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  What's New (Archive 5)
   
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      Improved Improvements: HostMonitor

  • Traffic Monitor test: new options located on Misc page in the Options dialog allow you to select units used for reporting (Kbit/Mbit or KB/MB)
  • MySQL test: now HostMonitor may work with different versions of MySQL API (LIBMYSQL.DLL)
  • Macro variables: new variables %CurrentStatusDuration% and %CurrentStatusDuration_sec% represent the duration of current status of the test. %CurrentStatusDuration% shows time interval in "[N days] HH:MM:SS" format; %CurrentStatusDuration_sec% shows time in seconds
  • URL test: new options "Accept certificates with invalid host name" and "Accept certificates with invalid dates" has been added into URL Test Proprerties dialog. By default these options are greyed out, this means HostMonitor should use global options specified on Misc page in the Options dialog. If you mark or unmark test options, these settings will override global options (for this specific test item only)
  • Schedules: when you are tuning up the schedule you may type the following words to specify day of the week:
    1. Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat, San, Holiday (as it was before)
      plus
    2. now you may type the word 'any'. HostMonitor will replicate time interval for every day of the week (including holidays)
    3. you may type the word 'work'. HostMonitor will replicate time interval for Monday-Friday
    4. type set of day numbers, e.g. '123' (Monday..Wednesday) or '12345678' (Monday-Sunday and Holidays) and so on
      Improved Improvements: Log Analyzer
  • Report Manager: new option "Vertical bounds" allows you to specify the lower and upper limits of the vertical axis. You may keep default value (Auto) or set bounds to display the "Reply" values within specified range. For example you may specify range 0-100 for report that shows CPU Usage test methods.
  • New options on Equalization page in the Options dialog allow you to equalize all Traffic Monitor test results to the same units (Kbit, KB, Mbit, MB).


      Improved Improvements:

  • HostMonitor: improved WMI test. Windows uses OleStr (string) data type for some numeric counters (by mistake?). New HostMonitor uses numeric comparison for such counters (of course if you have specified integer value in 'compare to' property of the test item)
  • Web Service: minor exterior (web interface) alterations
  • MIB Browser: improved MIB compiler
      fixed The following issue was resolved:

  • HostMonitor: some systems could record "The KS Advanced Host Monitor service hung on starting" message into NT Event Log while HostMonitor works just fine. Problem is caused by TapiSrv service that may require a lot of time to initialize plug&play devices (it depends on your hardware).
    If your system shows this annoying message, you may update Advanced Host Monitor software AND reinstall service. To reinstall service, execute 4 commands:
    > net stop hostmonservice
    > hostmon.exe /UnInstallService
    > hostmon.exe /InstallService
    > net start hostmonservice


     HostMonitor   New feature(s)   Improved function(s)   Fixed problem(s)

  • New action: "HTTP request" allows sending HTTP requests. This action similar to "Send data to TCP/UDP port" but there are several differences:
    • "HTTP request" action applies URL encoding rules to macro variables (e.g. if test status is "Host is alive", %Status% variable will be translated to Host%20is%20alive);
    • if you use %NN (where NN is a hexadecimal code of a character) sequences in the query, such sequences will be send to HTTP server without decoding (as is);
    • action adds <cr><lf><cr><lf> (empty line) after each request
  • "Send message to ICQ" action has been redesigned. Now HostMonitor utilizes message queue, supports primary and backup ICQ accounts and uses some other tricks to make message delivery as reliable as possible. However ICQ servers use anti-spam technologies and may block your account or do not accept your messages (temporarily). That's why you should not consider "Send message to ICQ" action as reliable way to notify network administrators about critical network problems.
    New options located on ICQ page in the Options dialog
  • SNMP Trap test method allows you to search for the value (text, number) without specifying the OID. You may set "message contains OID" property of the test to "any"
  • WMI test: permissions issue has been fixed (test against remote system could fail if HostMonitor was started in service mode)
  • WMI test: improved validation of test settings

     RMA   New feature(s)
  • Agent is able to perform new action: HTTP request

     RCC   Improved function(s)
  • You may use new command line parameter "-AutoConnect". If you specify this parameter, RCC will try to establish connection with HostMonitor right after startup (without human interaction). The parameter can be used only if “-uniqueprofiles” and “-storepassword” options are specified as well
  • Allows you to configure new action (HTTP request) and specify new options (ICQ page in the Options dialog); improved validation procedure for WMI test settings.

     MIB Browser   Improved function(s)
  • MIB compiler has been improved.



     WMI Explorer    New feature(s)

  • The new application was added to the package. Explorer allows you to explore the full set of WMI management classes, objects and their properties; browse through objects and settings on remote machines; execute any WQL query and view the result set.

