Version 10.0.3
Release Notes
Friday, 18 July 2014
| New in This Release | Resolved Issues and Minor Enhancements | Known Issues | Upgrade and Compatibility | |
| System Requirements | Product Licensing | Global Operations | Getting Started | For More Information |
Spotlight on SQL Server is a powerful database diagnostic and resolution tool. Its unique user interface provides you with an intuitive, visual representation of the activity on a SQL server. Graphical flows illustrate the rate at which data is moving between server components. Icons display the value of key statistics and alarms. Alarms inform you of bottlenecks and other potential problems. Drilldowns show detailed information on all parts of your SQL Server.
Spotlight integrates data from various sources into a single display. It seamlessly combines data from SQL Server system tables, SQL commands, performance monitor counters, and the Windows registry. Spotlight diagnoses not just your SQL Server, but also the Windows machine that SQL Server is running on.
With Spotlight, diagnostic data is served continuously, even when Spotlight is not open on the desktop.
Business benefits include:
Spotlight on SQL Server 10.0.3
Spotlight on SQL Server 10.0.1
Spotlight on SQL Server 10.0
The following is a list of issues addressed in release 10.0.2.
| Feature | Resolved Issue / Enhancement | Defect ID |
|---|---|---|
| Project Lucy |
There has been a reduction in the size of the data files that are uploaded to Project Lucy (now Spotlight Essentials). This has been achieved through file compression and a reduction in the data collected. |
SoSSE-2623 |
| LiteSpeed |
Fixed a problem where the size of the LiteSpeed Activity collection prevented LiteSpeed backups from executing. |
The following is a list of issues addressed in release 10.0.
| Feature | Resolved Issue / Enhancement | Defect ID |
|---|---|---|
| Spotlight Home Pages |
Enhanced Spotlight Options | Troubleshooting | Adjust the balance between display quality and the level of video performance required | Display Performance. You can now stop the flow animations and circular flows moving on the Spotlight Home Pages by moving.the slider all the way to Higher performance Lower quality. This is particularly useful to customers who use Remote Desktop as the circular flows and flow animations of the Spotlight Home Pages can destabilize their environment. |
SoSSE-1971 |
| Auto-Update | Enhanced the auto-update facility to update the entire Spotlight Diagnostic Server version, not just the Diagnostic Server scripts. | SoSSE-2269 |
| Alarms | Fixed a problem where the Windows Connection Failure alarm required acknowledgement, even after it had been configured to not require acknowledgement. | SoSSE-309 |
| Fixed a problem where the Error Log-Error Count alarm was not being reported on the Spotlight on SQL Server home page Error Log control. | SoSSE-2002 | |
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Fixed a problem where the SQL Agent - Jobs Failed alarm was raised when Spotlight had been configured for this alarm to "Do not alarm for certain values". |
SoSSE 1992 | |
| Drilldowns |
On the SQL Server | SQL Activity | Sessions | SQL drilldown, increased the width of the field so long SQL queries all on the one line do not get truncated. |
SOSSE-2220 |
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Fixed a problem with drilldowns in Playback (history mode) where the time shown was sometimes incorrect. |
SOSSE-2228 | |
| Collections |
Fixed the problem where for High Availability connections a "WARN Procedure ... Execution state was not sent" error was incorrectly added to the collection.log file. |
SoSSE-1940 |
| Project Lucy | Fixed a problem where the collection of data for Project Lucy caused out of memory crashes on 32 bit machines. | SoSSE-306 |
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Improved the handling of data collections to be more memory efficient. |
SoSSE-2138 |
The following is a list of issues known to exist at the time of this release.
