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Knowledge Center > ipMonitor 8.5 Administrator's Guide
Mass Edit: Monitor Configuration Settings

When ipMonitor installations range into hundreds or thousands of Monitors, manually changing common configuration settings can be time consuming. The Mass Edit feature makes it easy to quickly apply large-scale changes to configuration fields across any number of Monitors using a rule-based system.

The Mass Edit feature for Monitor Configuration Settings supports:

  • Using drag and drop technology to create Monitor Filters and Change Rules.
  • Filtering the Monitor List to isolate and edit only specific Monitors.
  • Setting any configuration field to a specific value.
  • Replacing text in a configuration field.
  • Replacing numerical values in a configuration field.
  • Using Regular Expressions (pattern matching) to search and replace.
  • Appending numerical or textual strings to any existing value.
  • Previewing changes before committing to them.
  • Cancelling unwanted changes before they can affect your installation.

Using the Mass Edit feature, you can:

  • Add a prefix string (such as an IP address or machine name) to Monitor Names.
  • Change the timing parameters of all Monitors, or only of Monitors in a filtered subset.
  • Quickly update the configuration settings of Monitors created using the Network Scan.
  • Enable or disable Monitor statistics.
  • Etc.

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Accessing the Mass Edit Feature for Monitor Configuration Settings

To access the Mass Edit feature for Monitor Configuration Settings, proceed with the following:

  1. Log in to the ipMonitor web interface.
  2. If your Starting Page is not the Monitor List, access this screen by clicking the Monitors menu option.
  3. Click the Mass Edit submenu option to access the Mass Edit feature for Monitor Configuration Settings.

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Monitor Filter

The Monitor Filter section allows you to quickly isolate specific Monitors to which changes will be made. Multiple Monitor Filters can be added to narrow down a large Monitor List through the use of several different criteria.

Start With
Select one of two options to begin filtering your Monitor List:

  • No Monitors - Begin with an empty Monitor List and use Filter Rules to add specific Monitors to your selection.
  • All Monitors - Begin with all Monitors present in your installation and use Filter Rules to remove specific Monitors from your selection.

Add Filter Rule
Click the Add Filter Rule button to begin defining the selection set of Monitors that will be edited.

Drag and drop technology is used to configure Filter Rules. The Drag & Drop pop-up window located along the right side of the screen contains everything you need to define Monitor Filters.

Configuring Monitor Filter Rules is a simple process:

  1. Hover your mouse cursor over the desired Monitor Property, Tag or Group.
  2. When the selected value turns yellow, click and hold the left mouse button and drag the selection to the Add a New Monitor Filter Rule window.
  3. A "cut out" blue drop box will indicate where to drop the selection. If the value selected is valid for the Filter Rule established, the drop box will also turn yellow.
  4. Release the mouse button to place your selection in the drop box. Once accepted, the value will turn green as shown in the examples below.

Note: To delete a Filter Rule, simply click on the established rule, hold the mouse button down, and drag the Filter Rule to the Recycle Bin that pops up in the lower-right corner of the screen. Release the mouse button to drop the rule in the Recycle Bin. This will automatically remove it from the list.

Filter Rules allow you to select only the Monitors that match a certain criteria. They are configurable as follows:

Add / Remove Monitors from a Group
The Groups tab of the Drag & Drop pop-up window lists all the Groups configured for your installation, allowing you to filter Monitors by Group.

Add / Remove from Global Group, by Status
The drop-down selector allows you to filter Monitors using one of the five Monitor operation states:

  • Up - Monitors currently in a Pass state.
  • Warn - Monitors that have encountered a problem.
  • Down - Monitors that are reporting an error state and have begun sending previously configured Alerts.
  • Lost - Monitors that have triggered all configured Alerts and continue to report an error state.
  • Offline - Monitors in an Uninitialized, Disabled, Suspended, or Maintenance state.

Add / Remove from Global Group, by Value
The Properties tab of the Drag & Drop pop-up window lists all existing Monitor configuration fields. You can use the drop-down selector located at the bottom of the Drag & Drop window to narrow down the list of selectable variables based on the type of configuration setting.

The following categories are available:

  • Common Configuration Settings - Contains properties and settings common to all Monitor types.
  • Intrinsic Properties - Contains fundamental properties and settings critical to all Monitor types.
  • Resource-Based - Contains properties and settings present in the configuration of Resource-based Monitors.
  • Windows-Based - Contains properties and settings present in the configuration of Windows-based Monitors.
  • SNMP-Based - Contains properties and settings present in the configuration of SNMP-based Monitors.
  • HTTP-Based - Contains properties and settings present in the configuration of HTTP-based Monitors.
  • Multi-Transaction / QA - Contains properties and settings present in the configuration of Multi-Transaction / QA Monitors.
  • All Properties and Settings - Lists all Monitor configuration properties and settings.