     HostMonitor   New feature(s)   Improved function(s)   Fixed problem(s)
     New feature(s) New features
  • New test method implemented: WMI test. WMI is the Microsoft’s implementation of Web-Based Enterprise Management (WBEM) - a new management technology that allows software monitoring and control of managed resources throughout the network
  • New option "Automatically check for software updates" located on Misc page in the Options dialog. This option tells HostMonitor to check for software updates at www.ks-soft.net every 3rd night. If new version detected, HostMonitor will inform logged in operator. HostMonitor also checks your license and informs operator about validity of the registration code for this new version
  • Also you may use new menu item "Help" -> "Update check" to check for software updates at any time convenient for you

     Improved function(s) Improved functions
  • Now an SQL query used for ODBC logging can be up to 4096 characters long (previous limit was 2048 symbols)
  • Other minor improvements

     Fixed problem(s) Fixed problems
  • Problem fixed: HostMonitor’s self check (which is performed on every startup) could fail on some models of Pentium III processor (only version 5.70 had this problem)
  • The problem related to NT Event Log test method has been fixed: when HostMonitor calls Windows API to format event description, Windows does not check the accordance between the number of variables in a template (that is stored in resource file) and the number of variables stored in an event log. This could lead to access violation errors when some software was installed or updated incorrectly (e.g. version mismatch between different DLLs) Now HostMonitor checks the template (retrieved from the DLL) and verifies the number of insertion strings before calling Windows function
  • Also if there is DLLs version mismatch (described above), you may copy appropriate DLL (e.g. copy file from another system) into <HostMonitor>\EventLogDlls\ directory. If HostMonitor detects DLL in EventLogDlls subdirectory, this DLL will be used instead of installed DLL (installed DLL - DLL that is specified in the system registry under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\EventLog\<log name>\<event source name> key)

     Remote Control Console (RCC)   New feature(s)
  • RCC was modified to support configuring WMI tests
  • New “Perform ‘play sound’ actions” option. With this option enabled RCC replicates all “Play sound” actions which were initiated by the HostMonitor and plays those sounds on the system where RCC runs
  • New “Perform ‘show popup window’ actions" option allows to execute on remote system(s) (where RCC is running) the same “Show popup window” actions that where started by HostMonitor
  • If both options (“Perform ‘play sound’ actions” and “Perform ‘show popup window’ actions”) are enabled, RCC will be able to show “WakeUp” window for “Play sound” actions that were configured with “Show Wakeup window” option
  • New command line parameters:
    -uniqueprofiles  - tells RCC to store options and connection parameters separately for each user (Windows user)
    -storepassword - tells RCC to store passwords. It can be used only if “-uniqueprofiles” option is enabled
    Please note: password is stored unencrypted in the system registry HKEY_CURRENT_USER. This means that the user with admin privileges will be able to read such password. We do not recommend to enable this option unless it’s really necessary.
  • New menu item "Help" -> "Update check" allows you to check for software updates at www.ks-soft.net. If new version detected, RCC will inform you about new features. RCC also checks your license and informs you about validity of the registration code for this new version

     RMA   Improved function(s)   Fixed problem(s)
  • New Remote Monitoring Agent can perform WMI test method and provide test results to HostMonitor
  • Problem fixed: in case of some ODBC errors an ODBC test performed by the agent could show an empty string instead of the error description

     Log Analyzer   Improved function(s)   Fixed problem(s)
  • Log Anlyzer was modified in order to support log records generated by the new WMI test method
  • Problem fixed: After installation of Microsoft’s “Cumulative Security Update for Internet Explorer 6 Service Pack 1 (KB905915)", all Microsoft applications (e.g. Paint, IE, Imaging) were not displaying GIF charts that were generated by Log Analyzer

     Web Service   New feature(s)   Improved function(s)
  • In addition to the standard interface (available by http://web_server_address/index.htm link) Web Service now has a second one which is more suitable for mobile devices with a small screen (PDA, smart phone). To access the new service use the following links:
    http://web_server_address/compact.htm
    http://web_server_address/tiny.htm
    http://web_server_address/links.htm
  • Optimized authorization procedure



     New New feature: MIB Browser

  • The new application is added to the package. MIB Browser displays the hierarchy of SNMP MIB variables in the form of a tree, it allows loading (compiling) of standard and proprietary MIB files as well as viewing and manipulation of the data available in an SNMP agent.

