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How have you customized Orion?

I've gained some cool custom tricks in this forum, and think we all have some unique ideas, uses and features of the Orion software. I'd like to start off this thread with
a couple of ways I've customized the alerting feature.

Problem;
We have a couple of hundred remote sites which are required to be up from 9AM to 9PM.
If a site goes down outside of these hours, we do not need to be notified.
However, if the site is still down in the morning, we want to be notified at 7AM,
so that we can have 2 hours to troubleshoot the circuit before it needs to be up.
Solution;
Report Writer with Report Scheduler. Create a custom report with only the nodes required
and only the nodename field in the report with the node "current status" field.
Add a link to this report on the website.
Now create a Sheduled report with this link, to be e-mailed out at 7AM every morning
to a M$ Exchange public folder which strips the HTML and forwards the text to the SMS
on your phone. A lot of work just to get delayed alert notification working, but it works
in a crude manner.
The only issue with this is if there are no nodes down, it still sends an SMS every
morning with the header and footer text of the web page.

If anyone else has a more elegant method of achieving delayed notification I'd be happy to
hear about it here. This is one of several requested features for the Orion product, but
sometimes you just have to help yourself in order to get what you want.

Problem;
Alert Acknowledgement notification. A down node gets paged out, but how does the rest of
the team know someone (the on-call) is looking at the problem? How do you measure the
response time SLA? The on-call must respond to the node down within 20 minutes.
Solution;
As in the above solution, the same Public folder is used to send SMS to everyone's phone
when a node goes down. The on-call must then send a short e-mail to this folder within 20
minutes acknowledging the node down. This message also get forwarded out to the team.
If no message is received on your phone within 20 minutes, then the team lead can
escalate to someone else. You now also have a time stamped record of the node down time
and acknowledgement time in the public folder to review your SLA times.

I'm sure there are many other ways that Orion customers have customized their installations.

-=Cheers=-
NG

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iunderwo

I deal with a number of different CPE device types on the network on my side, and figured it would be nice to make an overview of the device type for the support crew, so I added a link if it was an SNMP-able device. This also involved cleaning up some of the display for ICMP/SNMP items making the applicable show.

So I made a few edits in 01-NodeDetails.Resource:

<% If Node.GetProperty("ObjectSubType")="SNMP" Then %>
<tr>
<td class="Property" width="10"> </td>
<td class="PropertyHeader" nowrap>Machine Type</td>
<td align="middle" class="Property"><%=Node.GetProperty("VendorIcon")%></td>
<td class="Property"><%=Node.GetProperty("MachineType")%> -
SMCnet: <a href="")%>.html">">website/.../<%=Node.GetProperty("MachineType")%>.html">
<b>Description</b></a>
</td>
</tr>
<% Else %>
<tr>
<td class="Property" with="10"> </td>
<td class="PropertyHeader" nowrap>Node Type</td>
<td class="Property"> </td>
<td class="property"><%=Node.GetProperty("ObjectSubType")%> </td>
</tr>
<% End If %>

...

I also added an if to only show SNMP fields if SNMP was appliable:

<% If Node.GetProperty("ObjectSubType")="SNMP" Then %>

<tr>
<td class="Property" width="10"> </td>
<td class="PropertyHeader" nowrap>System Name</td>
...
</tr>

<% End If %>

Juat a couple of dress ups...but figured I'd share.

// Ian Underwood - Service Management
// Level 3 Communications

AaronT

We have the same issues. We have sites that we do not need to be notifed if they go down between 11:00PM and 5:00AM. We setup the alert not to notify us during that time period. Our solution was to run a scheduled task to shutdown the Orion services at 5:01AM, wait a minute, and restart the service. When the service comes back up, it re-polls everything and pages us with any devices that are down.

For notifications, we use an SMS program on our phones and reply back to our entire group so that we know someone is working on it.

Network_Guru

Here's a couple of screen shots of the Web interface I use to edit Custom Properties for each node:

This is the Node Details page with a link to the "editing page" as well as a place to add commments.

This is the actual node editing page which I modified so that users cannot change the layout or heading of any of the fields on this page.

I just found the option to edit Custom Properties via the web interface a few weeks ago when updating my Node Details view. It seems it's been added in V7.8 but not documented in the change log. This is a really great feature which adds huge functionality for keeping documentation up to date & gives the abiblity to add comments on the fly when a node goes down & remove them when it's back up again!

