Beginning Geneos 5.8.x, Express Reports will no longer be available.
This feature will continue to be available and supported for Geneos 5.7.x and older until its end of life (EOL) date on 31 December 2021.
Introduction
What is Express Reports Server
Geneos Express Reports Server is a component built into the Gateway to generate and serve reports to a web browser. The data is extracted and processed to produce a set of reports based upon standard templates. The currently supported templates are defined in section 3. It is strongly recommended that a Gateway running the Express Reports Server component will not be setup to perform standard Gateway tasks e.g. connecting to netprobes and publishing information to Active Console, this is to preserve resources for report generation and serving web pages.
Note: Express Reports expects it's resources directory to be in the working directory of the executable. If you wish to to share resources or keep them separate from the executable you need to create a symbolic link to the resources.
e.g. ln -s /path/to/gateway/resources
Report Format
A Report run generates a set of reports that are all bound together by a single menu. A run may have multiple report types and multiple instances of each type. On the left hand side of the page is the report menu. For each report listed in the setup file a single menu item is provided. The hyper links on the left of the page will load the report into the right hand frame of the page. An example report produced is shown below.
Figure 1 Generated HTML report
General Configuration
The Gateway Setup Editor allows a user to configure a run of Express Reports 2. The setup is divided into 3 parts: Report Runs, Reports, and Datasources, these are detailed below. Settings that are specific to an individual report type are listed in the Report Types.
Figure 2 Express Reports Setup Editor
Reports
This section lists the individual reports to be generated as part of a run. Each report type has a set of individual settings that are specific to that report type. These are listed in Configuration sections for each report type.
Datasources
This section allows the user to specify data sources (currently just GENEOS formatted databases) for use in individual reports.
datasources > database
Specifies the connection parameters for the database to log to. This node can contain a choice of mysql, Sybase, sqlServer or oracle.
Mandatory: Yes.
datasources > database > name
Specifies the name for this connection. This is the name that is used by the reports to specify which datasource to extract data from.
Mandatory: Yes.
datasources > database > mysql
The database type of the database. This specifies
that the database is a MySQL database. The user
must select which database type the
database is. It can be one of mysql, sybase, sqlServer or oracle.
Mandatory: No.
datasources > database > mysql > serverName
The hostname or ip address of the machine where the mysql database is running.
Mandatory: Yes.
datasources > database > mysql > databaseName
The name of the database to log to. E.g. Geneos.
Mandatory: Yes.
datasources > database > mysql > port
The server port number to connect to mysql on.
datasources > database > sybase
The database type of the database. This specifies
that the database is a SYBASE database. The user
must select which database type the
database is. It can be one of mysql, sybase, sqlServer or oracle.
Mandatory: No.
datasources > database > sybase > interfaceEntry
This should be the alias in the Sybase interfaces file that references the required database server.
Mandatory: Yes.
datasources > database > sybase > databaseName
The name of the database to log to. E.g. Geneos.
Mandatory: Yes.
datasources > database > sybase > applicationName
The application name to be set to the connection created from the Gateway to the Database Server.
datasources > database > sqlServer
The database type of the database. This specifies
that the database is a MS SQL Server database. The
user must select which database type
the database is. It can be one of mysql, sybase, sqlServer or oracle.
Mandatory: No.
datasources > database > sqlServer > serverName
The hostname or ip address of the machine where the MS SQL Server database is running.
Mandatory: Yes.
datasources > database > sqlServer > databaseName
The name of the database to log to. E.g. Geneos.
Mandatory: Yes.
datasources > database > sqlServer > port
The server port number to connect to MS SQL Server on.
datasources > database > oracle
The database type of the database. This specifies
that the database is an ORACLE database. The user
must select which database type the
database is. It can be one of mysql, sybase, sqlServer or oracle.
Mandatory: No.
datasources > database > oracle > databaseName
The name of the database to log to. E.g. Geneos, this should correspond to an entry in the TNSNAMES.ora configuration file.
Mandatory: Yes.
datasources > database > oracle > serverName
The hostname or ip address of the machine where the oracle database is running (this is used for ActiveConsole connections).
datasources > database > oracle > port
The server port number to connect to oracle on (this is used for ActiveConsole connections).
datasources > database > oracle > applicationName
The application name to be set to the connection created from the Gateway to the Database Server.
datasources > database > authentication
Authentication details for the gateway to log into the database
Mandatory: Yes.