| Feature | Known Issue | Defect ID |
|---|---|---|
| General |
SQL Server 2012 and above - Spotlight does not support Analysis Services in Tabular and Sharepoint modes. |
ST16516 |
| Maximum Fragmentation on the Spotlight on SQL Server Home Page - On very busy or large SQL Server instances the Fragmentation Overview collection can time out. If there is a time when the instance is not as busy then reschedule the collection to that time otherwise you may need to disable this collection for that connection. | SOSSE-2425 | |
|
Internet Explorer error on Internet Explorer Enhanced Security Configuration enabled - When Spotlight is installed on a server which has Internet Explorer Enhanced Security Configuration enabled, an Internet Explorer error will popup repeatedly while using Spotlight. Refer to the following URL for information to prevent this error:http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/confirmation.aspx?FamilyID=d41b036c-e2e1-4960-99bb-9757f7e9e31b&DisplayLang=en Note that your system administrator may need to provide you with access to the local web content used within Spotlight. |
ST12009 | |
|
Top SQL Statements drilldown - Query Plan returns a duplicate attribute error - This is a Microsoft bug. Workaround: Restrict the grid by getting fewer records or sorting on a different variable. |
ST11179 | |
| Manual refresh is required on some drilldowns. Right click the data in the grid and select Restore Default Settings | Restore. The grid shows "Loading". Click Refresh to populate the grid. |
ST11333 ST11406 | |
| Specifying less than one day in the 'Days since last backup' alarm. The alarm message can be edited to display {value}, in order to show the fraction of a day if desired. | ST9543 | |
| Errors in the Windows Security Log. Specifying OS Connection Details on Windows connections can cause WMI connection errors to be reported in the Windows Security Log of the machine being monitored. This does not affect Spotlight's monitoring capabilities. | ST6722 | |
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Monitoring SQL Server 2008 RTM. The Deadlocks page (SQL Activity drilldown) may not show data when monitoring a SQL Server 2008 RTM database. Workaround: Upgrade to SQL Server 2008 SP1. |
ST7495 | |
| Error collecting data. The collection used to populate the Top SQL drilldown is unable to run when some databases on the instance are in restricted states of access (for example, Single User Mode, Offline). | ST7584 | |
|
Unusually large values displayed in Spotlight. Spotlight may display unusually large values on some components and charts. These values are incorrect and are due to inaccurate raw performance counter values returned by Microsoft Windows. The following components and charts are affected:
Workaround: Reboot the machine returning large values. |
ST5796 | |
| Negative values in Wait Statistics drilldown. Negative values may be shown in the Waits Details grid. | ST3757 | |
| Data sourced from SQL Server 2000 performance counters may be incorrect. Spotlight may display an incorrect size or procedure cache hit rate for SQL Server 2000. This does not apply to SQL Server 2005 or 2008. | ST3057 | |
| SQL Analysis grid. The Text Data column in the SQL Analysis grid may occasionally display blank rows. This is due to SQL Server not returning any data in the Text Data column from the trace. | CR219577 | |
| Virtual PC. Running Spotlight on SQL Server on a Microsoft Virtual PC 2004 virtual machine is not recommended. There are a number of issues with Microsoft Virtual PC 2004 that may cause Spotlight to display data incorrectly. | CR218911 | |
| SQL Analysis and filtering. When default filters are set in a mixed environment of SQL Server 2000, SQL Server 2005 and SQL Server 2008, if the filter uses a column that does not exist in one of the versions of SQL Server then the filter is ignored for that version. | CR211872 | |
| Installation & upgrades | Installing other Spotlights. Do not install other Spotlights into the Spotlight on SQL Server folder. You will be unable to run Spotlight on SQL Server if you do this. When installing other Spotlights you must install them into a different folder. | N/A |
| Installing for multi-user access. If multiple users of a system install Spotlight for use, the additional users must be local administrators. | N/A | |