The following Monitor configuration properties and settings are available for selection from the Drag & Drop window:

  • Monitor ID (Read Only) - The numerical identification number assigned to a Monitor.
  • Monitor Name - The descriptive name of a Monitor.
  • Monitor Type (Read Only) - The type of Monitor configured.
  • Enabled (Read Only) - The Monitor's Enabled / Disabled status.
  • Statistics Enabled - The parameter that controls whether a Monitor is recording statistics.
  • Monitor Status (Read Only) - The current state of a Monitor.
  • Address Description (Read Only) - The full location of the resource being monitored.
  • Short Address Description (Read Only) - The abbreviated location of the resource being monitored.
  • State Change (Read Only) - The length of time since the Monitor changed operational states. This includes time elapsed since scheduled maintenance.
  • Last Result (Read Only) - The result of the last test performed by the Monitor. Different Monitor types generate specific Test Results and Error Codes in accordance with the technical capabilities for the Monitor.
  • Availability (Read Only) - The percentage of time the Monitor has been available. This calculation is based on Coverage time minus the length of time the Monitor was in the Warn, Down, or Lost State.
  • Coverage (Read Only) - The total length of time ipMonitor has been monitoring the resource. Coverage specifically excludes any period while the Monitor is suspended, disabled, or in maintenance mode. This value is reset when ipMonitor is restarted.
  • Failures (Read Only) - The number of Monitor failures that have occurred.
  • Critical Failures (Read Only) - The number of critical Monitor failures that have occurred.
  • Alerts Sent (Read Only) - The number of Alerts that have been sent on behalf of a Monitor.
  • Next Run (Read Only) - The next time the Monitor will run a test on the monitored resource.
  • Last Run (Read Only) - The last time the Monitor ran a test on the monitored resource.
  • In Progress (Read Only) - The Monitor is / is not currently running a test on the monitored resource.
  • Communication Type (Read Only) - The communication process used by ipMonitor to connect to the specified computer or remote device. This parameter relates directly to Resource-based Monitors.
  • HTTP Protocol used with ipMonitor - The HTTP Protocol being used with ipMonitor.
  • IP Address/Domain name - The location of the server or device being monitored.
  • Server Name / Primary IP Address - The location of the server or device being monitored.
  • TCP / UDP Port - The port number used by the Monitor to connect to the monitored resource.
  • URL - The relative path to the resource being monitored.
  • Credential for Monitoring (Read Only) - A Credential is / is not assigned to the Monitor for monitoring purposes.
  • SNMP Community (Read Only) - The SNMP Community name used by the Monitor to connect to the monitored resource.
  • SNMP Version (Read Only) - The SNMP Version used by the Monitor and the device being monitored.
  • SNMP OID - The Object Identifier that identifies the path to the value the Monitor will retrieve for analysis.
  • Resource Description (Read Only) - The identifier for the resource currently being monitored.
  • Use Delta Value - The SNMP QA Monitor does / does not perform a "Delta" comparison.
  • File Name (Read Only) - The name of the file being monitored.
  • Directory (Read Only) - The name of the Local directory or UNC Share being monitored.
  • Kerberos Realm - The Kerberos Realm for which the monitored Authentication Service is authoritative.
  • Kerberos Account - The Account Name used by the Kerberos5 Monitor to authenticate with a Kerberos server.
  • Follow any HTTP redirections - HTTP redirections are / are not being followed by the Monitor.
  • Use HEAD request to save on bandwidth - The Monitor is / is not using HEAD requests instead of GET requests to save on bandwidth.
  • Allow SSL certificates to have a different Common Name than Host Name - A Monitor will / will not allow an SSL Certificate's Common Name to differ from the Monitor's IP Address/Domain Name value.
  • Allow SSL certificates to be issued by Untrusted Authorities - A Monitor will / will not accept an SSL Certificate issued by a Certificate Authority that is not recognized by the SSL Certificates database.
  • Force communication through an HTTP Proxy Server - The Monitor is / is not monitoring resources through an HTTP Proxy Server.
  • Search String - The specified search criteria used with an HTML / ASP Monitor.
  • Fail if Search String is found - The Monitor test fails / does not fail if the defined Search String is found.
  • DNS Entry: "A Record" to Query - The Domain Name being looked up on both the Primary and Secondary DNS servers specified.
  • File Checksum (Read Only) - The CRC-32 value of the file being monitored.
  • File Size (Read Only) - The size of the file being monitored.
  • Use Passive FTP - The FTP QA Monitor is / is not using Passive FTP (PASV) Mode.
  • Email To - The email address indicating where a Monitor's test email will be sent.
  • Email From - The email address that appears in the "From" field of a Monitor's test email.
  • Maximum Test Duration - The time parameter used to time out a Monitor test.
  • Delays Between Tests While: Up - The number of seconds between each Test while the Monitor is in an Up (or OK) state.
  • Delays Between Tests While: Warn - The number of seconds between each Test while the Monitor is in a Warn state.
  • Delays Between Tests While: Down - The number of seconds between each Test while the Monitor is in a Down state.
  • Delays Between Tests While: Lost - The number of seconds between each Test while the Monitor is in a Lost state.
  • Last-Value Threshold - A Monitor's primary threshold rate, which is compared to the value acquired by the Monitor during the most recently performed test.
  • Threshold Unit - The unit of measurement used to report values retrieved from the resource being monitored.
  • Maximum Threshold - The maximum threshold value the Monitor will accept.
  • Minimum Threshold - The minimum threshold value the Monitor will accept.
  • Sample Size - The maximum threshold value the Monitor will accept for the Sample Size field.
  • Accumulated Failures per Alert - The number of failures that must accumulate before a Monitor triggers an Alert.
  • Maximum Alerts to Send - The number of Alerts that will be processed during a Down state before the Monitor's state will be changed to Lost.
  • Recovery Server Value - The Server Name or IP Address of the machine hosting the Service that will be restarted, or the machine that will be rebooted.
  • Credential for Recovery (Read Only) - A Credential is / is not assigned to the Monitor for Recovery purposes.

