Unified Communications Diagnostics 8.5

Table 2. Scheduling options.
Option	Description
Run once	Select this to run the test immediately, and on demand.
Run every (minutes)	Select this to enter the time interval in minutes after which the next test starts. NOTE: If a test is scheduled to run every ten minutes (for example 12:00), but a test iteration takes 15 minutes, the test skips the next iteration (that is, 12:10), and the next iteration does not run until the next scheduled time (that is 12:20).
Use execution window	Select this check box to only run within a specific time window. You must specify a Start time and End time for the Test Execution Schedule.
Run every day at	Select this to schedule the test to run once daily at this specific time.

For information on setting notifications and credentials, Configuring notification settings and Configuring alternate credentials respectively.

To run the test now

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Expand the Tests node in the Management Console treeview, right-click the test you want and select Run Now.

You can use the Run Now option on scheduled or unscheduled tests.

Configuring notification settings

Use the Notification Settings panel to select the group that is notified when the server counter values exceed the configured threshold. You can configure notification settings to alert users about errors only or about both errors and warnings. To save time, configure the global settings before you configure individual tests.

When you specify the SMTP server to be used for notifications, you can use the default values of port 25 and anonymous authentication or you can specify any or all of the following options:

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enter a custom port number

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specify that STARTTLS protocol be used

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use specific credentials for SMTP server authentication

You can create notification groups to allow specified groups to receive messages about alarms, warnings, or errors on a per counter basis. You can send notifications only to groups, not to individual users.

Use the Add Recipients dialog box to specify the members of each group. You can include the same recipients across notification groups.

You can specify the following notification parameters:

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whether you want the emails in HTML or Plain Text format

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the level of severity at which you want to receive email messages

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an arbitrary command line executable to be run

Adding notification recipients

To create recipients to receive notifications

If you are in the process of creating a test, click Manage Notifications in the Test Settings page.

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Expand the Global Settings node in the Management Console treeview and select Notifications.

Enter the name of an SMTP server in the Primary SMTP Server field.

If you need to specify a custom port for the SMTP server, enter the number in the Port field.

By default, port 25 is used.

If you need to use STARTTLS protocol, select the check box beside Use STARTTLS.

Optionally, enter the name of a second SMTP server in the Secondary SMTP Server field.

If you need to specify a custom port for the SMTP server, enter the number in the Port field.

By default, port 25 is used.

If you need to use STARTTLS protocol, select the check box beside Use STARTTLS.

If you require specific credentials for the SMTP server authentication, click Add in the Notification Credentials section.

Enter the email address for the account to be used.

Enter the password and confirm it.

Click OK.

In the Notification Recipients section, click Add.

Enter the recipient’s name and email address.

Select the format of emails the recipient is to receive: either HTML or Plain Text.

Select the type of alarms the user is to receive: errors and warnings or only errors.

If you require that a credential be used for authentication when sending the test message, select the Use credential for send test check box and select a credential from the list you created under the Notifications Credentials section.

Click OK.

You can send a test message to see if the SMTP server is working by clicking the Send Test button. This ensures that UC Diagnostics can deliver a message to the specified email address.

Click OK.

Adding notification groups

After you have added recipients, you can create notification groups that include the recipients.

To add a notification group

Expand the Global Settings node in the Management Console treeview and select Notifications.

In the Notification Groups section, click Add.

Enter the sender’s name and email address.

If credentials are required for SMTP authentication, select the Use credential for SMTP server authentication check box.

Select a credential from the list of Notification Credentials and click Add.

Select the recipients to receive notification messages.

Select an external application command line to execute processes such as Passing alerts using SNMP .

Set limits on notifications. For more information, see Setting limits on notifications .

Click OK.

Tokens supported by the external command line

The following list shows the tokens that are supported for the external application command line. The tokens are replaced with corresponding real time results, when the external application is run.

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The tokens dictate how many times the external application is called. The Notifications tokens are general tokens. With the Counter tokens, the external application is called once per test per each server per counter. With the Server tokens, the external application is called once per test per each server. With the Test tokens, the external application is called once per test.

Setting limits on notifications

You can configure notification groups to:

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receive unlimited notification messages

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receive a notification when an alarm clears

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set the maximum number of notification messages a user is to receive per each alarm

Best practices for setting notifications

The following best practices are recommended when you set notifications:

You can receive a notification when an error occurs for a specified number of times. If the error still occurs after the specified number of times, you do not receive further notifications. In this cas you can receive a notification when the alarm is cleared. To do this:

Deselect the Send unlimited notifications for an alarm check box.