| When upgrading from Spotlight on SQL Server Desktop Edition to Spotlight on SQL Server 9.1, the config file may be lost if it was installed in the 64 bit folder. Contact support if required. | PT41574999 | |
| Diagnostic Server | Diagnostic Server not available. When you first install the product, there may be a short delay while the Diagnostic Server starts up. This can lead to a message in the Spotlight client indicating that the Diagnostic Server is not available - this error will automatically clear when the Diagnostic Server completes its initialization. | ST11243 |
| System time changes. Stop the Diagnostic Server service before changing the system time on the Diagnostic Server machine. | N/A | |
| Diagnostic Server user privileges. The minimum Windows privilege level required to run the Diagnostic Server is Power User. During runtime, the Diagnostic Server requires write access to folders in the install directory. Without the appropriate privileges, the Diagnostic Server cannot run. | ST206558 | |
| Connections |
If the following alarm is raised:
Perhaps only .Net 4.0 is installed on the Diagnostic Server host. Workaround: Install .Net 3.5 on the Diagnostic Server host and then restart the Diagnostic Server service. |
PT36288541 |
|
Access errors when connecting to SQL Server 2005. If an access error related to xp_cmdshell occurs and the user changes the SQL Server configuration to allow access to xp_cmdshell, the SQL Server documentation states that you must disconnect and reconnect. To disconnect in Spotlight on SQL Server, you must disable monitoring and enable monitoring for that SQL Server. In the Spotlight Browser, right-click the SQL Server connection and select Properties. On the Monitoring page, clear the Monitor this server option and click OK. Open the Monitoring page again and select Monitor this server and then click OK. |
N/A | |
| WMI access denied alarm messages. A large number of WMI access denied alarm messages usually indicates a network problem such as a malfunctioning domain controller or DNS server. When the network problem is resolved, restart the Diagnostic Server service. | N/A | |
| Microsoft Cluster Services and Windows Server 2012. Monitoring of Cluster Services does not work for Windows Server 2012 instances. | ||
| Microsoft Cluster Server connection problem. If you are connecting to a Microsoft Cluster Server system that does not have control of all disk resources, the uncontrolled disks may display a value of zero for space in total and space available in Spotlight. To rectify this problem customize your disk view to not show this disk. (Do this by right-clicking the disk and choosing Disk Options). | N/A | |
| Playback mode | History Browser and Playback mode. Playback data is collected at scheduled intervals, in response to some alarms, and also while viewing a drilldown using the Spotlight client. This means that history data may not be available for a drilldown in Playback mode. To change the rate at which data is collected, go to Configure | Scheduling. | N/A |
| Spotlight on Windows |
Missing data on the CPU drilldown when monitoring a Windows 2008 R2 Server with more than 32 processors. Workaround: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-au/en-us/library/windows/desktop/aa393067(v=vs.85).aspx |
ST14493 |
| Open Sessions grid. Values displayed in the Elapsed Time and Idle Time columns in the Open Sessions grid (Network drilldown > Sessions tab) may not be accurate if the session has been running for more than 18 hours. | N/A | |
| Time stamp in Event Log drilldown. When monitoring a Windows Vista 64-bit or Windows Server 2008 64-bit machine, the time shown for events in the Event Log drilldown is in GMT, not local time. | ST4625 | |
| Disk Queue length metric. Due to a bug in WMI, the Disk Queue length metric can briefly show a false high value when returning from a (valid) Disk Queue Length alarm. | ST13227 | |
| Spotlight on Analysis Services | GMT Time Zone: The Diagnostic Server shows the wrong time. The Activity drilldown, Connections page may show the wrong time in the GMT Time Zone by incorrectly adjusting for DST. | ST10433 |
You can upgrade from Spotlight on SQL Server Desktop Edition 9.5 or 9.2.
For more information about upgrading, see the Spotlight on SQL Server Getting Started Guide.
The Getting Started Guide is available as a separate download from www.quest.com and after install, from the Windows Start menu.