Report Types
Trend Report
This report is comprised of a set of sub-reports. Each sub-report can either be based on multiple managed entities per managed variable, multiple managed variables per managed entity and a combination of managed entity / managed variable pairs. The sub-report can show 3 visualisers, a graph of the values over time, a summary table and an event table.
The user can specify various attributes about the graph and the summary table.
Figure 3 Generated HTML report
Setting up a simple Trend Report
The following gives a step guide to setting up a simple report.
- Select a Managed Variable in a Managed Entity that is being logged to a database by a Geneos Gateway
- Open Express Reports Setup Editor
- Select File -> New to create a new setup document
- Select Database from the
icon to create a new database connection - Rename the database to "GW Database"
- Select the database type in the drop down labelled Options
- Fill in the database information and authentication information (user plaintext for the password)
- Select Report from the
icon to create a new report definition - Rename the Report to "Test Report"
- Select "GW Database" from the drop Database drop down
- Enter the Managed Entity in the Managed Entity
Table (1:sup:st Row).
- The best way to obtain the Managed Entity name from Active Console is to right click on the Managed Entity in Active Console and select Copy -> Name. This can then be pasted into the 1st Row of the Managed Entity Table.
- Once entered the indicator next to Managed Entity should go from red to green.
- Enter the Managed Variable in the Managed
Variable Table (1st Row).
- The way to obtain the Managed Variable name from Active Console is to right click on the Managed Variable in Active Console and select Copy from … -> Legacy Name. This can then be pasted into the 1st Row of the Managed Entity Table.
- Once entered the indicator next to Managed Entity should go from red to green.
- The Managed variable must start with a %.
- Enter Graph as the name for the Graph visualiser
- Enter Summary as the name for the Graph visualiser
- Select Run Settings to see the run settings
- Enter "Test Run" for the name of the Report Run
- Enter "test" for the name of the directory. (This is the directory where the report will be saved)
- Select File -> Save to save the setup file
Graph Visualiser
Figure 4 Graph Visualiser Result
The graph visualiser plots a series of values against time. Each point on the graph is either the average, minimum or maximum of a set of values from the datasource. In the above example, each point represent the average CPU usage over a single day.
Summary Table Visualiser
Figure 5 Summary Table Visualiser
The Summary Table Visualiser produces a table that summarised the minimum, maximum and average values of the Managed Variable for each Managed Entity. The columns are the summary periods, and can be Hours, Days, Weeks or Months.
Event Table Visualiser
The Event Table Visualiser lists the 100 most recent events on the Managed Variable.
reports > report > trendReport > datasources > database
The name of the data source to use for the data for this report. Currently only a single data source is supported for the trend report.
Mandatory: Yes.
datasources > database > authentication > defaultTrendStatistics
This is the default statistics that are applied to the data when generating the points to plot on the trend graph of the report. The period of time that each point represents is specified by the reports > report > trendReport > summaryPeriods > trendPoints setting. It can be overridden on for an individual Managed Variable sub-report by using the reports > report > trendReport > mesPerMv > managedVariables > managedVariable > trendStatistics setting.
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Average | Each point plotted on the graph will be the average of the contributing points. |
| Minimum | Each point plotted on the graph will be the minimum of the contributing points |
| Maximum | Each point plotted on the graph will be the maximum of the contributing points. |
reports > report > trendReport > mesPerMv
Produces one sub report per managed variable specified. The report will be populated with data from the managed entities selected.
reports > report > trendReport > mesPerMv > managedEntities > managedEntity > name
This is the name of the managed entity. For each managed entity listed statistics will be shown for that managed entity per managed variable e.g. if there are 3 managed entities me1, me2, me3 and 2 managed variables the results will be shown as follows.
At least 1 managed entity is required if the managed entity option is selected.
Mandatory: Yes either this setting or Attributes setting.
reports > report > trendReport > mesPerMv > attributes > attribute > name
This is the name of the attribute e.g. COUNTRY. The attribute name is used to select a group of managed entities if they are associated with this attribute, this means any managed entity e.g. with the attribute COUNTRY will be selected.