     Improved Improvements: HostMonitor and RCC
  • New item added to Search menu - Find 'Bad' test. This new function searches for non-acknowledged "bad" items within selected folder. Application looks for test items with "No answer", "Bad" or "Bad content" status, including tests being re-checked at this very moment. If you want to find all "bad" test items within the folder, press Ctrl+B several times, HostMonitor/RCC will mark found items one by one.
  • When you are configuring SNMP Get or SNMP Trap test methods with MIB Browser installed HostMonitor allows you to specify SNMP variables by a name (e.g. iso.org.dod.internet.mgmt.mib-2.system.sysUpTime.0) as well as by an OID in numeric format (e.g. 1.3.6.1.2.1.1.3.0). If you click on "Browse MIBs" button next to "OID" field, HostMonitor will launch MIB Browser displaying the hierarchy tree of SNMP variables. The specified variable (if any) is highlighted and additional information is displayed for it (such as status, access mode, description). Now you may browse variables, choose another variable if needed and click [Ok] button to use the selected variable by HostMonitor.
  • When operator wants to remove a folder, HostMonitor/RCC checks for subfolders and asks for confirmation when the folder contains any subfolder(s) even if those subfolders are empty. And of course application checks for test items as it was before.

     Improved Improvements: HostMonitor
  • 4 new macro variables can be used for actions triggered by SNMP Trap test method: %EnterpriseName%, %MibName%, %EnterpriseNameShort% and %MibNameShort%. Using the database of compiled MIB files HostMonitor may translate an OID from its numeric form to MIB name for received SNMP Trap messages. If you need to extend the database by including information about MIBs supported by some specific SNMP enabled device, use MIB Browser.
  • Mail templates: %IncludeFile% directive was replaced with <<IncludeFile>>. This allows you to use macro variables to specify the name of a file for the directive. E.g. you may type <<IncludeFile=%CommentLine3%>> in an e-mail template or specify the file name directly - <<IncludeFile=c:\hostmonitor\templates\adminmail.html>>

     Improved Improvements: RCC
  • Some optimization was made in order to reduce the CPU usage when HostMonitor performs many tests every second.
  • Under some circumstances RCC could not change folder color when test changed its status. Fixed.

      Improved Improvements: Log Analyzer
  • ODBC logs Manager provides advanced diagnostics for the profiles, it can detect more potential problems
  • Report Manager uses slash "/" for links everywhere where its possible, so reports will be displayed more correctly in Opera, Netscape and other HTML browsers (before some links to the files could use back-slash "\").


      Improved Improvements:

  • HostMonitor: now you may use %ww% (week number) macro variable for actions and custom HTML reports
  • HostMonitor: %HostAddr% macro variable can be specified for actions triggered by URL or HTTP test methods
  • HostMonitor: now you may use special directive like %IncludeFile=path_to_the_file% while defining mail template. If HostMonitor detects such directive, it inserts content of the file into mail and then resolves macro variables (it means you may use macro variables in external files as well).
  • HostMonitor: now "Min Reply", "Max Reply" and "Average Reply" fields display unit size (KB/MB/GB) for "Disk Free Space", "UNC" and "Folder/File size" test methods.
  • HostMonitor: now you may sort test items by Reply field even in case Reply field contains text (e.g. when Reply field contains error description)
  • HostMonitor: if private log is specified for some test item, "Statistics" function will start Log Analyzer using this private log file
  • RCC: new option "Display confirmation messages when new settings applied"
      fixed The following issues were resolved:
  • HostMonitor: if you are using several date expressions (such us %ddmm[+2d]%) in the same line, 2nd expression could be calculated incorrectly. Fixed.
  • Web Service: public and private folders could show wrong links below 2nd level of subfolders. Fixed.
  • Web Service: could return wrong "content-type" for binary files located in public and private folders. Fixed.
  • RMA for UNIX: IncomeFilter could reject IP addresses that should be accepted. Fixed.
  • RMA for UNIX: "Folder Size" and "Count Files" test methods could skip files when file size is over 2GB. Fixed.


      Improved Improvements:

  • HostMonitor & RCC: now RCC allows you to browse files located on remote system (system where HostMonitor is running). You may easily select folders for logs, reports, e-mail attachments and so on
  • HostMonitor & RCC: now you may set up properties for set of selected tests using RCC
  • HostMonitor & RCC: if you create a new folder, inheritance of the comment is ON by default (OFF by default before)
      fixed The following issues were resolved:
  • HostMonitor: If folder does not have its own comment but inherits comment from parent folder, %FolderComment% macro variable did not provide access to inherited comment. Fixed
  • HostMonitor: If custom Shell Script returns "Reply" string longer than 65536 character (64K), HostMonitor saved such reply but could show "file is damaged" warning on startup. Fixed, new HostMonitor truncates such long "Reply" strings to 4096 characters
  • HostMonitor: If RCC was forcedly terminated (e.g. by Task Manager), HostMonitor may not remove operator/connection from the list of active connections. As a consequence - operator could not establish new connection. Fixed
  • HostMonitor: "Import from text file" function could lead to memory leakage under some circumstances. Fixed
  • RCC: If you "acknowledge" bad test item using RCC, comment was not sent to HostMonitor. Fixed
  • Log Analyzer: Bug in new versions of Microsoft ODBC Manager (odbc32.dll version 4.00.6304.00, 4.00.6305.00 and may be some other) may lead to access violation error and memory leakage. If you experience such problem, install new Log Analyzer and add 2 lines into logsman.ini file:
    [Misc]
    ReleaseHDBC=0

    This will eliminate access violation error. Unfortunatelly we have not found a way to avoid memory leakage. Hopefully Microsoft will fix this problem in next versions.


