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Chapter 5. RSP Web
RSP Web is the interface to your network. A small, self- sufficient web application, it communicates with all the RSPD nodes on your network to display system information in a clear, straightforward way. It contains its own web server (based on the popular free web container Jetty), which means no addition web server is required. RSP Web is really a number of tools in one. First, it is a system monitoring tool. Using the real-time server statistics provided by each machine, you can quickly get a sense of what's happening on the network. Crossed thresholds are color coded so that problems can stand out. Next, RSP Web is a report generation tool. Using data stored in an RSP History Listener or MySQL database, detailed graphs can be created to view trends in server activity. RSP Web is also an incident tracking tool. Tickets representing problems on the network can be prioritized and organized among an IT staff. Finally, RSP Web contains a hardware management interface allowing to view and search the hardware inventory of each machine. This chapter will cover the configuration and usage of RSP Web. Each of the features mentioned above will be discussed in more detail, as well as a number of other features designed to make RSP Web a useful and friendly tool. Installing RSP WebRequirementsThe following requirements are necessary to run the RSP Web software (all of which can be found on the appropriate installation CD, or from the related software web sites:
Installation for WindowsThe following steps must be completed to install the RSP software on Windows.
Installation for Linux & UNIXThe following steps must be completed to install the RSP Web software on Linux or Solaris (or other supported command-line operating system).
Configuring RSP WebThe RSP Web software is a highly customizable software program. Customization may be done by editing the RSP Web configuration file. In addition, Windows users can make changes via the Configuration dialog box. Editing the Configuration FileThe configuration file for the RSP Web software, rspweb.conf, can be edited using a simple text editor. By default, RSP Web looks for this file in /etc/rsp/rspweb.conf on Unix and Linux systems, and C:\Program Files\RSP\RSP Web\rspweb.conf on Windows machines. The following table details the available configuration file options pertaining to the global configuration of the RSP Web software: Table 5-1. RSP Web Configuration Options
The following table details the configuration options available to monitor RSPD servers and proxies: Table 5-2. RSP Web Server Configuration Options
Configuration in WindowsAlthough Windows users are welcome to edit configuration files, the simpler way of doing things is to graphically configure RSP Web with the Configuration dialog box. It is accessed by starting up RSP Web and right clicking on the icon and selecting the "Configure..." menu item. This dialog box is organized into a number of tabs. The first tab is the "General" tab and is displayed in Figure 1. The controls in this tab are described in the following listing. Table 5-3. General Configuration Options
The second tab is "Logging", which allows the user to configure settings related to the RSP Web event logs. The controls in this tab are described in the following listing. Table 5-4. Logging Configuration Options
The third tab is "Network", which configures settings related to RSPD connections. The controls in this tab are described in the following listing. Table 5-5. Network Configuration Options
The last tab is "Servers", which configures the RSPDs to which RSP Web will connect. Nodes and groups may be added to the tree by clicking "Add Node..." and "Add Group..." respectively. "Delete" will remove the node which is currently connected. In addition, the "Find Node..." button allows you to search the network for RSPD nodes. These nodes must have Auto Discover functionality turned on (see Chapter 2 for more details). Using the RSP WebLogging into RSP WebGetting started using the RSP Web interface is very easy. Before you can use the software, you must always login to the RSP Web first. Open a web browser (such as Mozilla or Internet Explorer), and navigate to the web address your system administrator setup (if RSP Web is running on the same computer you are accessing it from, then you can simply go to http://127.0.0.1:8080). A screen like the one shown in Figure 5 should appear: If you are the system administrator and this is your first login, then you must use the default username ('admin') and the default password ('rspweb'). System Administrators (accounts in RSP Web designated the ability to create other accounts) are able to set who can log into the RSP Web portal (and whether they, too, can create accounts). The account management system provides the foundation for security in RSP Web. Monitoring with RSP WebOnce logged in, a monitoring screen is presented (Figure 6). This page contains a detailed overview of all servers currently being monitored by the RSP Web software. This page is called At-A-Glance, which shows a brief overview of each server you are monitoring, and if there are any reported issues with them. There are a number of other important facts about this page that should be mentioned. First, all servers are presented in a tree format (corresponding to the configuration file setup). Notice how the nodes have a single green check mark next to their names and the line "No reported problems." As implied, this indicates there are no modules reporting threshold warnings (if there were, you would see a read highlight behind the name of the server. This data is accurate as of the last time the page was reloaded (see the Last Contacted date and time on the right). Second, all of the groups of