Couple of ideas for feature enhancements

[FLynch]

Hello There,

Using the v6 Beta has sparked off a couple of ideas for feature enhancements.

1) Web interface: Home folder/s
This is a great new facility as it allows technical teams to have focus on the systems that are their direct responsibility. However a good enhancement would be the ability to grant access to multiple folders off the root directory.

In our AHM implementation the folder/test structure is relatively rational – with services grouped under specific folders - however the tech team would need access to multiple folders for all the systems under their responsibility.

2) Acknowledging alerts/adding notes in the web browser
Our tech teams use the web interface almost exclusively for managing and monitoring and the ability to add a note to an alert would allow a log to be built up of very useful information.

3)'Display as' in SNMP test
Many of the values returned by SNMP gets are difficult to read and can be a bit esoteric – having a ‘display mode’ option (similar to the Performance Counter test) – would greatly increase usability.

4) Service Level Agreement / Aggregate test
We use AHM to report to business owners on service availability, performance etc. Often they simply need to know "Was the accounts system OK" "Is CRM performing well". The ability to easily flag a group of tests or folders into one test would seamlessly meet this requirement.

So if test1/ folderA ok PLUS test2/folderC ok = OK test "CRM availability = OK"

The test could give a % value as well, i.e:
So if test1/folderA ok PLUS test2/folderC ok PLUS test3/folderD down = test "CRM availability = 66%"



5) New status "warning"
Would be great to have more granularity to the system. Example:

Disk space free = 30% Warning
Disk space free = 10% Alert




6) The Big One – Automatic Generation of Log Analyser reports/graphs
AHM is great for alerting and monitoring, and the captured log files allow a wealth of trend analysis / reporting etc. However….I think a massive leap forward for AHM would be for a built in/easy feature to be introduced that allowed:

a)Easy scheduling/generation of Log Analyser (LA) reports from within the test properties page of either a specific test OR folder within AHM. (I know they are there are schedules for Report profiles, but these are not as useful (!) as LA generated reports)

b) Ability to link generated reports – automatically – through the web interface to the relevant tests. Instant access to trend analysis!

c) Default parameters to generated reports – today/this week/month – etc

I know this is a big request but in my experience – well certainly in our IT department - the trend analysis side of AHM gets neglected.

I also know that this would mean a rethink on log files.

Just a few ideas. Maybe I spend too much time playing with the system!


Cheers
Fergus

[rc]

Hi Alex,

I agree fully with post of FLynch. It would be very nice if some or all ideas for feature enhancements one day be true.

Kind regards
Enrico

[KS-Soft]

1) We plan to implement "Views" instead. "View" is pseudo folder that may contain test items from different folders and "view" can be assigned as home folder for the operator

2) Why don't you use RCC?

3), 4) and 5) We have such task in "to do" list. But I don't know when it will be implemented

6) We plan to implement this in version 6.xx

Regards
Alex

[FLynch]

1/ Seems a much more elegant solution. Good news.

2/ Web interface is much cleaner when the primary responsibility of staff is monitoring alerts rather than configuring them. I've always thought the strength of AHM is the systems architecture: "Fat Client" for configuration, this allows AHM to have superb granularity in setting alerts and actions (knocks socks off the competition) and web interface for simple browsing/ acknowledging alerts / monitoring potential alert conditions.

There's probably a more cogent explanation but it is early Monday morning here!

3/4/5 Cool, could I vote "Service Level Agreement / Aggregate test" as top of the list. As a former subterranean dwelling systems engineer who has stumbled into a suit / IT management, this would allow transparent reporting to the Business leaving IT to get on with the more interesting tech parts of the job. Would be a big time saver for those who have to compile management reports.

6/ Simply perfect. I think this would be a big and positive transformation of AHM.


Please keep up the excellent work.

Many Thanks
Fergus

[KS-Soft]

3/4/5 Cool, could I vote "Service Level Agreement / Aggregate test" as top of the list.

H'm.. its much more easier to implement item 3 (actually I sees only 1 problem - find space in Test Properties dialog for new option).
While item #4 needs more significant changes...

Regards
Alex

[sneader]

1) Web interface: Home folder/s
This is a great new facility as it allows technical teams to have focus on the systems that are their direct responsibility. However a good enhancement would be the ability to grant access to multiple folders off the root directory.

In our AHM implementation the folder/test structure is relatively rational – with services grouped under specific folders - however the tech team would need access to multiple folders for all the systems under their responsibility.

1) We plan to implement "Views" instead. "View" is pseudo folder that may contain test items from different folders and "view" can be assigned as home folder for the operator

I am looking forward to this feature very much.

- Scott

[KS-Soft]

Views were implemented 2 month ago in version 6.70

Regards
Alex

[Iznogoodenator]

Views were implemented 2 month ago in version 6.70

I know this is old stuff, but I cannot assign the view as a homefolder for the operator, as previous posts describes.

Reg.
/Kenneth

[KS-Soft]

Correct, you cannot use View as "home folder".
That's because View is not a folder.

Regards
Alex