      Improved Improvements:

  • HostMonitor: now you may specify user defined variables while defining custom HTML report
  • HostMonitor: now you may use '0.0.0.0' IP address in "Accept remote connections from" list (User Profiles dialog). If you specify 0.0.0.0 address, HostMonitor will accept incoming connections from ANY address
  • HostMonitor: 8 new status related variables (%HM_TestsPerformed%, %HM_TestListFile% %HM_TotalTestItems%, %HM_BadItems%, %HM_GoodItems%, %HM_UnknownItems%, %HM_AckBadItems%, %HM_AckUnknItems%)
      fixed The following issue was resolved:
  • HostMonitor and RCC did not open Test Properties dialog for Drive Free Space test method. Fixed.


      New Improvements and new features:

  • The new application is added to the package: Remote Control Console. RCC allows you to work with HostMonitor which is running on a remote system just like you work with HostMonitor started on your local system. In addition to the remote administration RCC provides another great benefit - several operators may start RCC on different systems and work with the same instance of HostMonitor at the same time.
  • HostMonitor: now you may specify ranges of IP addresses from which a connection may be accepted (User Profiles dialog). E.g. 192.168.1.1 - 192.168.1.100
  • HostMonitor: Temperature Monitor test method supports Sensatronics model CM16 (cryogenic probes)
      fixed The following issues were resolved:
  • HostMonitor. File Compare test method did not allow you to use '[' and ']' characters in file name. Fixed.
  • HostMonitor & RMA Manager: once RMA record is created it was impossible to change characters in the name of the agent from lower to upper case and vise versa. Fixed.


      Improved New options:

  • HostMonitor: New logging option "Write a record when test status changes + midnight logging". With this option selected HostMonitor records information about current status of all test items at midnight (every night), then no logging happens as consecutive test probes return same status value, until the status changes, at which point a new log record is added. This option is useful when you are using Log Analyzer to generate reports for different time intervals, it helps to analyze data more correctly without producing large log files.
    Option located on Log Settings page in the Options dialog

  • HostMonitor: New autosave option "Save tests and stats at midnight". With this option selected HostMonitor will save test settings (if test list was modified) and statistical information (Alive%, Dead%, Total time and other counters) every midnight. Of course you may save modifications and statistics manually using menu File -> Save.
    Option located on Preferences page in the Options dialog
  • HostMonitor: Changed behavior of "Auto save TestList after any changes" option. With this option selected HostMonitor saves test settings after any modification (as it was before). Also it saves test statistics every 30 minutes (HostMonitor does not save statistical information constantly for better performance).
    Option located on Preferences page in the Options dialog

  • HostMonitor: added new option for "Send e-mail" action. "Priority" option allows you to assign the message a priority, so the recipient knows to either look at it right away (High Priority) or read it when time permits (Low Priority).

  • HostMonitor: New folder level option "Non-simultaneously test execution". If you set this option, tests which are located in the folder will not be executed at the same time. Test items located in different folders may be executed simultaneously even in case option is set for all of these folders. This option is useful when you need to call some non-reentrant application/script.
    Please note: this option is not inheritable; it means subfolders do not inherit such behavior unless you specify the option directly for subfolders as well.
    Option located on Specials page in the Folder Properties dialog.
  • HostMonitor: New folder level option "Test statuses should not affect tray icon color". As you know HostMonitor changes color of the tray icon when a test fails. This option allows you to make exception for set of test items.
    Please note: this option is not inheritable; it means subfolders do not inherit such behavior unless you specify the option directly for subfolders as well.
    Option located on Specials page in the Folder Properties dialog.
      fixed Minor improvements:
  • HostMonitor: If macro variable is used in ODBC Query (ODBC logging or SQL Query action) then HostMonitor resolves this variable and replaces CR LF (#13 #10) symbols with "\r" and "\n" correspondingly.
  • HostMonitor: now SNMP Get test (performed by RMA) does not translate complete reply string into binary format if SNMP reply contains printable characters separated by CR LF (#13 #10) symbols. If reply contains some other non-printable characters, reply will be displayed in binary format (as it was before).
  • HostMonitor, RMA Manager: when you create record for a new agent, application moves cursor to created record.