-=Cheers=-
NG

Grabowski

We really needed a heartbeat sent to our on-call staff three times a day and in order for it to also indicate that Orion was running OK, we made it check the throughput on the NIC between for example 14:00 and 14:02 and trigger an Alert/SMS if utilization was more than 0Kbps. Works really well, but requires that you have more than just a handful of nodes if you want to be sure that traffic is seen on the interface during that two-minute period.

I'd like to know if anyone found some clever ways of getting around Orions lack of time-zones. Everything runs on the server time but recipients can be in other time zones

Lars Grabowski
Global Infrastructure
Chr. Hansen A/S

Currently using:
Cirrus Version 2.1 DL-500 Feb. 2006 (8.1.42)
Orion Application Monitor 7.8.94
Orion Web Engine Version 7.8.133
Orion NPM SLX 7.8.5 March 2006
Alert Manager 8.1.15

trm33

quote:Originally posted by Network_Guru

Here's a couple of screen shots of the Web interface I use to edit Custom Properties for each node:

This is the Node Details page with a link to the "editing page" as well as a place to add commments.

This is the actual node editing page which I modified so that users cannot change the layout or heading of any of the fields on this page.

I just found the option to edit Custom Properties via the web interface a few weeks ago when updating my Node Details view. It seems it's been added in V7.8 but not documented in the change log. This is a really great feature which adds huge functionality for keeping documentation up to date & gives the abiblity to add comments on the fly when a node goes down & remove them when it's back up again!

-=Cheers=-
NG

NG
Where did you find the option to edit Custom properties?

Thanks Tim

Network_Guru

I've hosted these images on Yahoo groups.
Unfortunately they do not allow links to their images.
If anyone is willing to host these, please let me know.

As for where to find the Edit Custom Properties option, in the Web admin GUI select:

Customize Views > Select a view to Customize (Node details or W.H.Y.) > Add resources > Node Details > Edit a Custom Property

I've created a new Custom View called CPE which has all the custom fields for any node available for updating. Then I link to this page directly from the Node Details page (as per my screenshots).

CPE-page.PNG

iunderwo

I can host them for you. My profile should let you email me.

// Ian Underwood - Network Engineering
// Boston Stock Exchange

trm33

Thanks NG

This will help a lot

Tim

Don331

Maybe if we all beg Don Yonce they'll turn file uploads back on this forum!

Don Barry
Aegis Mortgage Corp
Houston, TX

Don331

Network Guru,

I like the edit properties screens . However, I only see "edit A custom property", not "edit custom properTIES"

Am I missing something or did you create/hack an asp file? Anything you can share?

Don

Don Barry
Aegis Mortgage Corp
Houston, TX

Network_Guru

Yes I hacked 2 resource files and an asp file to customize it like that.

First, I did not want to give everyone permission to edit any Orion webpage, but only to be able to update a Custom Property.
I changed the "edit web interface" account permissions required to allow the updating to use the "Allow Event Clearing" permission instead. That way I'm still the only one that can edit the Web site in Orion.

I created the link on the Node Details page by editing the resource file, so that the node details page does not get all cluttered up (I did add the "Comments" custom property to the Node Details page though).

On the second - linked page, I added all the custom properties I wanted to display.
Then I went on the server & edited an asp file to remove the Grey "edit" header so that the page displayed much neater & was easier to use. I just commented out the code that displays the resource header.

I can provide the edited code if anyone is interested.

-=Cheers=-
NG

Don331

I'd very much like to see the code - you can email to donald.barry@aegismtg.com

Thanks!

Don Barry
Aegis Mortgage Corp
Houston, TX

trm33

I would also be interested in the code. You can email me at
Tim.mcnamara@tradingtechnologies.com

Thanks Tim

Network_Guru

To only allow Users with the "Clear Event" permission to update CPs, change the EditCustomProperty.Update.asp code to the following:


<!--#include Virtual=/NetPerfMon/scripts/NetPerfMon.asp -->

<%
 SelectWeb "NetPerfMon"
 VerifyLogin "USER"

 Dim ViewID
 Dim NetObject
 Dim NetDevice
 Dim PropertyName
 Dim PropertyValue

 ViewID = Request("ViewID")
 NetObject = Request("NetObject")
 Set NetDevice = NetPerfMon.GetNetObject(NetObject)


 If NetPerfMon.CurrentAccount.AllowEventClear Then
 PropertyName = Request("PropertyName")
 PropertyValue = Request("PropertyValue")
 NetDevice.SetProperty PropertyName, PropertyValue

 End If

 Set NetDevice = Nothing

 Response.Redirect "/NetPerfMon/View.asp?ViewID=" & ViewID & "&NetObject=" & NetObject
%>

The VerifyLogin “USER” verifies that the user is logged in with a valid AccountID and Password.

