Record test results in log by unique ID and/or folder name

TonyPombo · Post by **TonyPombo** » Thu Nov 04, 2004 6:59 pm

I have a folder for each system I monitor. Within that folder are several tests that are identical for each system (ping, drive space, event log, etc.).
The same tests for each system have the same name (i.e., all the ping tests are called "Ping Test"). As you click from folder to folder, the majority of the test names are identical. You determine which system it is testing because of the folder it's in.
This results in a very clean test listing because I don't need to waste space by duplicating the computer name in every test. (Space is very limited on the web interface).
In the action profiles, I use folder comments to act and report upon the correct system.

HostMonitor uses internal IDs for each test. This allows me to use the ping tests as master tests without HostMon getting confused about "which" ping test to use.

This is good and works well.

The problem is that HostMon doesn't save a unique identifier to the log file. When I use Log Analyzer, it lumps all the ping tests together as one item because it thinks it's the same test. This is very bad when I'm trying to trend hard disk space, and the "Drive C free space" results for all servers are combined as one item in the log analyzer.

Please add an option to save the folder name (or the unique ID) in the log for each test so that log analyzer can sort tests with the same name into seperate tests.

Thanks.

TonyPombo · Post by **TonyPombo** » Thu Nov 04, 2004 7:03 pm

I need to clarify that I am logging all test results to a common log.

I have this problem regardless if I use text or HTML format.

KS-Soft · Post by **KS-Soft** » Thu Nov 04, 2004 8:30 pm

Please add an option to save the folder name (or the unique ID) in the log for each test so that log analyzer can sort tests with the same name into seperate tests.

Log Analyzer version 5 will be able to work with ODBC logs. It will solve the problem.

Regards
Alex

TonyPombo · Post by **TonyPombo** » Fri Nov 05, 2004 12:08 pm

KS-Soft wrote:Log Analyzer version 5 will be able to work with ODBC logs. It will solve the problem.

Does HostMonitor save the necessary information via ODBC logging in v4.74? If I use ODBC logging today, can I use another program to analyze the logs?

When will version 5 be released?

KS-Soft · Post by **KS-Soft** » Fri Nov 05, 2004 4:10 pm

Does HostMonitor save the necessary information via ODBC logging in v4.74?

You can save any information you want. You may use a lot of macro variables in the SQL statement.
Or you worry about compatibility with future version of Log Analyzer? Sorry, we do not have specification for version 5 yet.

If I use ODBC logging today, can I use another program to analyze the logs?

Theoretically, yes. But we do not have such program. If you have some 3rd party analyzer or you can create your own....

When will version 5 be released?

Not soon. Not earlier than April 2005

BTW: there is another solution of the problem - rename test items, assign unique names.

Regards
Alex

TonyPombo · Post by **TonyPombo** » Fri Nov 05, 2004 6:05 pm

I discovered what should be an easy workaround. I setup an ODBC DSN for a text file, and it is configured to save the data in the same format as the hostmon built-in logging does. In the "testname" field, I concatenate the folder comment and the test name.

The ODBC text file driver surrounds all data in the tab delimited file with double quotes. So, each line in the output text file looks like this:

Code: Select all

"[11/5/2004 6:56:18 PM]"	"   "	"SVR-DC1  Ping test"	"Host is alive"	"0 ms"	"ping (timeout - 2000 ms)"

Unfortunately, Log Analyzer cannot process the log file with the quotes. My request: Modify Log Analyzer so that it doesn't care if the data is surrounded by quotes.

Thanks

TonyPombo · Post by **TonyPombo** » Fri Nov 05, 2004 6:16 pm

TonyPombo wrote:I concatenate the folder comment and the test name.

I found that HostMon 4.74 doesn't replace the macros %foldercomment% or %fcommentline01% in the SQL query string on the ODBC settings.

So, my log actually looks like this:

Code: Select all

"[11/5/2004 6:56:18 PM]"   "   "   "%FolderComment%  Ping test"   "Host is alive"   "0 ms"   "ping (timeout - 2000 ms)"

I'd like to see this fixed.

Also, if you know a way to prevent the Text ODBC driver from surrounding all text data with quotes, I'd appreciate it.

KS-Soft · Post by **KS-Soft** » Sun Nov 07, 2004 2:13 pm

I found that HostMon 4.74 doesn't replace the macros %foldercomment% or %fcommentline01% in the SQL query string on the ODBC settings.

Update available at www.ks-soft.net/download/hm477.zip

Regards
Alex

KS-Soft · Post by **KS-Soft** » Sun Nov 07, 2004 2:14 pm

Unfortunately, Log Analyzer cannot process the log file with the quotes. My request: Modify Log Analyzer so that it doesn't care if the data is surrounded by quotes.

Better we create new Log Analyzer that will be able to work with ODBC data

Regards
Alex

TonyPombo · Post by **TonyPombo** » Mon Nov 08, 2004 11:07 am

KS-Soft wrote:Update available at www.ks-soft.net/download/hm477.zip

Thanks for the quick fix!!!

KS-Soft wrote:Better we create new Log Analyzer that will be able to work with ODBC data

Yes, I agree, but that is months away. Wouldn't it be relatively easy to modify Log Anaylzer to ignore the extra quotes?

This way I could use the text ODBC driver to output to log file that Log Analyzer could use.

KS-Soft · Post by **KS-Soft** » Tue Nov 09, 2004 1:52 pm

There is another possible solution - add logging option to store full path to the test.
Advantages:
- you will be able to use any log type: html, text, dbf (if path is not too long)
- native logging faster than ODBC

Regards
Alex

KS-Soft · Post by **KS-Soft** » Mon Nov 15, 2004 1:39 am

Ok, there is update: www.ks-soft.net/download/hm478.zip
Beside updating exe module you should add one line into hostmon.ini file. Add UseFullPath=1 line into [Logging] section, then start HostMonitor.

Regards
Alex