Foglight for SQL Server (Cartridge) 7.3.0

Introduction to this Guide

Welcome to the Foglight for SQL Server User and Reference Guide. This guide provides configuration instructions, conceptual information and instructions on how to use the Foglight for SQL Server cartridge. It describes the dashboards included with the cartridge and how they are used for collecting monitoring data from the entire relational database management system. Also covered are the cartridge’s interaction with and support of additional services and modules, such as replication and virtualization.

This guide is intended for users who wants to know more about monitoring SQL Server instances and the steps required for discovering and configuring the SQL Server agent. It is also meant for those users who want to learn about the methods used for configuring and applying user-defined settings.

Installation

Information regarding the installation of Foglight for SQL Server, its pre-requisites and permission can be found in the Foglight for SQL Server Deployment Guide. You can view this guide on Quest’s website at http://support.quest.com/technical-documents/foglight-for-sql-server-cartridge/7.3.0.deployment-guide/.

Installing and Configuring Agents

Foglight for SQL Server monitors the SQL Server database activity by connecting to and querying the SQL Server database. The agents provided monitor the SQL Server database system. The dashboards included with the cartridge provide a visual representation of the status of the major components of the SQL Server agents. They allow you to determine any potential bottleneck in database performance.

Upgrading to the Current Version

Starting to work with a Foglight for SQL ServerFoglight for SQL Server cartridge requires upgrading to the current version of both the cartridge and the Foglight Agent Manager that runs the cartridge.

This contains instructions for using the upgrade wizard.


	IMPORTANT: Foglight for SQL Server does not support the upgrade method of placing the new version under the folder FGLHOME/upgrade/cartridge folder.


	IMPORTANT: If upgrading to the current version of Foglight for SQL Server in a Federation architecture, the upgrade should be applied first to the stand-alone Management Servers (the Federated Children) and then to the central Management Server (the Federation Master). If the Federation Master is upgraded first, this server displays incorrect information regarding the number of instances being monitored, as reported under the Status Summary section. All the same, this information is displayed correctly on the Federated Children.

Overview

If you upgrade Foglight for SQL Server, without also upgrading the database cartridge components, the discrepancy will be detected when you access the Databases dashboard. The upgrade wizard launches automatically.

Selecting the check box at the bottom left of the screen prevents this wizard from appearing when entering the Databases dashboard. Nevertheless, if several database cartridge components still require upgrade, the need to upgrade them is indicated in the dashboard. The indication is evident both in the caption Upgrade required, which is displayed in red to the right of the requested instance. It also appears in the button Upgrade, which appears only if upgrade is required.


	NOTE: Even though instances whose components need to be upgraded appear in the Databases table, such instances cannot be accessed by clicking them, until they have been fully upgraded.

Running the Upgrade Wizard

To upgrade the requested instances:

Click Upgrade.

The screen that appears now is the same screen that appears by default upon entering the Databases dashboard when one or more database cartridge components require upgrading. While the need for upgrade is indicated for both Foglight for Oracle and Foglight for SQL Server, the upgrade is carried out separately for each database cartridge type.

Click Foglight for SQL Server.

A Welcome page displays What’s New in this release, including bug fixes.

If SQL Performance Investigator is not configured, proceed to Step 5.

If SQL Performance Investigator is configured, the SQL PI repository must be upgraded prior to the agents upgrade.

Select the Agent Managers to upgrade.

Figure 1. Select the Agent Managers to install.

NOTE: The Other Agents column in the table indicates whether the specified Foglight Agent Manager runs agents of other cartridge types. If a value is displayed in this column, go to Dashboards > Administration > Agents > Agent Status to view which other agents run under the specified Foglight Agent Manager. If the other agents appear in the list below, upgrading Foglight Agent Manager to the latest version is safe. For agents of any other cartridge type, consult the documentation of the respective cartridge types.

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Click Upgrade the selected Foglight Agent Managers.

A progress bar appears.

After the upgrade is complete, click Next.

The next screen is used for granting privileges to users that were detected as possibly requiring additional

privileges to ensure full functionality.

Select the agents displayed in the table and click Validate connectivity.

If the status row of one or more agents displays the status Insufficient privileges, complete the following steps:

Select all agents that require privileges updates, and click Grant privileges.

In the Grant Database Privileges dialog box, enter a SYSADMIN user name and password.

To view the script used for granting the privileges, click View script.


	IMPORTANT: The script for granting privileges is invoked using a pop-up.To view the script, ensure that pop ups are not blocked on the page.

Click Grant database privileges.

On the Rule Modification Overview page, review the list of modified rules.

Modified rules have one of the following states:

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Removed — The rule is obsolete and was deleted from the Management Server.

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New — The rule is new in this release. To review its definition, click View new rule.

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Updated — The rule was updated in this release. To review the updated rule, click View updated rule. If a rule targeted for update is modified by a user, the user’s modified rule is copied and disabled before the updated rule is installed. To review the modified rule, click View user-updated rule.


	TIP: To avoid having to repeat rule modifications after an upgrade, do not edit rules with the DBSS prefix in the Rule Management dashboard. Use the Alarm Template dashboard instead. When you make your edits on the Alarm Template dashboard view, the edits are saved separately and applied over the predefined rules. For instructions, see Customizing Alarms for Foglight for SQL Server Rules .