servers being monitored are listed in the Show drop-down box. By selecting a group name, you can monitor just the servers in that group. So, since our example includes a subgroup called WebServers, you could select it from the Show drop-down menu and automatically be shown the status of all web servers, simultaneously. The second drop-down box to the right of the groups box is the "view as" box. This allows you to see the servers in the selected group in one of three different formats: as a list (where all contents are shown), as At-A-Glance (where you can click a server to show its current status), or as the newest format, Grid, which is designed to show all of your servers' statuses on one page suitable for large-format screens. Often, it's useful to have a large computer screen setup in the corner of the room; with the Grid mode turned on, you can quickly glance at this screen and see the health of your entire enterprise instantly. Another useful feature of the At-A-Glance display is the ability to click on a node entry line, which brings up a listing of that node's most recent reported module data. This data shows each of the modules and their report, as well as a highlight if a node has reported a threshold warning. If a node reports a threshold warning while you are in At-A-Glance mode, a red highlight will appear behind the node's entry in the tree, and state which module is reporting a threshold warning. Clicking on the entry will then display the module data and what is happening on that system, allowing you to instantly pinpoint the root of a problem. Another way to display RSP data is to use the RSP Web display All. This mode is selected by clicking the Show drop-down menu and selecting the All item. This mode displays all of the nodes to be monitored by RSP Web in a tree (similar to the At-A-Glance mode) but with all nodes including their module data reports (and any highlights if threshold warnings have been reported). If you click on the name of a computer from the overview page, this will take you to the Host Info page. This provides a detailed look at a particular server. The Host Info page contains four sections: System Report, System Hardware, Matching Tickets, and Host Comments. The System Report section shows the same information as the Overview page; each module running on the server along with its current data. Crossed thresholds will be colored red. The System Hardware section shows hardware information that has been gathered for this machine. It includes things like CPU, kernel, memory, network interfaces, and more. Matching tickets will present a list of all tickets that exist for this machine. Finally, each host can have a list of notes related to this machine in the Host Comments part of the page. This might include notes on hardware and system changes, and looking at it can provide a good history of the machine. Displaying LogsAn additional feature of the All mode is the ability to view the log entries of an individual node. Simply click the small "i" icon to the right of a node to bring up a new page listing the most recent RSPD log entries. Warnings are reported in red, while notes are reported in black (see Figure 10). Remote ConfigurationAnother feature of the All display mode is the configuration button. To remotely configure an RSPD or group of RSPD's, simply click the wrench icon to the right of the node or group. Once the wrench icon is selected, a loading screen is presented while the RSP Web connects to each RSPD node to configure, and retrieves its current configuration data. Once the loading has completed (and it could take a minute or so to complete, depending on the number of RSPD nodes to configure), a configuration screen similar to the one shown in Figure 11 will be presented. The RSP Web remote configuration feature allows you to edit the configuration file(s) for one or multiple RSPD nodes, making maintenance among many RSP-monitored servers much easier. Using this remote configuration screen, you can change any aspect of a configuration file, including enabling or disabling modules, and configuring module-specific options. To edit an option, first click the check box to the left of that option. This enables the field to be edited. If you wish to leave a field as it is shown, leave the box unchecked. If you are editing multiple RSPD nodes, a slightly different behavior is exhibited. If each node has the exact same value for a particular field, then the value is shown in that field. However, in the common occurrence when there is a discrepancy between RSPD configurations, a blank is shown in that field, and a link is displayed to the right. Clicking this link brings up a new window which shows each node and its configuration value for that particular field. Once you have finished editing the configuration options, click the Reconfigure button (there is one after each configuration section) and the changes will be sent to the RSPD nodes. Once each node has received its changes, it will reload (including restarting each module). All recent history is preserved. Recent History GraphsRSP Web can maintain a set of recent history data, which can be used to create graphs of recent data (going back up to 6 hours). This information can be extremely useful when analyzing trends or tracking down problems with a particular system. To access these graphs, click a module name while in the All display mode (see Figure 12 for an example). As Figure 12 shows, the module DiskStat can be used to show recent trends in disk activity on a particular system. There are several features of this page that should be explained. First, at the top of the page is a list of "keys" that can be graphed. Each module reports on one or more keys. In the case of the CPUInfo module, there are a number of keys (user, system, and idle