Note: The Monitor Filter example shown below converts the "bandwidth" string to a Regular Expression and uses it to locate all Monitors in the Global Group that have the "bandwidth" string in their name.

Note: You can add multiple Values to a Monitor Filter Rule. The Mass Edit feature will use an and/or operation to define the selection set using Monitors that meet either criteria.

Add / Remove from Global Group, by Tag
The Tags tab of the Drag & Drop pop-up window lists all the Tags previously added to Monitors in your installation, allowing you to filter Monitors by Tag.

Once a Monitor Filter has been added, the resulting Monitors will be displayed in the Monitor List section located at the bottom of the page.

Note: Filter actions are applied in descending order. You can use the blue arrow indicators to move a particular Monitor Filter up or down in the list and change the order in which filter actions will be applied. Alternatively, you can also use ipMonitor's drag and drop technology to reorder filter actions:

  1. Hover your mouse cursor over the Monitor Filter Rule you wish to move.
  2. Click and hold the left mouse button, and then drag the selection up or down to its new location.
  3. When you see the blue arrow indicator pointing to the row where you wish to move the Filter Rule, release the mouse button.
  4. To delete a Filter Rule, simply click on the rule and drag it to the Recycle Bin that pops up in the lower-right corner of the screen. Dropping the rule in the Recycle Bin automatically removes it from the list.

Note: To remove all Monitor Filters at once, place a checkmark in the checkbox located beside the Action header, and then click the Remove Filter Rule button.

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Change Rules

Change Rules directly impact the Monitors isolated using the Monitor Filters section. A Restriction can be added to a Change Rule to narrow down the scope of a Mass Edit action.

Drag and drop technology is used to configure Change Rules. The Drag & Drop pop-up window located along the right side of the screen contains everything you need to define a Change Rule.

Configuring Change Rules is a simple process:

  1. Hover your mouse cursor over the desired Monitor Property, Tag or Group.
  2. When the selected value turns yellow, click the left mouse button and drag the selection to the Add a New Change Rule window.
  3. A "cut out" blue drop box will indicate where to drop the selection. If the value selected is valid for the Change Rule established, the drop box will also turn yellow.

Note: Configuration fields marked as "Read Only" (such as Monitor Tactic and Resource Description, for example) cannot be the first value added to a Change Rule configuration window, because "Read Only" configuration fields cannot be changed using the Mass Edit feature. However, "Read Only" properties can be used to restrict changes to a particular subset of matching Monitors.

  1. Release the mouse button to place your selection in the drop box. Once accepted, the value will turn green as shown in the examples below.
  2. To delete a Change Rule, simply click on the established rule and drag it to the Recycle Bin that pops up in the lower-right corner of the screen. Dropping the rule in the Recycle Bin automatically removes it from the list.

Field
The Properties tab of the Drag & Drop pop-up window lists all selectable Monitor configuration fields available for creating simple or complex Change Rules. Refer to the Monitor Filters section of this document for a detailed explanation of all selectable Monitor properties.

