Defining the Connection Settings for SQL Server Monitored Instances (4229902)

The Connection Details view contains a table that displays all the agents that were selected before entering the Databases Administration dashboard.

Use the Connection Details category to define global connection settings, which apply to all instances and hosts selected in the view. You can configure SQL Performance Investigator connectivity, enable user-defined collections, and set VMware connection details.

1. Select the check boxes to the left of the agents for which uniform credentials are to be set.
2. Click Set credentials.
   The Set dialog box used for editing the credentials of the selected instance appears.
   * IMPORTANT: If multiple instances were selected before clicking Set credentials, this dialog box is empty (does not display the instances’ names, ports, and connection details). The default options in such a scenario are Windows authentication (for SQL Server connection details) and the use of existing host connection details (for OS monitoring).
3. On the Edit Credentials pane, provide port connection details. This field can be left empty, unless the TCP/IP connection port is not the default port: 1443.
4. Specify the SQL Server login credentials using one of the following authentication methods:
   • Windows Authentication — log in using a Windows user account. The user name should be typed in the following format: domain\user name
   • SQL Server Authentication — log in using a SQL Server account
   • Use the Windows account running your agent
5. Optional — Select whether an SSL connection should be used. The default is set to Optional.
   • SSL Connection Off — SSL is not required
   • Optional — SSL is required; if the server doesn't support SSL, a plain connection is used instead (default method)
   • Mandatory — SSL is required
6. In the Monitoring Extensions section you can select and configure which monitoring extension to add to the monitored instance:
   • Operating System — Correlate the SQL Server OS resources with the entire host
     * NOTE: Note: Monitoring OS can made also by using stored credentials - Select this link to open the Stored Credentials dialog box, which allows reviewing the login credentials and authentication methods used for logging in to Foglight. Foglight stores encrypted credentials in lockboxes, which may be password-protected for added security. The Credentials dialog box, DB-Agent Lockbox. If credentials have already been entered in another lockbox, use the Lockbox list to select from that lockbox.
   • VMWare — Collect VM statistics.
7. Click Set
8. On the Connection Details pane, click Validate Connectivity.
   * NOTE: If the monitoring verification fails click the message that is displayed on the Status column and resolve the issue according to the instructions that appear in the dialog box. For example, insufficient privileges, incorrect credentials or an Agent Manager that reached its full monitoring capacity.
   Upon successful completion of the process, the status shows as Verified.
9. The option of enabling and editing credentials for user-defined collections is available also when multiple instances are selected. This option is carried out as follows:
   1. Click Set User-defined Collections.
      The dialog box Edit Credentials for User-defined Collections appears.
   2. Select the check box Enable user-defined collections.
   3. Select whether to perform the collection:
      • Using the current agent credentials
      • Manually specifying login credentials.
      • Using Windows authentication and the Windows account that is running Foglight.
   4. If the option of manually specifying login credentials was chosen, select the requested authentication method from one of these options:
      • Windows authentication — type a user name and a password in the domain\username format (for example, COLUMBIA\JSmith).
      • SQL Server authentication
        * IMPORTANT: If the Foglight Agent Manager that runs the instance resides on a UNIX host, the option of using Windows authentication and the Windows account that is running Foglight is unavailable.
   5. Click Set to return to the dialog box used for editing the instance’s credentials.
      * IMPORTANT: To add user-defined collections, go to the User-defined Collections view in the Databases Administration dashboard. For details, see KB 232100
10. If you have SQL Server instances that run on virtual hosts, such instances require setting a dedicated connection profile, in order to connect to the requested VMware server.
    Establishing such a connection is necessary in order to retrieve the Virtualization overhead data, that is, the percentage of CPU that is unavailable to this virtual machine because it is being utilized either by other virtual machines or by VMware itself. The Virtualization Overhead indicator is displayed in both the real-time and history summary pages.
    To edit the VMware Connection Profile:
    • Select the requested agents. To select all agents, select the check box on the table’s title column.
    • Click Edit.
      The Edit VMWare Credentials dialog box appears.
    • Select the check box Enable collecting VMWare CPU allocation data.
    • Enter the details required for monitoring the CPU distribution data, that is, host, port, VMware user, and VMware password.
    • Click OK.
      If multiple agents were selected, the settings will apply to all agents.
11. Ensure that all requested data has been entered. If so, click Validate.
    A progress bar appears.
    At the end of this process, any connectivity issues are indicated by the Status column of the agents table. This column displays either the status Verified for the instances that connected successfully to the database, or a status that indicates failure of the connectivity verification process, and the reason for the failure (for example, Login failed for user “X”).
    If the connectivity issue results from faulty login credentials, modify the credentials and carry out again the connection verification process. If the database to which the instance tries to connect is not running, clear the box near the database’s name.
    If some of the instances whose verification failed display a status of either Insufficient privileges, Click to Grant or Wrong sysdba Credentials, such instances should be granted privileges, by clicking the status and using one of the following methods:
12. Manually, using a script (by clicking View script, copying the text and using it to grant privileges
13. By clicking the button Grant privileges.
    The Grant Privileges dialog box appears.
    If Insufficient Privileges are indicated, this dialog box allows specifying a SYSAdmin (System Administrator) user with sufficient privileges.
    Enter a SYSAdmin user and password, and then click Grant Privileges.
14. Click Save Changes.
    The Applying Modified Settings progress bar appears.
    Upon successful completion of this process, the Status column of the instance table displays the status Changes applied. For instances that failed verification, the status column indicates that changes cannot be saved if the validation did not complete successfully.