usage). Choose which keys to create graphs of from this list, and then click the Show button. Second, each graph can be shown covering several different lengths of time (including 15 and 30 minute intervals, as well as 1 and 6 hours). Click a different time interval at the bottom of a graph reloads the page with the new graph created. Additionally, you can display two graphs of the same key simultaneously. This allows you to compare trends over different intervals of time. Click the Columns pull-down menu at the top of any graph to select 1 or two. This will reload the page, showing the selected number of columns. The default setting for the second graph (when choosing two columns) is 6 hours. This allows you to see an up-close view of recent data (say the last 15 minutes) and compare this to the overall trend seen in the last 6 hours. This can be a very handy tool when debugging system performance issues. RSP Web User ConfigurationAnother feature of the RSP Web software is the ability to change certain preferences from within the RSP Web. Clicking on the configuration tab at the top of almost any page will bring up a screen similar to the one shown in Figure 13. The Configuration page has a number of tabs which contain different groups of options. The first tab, "My Account", allows the user to change their own preferences, including Account Settings (Login Name, Name, Email), Change Password, and Auto Refresh Interval. That last setting refers to the frequency in which the browser refreshes the current network information on the main page. A smaller time period gives more current data but increases traffic on the network and puts additional strain on the RSP Web server. The second tab, "Ticket Settings", allows a user to detail if and when they would like to receive notification emails for ticket changes (see Figure 14). The first setting specifies if the user wants to be emailed for changes they make. Typically it's not necessary to be notified of changes you make, however some users like to have a reminder of what they did. The rest of the settings split changes up into groups of tickets created by the user, tickets assigned to the user, and all other tickets. For each group, the user can specify if they want to the be emailed upon ticket creation, change in severity, state change, and new comment postings. There is a third tab, "User Admin" (see Figure 15). This tab is only accessible by users who have been granted permission to create users. In this tab all users are listed, and can be modified or deleted. In addition, new users can be created as well. Clicking "Edit" brings up the "Edit User" form (see Figure 16). A user is given a login name and optional first/last names and email address. Each user has a set of permissions that may be defined for them, which specify what that user is allowed to do when they are logged in to RSP Web. When a new user is created, their default password will be the same as their login. RSP Web Reports WizardIn Figure 17, the first step of the reports wizard is shown, which allows a user to generate graphs of collected RSPD data. You must first select a source to access RSPD history data. The RSP Web collects history data (see the RSP Web Configuration section for details on specifying how much data to store), and this can be accessed to generate graphs. Alternatively, if a History Listener database server is being used, the address and port is required; if a MySQL database is used, the address, port (default MySQL port is 3306), the login and password, and the database to use is required. When ready to continue, click the Next button to select host and module keys to graph (see Figure 18). Figure 18 prompts you to choose a host and a module to graph. The host is the RSPD that collected the system information, and the module is the collected data to display (such as CPUInfo). Once you have made your selection, click the Next button (you will then be shown a third screen, such as in Figure 19). In the third (and final) step of the Reports wizard, you are prompted for three sets of information: begin and end times, and a key (see Figure 19). The key is the module-specific set of data to graph, and may be different between modules. The CPUInfo module, for instance, has several keys, including user, sys, and idle. Select an appropriate date and time range and the desired key. The start and end times represent a window of time to search through (as there could be months of data stored in your selected repository, it helps to narrow down your search to within a relatively short period of time). Of course, you can select all data by simply changing your begin time to the start of data collected and your End Time to the current time. Once you have made your selections, click the Next button. After the graph has been generated, it will be presented as a graphic (similar to the one shown in Figure 20). You can then save this image by right clicking on it and selecting the appropriate item from the pop-up menu. RSP Web Tickets ManagerThe RSP Web Tickets Manager is a powerful feature that can keep track of past and current incidents automatically, centralizing your organizational IT knowledge in one easy-to-use, searchable database. The main idea is that a ticket is generated whenever a threshold is crossed. The ticket is created automatically by RSP Web and shows up in an unassigned status in the RSP Web Tickets Manager section (click the tickets button at the top of most RSP Web pages). In addition, users may create their own tickets (if they have been given permission to do so), to represent network issues and incidents. Once a ticket has been created, it can be assigned to any user registered with the system (system administrators can add and remove users in the Configuration screen). A ticket may be assigned