PA Storage Monitor Features

Action Scheduler

Automate common IT tasks with the Action Scheduler. It will run your defined Actions when you specify.

All-Systems-GO

Reports to the All-Systems-GO service which can notify you if the monitoring installation is affected in any way that would prevent its from alerting.

Calculated Status Monitor

This monitor lets you calculate its status by running a script on the statuses of other monitors.

Directory Quota Monitor

The Directory Quota Monitor keeps track of directory sizes, and executes actions if the directory sizes are over the quota. End users (directory owners) can be notified via email with the Monitor-Directed E-mail action. Includes reports.

Disk Space Monitor

Monitor the free disk space on server drives. You can set the warning threshold in absolute size, or percentage of disk space. Includes reports and auto-configuration.

Dynamic Server List

Dynamic Server Lists are groups of serves that meet your criteria. Once the list is known, you can define Dynamic Groups based on the list, and use that group everywhere else groups are used.

Execute Scripts

Execute your custom written scripts written in the Visual Basic Scripting Edition language. You can use custom or 3rd party ActiveX controls. The script determines whether to trigger actions using your own logic.

File Age Monitor

Monitor file ages and alert if the files become too old (good for watching server queues, spool directories, etc).

File/Directory Size Monitor

Track the size of a directory or a set of specific files within a directory. Includes reports.

File & Directory Monitor (CIFS Monitor)

This monitor is a host-based IDS (Intrusion Detection System) that will notify you when the date, size or even content of a file changes on local files, or files on any CIFS share. File creation and deletion is also monitored. A good tool to help with configuration management as well. Auto-configuration functionality is available.

File System Analyzer

Scan any size local or remote disk volume on a scheduled basis. Get in depth understanding of the files via rich reports including:

Inventory Collector

Collects inventory information (hardware information, pending Windows Update, anti-virus status, etc) from a variety of sources including WMI, SNMP and an optional System Details application.

User Quota Monitor

Checks a data set produced by a File System Monitor scan for user disk usage. If they are over their quota, actions (including email sent to the end user) can be activated.

Action List

Groups of actions for common notifications, group notifications, etc.

Call URL

This action will call a URL you specify, optionally posting information about the current alert. This makes it easy to connect to a helpdesk/ticketing system.

Desktop Notifier

Delivers alerts to Windows desktops via a pop-up message box or a slider in the lower right corner of the screen.

Dial-Up Connection

Connects or disconnects a Windows Dial-up Connection. Typically this is for servers that are not on the Internet, but need to connect to send alerts.

E-mail Alert

Sends SMTP email messages to mail boxes, cell phones, mobile devices, etc. The E-mail action has Alert Digests which are a powerful/friendly feature that combines multiple alerts that happen within a short time into a single email notification. This can be very helpful when something goes really wrong. You can easily specify when messages should be sent or suppressed.

Execute Script

Similar to the Execute Script monitor, this Action lets you extend the list of available actions via your own script written in VBScript. Many variables from the source monitor are also available for creating rich, situation-specific responses.

Message Box

A simple message box that displays monitor findings. These message boxes are smart: if there are many pending alerts you can easily dismiss them all at once.

Monitor-Directed Email

The monitor which detects a problem specifies the email address to use for each alert. This is very useful when sending reminders and alerts to end users such as with the User Quota Monitor and the Directory Quota Monitor.

Network Message (Net Send)

Sends a message box containing the critical monitor details to every place that you are logged in.

Pager Alert via SNPP

Send monitor results to pagers via standard Simple Network Paging Protocol (SNPP). You can easily specify when messages should be sent or suppressed, and the content of the message.

PagerDuty Integration

Send alerts directly to your PagerDuty account and track them using the full power of the PagerDuty platform.

Phone Dialer (DTMF/SMS)

Dials a modem/phone and optionally sends DTMF commands or other commands (to send SMS messages for example). This is typically used by a disconnected server to send an alert over a normal phone line (where the CallerID identifies the server)

Play Sound

Audible alert when monitors detect a problem with the server.

Reboot Server

Reboots the server if a monitor has detected a critical system failure.

Run Report

When this action is triggered, it will run the specified Scheduled Report including sending any emails or saving PDF or CSV files that report requires.

SMS Text Message

Send SMS text messages to your mobile device via your service providers SMS Internet gateway (SMPP server). You can control which information gets sent, as well as when messages are allowed.