      Improved New Remote Monitoring Agent (RMA) for UNIX can perform actions (in addition to test execution).
           RMA can perform following actions:



      Improved 4 new command line utilities are included in the package:

  • Appstatus.exe - checks the status of the specified process. This utility sends a message to each window of the specified process and returns "Bad" status and ExitCode 2 when the application does not respond. Appstatus.exe can be used with "External" and "Shell Script" test methods.
  • Kill.exe - allows you to terminate specified process. You may specify the process either by its ID or the name. This utility has various options, e.g. it can terminate only "hunged" processes.
  • PowerCheck.exe - retrieves unformation about the power status of the system.
  • RmaInstaller.exe - helps to install Remote Monitoring Agent as Win32 service on remote systems.
      fixed The following issues were resolved:
  • "Temperature Monitor" test method did not calculate Min/Max/Average Reply counters. Fixed.
  • Under some rare circumstances "Send message to pager (SNPP)" action could cause HostMonitor to crash. Fixed.
  • "ODBC SQL test" dialog could remove carriage return characters. Now it replaces CRLF with the space character.
  • During "Active Script" test set-up, HostMonitor was not accepting file names containing '[' or ']' characters. Fixed.


      Improved Improvements:

  • HostMonitor: added new option for "Generate reports" action. "Use report pool" option tells HostMonitor that report generation can be deferred for 1-2 seconds. In some cases this option noticeably reduces resource usage, e.g. if you use "Generate reports" action for many test items that can change status at the same time. However you should not use this option if report must be processed immediately; e.g. you are using 2nd action to send reports by e-mail or you are using some script to publish report on your web site.
  • HostMonitor: now HostMonitor saves test list into temporary file and renames temp file when recording sucesfully finished. This helps to avoid damage of the file (e.g. if system hungs/crashes on shutdown).
  • HostMonitor & RMA: now Compare Files test method supports files over 2GB.
  • HostMonitor: now SNMP Get test does not translate complette reply string into binary format if SNMP reply contains printable characters separated by CR LF (#13 #10) symbols. If reply contains some other non-printable characters, reply will be displayed in binary format (as it was before).
  • HostMonitor: Windows does not correctly handle many "Event Log" actions that are performed at the same time; it could cause application to crash. Now HostMonitor sends RecordEvent requests one by one with 50 ms delay between actions. Looks like Windows can handle that amount of requests (we say "looks like" because we did not find any Microsoft manual related to this problem).
  • WebService: added "Interface" option that allows you to select specific network interface on which Web Service will listen for incoming connections from the clients (web browser). Default value for this parameter "0.0.0.0" - all netwrok interfaces installed on the system.


      Improved Improvements:

  • HostMonitor: now date macro variables may be specified in the path to system log file
  • HostMonitor: report manager may create directories if necessary (when specified target directory does not exist)
  • HostMonitor: when you setup "Folder/File Size", "File/Folder Availability", "Count Files", "Text Log" or "Compare Files" tests you may use new date macro variable: %ww% - represents current week as two-digit number (01-54).
  • Log Analyzer: you may use date expressions in a script file (e.g. Datefilter   %ddmmyyyy[-7d]%   %ddmmyyyy[-1d]%)
  • Web Service: now AutoRefresh option works for pages that display only "good", "bad", or "unknown" test items


      New features New feature:

  • Log Analyzer now is capable of analyzing ODBC logs. In particular it means, Log Analyzer provides following new options:
    - 2 new items in the "File" menu: "Load ODBC log" and "Append ODBC log"
    - 2 new commands can be used in script: LoadTable and AppendTable
    - new "ODBC logs Manager" dialog is available thru menu "File" -> "Setup ODBC logs"
      Improved Improvements:
  • HostMonitor: "Estimate load" dialog provides new function - Check relations. When you click on [Check relations] button, HostMonitor will verify all master-dependant relations between tests and will warn if there were some loops detected (e.g. TestA depends on TestB, TestB depends on TextC, TestC depends on TestD, TestD depends on testB).
  • HostMonitor: now monitor will check all test items even if you have configured too many tests with short test interval. E.g. if you have set up 400 test items with 2 sec test interval, HostMonitor will perform all tests. It may perform tests later than it was specified by the schedule (not every 2 sec) but all tests will be performed. Note: use Estimate load dialog to check the appropriateness of the test settings.


major changes This version announces just one major feature: Acknowledgments. However, this single feature leaded to many changes and improvements in various modules of the monitor.
Now when some test fails (changes status from "good" to "unknown" or "bad"), you may click on the test item and select "Acknowledge status" item from popup menu. Then you may write special comment and click on the "Acknowledge that" or "Acknowledge and stop alerts" button. HostMonitor will mark this test item as "acknowledged". What does that mean for you?