Note: The value is ignored if only the name is specified.
If multiple attribute names are specified then the managed entity will have to be associated with attribute1 and attribute2 and attribute3 etc.
Mandatory: Yes either this setting or Managed Entities setting.
reports > report > trendReport > mesPerMv > attributes > attribute > value
This is the value of the attribute e.g. COUNTRY = UK. The attribute value is used to select a group of managed entities if they are associated with this attribute and value, this means only managed entities e.g. with the attribute COUNTRY and value UK will be selected. If multiple attribute name and values are specified then the managed entity will have to be associated with attribute1 value1 and attribute2 value2 and attribute3 value3 etc
Mandatory: No.
reports > report > trendReport > mesPerMv > managedVariables > managedVariable > name
This is the name of the managed variable. For each managed variable listed a Trend sub report is generated. The Managed Variable name is a Legacy Name (and can be obtained from Active Console by selecting Copy -> Legacy Name on a Dataview cell. This name is a 3 part name starting with a '%' and with the view, row and column names separated by '.'
At least 1 managed variable is required to generate a successful report.
Mandatory: Yes (1 or more).
reports > report > trendReport > mesPerMv > managedVariables > managedVariable > alias
This allows the user to replace the Geneos name of a managed variable with user defined text.
reports > report > trendReport > mesPerMv > managedVariables > managedVariable > trendStatistics
This allows the user to override the report level setting for the trend statistics period (reports > report > trendReport > defaultTrendStatistics).
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Average | Each point plotted on the graph will be the average of the contributing points. |
| Minimum | Each point plotted on the graph will be the minimum of the contributing points |
| Maximum | Each point plotted on the graph will be the maximum of the contributing points. |
reports > report > trendReport > mesPerMv > managedVariables > managedVariable > thresholds
This sets an optional thresholds value for the managed variable.
Mandatory: No.
reports > report > trendReport > mesPerMv > managedVariables > managedVariable > thresholds > threshold
This sets an optional threshold value for the managed variable.
reports > report > trendReport > mesPerMv > managedVariables > managedVariable > thresholds > threshold > value
This sets a threshold value for the managed variable. If the Y axis of the generated graph includes this value a line will be drawn and labelled for the threshold creating a visual indicator of where this threshold is breached.
Mandatory: Yes.
reports > report > trendReport > mesPerMv > managedVariables > managedVariable > thresholds > threshold > label
This sets an optional label for a threshold. This text will appear beside the threshold line.
Mandatory: No.
reports > report > trendReport > mesPerMv > managedVariables > managedVariable > thresholds > threshold > severity
This sets the severity of the threshold to: critical, warning, ok or undefined. The threshold line will be coloured as specified below.
| Severity | Colour |
|---|---|
| Critical | Red |
| Warning | Yellow |
| Ok | Green |
| Undefined | Sky blue |
Mandatory: Yes.
reports > report > trendReport > mesPerMv > managedVariables > managedVariable > thresholds > threshold > banding > interpretation
There are 2 choices for the banding:
- aboveThresholdLines - Any value above this threshold line will considered to be in this band e.g. severity warning set to 30 means any value of 30 or above will be banded as warning.
- belowThresholdLines - Any value below this threshold line will be considered to be in this band e.g. severity ok set to 10 means any value of 10 or below will be banded as ok.
Mandatory: Yes.
reports > report > trendReport > mesPerMv > managedVariables > managedVariable > thresholds > threshold > banding > defaultSeverity
This sets the default banding for a severity.
reports > report > trendReport > mvsPerMe
Produces one sub report per managed entity specified. The report will be populated with data from the managed variables selected.
reports > report > trendReport > mvsPerMe > managedVariables > managedVariable > name
This is the name of the managed variable. For each managed variable listed a Trend sub report is generated. The Managed Variable name is a Legacy Name (and can be obtained from Active Console by selecting Copy -> Legacy Name on a Dataview cell. This name is a 3 part name starting with a '%' and with the view, row and column names separated by '.'
At least 1 managed variable is required to generate a successful report.