Ensure your system meets the following minimum hardware and software requirements:
| Platform | 2 GHz Pentium Dual Core |
| Memory | 2 GB RAM |
| Hard Disk Space |
500 MB This space should exist on a local disk drive rather than a network drive. If the Diagnostic Server’s connection to the playback database is interrupted, the Diagnostic Server will cache data to the local disk. In this event, an extra 2 MB per hour, per monitored server is required. |
| Operating System |
Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 or later (32-bit and 64-bit) Microsoft Windows Vista (32-bit and 64-bit) Microsoft Windows 7 (32-bit and 64-bit) Microsoft Windows 8 (32-bit and 64-bit) Microsoft Windows 8.1 (32-bit and 64-bit) Microsoft Windows Server 2003 (32-bit and 64-bit) Microsoft Windows Server 2008 (32-bit and 64-bit) Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 (64-bit) Microsoft Windows Server 2012 (64-bit) Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2 (64-bit) |
| Additional Software | .NET 3.5 or later must be installed. |
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SQL Server Client Tools To use the Discovery Wizard to locate SQL Servers on your network the SQL Server Client Tools must be installed. The SQL Server Client Tools are on the installation disk for Microsoft SQL Server 2000, 2005, 2008, 2012 and 2014. To use Spotlight on Analysis Services the Client Connectivity tools must be installed. | |
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SQL Server Management Tools To use Spotlight on Analysis Services, Session Trace and SQL Analysis in Spotlight on SQL Server, SQL Server Management Tools must be installed. The SQL Server Management Tools are available from any SQL Server 2005 or SQL Server 2008 edition except SQL Server Express and SQL Server Compact. The version required corresponds to the latest version of SQL Server that you are monitoring. Note, if you are monitoring SQL Server 2000 servers, you need the Management Tools from SQL Server 2005. | |
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Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 or later. | |
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Microsoft Data Access Components (MDAC) MDAC includes the ODBC and other components that enable a connection to be established to a SQL Server database. The database may be local or remote. Your client machine must have MDAC 2.7 (or later) installed. MDAC is available from the Microsoft website: www.microsoft.com/downloads To find out the version of MDAC that you are currently running, you can download an application from the Microsoft website called the Component Checker Tool. Review the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article for more information: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/301202 | |
| Other Requirements |
CD-ROM drive or Internet connection (required for installation only). A monitor capable of supporting a resolution of 1280 x1024 or greater. |
| SQL Server |
Spotlight can diagnose SQL Server instances of the following versions:
Spotlight on SQL Server also supports MSDE (2000), SQL Express (2005) and SQL Server 2008 Express Edition. Spotlight cannot diagnose earlier versions of SQL Server (version 7.x and earlier). Spotlight supports all SQL Server sort orders, including case-sensitive and binary sort orders. Spotlight cannot connect to SQL Server instances where the instance name contains non-US ASCII characters. |
| Database Cloud Service | Spotlight supports SQL Azure. |
| Operating Systems |
Spotlight can diagnose the following operating systems:
Note: On each monitored instance, Spotlight requires the network setting "File and Print Sharing" to be enabled and any firewall to be configured to:
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| Virtualization |
Spotlight on SQL Server can monitor virtual guest machines in a VMware ESX infrastructure. The following versions are supported:
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| Connection Limit |
This version of Spotlight on SQL Server is designed to monitor a maximum of 100 SQL Server or Analysis Services instances and 100 Windows servers. Monitoring more than this recommended limit may result in poor performance or product instability. |
Before installing the playback database, ensure your system meets the following minimum requirements:
| Database sizing | By default, the size of the playback database is set to 500MB (data size) and 125MB (log size). |
| Hard Disk Space |
Requires approximately 270 MB for each monitored SQL Server instance and the corresponding monitored Windows host on which the SQL Server instance resides. Retains 7 days of historical data for each connection in the playback database by default. This is configurable. This estimate assumes default configuration in an average environment. Actual space used will depend on your environment and any data collection/storage configuration changes that are made. |
| SQL Server |
The playback database can be installed on:
Note: The playback database cannot be installed on SQL Server 2000. |
| Other Requirements |
The SQL Browser service must be running on the machine where the playback database is installed. Alternatively you can use the host and port number of the (named) SQL Server instance you want to connect to, when creating a connection and connecting to the playback database. The TCP protocol must be enabled on the instance where the playback database resides. For more information, see the Spotlight on SQL Server Getting Started Guide. |
| Maintenance |
The Diagnostic Server runs maintenance procedures daily at 3am for the playback database. |
For installation guidelines, see the Spotlight on SQL Server Getting Started Guide.
