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RSP Web

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 Web

Requirements

The 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:

  1. A Java development kit (from Sun Microsystems) version 1.4.0 or later.

  2. The RSP Web software.

Installation for Windows

The following steps must be completed to install the RSP software on Windows.

  1. Run the included installer program found on the RSP CD and choose to install the RSP Web software. This will place the RSP Web binaries and configuration data onto your computer's hard drive in the C:\Program Files\RSP\RSP Web directory (unless you specify a different location).

  2. Configure the RSP Web software to poll your computers for system updates by editing C:\Program Files\RSP\RSP Web\rspweb.conf with your favorite text editor. Change the relevant lines to suite your needs, save the file, and close the editor. You may also configure RSP Web after starting it by right-clicking on the RSP Web icon in the taskbar and selecting "Configure...".

  3. You can now start the RSP Web software by selecting it from Start -> All Programs -> RSP -> Start RSP Web

  4. Point your browser to http://127.0.0.1:8080. You can login to the RSP Web Interface using the "admin" login and "rspweb" password.

Installation for Linux & UNIX

The following steps must be completed to install the RSP Web software on Linux or Solaris (or other supported command-line operating system).

  1. Copy the RSP Web directory (named rspweb) to your hard disk. The rspweb directory is located on the UNIX Installation CD or in the downloaded archive file.

  2. Configure the RSP Web software to poll your computers for system updates by editing the rspweb.conf file with your favorite text editor. Change the relevant lines to suite your needs, save the file, and close the editor.

  3. Start RSP Web by running `/etc/init.d/rspweb start'. You can stop RSP Web at any time by running `/etc/init.d/rspweb stop'.

  4. Point your browser to http://127.0.0.1:8080. You can login to the RSP Web Interface using the 'admin' login and 'rspweb' password.

Configuring RSP Web

The 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 File

The 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

OptionDescription
checkDelay Specifies the default time (in seconds) to wait before polling each of the RSPD nodes listed in the configuration file. The default is 5 seconds.
connectionTimeout Indicates the number of seconds that should be waited before giving up trying to connect to a remote host. Slower networks/machines may require this to be a higher value.
transmissionTimeout Indicates the number of seconds that should be waited before declaring a connection broken. Slower networks/machines may require this to be a higher value.
port The port the RSP Web server software should listen on.
stopPort The RSP Web can be stopped by sending a special signal to the listener on this port. Usually it is the port + 1 (so if port was set to 8080, the stopPort would be set to 8081). Note this port only needs to be accessible from the local machine, as remote connections will not be accepted on this port.
minThreads The minimum number of instances of RSP Web listeners (increasing this number can increase performance if many people are expected to be accessing RSP Web at the same time).
maxThreads This is the maximum number of individual threads RSP Web is allows to start up (be careful not to set this too high, as you may overload the resources on your server).
maxIdleTime The amount of time (in seconds) that a client is allowed to be idle before declaring their connection "dead". Setting this number too low can result in dropped connections for clients, and setting it too high can reduce performance (especially if few threads are being used). Generally, 30 is a good number.
recentHistory Enable this option if you want RSP Web to store collected information from RSPD nodes for a period of time. This data can be used by both the Reports Wizard and the Recent History graphs for modules.
recentHistoryTime The amount of time (in hours) that RSP Web will keep collected information. Set this number above 6 hours to use the recent history for graphs feature. Note that setting this too high can have impacts on performance (and can increase the amount of disk space required by RSP Web).
emailFrom When sending notification emails for tickets, this is the address RSP Web will use for the "From" field. The default is "rspweb@localhost".
smtpServer The SMTP server RSP Web will use to send ticket notification emails. By default RSP Web will attempt to use the localhost.
logsDir The directory where RSP Web should store log files. If this option isn't specified, it will try to use the working directory where RSP Web was started from.
logRequests If enabled, RSP Web will log HTTP requests to this file.
requestsLogNameFormat The general name structure RSP Web should use when creating request log files. RSP Web will replace the string 'yyyy' with the current year, 'mm' with the current month, and 'dd' with the current day.
requestsLogRetainDays The length of time (in days) that RSP Web should keep request log files. Any logs created later than this length of time will be purged automatically by RSP Web.
requestLogExtended If enabled, RSP Web logs additional HTTP request information (note that this will increase the amount of disk space required for RSP Web logs).
logEvents If enabled, RSP Web will log events that may be generated (such as messages from RSP Web).
eventLogName The name of the log file RSP Web should use for events.
eventLogRetain The number of event log files RSP Web should keep. Event log files rotate after hitting a file size limit (see eventLogMaxFileSize). After the maximum number of event log files is reached, the oldest will be deleted. The default is 3.
eventLogMaxFileSize The maximum allowed size of the event log files. Values could be "512 KB" or "3MB" for example. The default is 1 megabyte.
eventLogVerbose This option specifies how much information should be stored in the RSP Web event log. Valid options are quiet, normal, and verbose. Note that normal and verbose options will require successively larger amounts of disk space.
useSSL If enabled, RSP Web will attempt to connect to RSPDs using a secure communications protocol. Note that a secure key must be created for this, and may reduce performance on slower servers on which RSP Web is running.
persistent If enabled, RSP Web will attempt to leave a communications channel open, requesting updates over this channel instead of opening a new channel for each update. This can increase performance in many cases, though may not be possible on slow or lossy networks.