It means:

  1. "Acknowledged" test item can be displayed in different color (different from non-acknowledged "bad" or "unknown" tests). There is the new item in "Color profiles" dialog which allows you to select specific color for "acknowledged" items within each color scheme. This applies to GUI, HTML reports and HTML log files.
  2. Same color will be used for folders containing some "unknown" and/or "bad" test items but all of them are "acknowledged" (this applies only to GUI interface).
  3. There is new color for HostMonitor's system tray icon: HostMonitor displays such icon when there are some "unknown" and/or "bad" test items but all of them are "acknowledged".

  4. HostMonitor adds the record into the log file, with information about acknowledgement (date and time, name of the user who acknowledged test status).
  5. Also you may see this information in Quick Log
  6. If you have used "Acknowledge and stop alerts" button, HostMonitor will suspend all alerts triggered by "acknowledged" test item until the test restores "good" status - then HostMonitor will resume normal actions behavior ("ack" flag could also be cleared when test changes the status from "unknown" to "bad", unless you have marked "Treat Unknown status as Bad" option for this test item).
  7. If you have used "Acknowledge that" button, HostMonitor will not suspend alerts. However you may configure the alert profile to launch different actions for "non-acknowledged" and "acknowledged" test items (using "advanced mode" actions and new macro variables).

  8. There are 3 new fields:
  9. Acknowledged At
  10.   - shows the time of the test acknowledgement
  11. Acknowledged By
  12.   - shows name of the user (operator) who have acknowledged the test status
  13. ACK Comment
  14.   - displays 1st line of the comment that was provided for "acknowledge" operation.
    These fields could be displayed in main HostMonitor's window (use the Columns page in the Options dialog to setup the list of visible fields); also these new fields can be displayed in reports (see Report Manager section of the manual for details). As well, you may see information about "aknowledgment" in the Info Pane, where the detailed "aknowledgment" comment is included.
    When test changes its status back to "good", all these fields are automatically cleared by HostMonitor.
  15. There are 6 new macro variables:
    %AcknowledgedAt% Represents the date and time when test status was acknowledged
    %AcknowledgedDate%Represents the date when test status was acknowledged
    %AcknowledgedTime%Represents the time when test status was acknowledged
    %AcknowledgedBy% Shows the name of the operator who have acknowledged the test status
    %AckComment% Shows the comment which was provided for "acknowledge" operation
    %AckRecurrences%

    Represents the number of test probes which have returned similar (bad or unknown) result after it was already acknowledged.
    For example if the test returned "bad" status during five consecutive probes, then %Recurrences% variable will be equal 5. If the user has acknowledged the bad status after the second probe then %AckRecurrences% will be equal 3 (5-2=3).
    This variable is useful when you want to configure alert profile to launch different actions for "non-acknowledged" and "acknowledged" test items. E.g. if condition to trigger action execution looks like ('%SimpleStatus%=='DOWN') and (%AckRecurrences%==1), HostMonitor will start action when user confirmed status and test failed once again (after acknowledgement).

    All these variables, except %AckRecurrences%, return empty string for non-acnowledged test items. %AckRecurrences% returns 0 for non-acknowledged test items.

  16. Report Manager provides new filtering options:
  17. Bad items (new)
  18. Bad items (acknowledged)
  19. Unknown (new)
  20. Unknown (acknowledged)
  21. This allows you to display "acknowledged" and "non-acknowledged" items in separate reports (if you want to do so)
  22. Custom HTML report provides new sections for HTML code to display "acknowledged" and "non- acknowledged" items
  23. New variables can be used in external header and/or footer of HTML reports:
  24. %AckBadTests%
  25. - number of "bad" acknowledged test items
  26. %AckUnknTests%  
  27. - number of "unknown" acknowledged test items
  28. Plus Custom HTML report supports 2 additional new variables:
  29. %FolderCurrent_AcknowledgedBad%
  30. - number of "bad" acknowledged test items in the folder
  31. %FolderCurrent_AcknowledgedUnknown%
  32. - number of "unknown" acknowledged test items in the folder
  33. Compact reports display numbers of good, bad (new), bad (acknowledged), unknown (new) and unknown (acknowledged) items

  34. New permission was added to the set of the user rights (Acknowledge test status)

major changes   Web Service: the same feature (acknowledgments) affected Web Service:
  1. It may display 3 new fields for each test item showed in the Control Panel
  2. Web Service displays information about acknowledgment on the Test Properties page (including entire "acknowledge" comment)
  3. Web Service may display "acknowledged" items in different color (different from non-acknowledged "bad" or "unknown" tests).
  4. You may use "ACK" and "ACK&Stop" buttons (that are displayed on "Control Panel" web page) to "acknowledge" some test items remotely