Mandatory: Yes (1 or more).
reports > report > trendReport > mvsPerMe > managedVariables > managedVariable > alias
This allows the user to replace the Geneos name of a managed variable with user defined text.
reports > report > trendReport > mvsPerMe > managedVariables > managedVariable > trendStatistics
This setting is deprecated and has been replaced with the new setting: reports > report > trendReport > mvsPerMe > managedVariables > managedVariable > trendMultiStatistics.This allows the user to override the report level setting for the trend statistics period (reports > report > trendReport > defaultTrendStatistics).
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Average | Each point plotted on the graph will be the average of the contributing points. |
| Minimum | Each point plotted on the graph will be the minimum of the contributing points |
| Maximum | Each point plotted on the graph will be the maximum of the contributing points. |
reports > report > trendReport > mvsPerMe > managedVariables > managedVariable > trendMultiStatistics
This allows the user to override the report level setting for the trend statistics period (reports > report > trendReport > defaultTrendStatistics). Each setting is a checkbox which allows you to graph more than one statistic on the same variable. Each setting results in a line on the graph for the checked statistic. The legend on the graph with match the alias or variable name
e.g. cpuUtilisation ~ Average.
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Average | Each point plotted on the graph will be the average of the contributing points. |
| Minimum | Each point plotted on the graph will be the minimum of the contributing points |
| Maximum | Each point plotted on the graph will be the maximum of the contributing points. |
reports > report > trendReport > mvsPerMe > managedVariables > managedVariable > thresholds
This sets an optional thresholds value for the managed variable.
Mandatory: No.
reports > report > trendReport > mvsPerMe > managedVariables > managedVariable > thresholds > threshold
This sets an optional threshold value for the managed variable.
reports > report > trendReport > mvsPerMe > managedVariables > managedVariable > thresholds > threshold > value
This sets a threshold value for the managed variable. If the Y axis of the generated graph includes this value a line will be drawn and labelled for the threshold creating a visual indicator of where this threshold is breached.
Mandatory: Yes.
reports > report > trendReport > mvsPerMe > managedVariables > managedVariable > thresholds > threshold > label
This sets an optional label for a threshold. This text will appear beside the threshold line.
Mandatory: No.
reports > report > trendReport > mvsPerMe > managedVariables > managedVariable > thresholds > threshold > severity
This sets the severity of the threshold to: critical, warning, ok or undefined. The threshold line will be coloured as specified below.
| Severity | Colour |
|---|---|
| Critical | Red |
| Warning | Yellow |
| Ok | Green |
| Undefined | Sky blue |
Mandatory: Yes.
reports > report > trendReport > mvsPerMe > managedVariables > managedVariable > thresholds > threshold > colourStatistics
This sets the statistics for which the threshold should apply when using colour banding. For example if the threshold applies to averages only then it will only be taken into account when colour averages for the affected variable.
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Average | Apply the threshold when colouring summary table for averages for this variable. |
| Minimum | Apply the threshold when colouring summary table for minimum values for this variable. |
| Maximum | Apply the threshold when colouring summary table for maximum values for this variable. |
reports > report > trendReport > mvsPerMe > managedVariables > managedVariable > thresholds > threshold > banding > interpretation
There are 2 choices for the banding:
- aboveThresholdLines - Any value above this threshold line will considered to be in this band e.g. severity warning set to 30 means any value of 30 or above will be banded as warning.
- belowThresholdLines - Any value below this threshold line will be considered to be in this band e.g. severity ok set to 10 means any value of 10 or below will be banded as ok.
Mandatory: Yes.
reports > report > trendReport > mvsPerMe > managedVariables > managedVariable > thresholds > threshold > banding > defaultSeverity
This sets the default banding for a severity.
reports > report > trendReport > mvsPerMe > managedEntities > managedEntity > name
This is the name of the managed entity. For each managed entity listed statistics will be shown for that managed entity per managed variable e.g. if there are 3 managed entities me1, me2, me3 and 2 managed variables the results will be shown as follows.
At least 1 managed entity is required if the managed entity option is selected.
Mandatory: Yes either this setting or Attributes setting.
reports > report > trendReport > mvsPerMe > attributes > attribute > name
This is the name of the attribute e.g. COUNTRY. The attribute name is used to select a group of managed entities if they are associated with this attribute, this means any managed entity e.g. with the attribute COUNTRY will be selected.
Note: The value is ignored if only the name is specified.