The If NetPerfMon.CurrentAccount.AllowEventClear Then line checks if the user is allowed to clear events.

Here is the resource file which I use to link to the CPE page from the node details page.

\\Inetpub\SolarWinds\NetPerfMon\Resources\9-1-Miscellaneous\70-telnet.resource

Simply add this line of code to this file (or whatever Custom Resource you display on your Node-Details page):


<tr>
<td class="Property"><a <%=Node.GetProperty("ParamString")%> href="">thwack.solarwinds.com/.../View.asp Custom Properties</a></td>
</tr>

You will have to change the ViewID=56 to whatever number used to display the CPE page which you have created.

To remove the header from the Update Custom Property view, edit the following file:
\\Inetpub\SolarWinds\NetPerfMon\Resources\2-1-NodeDetails\99-EditCustomProperty.Resource

Here are the first few lines of code - you can see the comments where I removed the header & the actual commented out code - DoResourceHeader :


<!-- Title=Edit a Custom Property-->
<!-- Advanced=TRUE -->
<!--#include Virtual=/NetPerfMon/scripts/Resource.asp -->
<%
 Dim PropertyName

 if len(Resource.Title) = 0 then
 Resource.Title = "Edit Custom Property"
 Resource.Sync
 end if

 Title=Resource.Title
 SubTitle=Resource.SubTitle
 EditButton="/NetPerfMon/Resources/2-1-NodeDetails/EditCustomProperty.Edit.asp?ResourceID=" & Resource.ResourceID & "&ViewID=" & ViewID & "&NetObject=" & NetObject
 HelpPage="Node-UserFields"


 <!-- Uncomment the next line to edit the property assigned on the CPE web page -->
 <!-- DoResourceHeader -->


 PropertyName = Resource.GetProperty("EditProperty")
 Lines = Resource.GetProperty("Lines")
%>

-=Cheers=-
NG

filipv

quote:The only issue

Network_Guru

quote:Originally posted by filipv
quote:The only issue

There is another issue. Your method assumes that all your customers have their gear switched on practically at all times. What if the power is localy turned on at 9AM? How do you get notified at 7AM that at 9AM certain computer won't boot?

First of all you have used the infamous "what if" argument.... :-P

Secondly, we are only monitoring devices that are supposed to be up 7x24 (servers, routers, switches, firewalls etc.)

If you are monitoring end user PC's, etc, then of course this solution will not work for you.

-=Cheers=-
NG

Don331

By the way, N_G -

I did your mods... along with the editing of the node name, our display is sweeeeeet!!

Thanks!

Select * from Users where Clue >0
..0 Rows Returned

Network_Guru

Thanks Don,

Nice to know someone else found this useful.

I might try your mod, but generally once the node is in Orion, the caption does not change, only the Custom Properties.

-=Cheers=-
NG

snowjay

Nice to find out about the edit custom properties web interface!

I just implemented it myself.

I did a few things different. I modified the 02-UserDefinedFields.Resource to include the "Edit Custom Properties" link after all my custom properties are displayed on the main page.

I set the URL target=_blank so it opens in a pop up window (I don't have a full page of custom properties so this works)

And I also use the:
If NetPerfMon.CurrentAccount.AllowEventClear Then

statement to supress the display of the "Edit Custon Properties" link so those without permission won't even know it exists.

Don331

Snowjay,

Can you post some of the editied code?

Select * from Users where Clue >0
..0 Rows Returned

snowjay

Sure Don!

Here is the code I used in the 02-UserDefinedFields.Resource file. I put this right before the </table> at the end of the code. This will Insert a link to edit custom properties centered at the bottom of the custom property list on the node details page BUT only if the user is allowed to clear events. Clicking the link will bring up the edit page in a new window.