Note: Change Rules are applied in descending order. You can use the blue arrow indicators to move a particular Change Rule up or down in the list and rearrange the order in which Change Rules will be applied. Alternatively, you can also use ipMonitor's drag and drop technology to reorder Change Rules:

  1. Hover your mouse cursor over the Change Rule you wish to move.
  2. Click the left mouse button and drag the selection up or down to its new location.
  3. When you see the blue arrow indicator pointing to the row where you wish to move the Change Rule, release the mouse button.
  4. To delete a Change Rule, simply click on the rule and drag it to the Recycle Bin that pops up in the lower-right corner of the screen. Dropping the rule in the Recycle Bin automatically removes it from the list.

Note: To remove all Change Rules at once, place a checkmark in the checkbox located beside the Action header, and then click the Remove Filter Rule button.

Mode
Selecting a Change Rule Mode allows you to specify the type of revision you wish to make to your Monitor settings. Four options are available:

  • Overwrite - Change a textual or numerical value in a configuration field to another value.
  • Sub-String Replace - Use a sub-string search to replace a value that matches an existing pattern.
  • Pre-Append - Add a numerical or textual string to the beginning of an existing value.
  • Post-Append - Add a numerical or textual string to the end of an existing value.

Sub-String
If the Sub-String Mode is selected, enter the existing sub-string you wish to replace in this field.

Value
The new textual or numerical value that will replace or be appended to the existing value.

Restriction
To make the same change to every Monitor listed in the Monitor List defined by the Filters section, leave the Restriction field disabled. However, to restrict changes to selected Monitors that match specific criteria, click the Enable button to specify the desired restrictions.

Restriction Field
Use the Properties, Groups or Tags listed in the Drag & Drop pop-up window to further narrow the scope of the Mass Edit function.

Restriction Condition
Use the drop-down selector to specify a comparison type. Several comparison types are available, including Regular Expression and string matches:

  • RegEx match - Enter a Regular Expression to search for and match an existing textual value or numerical string.
  • RegEx non-match - Enter a Regular Expression that should not match an existing textual value or numerical string.
  • Substring match - Enter a case-sensitive substring to match an existing textual or numerical substring.
  • == Enter the exact textual value or numerical string to match values or strings in the Monitors listed.
  • != Enter a textual value or numerical string that should not match any of the configured fields in the Monitors listed.

For example, you may choose to add a temperature scale indicator (Celsius) to the names of Temperature Monitors currently using the Celsius scale to display temperature levels.

Or you may want to pre-append an IP Address to all the Names of Monitors currently using that IP Address:

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Working with the Monitor List

Once the first Monitor Filter has been added, the resulting Monitors defined by the Filter will be displayed in the Monitor List section located at the bottom of the page. When a Change Rule is added, the Monitor List will be updated to reflect the changes that will be made to your installation:

  • The Monitor fields that will be changed will be displayed in red font.

  • If an error is encountered, the entire row containing the Monitor affected by that error will be highlighted in red. Positioning your mouse cursor over the row allows you to view the error message. Errors will only appear once you've committed to the changes by clicking the Save button at the bottom of the page.

Add Column
Drag and Drop technology can also be used to modify the default columns displayed in the Mass Edit Monitor List. Clicking the Add Column button will pop up the Drag & Drop window. Any Property or Tag can be dragged from the Drag & Drop window to the Monitor List. Look for the blue arrow indicator to guide you. The indicator will appear when you drag a Property to a spot where it can be dropped. Dropping the Property will cause a new column to be inserted in the page, along with the appropriate data.

To delete a column, click on the Column Name located on the header bar, and hold down the mouse button. A recycle bin will appear in the lower-right corner of the page. Simply drag the column to the recycle bar and drop it there to remove it.

Note: Changes will not be applied to a configuration parameter if the corresponding column is not visible in the Monitor List. For example, if you've created a Change Rule to modify all "Up" timing parameters from 300 seconds to 400 seconds, but the "Up" column has been previously removed from the Monitor List, the change will not be made when you click the Save button. This is intentional, and will prevent you from making modifications to critical settings without being able to visibly acknowledge and approve the changes before they occur.

In addition, you can also choose to uncheck Monitors displayed in the Monitor List in order to prevent the specified change from being applied to those Monitors when the Save button is clicked.

Save
Click the Save button to confirm the Mass Edit changes and apply them to your installation. If an error is encountered, none of the changes will be applied to your installation until the error is corrected.

Cancel
Click the Cancel button to discard all the changes shown in the Monitor List without applying them to your installation.

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Additional Resources

For information on other features and concepts related to those discussed in this article, refer to the following ipMonitor resources:

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Last Updated: March 30, 2007 | What did you think of this topic?

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