Oracle Capacity Planning Tool

Oct 16 2009 03:37:16 AM Posted By : Gibu
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Recently we got an email on how a customer uses ManageEngine Applications Manager for Capacity planning. The various reports that are provided in ManageEngine Applications Manager for Oracle Performance Management came handy when the Oracle Database Administrator wanted to plan capacity. They could look at tablespace usage, Oracle datafiles and even number of sessions which makes it a valuable  Capacity planning Tool.

Monitor Oracle Datafiles

ManageEngine Applications Manager also supports monitoring various Oracle Applications, IBM Applications, packaged applications like Exchange Server and is a Server monitoring tool. The server monitoring capabilities also helped the administrator know the utilization and performance of various resources in their network.






Applications Manager 8.6 Released!

Applications Manager 8.6 is released with enhanced report generation and new features being added. These new features include

Monitor and Manage AS400 iSeries Server

With the release of Applications Manager 8.6, you can now monitor the availability and performance IBM AS400 iSeries server. Through Applications Manager, you can not only monitor the status of the server, jobs running in the server, monitor spool’s metrics but also be able execute non-interactive commands through the Admin console. This provides you the ability to be able to identify any performance related issue quickly and troubleshoot it.

AS400 Monitoring

AS400 Monitoring

AS400 Server Status

AS400 Server Status

AS400 Jobs Overview

AS400 Jobs Overview

As400 Admin console

As400 Admin console

Monitor SAP Components

With 8.6 version, you can monitor the performance of vairous SAP components like SAP Business Intelligence (BI), SAP Customer Relation Manager (CRM), SAP Supply Chain Management (SCM) etc using CCMS through Applications Manager web console.

You can now monitor each components

  • Connection Time
  • Performance Metrics
  • Status and Log attributes

This allows user to effectively monitor these ERP services.

SAP CCMS Overview

SAP CCMS Overview

Generate Reports Faster

Applications Manager has now faster and more initiative report section which allows user to view reports and be able to generate them quickly. This report tab allows user view by various types thus giving better understanding to the number of monitors he/she configured using Applications Manager. The user can also view individual report of each monitor configured which helps the user to understand the performance trend of a particular monitor. Enhanced 7/30 reports also help the user in various ways to analyze and decipher the results quickly.

Enhanced 7-30 reports

Enhanced 7-30 reports

The heat charts provide a distinct understanding between the same types of monitors configured with similar threshold values. The statistical report allows user to understand the end-results quickly and allows him/her to take action quickly. The day of week and hour of day reports provide hour-by-hour data thus providing an in-depth analysis of the data that is being gathered. With such improvements, the user can now monitor any number of IT resources effortlessly.

So why don’t you go ahead and give Applications Manager 8.6 a try? You might see the difference!

For those who are already using Applications Manager, upgrade your software by applying the service pack.

Consider a database driven application. For example, let’s consider a meteorological station wherein a software application collects various metrics such as temperature, wind, chill factor, humidity, rain precipitation and so on. This application gathers the information from various instruments and the data is stored in a database grid. The IT admin of this metrological station has to ensure that the work flow of this application is up and running and that they are available at all times.

The admin should be able to monitor specific key performance metrics (KPI) from these databases to find out if the processes executed by the software application are error-free. The admin should be able to find out the performance of the query that is being executed. The performance of the query is calculated by the amount of time taken by the query to execute and return value. If the query execution time is above a certain pre-assigned threshold, then the admin should immediately alerted that there has been some issue with the performance of this particular query. The admin can then take action to improve the query of the database and ensure that the application is running smoothly.

Using Database Query Monitor in Applications Manager, the admin will be able to do the exact same thing. In addition, instead of just being notified of a performance related issue with the query, the admin can assign certain actions related to the alert and thus automating the whole process. While the admin will get notified of certain error in the performance of a query, Applications Manager executes appropriate action assigned with the alert and ensure that the performance of the processes remain high. The admin can also enable reports for various queries that is being monitored and also schedule reports accordingly.

For more information about Database Query Monitor, click here. This is available from 8.5 version of Applications Manager, which you can download it here.

Do to IT what IT did to your Business !

Dec 09 2008 07:33:53 AM Posted By : Gibu
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Going back to 1970s,  typewriter was used for some form of office automation. This was followed by other technologies, and later the PC era helped improve communication between users to a great extent. Some of these software improvements were also called groupware as they helped collaboration and quicker decision making, which in turn  helped improve the bottomline. These collaborative capabilities were achieved, not only because Enterprise Applications matured in its capability, but also because Enterprise IT was able to deliver it, when needed. This hence elevated the contribution of IT to the business.

