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From the Entry Editor, click on the Alerts Tab, click on Launch Application Tab

Launch Application Alert Configuration
The Launch Application alert allows you to be launch an external application, utility, script, or other command based on the results of a monitored task.

Launch External Command Alert Configuration

The Launch App provides you with the ability to launch an external application or utility based on the results of a monitored entry.

In some cases, you may wish to execute a command or procedure that performs very specific tasks that are not available in any of the alert options or currently incorporated into an IPSentry add-in component.

Please see the How-To section for additional information on various configurations.

Command Line

Enter the command line of the utility or application you wish to launch. Unless the application is in your path, you must include the full path information. All IPSentry Key Words used in this field will be translated. Click the BROWSE button to browse for the application or utility.

You can run EXE's, BAT's, CMD's, VBS Scripts,  as well as select files with the appropriate associated extension (i.e. .htm would launch your browser).

Use of the key word %IPS_M_STAT% can be used as a parameter in the command line allowing the external process to react differently depending on the state of the monitored item. Because this keyword will be converted to "UP" or "DOWN", the external process can perform specific functions based on this state.  The use of the new %%mach.state%% will be converted to "OK" or "CRITICAL"

Note: When executing batch files (.BAT or .CMD) files, you may need to precede the entry with appropriate direction to start the NT command interpreter (CMD.EXE) to launch the process.
e.g: C:\windows\system32\cmd.exe /Cx:\mypath\myproc.bat %IPS_M_STAT%

The above command causes the command interpreter to be started and the myproc.bat file to be processed.

In the above example, it is assumed that myproc.bat will utilize the %1 batch command line variable and react to the value being set to UP or DOWN

If you require that IPSentry launch the process and WAIT for the process to complete, simply precede the command line information with "[WAIT##]" (without the quotes, but INCLUDE THE BRACKETS). Where ## = the number of seconds that IPSentry will wait for completion.

e.g. [WAIT30]C:\windows\system32\cmd.exe /Cx:\mypath\myproc.bat %IPS_M_STAT%
The above command line would be executed however IPSentry processing would be suspended until completion or 30 seconds, whichever comes first.

e.g. [WAIT-1]C:\windows\system32\cmd.exe /Cx:\mypath\myproc.bat %IPS_M_STAT%
The above command line would be executed however IPSentry processing would be suspended until completion - this could be days, weeks, months, even more... depending on when MyProc.bat finishes.

Alert Status
This group represents the status of the selected alert for the device.
Alert Status - Enable, Disable, Use From Template

Enabled
When this option is selected, the configuration details for the alert are active and specific to this entry.  Other entries may reference this entry.

Disabled
When this option is selected, no alerting of this type will be performed by the selected entry when a CRITICAL result is encountered

Use From
When this option is selected, the alert configuration defined in the selected entry (named in the field next to this selected) will be utilized.  You will use this option when you wish to utilize a group or template reference for alerting configurations.  By clicking on the browse button (...), you will be presented with a list of entries from which you may use their configuration for the specified alert.

When selecting this option, all detail entry fields will be disabled.

Trigger  on recovery count
Recovery Alert Specification
When this option is selected, the alert specified will also be triggered when the system recovers from a critical state.  The most common uses for this option are in email messaging and pager/cell/SMS messaging where you specify the %%mach.state%% keyword in the alert messages.   This way, if a system fails and then recovers, the recipient of the notification would be alerted to this fact.

The value that you enter after this option is the number of successful (OK) results that must occur after a failure before the entry is deemed 'recovered'.   If you enter a value of say three (3) in this field, IPSentry will need to monitor this item at least 3 times, with three successful results before any recovery alert would be generated.  This helps avoid constant UP/DOWN/UP/DOWN notifications.
For add-in alerts, this option will be specific and specified within each add-in configuration entry.

Alert Schedule
The alert schedule provides you with the ability to define the failure count requirements and alert/notification quantities that will be generated.  For example, you may want to be alerted immediately upon failure of a device, but from that point on, if the device is still failing, you may only want to be alerted every 5 failures and receive no more than 6 alerts during any constantly failed duration.   This is exactly where you specify this information.
For add-in alerts, this option will be specific and specified within each add-in configuration entry.
IPSentry Alert Schedule Part

First After
This field represents how many failures (sequential) must occur before any failure notifications are triggered.  A value of 1 will cause immediate notification upon the first failure.  A value of 2 or more will require that number of failures before the first alert is generated.  In the example scenario above, you would enter a 1 in this field.

Then Every
This field represents the number of failures that must occur before further alert/notification actions are taken once the first notification has been processed.   In the example scenario above, you would enter a 10 in this field.

No More Than...
This field represents that maximum number of times that the alert will be triggered during a failure.  If you set this value to -1, there is no maximum.  If you set this value to zero - you might as well just disable the alert.   In the example scenario above, you would enter a 6 in this field so that no more than the alert will be triggered no more than 6 times during a failure.

Alerting Frequency Schedule

Load From
Click this button to load the alert configuration data from another entry in the IPSentry system.  This function comes in handy when you have an alert configured that needs only minor changes for the current configuration.   Once you select a device from which to copy the alert, the configuration of that alert will be populated into the appropriate fields.

Copy To
Click this button to copy the current alert configuration being modified to one or more existing entries.  This allows for the bulk duplication of alert configurations via entry selection.  You will be presented with a list of entries to which you wish to apply this alert configuration.

Test Alert
Click this button to test your alert configuration settings and insure that the basic configuration is correct.

You will be presented with a dialogue requesting whether you wish to test as critical or as a recovery type alert.

Test Alert Dialogue

After selecting to test as Critical or Recover, you will be presented with an active display during the test.
 
Alert Test

Note that when testing alerts, many of the keyword will not contain accurate data since there will be no monitoring data available.  For example, if use the %%mach.trimres_fxxxx%% keyword, the result will either be empty or contain the results of the last live monitoring of the current item.

When testing alerts to insure that keyword structures are correct, the result text should not contain the keyword.   The data will either be replaced with nothing (if no data is available) or it will be replaced with the correct data.

For example: If you enter the keyword %%mach.nameX%%, this is an invalid keyword so it will not be replaced and will be included as it is entered.  However, if you enter %%mach.name%%, this will be replaced. Similarly, if you use a keyword such as %%mach.drive.minfree%% and have the alert tied to a service monitor, the value will be unknown since service monitoring does not use this value - but the keyword will NOT exist in the resulting message data.
 

 



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