If multiple attribute names are specified then the managed entity will have to be associated with attribute1 and attribute2 and attribute3 etc.
Mandatory: Yes either this setting or Managed Entities setting.
reports > report > trendReport > mvsPerMe > attributes > attribute > value
This is the value of the attribute e.g. COUNTRY = UK. The attribute value is used to select a group of managed entities if they are associated with this attribute and value, this means only managed entities e.g. with the attribute COUNTRY and value UK will be selected. If multiple attribute name and values are specified then the managed entity will have to be associated with attribute1 value1 and attribute2 value2 and attribute3 value3 etc
Mandatory: No.
reports > report > trendReport > meMvPairs
Produces one sub report based on the managed variable and managed entity pairs. This allows e.g. the comparison of cpu on one machine to the memory usage of another.
reports > report > trendReport > meName
This is the name of the managed entity. For each managed entity listed statistics will be shown for that managed entity per managed variable e.g. if there are 3 managed entities me1, me2, me3 and 2 managed variables the results will be shown as follows.
At least 1 managed entity is required if the managed entity option is selected.
Mandatory: Yes either this setting or Attributes setting.
reports > report > trendReport > meMvPairs > mvName
This is the name of the managed variable. For each managed variable listed a Trend sub report is generated. The Managed Variable name is a Legacy Name (and can be obtained from Active Console by selecting Copy -> Legacy Name on a Dataview cell. This name is a 3 part name starting with a '%' and with the view, row and column names separated by '.'
At least 1 managed variable is required to generate a successful report.
Mandatory: Yes (1 or more).
reports > report > trendReport > meMvPairs > alias
This allows the user to replace the Geneos name of a managed variable with user defined text.
reports > report > trendReport > meMvPairs > trendStatistics
This setting is deprecated has been replaced by: reports > report > trendReport > meMvPairs > trendMultiStatistics
This allows the user to override the report level setting for the trend statistics period (reports > report > trendReport > defaultTrendStatistics).
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Average | Each point plotted on the graph will be the average of the contributing points. |
| Minimum | Each point plotted on the graph will be the minimum of the contributing points |
| Maximum | Each point plotted on the graph will be the maximum of the contributing points. |
reports > report > trendReport > meMvPairs > trendMultiStatistics
This allows the user to override the report level setting for the trend statistics period (reports > report > trendReport > defaultTrendStatistics). Each setting is a checkbox which allows you to graph more than one statistic on the same variable. Each setting results in a line on the graph for the checked statistic. The legend on the graph with match the alias or variable name
e.g. cpuUtilisation ~ Average.
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Average | Each point plotted on the graph will be the average of the contributing points. |
| Minimum | Each point plotted on the graph will be the minimum of the contributing points |
| Maximum | Each point plotted on the graph will be the maximum of the contributing points. |
reports > report > trendReport > meMvPairs > thresholds
This sets an optional thresholds value for the managed variable.
Mandatory: No.
reports > report > trendReport > meMvPairs > thresholds > threshold
This sets an optional threshold value for the managed variable.
reports > report > trendReport > meMvPairs > thresholds > threshold > value
This sets a threshold value for the managed variable. If the Y axis of the generated graph includes this value a line will be drawn and labelled for the threshold creating a visual indicator of where this threshold is breached.
Mandatory: Yes.
reports > report > trendReport > meMvPairs > thresholds > threshold > label
This sets an optional label for a threshold. This text will appear beside the threshold line.
Mandatory: No.
reports > report > trendReport > meMvPairs > thresholds > threshold > severity
This sets the severity of the threshold to: critical, warning, ok or undefined. The threshold line will be coloured as specified below.
| Severity | Colour |
|---|---|
| Critical | Red |
| Warning | Yellow |
| Ok | Green |
| Undefined | Sky blue |
Mandatory: Yes.
reports > report > trendReport > meMvPairs > thresholds > threshold > colourStatistics
This sets the statistics for which the threshold should apply when using colour banding. For example if the threshold applies to averages only then it will only be taken into account when colour averages for the affected variable.