The following table details the configuration options available to monitor RSPD servers and proxies:

Table 5-2. RSP Web Server Configuration Options

OptionDescription
servergroup Denotes the start of a new block. Must be specified with the following format:

   servergroup GROUP_NAME
   {
      ...
   }

Everything within the curly braces of a servergroup are considered members within that "block". Further, there is no restriction on the number of nested servergroup entries that can exist.
server A server option (a hash entry) specifies a connection to an RSPD on a remote host. This is specified in the following format:

   server SERVER_NAME = ADDRESS:PORT

Note that the ADDRESS field may contain either an IP address or a fully qualified hostname. In order to specify a server, it must be located within a servergroup object.

Configuration in Windows

Although 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.

Figure 5-1. RSP Web "General" Tab

The controls in this tab are described in the following listing.

Table 5-3. General Configuration Options

OptionDescription
Check Delay (sec) Specifies the default time (in seconds) to wait before polling each of the RSPD nodes listed in the configuration file. The default is 5 seconds.
Ticket Email 'From' Field When sending notification emails for tickets, this is the address RSP Web will use for the "From" field. The default is "rspweb@localhost".
Ticket Email SMTP Server The SMTP server RSP Web will use to send ticket notification emails. By default RSP Web will attempt to use the localhost.
Save Recent History Enable this option if you want RSP Web to store collected information from RSPD nodes for a period of time. This data can be used by both the Reports Wizard and the Recent History graphs for modules.
Retain time period The amount of time (in hours) that RSP Web will keep collected information. Set this number above 6 hours to use the recent history for graphs feature. Note that setting this too high can have impacts on performance (and can increase the amount of disk space required by RSP Web).

The second tab is "Logging", which allows the user to configure settings related to the RSP Web event logs.

Figure 5-2. RSP Web "Logging" Tab

The controls in this tab are described in the following listing.

Table 5-4. Logging Configuration Options

OptionDescription
Log File Directory The directory where RSP Web should store log files. If this option isn't specified, it will try to use the working directory where RSP Web was started from.
Log Requests If enabled, RSP Web will log HTTP requests to this file.
Extended log entries If enabled, RSP Web logs additional HTTP request information (note that this will increase the amount of disk space required for RSP Web logs).
Log file name The general name structure RSP Web should use when creating request log files. RSP Web will replace the string 'yyyy' with the current year, 'mm' with the current month, and 'dd' with the current day.
Retain time period The length of time (in days) that RSP Web should keep request log files. Any logs created later than this length of time will be purged automatically by RSP Web.
Log Events If enabled, RSP Web will log events that may be generated (such as messages from RSP Web).
Log File Verbosity This option specifies how much information should be stored in the RSP Web event log. Valid options are quiet, normal, and verbose. Note that normal and verbose options will require successively larger amounts of disk space.
Log File Name The name of the log file RSP Web should use for events.
Max Log File Size The maximum allowed size of the event log files. Values could be "512 KB" or "3MB" for example. The default is 1 megabyte.
Retained Log Files The number of event log files RSP Web should keep. Event log files rotate after hitting a file size limit (see eventLogMaxFileSize). After the maximum number of event log files is reached, the oldest will be deleted. The default is 3.

