Need advice on alert profiles

[sneader]

Host Monitor pings certain devices every couple of minutes.

If any of the devices become unreachable, here is what we want to happen:

1) Immediately send an e-mail to our regular e-mail addresses (easy)

2) If it is M-F, 8am to 5pm, send an e-mail to our cell phones. If it is NOT M-F 8am-5pm, then WAIT until 8am on the next business day, then send an e-mail to our cell phones. (impossible?)

For these particular devices, we do not want to be bothered with cell phone paging outside of regular business hours. But we still want to receive e-mail messages to our desks.

I think the only option I have is to create TWO tests for this device... one with a schedule of 24x7, and an alert profile to ONLY send mail to the desks. Then another test with a schedule of M-F 8am-5pm, and an alert profile to ONLY send cell phone pages.

Is there a way to do this with a single test?

Thanks for any advice you can provide.

- Scott

[KS-Soft Europe]

If it is NOT M-F 8am-5pm, then WAIT until 8am on the next business day, then send an e-mail to our cell phones. (impossible?)

Impossible in current version. "Deferred actions" feature will be implemented in version 7

Is there a way to do this with a single test?

Sure. Each action has a "Time restriction" option. So, you may create an action profile with two "Send Email" actions. First action, will work 24x7. For the second action you have to enable "Time restriction" option to trigger an action during regular office hours. Quote from the manual:
http://www.ks-soft.net/hostmon.eng/mfra ... properties
=========================================
Time restriction
Schedules can be applied to actions the same way they were used for tests. With schedules, actions can be customized per time of the day. For instance, an action profile can be set up to page both the IT manager and the network administrator during regular office hours, and to page the administrator alone the rest of the time, while doing nothing else but writing to the log on weekends. To make this possible, simply check the "Time restriction" option and select an appropriate schedule.
=========================================

Regards,
Max

[sneader]

Thanks, Max. Deferred schedules sounds like the perfect thing for us.

The other idea, using "Time Restriction", will not work at all. This will prevent the page from occurring off-hours, but it will not "hold" the page until 8am and then page us. That action will simply be ignored because the action is "out of schedule". This has been tested to be true, unless you believe we are misconfiguring it somehow?

- Scott

[KS-Soft Europe]

The other idea, using "Time Restriction", will not work at all.

Hm. Could not reproduce the problem. Could you describe your configuration? As I understand, you have two "Send Email" actions in the alert profile, right? First action should send you email and should work 24x7 (without time restriction). The second one send message to the cell phone, and should be triggered from 8am to 5pm, right?

This will prevent the page from occurring off-hours, but it will not "hold" the page until 8am and then page us. That action will simply be ignored because the action is "out of schedule". This has been tested to be true, unless you believe we are misconfiguring it somehow?

Correct. If "Time restriction" is set for cretain action, action will be ignored in certain time period. As I wrote above, it is imposible for current version to "hold" the action until 8 am. "Time restriction" option alows you to avoid two test creation with different "schedules". You wrote above, you wanted to "TWO tests for this device... one with a schedule of 24x7, and an alert profile to ONLY send mail to the desks. Then another test with a schedule of M-F 8am-5pm, and an alert profile to ONLY send cell phone pages".
BTW. I should point you that "Time restriction" for tests and "Time restriction" for actions are two different things. You may specify "Time restriction" for certain action in "Action Properties" dropdown.
http://www.ks-soft.net/hostmon.eng/mfra ... properties

Regards,
Max

[sneader]

Hi Max. I think we are OK and on the same page. I thought you were suggesting a way for me to make this work, using a single test. I agree this is not possible, until "Deferred Actions" are implemented.

For now, I will create two tests. I am not bothered by the number of tests, but rather that it just makes things a little more cluttered and confusing.

Thanks for your assistance! Deferred tests sounds very promising!

- Scott

[KS-Soft Europe]

Thanks for your assistance!

You are welcome.

Deferred tests sounds very promising!

It is almost done. We just have started testing it.

Regards,
Max

[thomasschmeidl]

Is there a way to do this with a single test?

Impossible in current version.

We do it with a single test in current version. This is how it works:

The test is bound to an action profile with the following actions:

1. (schedule: Mo-Fr 8-17) Send SMS if (Recurrences==1) and (SimpleStatus==Bad)

2. (schedule: Mo-Fr 17-8 and Sa, Su) Set CommentLine To "Alarm" if (Recurrences==1) and (SimpleStatus==Bad)

3. (schedule: Mo-Fr 8-17) Send SMS if (SimpleStatus==Bad) and (Comment=="Alarm")

4. (schedule: Mo-Fr 8-17) Set Comment To "" if (SimpleStatus==Bad) and (Comment=="Alarm")

5. "Test Good action": Set Comment To ""


If test fails during business hours an SMS will be sent (1)

If test fails out of business hours comment line is set to "alarm" (2); if bad status persists SMS will be sent next morning (3) and comment line is reset (4) to avoid repeated SMS.

If test recovers comment line will be reset, too (5)

In fact we do use comment line #5, as the other lines are reserved in our environment.
CommentLines are set via HMS Script

Of course "deferred action" will be more smarter. I just wanted to demonstrate how versatile HM is!

Cheers

Thomas

[sneader]

Thanks Thomas... interesting concept ... I'll check it out !!

- Scott