Over the last decade or so, IT Management too has evolved. From merely monitoring the network and servers to application monitoring, to end user experience monitoring and fault management to performance management to Business Services Management.

[caption id="attachment_2151" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Current approach to IT Management"]Current approach to IT Manangement[/caption]

There are lots of point products that can help manage the Network, Servers or Applications etc. Each of these market segments too have matured to a level where the IT Team finds real value.

Now how can you improve your existing investments ? Invest in products and solutions that have a vision to provide an integrated management solution which help different groups in IT organizations to collaborate towards a common end goal - Delivering better Business Applications. Empower your IT Management capabilities by investing in products and technologies that integrate.

ManageEngine today can help you gain more value with mature tools that also integrate to provide greater value.

One of the recent announcements from ManageEngine is the integration of the various Network Monitoring capabilities by ManageEngine OpManager that spans across Fault and Performance Management of Core network equipment to monitoring VOIP and Network Change and Configuration Management.

[caption id="attachment_2161" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Network Monitoring Integration"]network monitoring integration[/caption]

Similarly early this year, the integration of ManageEngine Applications Manager and ManageEngine OpManager via the Network Monitoring connector would help IT Teams to have a better perspective of  the servers, databases, application servers and the Network.

With this integrated Integrated Server, Application and Network Monitoring ManageEngine Applications Manager will provide availability and performance monitoring for applications and databases, while ManageEngine OpManager provides the same for the network. This information is then provided in a single dashboard  for the IT Administrators and Managers to make better informed decisions.

Integrated Server Applications and Network Monitoring

Well, is It not time to do to IT what IT did to Your business ?

Checkout the new AddOns released, to ensure your business gets more value for the buck, especially in the times of a slowing economy.

Gibu
Twitter :  @Gibu_

Applications Manager 8.5 is released!

Oct 22 2008 06:13:02 AM Posted By : karthi
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Its that time of the year again! We are happy to inform you that Applications Manager 8.5 is released. We have been receiving some positive feedback from customers and we were able to incorporate those feedback into the product. With 8.5 release, Applications Manager will now have out-of-the-box support for Database Query monitoring and Active Directory monitoring.

Database query monitoring will enable the user to check the status of a particular database by executing a query. He/she will also be able to monitor specific queries execution time which will enable them to find out any issue caused due its lag.

Database Query Monitor

Database Query Monitoring

The most awaited feature, Active Directory monitoring is now fully supported by Applications Manager. With this feature, the user will be able to monitor some of the key performance metrics such as Kerberos Key Distribution Center Service monitoring, DNS Client Service monitoring and Net Logon Service monitoring. Applications Manager provides performance statistics such as availability and response time of Active Directory services. It also monitors NTLM authentications and Replication Traffic In/Out statistics (in Bytes). In addition it monitors System and Performance Counter monitor in Active Directory monitor.

[caption id="attachment_1901" align="aligncenter" width="550" caption=" "]Active Directory Monitoring[/caption]

Active Directory Monitoring

Applications Manager 8.5 now incorporated a new view called the 'Business View'. Business View provides a clean graphical representation of the business IT infrastructure. It allows the user to embed the view into intranet websites, provides a direct understanding of which particular monitor(s) down for a particular monitor group. It can also be customized according to the various needs of the user.

Check out the Release Notes and Issues fixed in 8.5.

Applications Manager 8.4 is released!

Sep 03 2008 11:16:32 PM Posted By : karthi
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Well, time flies really fast doesn’t it! After another round of troubleshooting and testing, we are happy to say Applications Manager 8.4 is released. I know that 8.3 was released a couple of months back, but we at ManageEngine focus on only one thing, getting the right kind of solution to our customer faster than they can say ’solution’ and this release proves just that.

Now you might be wondering what so special with 8.4, well there is. Applications Manager 8.4 now has option to integrate with ManageEngine OpManager, a network device monitoring solution, a topic for later thorough discussion.

This connector allows the user to monitor their network devices such as switches, printers, routers etc through Applications Manager through a single web console. Now with our integration using network monitoring connector, you as the user will be able to monitor network devices, monitor application servers through Applications Manager and track any issue through ServiceDesk Plus. Isn’t that awesome!