The third tab is "Network", which configures settings related to RSPD connections.

Figure 5-3. RSP Web "Network" Tab

The controls in this tab are described in the following listing.

Table 5-5. Network Configuration Options

OptionDescription
Connect securely If enabled, RSP Web will attempt to connect to RSPDs using a secure communications protocol. Note that a secure key must be created for this, and may reduce performance on slower servers on which RSP Web is running.
Persistent Connections If enabled, RSP Web will attempt to leave a communications channel open, requesting updates over this channel instead of opening a new channel for each update. This can increase performance in many cases, though may not be possible on slow or lossy networks.
Connection Timeout Indicates the number of seconds that should be waited before giving up trying to connect to a remote host. Slower networks/machines may require this to be a higher value.
Transmission Timeout Indicates the number of seconds that should be waited before declaring a connection broken. Slower networks/machines may require this to be a higher value.
Listener Port The port the RSP Web server software should listen on.
Stop Port The RSP Web can be stopped by sending a special signal to the listener on this port. Usually it is the port + 1 (so if port was set to 8080, the stopPort would be set to 8081). Note this port only needs to be accessible from the local machine, as remote connections will not be accepted on this port.
Minimum Threads The minimum number of instances of RSP Web listeners (increasing this number can increase performance if many people are expected to be accessing RSP Web at the same time).
Maximum Threads This is the maximum number of individual threads RSP Web is allows to start up (be careful not to set this too high, as you may overload the resources on your server).
Maximum Idle Time The amount of time (in seconds) that a client is allowed to be idle before declaring their connection "dead". Setting this number too low can result in dropped connections for clients, and setting it too high can reduce performance (especially if few threads are being used). Generally, 30 is a good number.

The last tab is "Servers", which configures the RSPDs to which RSP Web will connect.

Figure 5-4. RSP Web "Servers" Tab

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 Web

Logging into RSP Web

Getting 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:

Figure 5-5. The RSP Web Login

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 Web

Once 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.

Figure 5-6. RSP Web At-A-Glance Screen

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.

Figure 5-7. RSP Web At-A-Glance (part 2)

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.

Figure 5-8. RSP Web Display All

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).

Figure 5-9. RSP Web Host Info Page

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 Logs

An 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).

Figure 5-10. RSP Web Display Logs

Remote Configuration

Another 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.

Figure 5-11. RSP Web Remote Configuration

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 Graphs

RSP 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).

Figure 5-12. RSP Web Recent History Graphs

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 Configuration

Another 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.

Figure 5-13. RSP Web Configuration

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.

Figure 5-14. RSP Web Configuration

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.

Figure 5-15. RSP Web Configuration

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.

Figure 5-16. RSP Web Configuration

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 Wizard

Figure 5-17. RSP Web Reports Wizard (part 1)

In 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 5-18. RSP Web Reports Wizard (part 2)

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).

Figure 5-19. RSP Web Reports Wizard (part 3)

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.

Figure 5-20. Finished RSP Web Report

RSP Web Tickets Manager

The 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.

Figure 5-21. RSP Web Tickets Manager

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).

Figure 5-22. RSP Web Ticket Page

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.

Figure 5-23. "Create Ticket" 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 Manager

The 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).

Figure 5-24. RSP Web Hardware Manager

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 Whiteboard

RSP 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).

Figure 5-25. RSP Web Whiteboard

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.

Figure 5-26. RSP Web Whiteboard Edit Screen

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.