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Average | Apply the threshold when colouring summary table for averages for this variable. |
| Minimum | Apply the threshold when colouring summary table for minimum values for this variable. |
| Maximum | Apply the threshold when colouring summary table for maximum values for this variable. |
reports > report > trendReport > meMvPairs > thresholds > threshold > banding > interpretation
There are 2 choices for the banding:
- aboveThresholdLines - Any value above this threshold line will considered to be in this band e.g. severity warning set to 30 means any value of 30 or above will be banded as warning.
- belowThresholdLines - Any value below this threshold line will be considered to be in this band e.g. severity ok set to 10 means any value of 10 or below will be banded as ok.
Mandatory: Yes.
reports > report > trendReport > meMvPairs > thresholds > threshold > banding > defaultSeverity
This sets the default banding for a severity.
reports > report > trendReport > visualisers > graphVisualiser > name
This is the title of the graph visualiser in the report.
Mandatory: Yes.
reports > report > trendReport > visualisers > graphVisualiser > pointsPeriod
This is the period of time that the individual points in the summary graph visualiser represent. The way these points are collated is specified in settings reports > report > trendReport > defaultTrendStatistics and reports > report > trendReport > mesPerMv > managedVariables > managedVariable > trendStatistics.
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Minutes | Each column represents data gather over a specified minute. |
| 5Minutes | Each column represents data gather over a specified 5 minute interval. |
| 15Minutes | Each column represents data gather over a specified 15 minute interval. |
| Hours | Each column represents data gather over a specified hour. |
| Days | Each column represents data gather over a specified day. |
| Weeks | Each column represents data gather over a specified week. |
| Months | Each column represents data gather over a specified month. |
reports > report > trendReport > visualisers > graphVisualiser > trendStatistics
This setting overrides the default trend statistic and trend statistics defined for managed variables. This optional setting applies the Trend Report By Managed Variable only. For trend reports by managed entity for the for flexible reports a warning is issued if this setting is in place and the setting is then ignored.
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Average | Each point plotted on the graph will be the average of the contributing points. |
| Minimum | Each point plotted on the graph will be the minimum of the contributing points |
| Maximum | Each point plotted on the graph will be the maximum of the contributing points. |
Mandatory: No
reports > report > trendReport > visualisers > graphVisualiser > lineThickness
Optionally increase the thickness of the lines drawn on the graph.
reports > report > trendReport > visualisers > graphVisualiser > scaling
Type of scaling to be applied to the graph, at present the options are automatic scaling or scaling turned off.
reports > report > trendReport > visualisers > graphVisualiser > contiguousGraph
By default express reports collects statistics for each point period defined in the report. Where no values are logged for that period no line is drawn on the graph. This results in gaps where data is not logged or hasn't changed and database logging isn't configured to log at intervals.
Setting this option to true result in the graph drawing lines from each logged value, leading to a contiguous graph.
reports > report > trendReport > visualisers > summaryVisualiser > name
This is the title of the summary visualiser in the report.
Mandatory: Yes.
reports > report > trendReport > visualisers > summaryVisualiser > columns
This is the period of time that the columns in the summary table represent.
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Minutes | Each column represents data gather over a specified minute. |
| 5Minutes | Each column represents data gather over a specified 5 minute interval. |
| 15Minutes | Each column represents data gather over a specified 15 minute interval. |
| Hours | Each column represents data gather over a specified hour. |
| Days | Each column represents data gather over a specified day. |
| Weeks | Each column represents data gather over a specified week. |
| Months | Each column represents data gather over a specified month. |
reports > report > trendReport > visualisers > summaryVisualiser > applyBandingColours
This setting will colour the background cells with values using the settings from threshold severity (to see the colours that will be used, please refer to the severity setting).
reports > report > trendReport > summaryPeriods > trendPoints
This is the period of time that the individual points in the summary trend graph represent. The way these point are collated is specified in settings reports > report > trendReport > defaultTrendStatistics and reports > report > trendReport > mesPerMv > managedVariables > managedVariable > trendStatistics.
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Hours | Each point represents data gather over a specified hour. |
| Days | Each point represents data gather over a specified day. |
| Weeks | Each point represents data gather over a specified week. |
| Months | Each point represents data gather over a specified month. |
reports > report > trendReport > dateRange > relative
This allows the user to specify a time period for the report that is relative to the start date of the report.
The start time is specified as a currentDay, currentHour, onTheHour, previousDay or previousHour.
