteScope application is running.

The Pager Preferences form is used to define the modem connection and default pager settings. If you want SiteScope to send pages to different pagers or more than one pager at once, you must create additional pager settings using the Add Additional Pager Settings form. Additional pager settings are listed in the Additional Pager Settings Table at the bottom of the Pager Preferences form.

Completing the Pager Preferences Form

You access the Pager Preferences form by clicking on the Preferences button in the SiteScope navigation menu and then clicking on the Pager link in the Preferences submenu.

Completing the Pager Preferences form has two steps:

  1. Specifying modem settings
  2. Specifying pager service connection options

The following sections describe how to complete the Pager Preferences form.

Modem Settings

Use the following steps to specify the modem settings for SiteScope pager alerts.

Modem port (or path)
Use the drop-down list to select the communications port that your modem is connected to on the SiteScope server. For SiteScope on Solaris or Linux, enter the path and device name for the modem. On the Windows NT/2000 platform, SiteScope uses COM port numbers for both RS-232C type serial ports as well as for USB modem ports. If you are using a USB type modem, you can select the COM port associated with the USB port to have SiteScope use the USB modem. To find the COM port number for the USB modem, use the Settings->Network and Dial-up Connnections menu and right-click on the modem you want to use. Select Properties to view the properties for the modem. The properties should show the COM port number that is associated to the modem.

Modem speed
Use the drop-down list to select the modem speed used for connections to your paging service . The default of 1200 baud is likely to work with most paging systems.

Pager Connection Options

There are four different methods for sending a message to your paging service.

  1. Modem-to-Modem Connection (Preferred)
  2. Dial and Enter Message
  3. Dial, Enter Command, and Enter Message
  4. Custom Modem Connection
The preferred method is to connect directly to a modem at your pager service. When a modem-to-modem connection is used, SiteScope is able to verify that the message was sent successfully and can receive messages describing any communication problem. The other connection options generally send messages to automated voice response systems using touch tone dialing. The touch tone dialing method is limited to numeric messages and SiteScope cannot confirm that your paging service correctly received the message.

Select the pager connection option you want SiteScope to use to send pages. Click the radio button to the left of the connection method you want to use and fill in the associated fields as indicated.

Modem-to-Modem Connection (Preferred)
Click the radio button to the left of this option if you have an alphanumeric pager and use an alphanumeric paging service.

In the Modem Number text box, type the phone number to use for sending alphanumeric pages to the paging service modem. This number is provided by your paging service. Sometimes, the paging service will call this the TAP/IXO number. Some of the Modem Numbers for the larger services are:

  • Airtouch: (800)326-0038
  • MCI: (800) 555-0909
  • Mobile Media: (800)622-5742
  • Mobilecomm: (800)946-4644
  • Pagenet: (800)720-8398
  • PageMart: (800)864-9499
  • SkyTel: (800)759-6366 or (800)679-2778
  • USA Mobile: (800)589-9776

In the PIN number text box, type the last seven digits of the PIN number for your alphanumeric pager. Then Press the Save Changes button to save these settings.

Dial and Enter Message
Click the radio button to the left of this option if you dial a direct phone number to send a page. Most local paging companies work like this.

In the Phone number text box, enter the phone number exactly as you would dial it from your telephone, including other numbers you might need such as a number to get an outside line. You can use dashes to make the number easier to read, but they are not required. Use commas to separate the portions of the phone number. Each comma causes the modem script to pause for a few seconds before dialing the rest of the number.

For example, if you are dialing your pager from your office and you have to dial 9 to get an outside line, you might type:

9, 555-6789

Press the Save Changes button to save these settings.

Dial, Enter Command, and Enter Message
Click the radio button to the left of this option if you have a direct number, but need to enter a command before sending a page. Also, choose this option if your paging company uses a single phone number for all pagers and requests a PIN number before sending a page.

In the Phone number text box, type the phone number exactly as you would dial it from your telephone, including other numbers you might need such as a number to get an outside line. You can use dashes to make the number easier to read, but they are not required. Use commas to separate the portions of the phone number. Each comma causes the modem script to pause for a few seconds before dialing the rest of the number.

For example, if you are dialing your pager from your office where you have to dial 9 to get an outside line, you might type:

9, 123-4567

In the Send page command text box, type the page command exactly as you would dial it from your touch tone telephone.

Press the Save Changes button to save these settings.

Custom Modem Connection
Click the radio button to the left of this option if your paging company does not use any of the previous connection choices.

In the Modem command text box, type the entire modem command including the phone number to dial, any additional digits, and $message. SiteScope replaces $message with the message you specified for each alert. Use commas to separate the portions of the phone number. Each comma causes the modem script to pause for a few seconds before dialing the rest of the number.

For example, if the number for the pager company is 123-4567, your pager PIN is 333-3333, and your pager company requires that you follow each command with the # key, the command might look like this:

ATDT 123-4567,,333-3333#,,$message#

Note: For SiteScope running on UNIX, enter the device path for your modem in the Modem Path box. To see a list of devices using Solaris, use the ls /dev/term/* command.

The Additional Pager Settings Table

At the bottom of the Pager Preferences page is a table of Additional Pager Settings. This table lists the name of all the currently defined Pager settings or profiles. You use the Additional Pager Settings to define Pager profiles for sending SiteScope Pager alerts to individuals or groups other than the SiteScope Administrator Pager entered on the Pager Preferences form above.

The following describes the information displayed in the Additional Pager Settings Table.

Name
This columns displays the custom name description string assigned to the setting profile.

Status
This column displays information about the status of the particular Pager setting profile. Generally, this will indicate if the setting is enabled or disabled.

Type
This column indicates the type of page defined for the profile. This will display alphanumeric for modem-to-modem connection type, numeric for both the dial and message and dial, command, and message types, and custom for the custom connection types.

Phone
This displays the phone number defined for the pager setting profile. This will be either the the number to the modem or the automated telephone response system. For custom connection types, the entire custom connection string is displayed.

PIN
This columns displays the Personal Identification Number defined for the pager setting profile if using the modem-to-modem connection or the dial, command, and message methods.

Edit
This column provides a hyperlink for editing profiles in the Additional Pager Settings list.

Del
Use the X in this column to delete a profile from the Additional Pager Settings list.

The Additional Pager Settings table and form include links for working with Pager settings as described below. Please refer to the Add Additional Mail Settings help page for more information.

Adding an Additional Pager Setting

Use the following steps to add a new Pager setting profile.

To add a new Pager setting profile

  1. Click the Preferences button on the SiteScope main navigation menu. The General Preferences page is displayed.
  2. Click the Pager link in the Preferences menu under the SiteScope main navigation links. The Pager Preferences page is displayed.
  3. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click the Add additional pager settings link below the Additional Pager Settings table. The Add Additional Pager Setting page is displayed.
  4. Complete the form as described by Add Additional Pager Settings help page.

Editing Additional Pager Settings

Use the following steps to edit an pager setting profile.

To edit an existing pager setting profile

  1. Click the Preferences button on the SiteScope main navigation menu. The General Preferences page is displayed.
  2. Click the Pager link in the Preferences menu under the SiteScope main navigation links. The Pager Preferences page is displayed.
  3. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click the Edit link in the Additional Pager Settings table for the setting you want to edit. The Add Additional Pager Setting page is displayed.
  4. Modify the settings in the form as described by Add Additional Pager Settings help page.

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