Release Notes | List of Issues Fixed in 8.4

Try Applications Manager 8.4 NOW!…

Continuing with the trend of blogging about features supported by Applications Manager, this post will focus on IBM WebSphere MQ monitoring. This feature is one of the key upgrades that were undertaken for the 8.3 release and was also one of the popular demands from our customers.

Similar to Silverstream and GlassFish server, Applications Manager can now monitor the performance and availability of IBM WebSphere MQ series. The user can monitor WebSphere’s:

  • Channel status,
  • Listener stats
  • Queue’s health and
  • Percentange of queue’s occupied and its depth

In addition, the user can also monitor open input count, and open output count from Queue monitoring statistics. The user can also compare the percentage of queue against time, and compare each channel’s bytes sent vs time. Alerts and reports can be generated for WebSphere MQ series and as always it is supported out-of-the-box.Some of the screenshots given below shows the various performance metrics that are monitored:

IBM WebSphere MQ Monitor

IBM WebSphere MQ Monitor Performance

IBM WebSphere MQ Queue Status

IBM WebSphere MQ Monitor Channel and Listener Stats

AdventNet ManageEngine is an official Technology Partner with the Open Source Application Server GlassFish, an initiative started by Sun in 2005. Applications Manager ability to support heterogeneous applications and servers and GlassFish’s popularity makes it even more sense to support it.

What does it mean to you?

Applications Manager 8.3 was supporting GlassFish server out-of-the-box even before becoming technology partner. Users who have been using GlassFish server in the past can now use Applications Manager and monitor GlassFish application server and harness its full power. The combined power of open source tool and our powerful monitoring tool, will allow our users to run their mission-critical applications without any real fear of their application server going down.

Check out our blog post on GlassFish server and if you would like to monitor GlassFish server through JMX monitoring check out this blog post by Gibu.

Applications Manager 8.3 Released!

Jun 24 2008 05:19:13 PM Posted By : karthi
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w00t! We have now officially launched Applications Manager 8.3. This month has been exciting for all of us. First we saw the release of much awaited and anticipated Apple 3G iPhone, then we saw the release of world’s famous browser Mozilla Firefox 3.0 and now its our turn to release SMB’s favorite applications performance software Applications Manager 8.3. You can download the evaluation copy here or if you have already installed Applications Manager, you can upgrade by downloading this service pack here. Applications Manager 8.3 now comes with a lot more support for

We are now officially “Vista Capable” as well. We have also included support for Oracle 10.1.3 and enabled restricted access to monitor groups for managers. All this and much more in Appmanager 8.3!

Download it NOW!

Applications Manager 8.3

New Outage and Availability Trend Reports

May 17 2008 06:02:28 AM Posted By : karthi
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There has been several key upgrades that has been introduced in the current version. This post will be about focusing on some of those key features mentioned in current release. As the old saying goes “a good picture is worth a thousand words” we decided to release some screenshots of those features and let the screenshots speak for itself. If you have not yet upgraded to the new build, you can download it here and if you would like to more about these features click here.

Some of the major upgrades that we will be discussing in the next couple of posts:

  • Availability and Health Reports - Critical and History Snapshots that have been added
  • Outage Comparison Reports
  • Availability Trend Reports
  • Ability to configure and integrate business hours
  • Network Interface Monitoring in WMI mode added
  • Sybase Support added

There is going to be a couple more posts with some good screenshots with regards to these updates for your viewing. Some of major upgrades that were done in 8.2 were availability and health reports including critical snapshot, and history reports. Applications Manager generates reports that help you to analyze the performance of your Monitor Group. The reporting function enables you to analyze your servers/applications/services even across months and all this even without having to make any additional configuration changes. These reports depicts the availability, health, response time and alerts of the application over a specified period of time. In addition, critical and current snapshot are also provided to project a better understanding of the health and availability of applications.

Availability and Health Reports

Availability and Health reports of a banking application integrated with business hour

Outage Comparison of Monitor Groups

Outage comparison report integrated with business hour

Current Snapshot of Monitor Groups

Current snapshot report for the customer portal business service

Critical Snapshot of Monitor Groups

Critical snapshot report for the customer portal business service

The current snapshot report provides you in-depth details such as monitor type, availability of that particular monitor including its health and most importantly a message column which indicates any information regarding the health and availability of the monitor in question. In Critical snapshot report, in addition to the above mentioned details “Monitor Group” details is also included.

Availability Trend Report

Availability Trend report for Store application

More screenshots to follow… -)