The lightweight HTTP Monitor tests a web server's ability to accept incoming sessions and conduct a transaction.
Use the HTTP Monitor to ensure that the web server can:
- Communicate with ipMonitor via the HTTP protocol
- Respond within a required number of seconds
HTTP Monitor features include:
- Using HEAD requests to save on bandwidth
The Test Parameters dialog box is used to specify the location of the resource you want to monitor, and any parameters required to connect to it.
IP Address / Domain Name
Specify the location of the HTTP server you want to monitor. Both IP Address and Domain Name are valid entries.
Examples of valid Domain Names are: www.xyzcompany.com, ftp.xyzcompany.com, xyzcompany.com
An example of a valid IP address is: 10.200.100.6
Note: Entering an IP address will eliminate any variables introduced by performing a lookup on the DNS Server. If entering an IP Address, however, ensure that the web site in question is not configured to use a Host Header Name.
TCP Port
Specify the Port Number that the target website responds on. By default, the standard Port Number used by HTTP Servers (Port 80) is already entered.
URL
The HTTP Monitor is hard coded to retrieve "/", which represents the index page for the web site in question. You will need to use the HTML/ASP Monitor or the HTTP - QA Monitor if you wish to monitor a page other than the default index page.
Use HEAD Request to Save on Bandwidth
By default, the HTTP Monitor will retrieve the web page using a GET request.
It can also use HEAD requests to save on bandwidth. When this option is selected, the HTTP Monitor will simply test website links for validity and accessibility. The Monitor will obtain Meta information about the resource identified by the Request-URI without transferring the Body itself.
Force communication through an HTTP Proxy Server
This option forces ipMonitor to monitor HTTP resources through your organization's HTTP Proxy Server.
Before you select this option, first ensure ipMonitor's global Client HTTP Settings have been correctly set up to permit communications with your proxy server.
Note: Refer to the Server Settings section for more information.
When the Monitor is in an Up state, test results are reported as shown in the example below:
rtt - Round-Trip Time. This value indicates the time it took the test packet to reach the monitored resource and return a response to ipMonitor. Round-trip time is measured in milliseconds (ms).
http - HTTP Status Code. Codes in the 200 to 399 range indicate success. Codes in the 400 to 599 range indicate an error.
When the Monitor is in a Warn, Down, or Lost state, the Last Result field indicates the problem encountered. Different Monitor types generate specific Error Codes in accordance with the technical capabilities of the Monitor. Refer to the Error Codes section of this document for details.
If you use log analysis or web analytics software, the HTTP Monitor may cause hits to be generated. Refer to your log analysis software for information regarding how to exclude ipMonitor from analysis.
If you require the ability to request a specific page on the website or to analyze test results, refer to the HTTP - QA Monitor or the HTML/ASP Monitor.
For information on settings common to all Monitor types, such as Identification, Timing, Notification Control and Recovery Parameters, refer to General Monitor Settings.
The following error codes are generated by the HTTP Monitor. Error codes are displayed in Real-time and Historical Reports. They can also be added to Alerts using Tokens.
| Message | Details |
|---|---|
| Configuration information for this item is missing some required fields | A required element for Monitor connectivity or testing was not supplied to ipMonitor. |
| Unable to connect to the remote device | The specified address to the connection-based Service is unavailable. |
| The remote device timed out before sending a response | The resource being monitored did not respond within the maximum allowable time. |
| Unexpected disconnection from the remote device | The server disconnected during the test transaction. |
| Could not obtain an IP address for the remote device | The supplied address was not a valid IP address OR the Server Domain Name could not be translated into an IP address. The Server Domain Name may refer to a local machine name, or a fully qualified domain name. |
| The server redirected to an unsupported protocol | The resource is either not adhering to the protocol standard or ipMonitor does not understand a proprietary change in the protocol. |
| The remote device rejected the request due to an internal error | Upon connecting to the server, an initial message indicating the server is unavailable was received. |
| The response from the remote device does not adhere to protocol specification | The resource is either not adhering to the protocol standard or ipMonitor does not understand a proprietary change in the protocol. |
| The remote device rejected the request due to a client error | The server was unable to process the request because of a client-side error. |
| The remote device sent more data than expected | The server sent more data than expected for this protocol. This is usually due to an error in the software being monitored. |
| Access rights are insufficient | ipMonitor was unable to process the request because of insufficient permissions. |
| The remote device rejected the request due to an internal error | Upon connecting to the server, an initial message indicating the server is unavailable was received. |
| The remote device is using an invalid certificate | The server sent an invalid certificate to ipMonitor. |
| The remote device is using a revoked certificate | The server sent a certificate that is listed in the Certificate Revocation List. |
| The remote device is using a certificate with an unknown or invalid certificate authority | The server sent a certificate that lists a Certificate Authority that is unknown or not trusted. |
| The remote device is using a certificate with a common name not matching the host name used to connect | The server sent a certificate that contains a Common Name (Issued To) value that does not match the host name of the server. |
| The remote device is using an expired certificate | The server sent a certificate that is not valid (expired). |
| Unable to check for certificate revocation, the server used to check for revocation might be unreachable | ipMonitor is unable to contact the Certificate Authority server to verify the revocation status of the certificate. This may be due to a communications error. |
| The remote device requires ipMonitor to provide a client certificate | The server has sent a message indicating that ipMonitor is required to provide a client certificate. |
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?