Spotlight is supplied with a time-limited trial key so you can test the product. When the trial key expires Spotlight reverts to a preview mode with severely limited access. When you enter a valid license key and site message you are licensed to use Spotlight on SQL Server.
To activate a new license
Make sure you enter the site message exactly. The site message is case sensitive.
The Windows user that updates the authorization key must have administrator access to the Windows registry and write access to the Console\Licenses folder in the Spotlight installation folder.
This section contains information about installing and operating this product in non-English configurations, such as those needed by customers outside of North America. This section does not replace the materials about supported platforms and configurations found elsewhere in the product documentation.
This release is Unicode-enabled and supports any character set. In this release, all product components should be configured to use the same or compatible character encodings and should be installed to use the same locale and regional options. This release is targeted to support operations in the following regions: North America, Western Europe and Latin America, Central and Eastern Europe, Far-East Asia, Japan.
This release has the following known capabilities or limitations: There are no plans to localize this product
The Spotlight on SQL Server release package contains the following products:
Refer to the Spotlight on SQL Server Getting Started Guide for installation instructions.
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Email: |
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Mail: |
Quest Software, Inc. World Headquarters 5 Polaris Way Aliso Viejo, CA 92656 USA |
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Web site: |
Refer to our Web site for regional and international office information.
Quest Support is available to customers who have a trial version of a Quest product or who have purchased a Quest product and have a valid maintenance contract. Quest Support provides unlimited 24x7 access to our Support Portal at www.quest.com/support.
From our Support Portal, you can do the following:
View the Global Support Guide for a detailed explanation of support programs, online services, contact information, policies and procedures. The guide is available at: www.quest.com/support.
If you have questions about using Spotlight, please contact our technical support staff. Please include the version number and if your question is about an error message, include the error text as well.
Should you encounter any problems with Spotlight, follow these steps:
Click Collect.
This creates a file called SpotlightSupport.zip the following folder:
Support bundles contain information for the active instance only. If you are using Spotlight to diagnose multiple instances, ensure that the correct instance is displayed before creating the support bundle.
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ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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The information in this document is provided in connection with Quest products. No license, express or implied, by estoppel or otherwise, to any intellectual property right is granted by this document or in connection with the sale of Quest products. EXCEPT AS SET FORTH IN QUEST'S TERMS AND CONDITIONS AS SPECIFIED IN THE LICENSE AGREEMENT FOR THIS PRODUCT, QUEST ASSUMES NO LIABILITY WHATSOEVER AND DISCLAIMS ANY EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY WARRANTY RELATING TO ITS PRODUCTS INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, OR NON-INFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL QUEST BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE, SPECIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF PROFITS, BUSINESS INTERRUPTION OR LOSS OF INFORMATION) ARISING OUT OF THE USE OR INABILITY TO USE THIS DOCUMENT, EVEN IF QUEST HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. Quest makes no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this document and reserves the right to make changes to specifications and product descriptions at any time without notice. Quest does not make any commitment to update the information contained in this document.
If you have any questions regarding your potential use of this material, contact:
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email: legal@quest.com
Refer to our Web site (www.quest.com) for regional and international office information.
Patents
Protected by U.S. Patent #6,901,582. Additional patents pending.
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Quest, Quest Software, the Quest Software logo and Spotlight are trademarks and registered trademarks of Quest Software, Inc in the United States of America and other countries. For a complete list of Quest Software’s trademarks, please see http://www.quest.com/legal/trademark-information.aspx. Other trademarks and registered trademarks are property of their respective owners.
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