In the Maximum number of notifications to send per alarm box, enter a number for the maximum number of times you would like to receive a notification.

Select the Send alarm cleared notification when alarm ends check box.

You can receive unlimited error or warning notifications, but choose not receive cleared notifications. This assumes that once you stop receiving error or warning notifications, the alarm has been cleared. To do this:

Select the Send unlimited notifications for an alarm check box.

Deselect the Send alarm cleared notification when alarm ends check box.

To receive messages on cleared alarms

A cleared alarm is an alarm that recipients need not manage - either the problem has been resolved or has become less severe. For example, if you are receiving notifications on errors only, and the status changes from error to warning, the alarm is considered cleared. If you are receiving notifications on both errors and warnings, and the status changes to success, the alarm is considered cleared.

Add a notification group.

Select the Send alarm cleared notification when alarm ends check box.

Click OK.

If a specific event is found in the event log while you run a Server Health Test (such as an Exchange Server Health Test), an event notification is sent to the notification recipients with the corresponding severity. The next time that the Server Health Test runs, the test scans only the event logs from beyond the time of the previous test run.

If no identical event is found during the second run, the notification engine does not issue the cleared notification for the event. If the event is not found during the second test run, the problem is not necessarily resolved. It only means there are no new events logged for the exact same problem.

To receive unlimited notification messages

This feature allows you to receive unlimited notifications about alarms on counters.

Add a notification group.

Select the Send unlimited notifications for an alarm check box.

Click OK.

Selecting this option overrides the maximum number of notification messages you may have set.

To set the maximum number of notification messages per alarm

This feature can help you limit the number of notification emails you receive if you encounter problems with the same counter.

Add a notification group.

Enter a number in the Maximum notifications to send per alarm box.

Click OK.

For example, if you have a recipient configured to receive a maximum number of 3 notifications, you receive a notification the first time the alarm occurs, then two other times, if there is still a problem with the counter.

Also, you can have your notifications set to receive errors only if your performance counters on your Front-End server exceeds its error threshold, and you have selected the Send alarm cleared notification when problem ends check box. You receive a notification the first time the error occurs, and two more times if the error occurs on that performance counter again. If the fourth time, the error threshold is no longer exceeded, you receive a cleared notification.

Passing alerts using SNMP

You can pass alerts to external applications using Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP).

Add a notification group.

Click in the Execute command line box, and enter the following:

“<Program Files>\Quest\UC Diagnostics\ManagementConsole\Binaries\iwsnmptrap.exe" <server> <community name> 6 0 "$CounterOutcome$ on $ServerName$ - $CounterName$ = $CounterValue$"

where

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<Program Files> indicates the Program Files directory path of the computer running Diagnostic Services

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<server> indicates the computer name to receive the SNMP trap

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<community name> indicates the SNMP community name (usually “public”)

For example, you can enter:
"C:\Program Files\Quest\UC Diagnostics\ManagementConsole \Binaries\iwsnmptrap.exe" 10.4.60.95 public 6 0 "CounterOutcome$ on $ServerName$ - $CounterName$ = $CounterValue$”

Click OK.

Apply the notification group to the tests for which you want to generate SNMP traps.

Passing only errors using SNMP

If you want to pass errors only using SNMP, you can create a batch file that contains the tokens you want to use in your notifications.

Create a batch file, and enter:
If %1 == error "C:\Program Files\Quest\UC Diagnostics\ManagementConsole\Binaries\iwsnmptrap.exe" 10.4.60.95 public 6 0 "%1 on %2 - %3 = %4".

Name the batch file snmp.bat.

In the Notifications dialog box, add a Notifications group. Enter a Sender name and email address.

In the External application command line, enter:
"<directory of snmp.bat file>\snmp.bat" "$CounterOutcome$" "$ServerName$" "$CounterName$" "$CounterValue$", and save the notification group.

Using SMS notifications

You can configure UC Diagnostics for Short Message Service (SMS) notifications.

To configure SMS notifications

Add a notification group.

In the Execute command line box, enter:

<Directory of sms.vbs file>\sms.vbs “$TestName$” “$ServerName$” “$ServerOutcome$”

If the directory path to your sms.vbs file contains spaces, enclose the path with quotes.

Create the following sms.vbs file:

if (Wscript.Arguments.Count = 3) then

dim message

set message = CreateObject(“CDO.Message”)

message.From = “SOM@yourdomain.com”