SiteScope User's Guide

Directory Monitor

The Directory Monitor watches an entire directory and reports on the total number of files in the directory, the total amount of disk space used, and the time (in minutes) since any file in the directory was modified. This information is useful if you have limited disk space, you want to monitor the number of files written to a specific directory, or you want to know the activity level in a certain directory.

Usage Guidelines

Why should I use this monitor?

The Directory Monitor is very useful for watching directories that contain log files or other files that tend to grow and multiply unpredictably. You can instruct SiteScope to notify you if either the number of files or total disk space used gets out of hand.

What should I monitor?

This monitor is most useful for directories that contain files that can grow large enough to cause disk space problems, or directories in which new files are added and deleted frequently. A good example of the latter is an FTP directory. In the case of an FTP directory, you will probably want to watch both the number files in the directory and the files contained in the directory.

How should I schedule my monitors?

Because the uses for the Directory Monitor vary so greatly there's no one interval that works best. Keep in mind that if you're watching a directory that contains a lot of files and sub directories, this monitor could take longer to run.

Completing the Directory Monitor Form

To display the Directory Monitor Form, either click the Edit link for an existing Directory Monitor in a monitor table, or click the add a Monitor link on a group's detail page and choose the "New Directory Monitor" link.

Complete the items on the Directory Monitor Form as follows. When the required items are complete, click the Add Monitor button.

Directory: Enter the directory that you want to monitor. To monitor a directory on a remote machine in a Windows NT/2000 network, enter the UNC name for that directory. For example: \\server\directory\subdirectory. If you want to monitor a directory that is created automatically and the directory path includes date or time information, you can use SiteScope's special data and time substitution variables in the path name of the directory.
Update every: Enter how frequently the monitor should check this directory. The drop-down list to the right of the text box lets you specify time increments of seconds, minutes, hours, or days. You must specify a time increment of at least 15 seconds.
Title (Optional): Enter a name for this monitor. This name appears in the Name text box on the monitor table when you open the group's detail page. If you don't enter a name, a default name will be created.

Advanced Options

The advanced options give you the ability to customize error and warning condition thresholds. If you choose not to set them, SiteScope uses pre-set defaults if available. If a default is not available, SiteScope cannot utilize the condition.

Disable

Check this box to temporarily disable this monitor and any associated alerts. To enable the monitor again, clear the box.

No Subdirectories

Check this box if you do not want SiteScope to count subdirectories.

File Name Match

Optional, enter text or an expression to match against. Only filenames which match will be counted in the totals.

Verify Error

Check this box if you want SiteScope to immediately run the monitor again in the event an error is returned. This can help to detect temporary problems and prevent false alerts from being sent.

Update every (on error)

Enter the amount of time that SiteScope should wait between checks when the status of the monitor is anything but ok. If you don't enter a value here, the Update value from above is used. This setting allows you to have SiteScope check more or less frequently than usual when the monitored item is not reporting an ok status.

Schedule

You may specify when this monitor should be enabled. By default, it is enabled every day of the week. You may specify specific times for the settings to be either enabled or disabled by typing a from and to time in the appropriate boxes and then choosing either the enable or the disable button. Note: All times should be entered in 24 hour notation. For example, you would enter 13:00 instead of 1:00 PM, and 15:00 instead of 3:00 PM.

You can use the scheduling feature in the following way. If you have a person who should only be e-mailed during normal business hours, you can type 8:00 and 17:00 in the from and to text boxes for Monday through Friday. You would then also need to specify that this monitor should be disabled for all of Saturday and Sunday.

Monitor Description

Enter an additional string of text describing this monitor. The Monitor Description can include HTML tags such as the <BR> <HR>, and <B> tags to control display format and style. This text will appear on the Monitor Detail page, making it easier to quickly identify what's being monitored from this page.

Depends On (Optional)

To make the running of this monitor dependent on the status of another monitor or monitor group, use the drop-down list to select the monitor or group on which this monitor is dependent. Select None to remove any dependency.

Depends Condition (Optional)

If you choose to make the running of this monitor dependent on the status of another monitor, choose the status condition that the other monitor or monitor group should have in order for the current monitor to run normally. The current monitor will be run normally as long as the monitor or group on which it depends reports the condition selected in this option.

List Order

Choose where you want this monitor to be listed on the Monitor Detail page.

Error if

Set the error threshold for this monitor. Choose one of the following the options from the drop-down list and then type the new threshold in the text box. You must enter a whole number.

Error if exists == 'missing'
This option reports an error if the indicated directory is not found. This is the default setting.
Number of files
Choose this option if you would like SiteScope to generate an error status if the number of files in the monitored directory exceeds a given number. Enter the value that should trigger an error status in the text box. For example, if you want SiteScope to generate an error if there are 50 or more files in this directory, type 50 in the text box.
directory age
Choose this option if you would like SiteScope to generate an error if the age of the monitored directory exceeds a given number of minutes. Enter the value that should trigger an error status in the text box. For example, if you want SiteScope to generate an error if the age is less than one day, select the < condition and enter 1440 in the text box.
total of file sizes
Choose this option if you would like SiteScope to generate an error status if the total size of the directory exceeds a certain number of bytes. Enter the smallest size (in bytes) that should trigger an error status in the text box. For example, if you want SiteScope to generate an error if the size of the directory reaches or exceeds 100,000 bytes, type 100000 in the text box (notice that you do not need to enter commas).

Warning if

Set the warning threshold for this monitor. By default SiteScope reports a warning condition if the number of files in the directory exceeds 1000. If you would like to change the warning threshold, choose one of the following options from the drop-down list.

Number of files
Choose this option if you would like SiteScope to generate a warning status if the number of files in the monitored directory exceeds a given number. Enter the lowest number of files that should trigger a warning status in the text box. For example, if you want SiteScope to generate a warning if there are 50 or more files in this directory, type 50 in the text box.
directory age
Choose this option if you would like SiteScope to generate a warning if the age of the monitored directory exceeds a given number of minutes. Enter the value that should trigger a warning status in the text box. For example, if you want SiteScope to generate an error if the age is less than one day, select the < condition and enter 1440 in the text box.
total of file sizes
Choose this option if you would like SiteScope to generate a warning status if the total size of the directory exceeds a certain number of bytes. Enter the smallest size (in bytes) that should trigger a warning status in the text box. For example, if you want SiteScope to generate a warning if the size of the directory reaches or exceeds 100,000 bytes, type 100000 in the text box (notice that you do not need to enter commas).

Good if

Enter the reading that SiteScope should consider as a good reading for this monitor. By default, SiteScope assumes the monitor is in a good state unless the criteria for a warning or error status are met.