Simulate Node status to test alerts

When you are building the alert and you add an action "Send an email / page" for example, there is a button to the far right

that allows you to simulate the alert. Once you click that button you can choose a test node and then either Simulate or Execute.

Simulate shows you what the results will look like with out taking any action

Execute will actually force the action to execute even if the trigger condition is not currently met. (Screen shots below)

The simulate functionality never made much sense to me. Not enough feedback. I’ll check it out again.

Sent from my iPhone

You can set the the threshold lower temporarily and do the test.

The Simulate and Execute functions in the trigger do not completely work, because the variables that show the values of the alert condition are not populated. For example:

Never  <  --- this is not valid if a real event does not exist
Cisco Catalyst 3560-48TS
device named UBH-3560-1A.1.episd.org
(IP: 10.247.248.1, DNS: )
1
Up
View full device details here: https://vm-solarwinds.episd.org:443/Orion/NetPerfMon/NodeDetails.aspx?NetObject=N:4428.
View full alert details here:   This is blank unless a real event exists

Alert name: CoreSwitch-CriticalAlert

Here are the variables used for the above:

${N=Alerting;M=AlertTriggerTime;F=DateTime}

${N=SwisEntity;M=MachineType}

device named ${N=SwisEntity;M=Caption}

(IP: ${N=SwisEntity;M=IP_Address}, DNS: ${N=SwisEntity;M=DNS})

${N=SwisEntity;M=HardwareHealthInfos.LastPollStatusName}

${N=SwisEntity;M=CustomProperties.EPISD_Location}

${N=SwisEntity;M=HardwareHealthInfos.Status;F=Status}

View full device details here: ${N=SwisEntity;M=DetailsUrl}.

View full alert details here: ${N=Alerting;M=AlertDetailsUrl}

Alert name: ${N=Alerting;M=AlertName}

What we need is the ability to actually generate an alert for a node. Zenoss has that capabiilty.

Right now, I'm forced to actually take the node down (for example, by putting the interface to which it connects into shutdown) long enough for a poll cycle to detect the node is down. Not good for production equipment!

I usually create a non existent test node like 10.1.1.1 and then put a condition in the alert temporarily to include node name contains 10.1.1.1. The other option is to change the trigger condition to be Up.

I use these frequently to test out the working of alerts, ensuring the variables are correct etc. 

Thanks, but I already considered all those suggestions. Still need to generate an actual event. So, no way to generate an event? What about poking one into the database with SQL studio?