<% If NetPerfMon.CurrentAccount.AllowEventClear Then %>
<tr>
<td class="Property" align="center"><a <%=Node.GetProperty("ParamString")%> href="">thwack.solarwinds.com/.../View.asp target=_blank>Edit Custom Properties</a>
</td>
</tr>
<% End If %>


</table>

JMP

Very nice mods Network_Guru! Can someone post the rest of the code for the 99-EditCustomProperty.Resource file as I am trying to get the CPE page cleaned up as much as possible. I can't seem to get the name of the property to go above the text box and also have the text box be only one line. No matter how many lines I put (for example "1") it still shows 3 lines. Thanks again for the mod!

Network_Guru

quote:Originally posted by JMP

Very nice mods Network_Guru! Can someone post the rest of the code for the 99-EditCustomProperty.Resource file as I am trying to get the CPE page cleaned up as much as possible. I can't seem to get the name of the property to go above the text box and also have the text box be only one line. No matter how many lines I put (for example "1") it still shows 3 lines. Thanks again for the mod!

Here's the rest of the code Jason:


<table width = "100%">
<tr>
<td colspan="4">
	<% 
		If Not Node Is Nothing Then
	%>
		<form method="POST" action="/NetPerfMon/Resources/2-1-NodeDetails/EditCustomProperty.Update.asp?ViewID=<%=ViewID%>&NetObject=<%=NetObject%>">
			<input type="hidden" Name="PropertyName" Value="<%=PropertyName%>">
			<table border="0" cellPadding="2" cellSpacing="0" width="100%">
			<tr>
				<td class="Property" width="10"> </td>
				<td class="PropertyHeader" vAlign="center"><%=PropertyName%></td>
    			</tr>
			<table border="0" cellPadding="2" cellSpacing="0" width="100%">
			<tr>
				<td class="Property"><textarea rows="<%=Lines%>" name="PropertyValue" cols="36"><%=Node.GetProperty(PropertyName)%></textarea> <input type="submit" value="Update" name="Update"></td>
    		</tr>
			</table>
		</form>
	<%	Else	%>
	    <tr>
	      <td class="Property" width="10"> </td>
	      <td colspan="4" class="PropertyHeader"><font color="Red">A Network Node was not selected</font></td>
	    </tr>
	<%	End If	%>
</td>
</tr>
</table>

I believe I changed these two lines to get everything to align correctly on the page once the headers were removed:

<td class="Property" width="10"> </td>
<td class="PropertyHeader" vAlign="center"><%

-=Cheers=-
NG

snowjay

Ok, I can't figure this out...

I have some True/False fields that I want to edit. They are in the database as 0 or 1 (datatype bit).

In the edit field they show up as True or False. If I erase a True and click update it turns it to False, no problem there. But how do I change it back to True? Typing a 1 and clicking update doesn't work.

I suppose I could rework the ASP to figure out the field type and display a checkbox instead, but there has to be an easier way.

JMP

That did the trick. Thank you for the post(s).

stephen98b

I have used the overlib script (www.bosrup.com/.../) to add mouse over pop-ups.
Using this code

onmouseover="overlib('<img src=/NetPerfMon/Chart.asp?Chart=MMAVGBPS&NetObject=I:<%=SQLResource.GetProperty("InterfaceID")%>&Period=Today&SampleSize=30M&FontSize=&Width=500&Height=0
 border=0>', CAPTION, 'Chart', FGCOLOR, '#999999', BGCOLOR, '#333333', BORDER, 4, CAPTIONFONT, 'Garamond', TEXTFONT, 'Courier', TEXTSIZE, 3, ABOVE, LEFT, STICKY)"

I get a pop-up graph of the current interface traffic.

JMP

Can you post the file and where in the resource file you put the code to create the rollover action? Also where did you put the .js files? Sorry kinda new to this tweaking stuff.

stephen98b

Look at this topic http://www2.solarwinds.net/SolarWindsForum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=2061
it's at the bottom

chrkov

You will have to change the ViewID=56 to whatever number used to display the CPE page which you have created.

Can someone tell me how I can find out what this number on my system would be. Sorry.. New to Orion and still figuring everything out.

Thanks

Mithrilhall

www2.solarwinds.net/.../topic.asp