to any user by any user (including themselves). Once a ticket has been assigned to you, it will show up in the Assigned Tickets table at the top of the Tickets Manager page. This list includes all of the tickets that are both open and currently assigned to you. To assign a ticket, and to view additional details about the given incident, click a ticket's date field (the column to the left of the tables on the Tickets Manager page). A new page is shown (see Figure 22). On this page you'll find all of the relevant details about a ticket's status, the reported state of the system in question, and any comments or other information associated with that ticket. You can change who the ticket is assigned to, the status of the ticket (open or closed) and the severity of the incident by selecting the relevant changes you wish to make, and then clicking the Update button. You may also delete a ticket by pressing the Delete button at the top right. Tickets allow users to add comments, enabling multiple people to collaborate their work on particular incidents quickly. To add a comment, type your message in the rectangular entry box at the bottom of the page, and then click the Add Comment button. Your message will immediately appear on the page. an example. Posting comments to tickets is also a great way to store past organizational knowledge about similar incidents in a searchable database. To search for a comment, use the search feature located at the bottom of the Tickets Manager page. Using this feature, you can search for tickets based either on the incident that occurred, or the comments attached to the ticket. Once you have selected your criteria for the search, click the Search button. RSP Web will begin looking through its database of tickets, and return the relevant results on a new page. New tickets can be created by clicking the "Create New Ticket" button on the main tickets listing page. Users can then specify the appropriate server and event information (see Figure 23). The ticket can be assigned to a user or can begin unassigned. RSP Hardware ManagerThe RSP Hardware Manager is designed as a simple interface to the hardware collection features of RSP. Each of the agents monitored by the RSP Web regularly collect hardware characteristics of their computer and report back to the RSP Web, which can be searched, sorted, and compared using this RSP Hardware Manager interface. Clicking on the hardware tab at the top of an RSP Web page will bring up a screen similar to the one in Figure 24. This is a very simple display of existing hardware: a list of computer names appears on the left with a hardware characteristic on the right (in this case, it defaulted to a sound card). If RSP Web has not yet contacted any agents (i.e. you've just installed RSP Web and haven't started any agents yet), then a message will appear in the hardware page stating no hardware information is available. Simply start an agent and come back to the hardware page once RSP Web has contacted it. Once RSP Web has contacted at least one agent, it will display collected hardware in the hardware page. To use this interface, you choose what "criteria" you wish to show. To choose criteria, select the drop-down box at the top (in this case, where it says Sound Card), and choose a metric you wish to see instead (for instance, CPU). This will update the page, changing the Sound Card column to now show CPU information. To add criteria, click the + icon to the right: a new line will appear that allows you to add other elements (and displays another column). Using this model, you can easily compare systems against others by placing columns next to each other and choosing the hardware metrics that most interest you. For instance, comparing what systems have the highest installed RAM and faster CPUs. In addition, you can easily remove criteria by clicking it's - button. You can also perform searches on the hardware you see, constraining your view even further. For instance, if you're only interested in the Linux systems you have, add a criteria panel and choose Kernel, then type "Linux" into the entry box on the right. This changes the table below to show only the hardware metrics of computers with the Linux kernel. You can perform these constraints on any collected metric to further refine your views. Additionally, clicking the column name in the table will resort the hardware information based on the column's metric (so, clicking on RAM will sort from lowest to highest, or highest to lowest - click again on the column name to switch from ascending to descending, and vice versa). Finally, you can click on the name of any server in the table to switch to a page detailing the hardware, current performance, and numerous other details related to that computer. RSP Web WhiteboardRSP Web comes with a community whiteboard feature that can be used to communicate with one another (in the case where multiple system administrators may be using the RSP Web portal), or for a system administrator to post announcements (say, a list of escalation procedures). To edit a whiteboard file, click the Edit button at the bottom of the Whiteboard pages. This assumes that you have been given permission to edit the whiteboard. This will bring up a window similar to the one shown in Figure 26. When editing an RSP Web whiteboard, you can use HTML format tags to add style to your entry. Then, when the whiteboard is displayed (in non-edit mode), you will have nicely styled text formatting. When done editing the whiteboard, click the Save Changes button to post the changes to the whiteboard (and allowing others to view it). The RSP Web whiteboard feature can be very useful, especially in medium- to large-sized IT departments, where many system administrators may all be using the RSP Web monitoring interface at once. |