Improvements   Plus there are 6 minor changes:
  • HostMonitor: now "Temperature Monitor" test method supports Sensatronics Model E4 device
  • HostMonitor: "Send message to beeper" action allows you to use macro variables in "Beeper #" field
  • HostMonitor: now if some test that depends on 3rd party software (e.g. ODBC Query test) hangs, HostMonitor may kill thread, mark test as Unknown and start check again after specified time interval (default timeout - 15 min)
  • HostMonitor: built-in Scheduler now allows you to start action profile on the last day of the month. You don't have to worry how many days it is in the current month - "Last day" item was added into drop-down list. Please note: if you are using "quarterly" schedule and "Last day" option, action will be performed on the last day of the LAST month of each quarter (3,6,9,12 month). This is different from other type of "quarterly" schedules - when you are using some specified day to perform action (e.g. 1st day), then the action will be executed on a specified day of the FIRST month of each quarter (1,4,7,10 month).
  • HostMonitor: similar "Last day" option now available for "Reset statistics monthly/quarterly" option (Folder Properties dialog).
  • WebService: new custom HTML page could be used to report the error which indicates usage of incompatible HostMonitor and WebService versions (you may create errorpage3.htm file in 'misc' subdirectory).


      Improved/new fuatures HostMonitor & RMA: now Temperature Monitor test can be performed by Remote Monitoring Agent for Windows
      Improved/new fuatures HostMonitor: LDAP test allows you to specify username for "bind" operation
      fixed HostMonitor & RMA: sometimes RADIUS test could send invalid request packet. Fixed


      Improved/new fuatures Improvements:
  • HostMonitor: Temperature Monitor test method now supports EM1 device from Sensatronics
  • HostMonitor: new action "Record HM log" allows you to store records in the log under some very specific circumstances and flexibly manage what records should be added into the logs
  • HostMonitor: LDAP test method displays error description when HostMonitor cannot bind to server
  • Log Analyzer: new macro variables can be used in external header/footer:
    - %LogFilePath%
    - %LogFileName%
    - %DateInterval%
    - %TimeFilter%
  • LogAnalyzer: added "Unknown" statistics field that displays information about the time during which test items could not be executed due to some problem ("Unknown" status)
  • RMA_CFG utility allows to specify proxy settings for use by the agent when it performs URL test
  • RMA_CFG utility allows to setup Performance Counter test mode
  • RMA & RMA Manager: now you may update configuration utility for the set of remote systems using RMA Manager (note: 3.10 or higher version of the agent must be installed)
  • Web Service: now "Test Info" page may display either just the 1st line of the test's comment (as it was before) or all comment lines
      fixed The following issues were resolved:
  • HostMonitor: NT Event Log test method: when some application recorded event with invalid type, that event could pass the test's "type" filter. Fixed.
  • HostMonitor: fixed resource leakage produced by the "Execute external program" action.
  • HostMonitor: if you have set many SNMP Trap tests, HostMonitor could have skipped performing other tests. Fixed
  • Web Service: may use other then specified color palette for test items with WaitForMaster, OutOfSchedule or Disabled status. Fixed
  • RMA: under some rare circumstances, RMA for Windows being started as interactive service on Windows XP SP1, SP2 or Windows Server 2003 could crash. Fixed.
  • Log Analyzer: fixed an issue with chart scaling (when Report Manager creates reports with charts in some of the "average" modes, scaling could have had minor inaccuracies).


      Improved/new fuatures Improvements: HostMonitor & RMA for Windows

      13 more test methods can be performed remotely by Remote Monitoring Agent:
      Improved/new fuatures Improvements: HostMonitor & RMA for Windows/Linux/FreeBSD/Solaris

Now Remote Monitoring Agent can provide information necessary for file/folder selection dialogs. This allows you to select file (or folder) while browsing the file structure on remote Windows and Unix systems. Option is implemented for the following test methods:


      Improved/new fuatures Improvements: HostMonitor
  • "xor" operator (exclusive disjunction) can be used in logical expressions that specify test dependency
  • "xor" operator (exclusive disjunction) can be used in "condition to start" expressions (see "advanced mode" actions)
  • Send message to pager (TAP) action: macro variables can be used in "pager id" field
  • Send message to pager (SNPP) action: macro variables can be used in "pager id" field

  • HMScript: now you may use group names such as "_AllBad", "_AllUnknown" and "_AllGood" for the <testname> parameter with following commands:
    - RefreshTest
    - ResetTest
    - EnableTest
    - DisableTest
    - SetTestParam
    - ReplaceTestParam
    - ResetEventLogRefPoint
    - ResetRecurrencesTest
    E.g. "ResetRecurrencesTest _AllBad" command will reset Recurrences counter to 0 for all failed tests