Server Maintenance

Set or remove the Immediate Maintenance period for a server or servers

SNMP Trap

Sends an SNMP Trap with details from the monitor firing the action

Start Application

Starts a specified application when the monitor triggers actions

Start Service

Sends control messages to the Windows Service Control Manager to start, stop or restart a specified service.

Syslog

Sends monitor alerts to a Syslog server on the network

Write to Event Log

Writes monitor details to the Windows Event Log.

Write to Log File

Log the findings of any triggered monitor to a file. Separate files can be created for each day, week, month, etc.

Generate reports on the fly to quickly see graphical trends

Easily brand reports with your company logo at the top

Group summary reports can be specified and controlled in a per-group way. In addition, group reports can be automatically emailed to anyone that needs to keep track of the servers.

Reports are generated in HTML and accessible from within the PA Storage Monitor Console application, or from a web browser

Password protect web reports in PA Storage Monitor

Quickly see the current status of an individual Satellite Monitoring Service.

Two reports that let you see the status of all of the Satellites at once.

You can create scheduled reports which will get created when you want them, and optionally email the report to a list of recipients. Scheduled report URLs are stable so you can add them to your Favorites list to quickly and easily see the latest results.

Easily see at a glance the state of your server along with system statistics

Quickly see which monitors are running, how long they are taking, which actions are being fired and more.

View the tabs and information that is common among most report types.

Uptime Reports can be run on many different types of data, with summarization at the raw, hourly, daily, weekly and monthly level.

The All Errors report show all recent errors on all monitors on all servers/devices within a group. This is a good place to quickly get a detailed view of any problems happening on the network.

This report shows all of your servers in a group in a single page. Each server is a small box that is color coded according to the status of the monitors on that server.

Create custom reports at a group level to show custom HTML, charts, and other status values for the contained servers.

A compact report that shows high-level server health with detailed monitor types in a column layout.

See a one line status indicator per server to see at a glance how the servers in your data center are doing. Per-group status reports are also supported.

View all of the servers/devices within a group in a single report, grouping all computers and showing their status.

See a graphical map that contains status indicators that show you at a glance how servers in different geographic regions are doing.

This report shows you what your current configuration is with your Groups, Servers, Monitors, and Actions.

See all sessions (Console, Satellite, mobile apps) currently connected to the Central Service.

Powerful report to look at current and past alert conditions that have been detected by the system.

Displays a summary of what is being monitored on a per-group basis. This would be appropriate to show stake holders to indicate the level of monitoring work being done.

A quick table-based overview of current monitor statuses. You can specify a specific monitor type, only monitors in error, etc.

View system statistics such as HTTPS connections and data transferred, numbers of monitors and connected Satellites, etc.

Find out about activities within the monitoring system, such as alert emails sent, user logins, Satellite disconnects, etc.

This report will display all users defined in the system, what they have access to, and their permissions.

While a computer is in maintenance mode, PA Storage Monitor won't run monitors. It will turn itself back on automatically after the maintenance window expires if you manually entered maintenance mode, or it can automatically enter and leave maintenance mode on a schedule.

Setup a second instance of PA Storage Monitor to monitor the primary monitoring service, and take over if it fails

Perform changes of settings in actions, monitors, reports and scheduling for several servers at one time, or copy configuration settings to other servers.

Password protect the PA Storage Monitor Console, and alert on changes that could affect monitoring.

Easily point PA Storage Monitor at the embedded SQLite database or use an external Microsoft SQL Server.

"...hands down the most straight-forward, uncluttered and effective monitoring tool I have used" - A satisfied customer

Control the HTTP port that PA Storage Monitor uses, and optionally enable HTTPS (SSL)

Keep track of which errors have been reviewed and acknowledged. Also a great way for administrators to have an overview of any errors within their area of responsibility.

Many monitors are capable of sending escalating events. For example, low disk space alerts could first go to a first-tier Ops team. If the aren't handled in a specified time frame, they could be forwarded to a second-tier Ops team.

Send basic configuration requests to the product via an HTTPS URL.

PA Storage Monitor is composed of a console that you interact with, and a system service that is started when the computer boots up and is always running in the background.

Group servers together in visual groups to help keep track of them. Group-based status reports are also available.

Easily brand PA Storage Monitor to have your name and graphics by simply dropping a couple of files into the installation directory. See Branding

Takes less than 3 minutes to install and get a default installation customized for your system.

Paste a list of servers or IP address into a list and let PA Storage Monitor inspect and self-configure for each server/device. Or easily copy the configuration from one configured server to one or more other servers.