  • New group of options "Reports & Statistics" was added on Miscellaneous page in the Options dialog. The group has 4 new options:
    Reports:
    • Show folder names
      With this option enabled HostMonitor inserts into reports additional line with the name of folder preceding the list of tests in this folder. Compact HTML and Dashboard reports always display folder name, regardless of this option.
    • Skip empty folders
      With this option enabled folders that do not contain any tests will not be included into reports. Otherwise report will display single line (row or cell - it depends on report type) with the folder name.
    Statistics:
    • Display Alive/Dead ratio of passed/failed tests
    • Display Alive/Dead ratio of alive/dead time
      This switch defines how Alive/Dead/Unknown ratio should be calculated: it is either based on quantity of passed/failed probes (HostMonitor version 3 and 4 supported this mode only) or based on alive/dead time (new mode). New mode is useful when you setup HostMonitor to change test intervals for failed tests.
    • Precision: display [N] digit(s) after decimal
      Sets precision of the Alive%, Dead%, Unknown% fields

  • Interbase, Sybase, MySQL, MS SQL, Postgre and Oracle test methods may display "unknown" status and appropriate error message in the Reply field when it was impossible to perform the check (e.g. when client library is not installed). Previously HostMonitor displayed the "No answer" status.
  • When HostMonitor initially records information about all test items into just created common log, it does not store additional (unnecessary) records into ODBC log.
  • If you are using "Auto save TestList after any changes" option, new HostMonitor processes disable/enable/delete operations much faster.

      Improved/new fuatures Improvements: Log Analyzer
  • Display mode.
    Now charts may display graphs in several modes:
    - display all data
    - display average on hourly basis
    - display average on daily basis
    - display average on weekly basis
    - display average on monthly basis
    You may choose the display mode from popup menu while you work with GUI. This new option is also available in each report profile in the Report Manager dialog.

  • Threshold for charts in average modes
    When "display all data" mode is selected, color of each point depends on status of the test at this specific time (e.g. green for passed probes, red for failed). Behavior of the chart in "average" modes is more complicated - test items may change their status several times during the time interval (day, month) but the chart displays just the single item. What color should be used for such points? 2 new options (located on Statistics page in the Options dialog) allow you to specify "bad" and "unknown" thresholds for such items:
    • Display "Bad" status when (Bad time)/(Total time) ratio exceeds <N>%
      specifies threshold for "bad" statuses in % of time interval. If the accrued time during which the test had bad status equals or exceeds specified percentage then the item on the chart will be displayed with "bad" color (red by default). E.g. if you are using "display average on hourly basis" mode and 10% threshold, then if some host did not respond for ping test for 6 or more minutes within an hour, you will see red bar on the chart.
    • Display "Unknown" status when Unknown/Total time ratio exceeds <N>%
      specifies threshold for "unknown" statuses in % of time interval. If the accrued time during which the test had unknown status equals or exceeds specified percentage then the item on the chart will be displayed with "unknown" color (yellow by default). E.g. if you are using "display average on daily basis" mode and 25% threshould, then if some test had "unknown" status for 6 or more hours within a day, you will see yellow bar on the chart.
    Please note: "bad" status has higher priority than "unknown" status. It means if "bad" time reached specified threshold, the point will be displayed in red color regardless of how long this test had "unknown" or "good" status.

  • Alive/Dead ratio
    New "Alive/Dead ratio" option added on Statistics page in the Options dialog. It specifies how "alive time" versus "dead time" percentage should be calculated.

  • "Day-time" filter
    In addition to date filter now Log Analyzer provides "Day-time" filter. You may choose one of 3 options:
    - Display all records (24/7)
    - Include specified time only
    - Exclude specified time

  • Another filter option "Skip tests with <N> or less log records" tells Log Analyzer to exclude from statistics test items with N or less records in the log. These skipped test items will not be included into the reports either.

  • Script
    Added "DateFilter" command, it works exactly like "Filter" command that is kept for compatibility.
    New commands:
    - TimeFilter Include
    - TimeFilter Exclude
    - TimeFilter 24/7
    - SkipMode On
    - SkipMode Off
    - SkipLevel

      Improved/new fuatures Improvements: RMA Manager
  • Now you may sort the list of agents by name, port, platform, version, status, last test time or comment.
  • New menu "Search" allows you to find agent(s) using keywords.

      fixed The following issues were resolved:
  • HostMonitor: fixed the problem with java scripts in Custom HTML and Dashboard reports that appeared when test name or reply field contains ' or "
  • HostMonitor: fixed problem with ODBC logging that appeared when test name or reply field contains ' or "
  • HostMonitor: when you enable disabled test items, HostMonitor could trigger false alerts under some circumstances. Fixed.
  • HostMonitor & Web Service: Quick Log pane could not work under some circumstances. Fixed.

      Improved/new fuatures Other changes:
  • Setup: if you are upgrading running software, installation program may stop running services (HostMonitor, Web Service, etc), update modules and start services again.
  • Setup: now RMA for Windows can be installed in "Enterpise" installation mode as well (you don't need to use Custom mode as before)

 

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