Mandatory: Yes.
reports > report > trendReport > dateRange > relative > duration
The duration of the report. The next field (durationPeriod) defines the time units to be used. Ie. hours.
Mandatory: Yes.
reports > report > trendReport > dateRange > relative > durationPeriod
The time units for the duration of the report hours, days, weeks, months or years.
Mandatory: Yes.
eports > report > trendReport > dateRange > relative > start
Defines when the report starts
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| currentDay | The report spans from the end of the current day back to the time defined by the duration. |
| currentHour | The report spans from the current hour back to the time defined by the duration. |
| onTheHour | The report spans from the specified hour back to the time defined by the duration. |
| previousDay | The report spans from the end of the previous day back to the time defined by the duration |
| previousHour | The report spans from the previous hour back to the time defined by the duration. |
Mandatory: Yes.
reports > report > trendReport > dateRange > absolute
This allows the user to specify a time period for the report. The time and date of the start and end of the report is explicitly set.
Mandatory: Yes.
reports > report > trendReport > filtering
This allows the user to filter the results of the trend report even further by specifying the times of day the events can occur in along with which days are of interest.
The filtering has the following effect.
Graph Visualiser: Solid lines are drawn from points that fall within the filter. Dashed lines are drawn from those that do not. This gives a visual indication of the values that are of immediate interest.
Summary Table Visualiser: Values that do not fall within the filter are ignored in the summary.
Event Table Visualiser: Events that do not fall within the filter are not displayed in the summary.
Mandatory: No.
reports > report > trendReport > filtering > start
The start time for the filter in HH:MM[:SS] format. The start time is inclusive so if the start time is 09:00:00 and data is logged at 09:00:00 it will be included.
Mandatory: Yes.
reports > report > trendReport > filtering > end
The end time for the filter in HH:MM[:SS] format. The end time is exclusive so if the end time is 10:00:00, data will be included up to 09:59:59 (this is smallest amount less than 10:00:00).
Mandatory: Yes.
reports > report > trendReport > filtering > days
This allows for the selection of 1 or more days in the week e.g. Monday - Friday. Any events that happen during the days selected will be included in the filter if they fall between the start and end dates.
Mandatory: Yes.
reports > report > trendReport > exportCSV
Export a text file containing comma separated values for the data in each section of the report. This data can then be imported into a spreadsheet or another report generator.
reports > report > trendReport > trendOverview
Contains options for generating a trend overview report. A trend overview allows side-by-side comparison of the graphs generated in the trend report.
Mandatory: No.
Fault Report
This report provides an overview of the GENEOS events that have been logged to a database over a period of time. The report setup allows the user to group these events using Managed Entity Attributes. In the example report shown in Figure 6, the user has selected 3 attributes; Town, System and Group. The report then groups the events by Town and provides statistics for each. These are the lines in grey. Next the report groups the events by System. This is done for each Town individually, thus we can see Microsoft in both London and Tokyo.
Finally the report groups the events by Group for each System.
Note: There are 2 LSE rows in the report. The first represents events that occurred on Managed Entities that are in London, on Linux Machines with a Group of LSE while the second represents Managed Entities that are in Tokyo, on Solaris Machines with a Group of LSE.
As can be seen from Figure 6 the rows are active. The Microsoft row in Town London has been closed to hide the Groups section. These can be opened and closed dynamically by the user after the report has been produced.
The user can specify which result columns to display. NONE of the columns are enabled by default.
Figure 6 Fault Report
Events
The Fault report uses GENEOS Events to track faults. The report set up allows the user to specify a flag called "Compound Events".This changes the way that Faults are processed.
If the "Compound Event" flag is not set then a Faults on a Managed Variable is defined as starting when an event of severity Critical or Warning is encountered on the Managed Variable and ending when the next event on the same Managed Variable is encountered. If the terminating event has a severity of Critical or Warning then a new Fault starts. The severity of the fault is the severity of the event that started the fault.
If the "Compound Event" flag is set then a Faults on a Managed Variable is defined as starting when an event of severity Critical or Warning is encountered on the Managed Variable and ending when the next event on the same Managed Variable is encountered which has a severity of OK. The severity of the event is the highest severity of all the events encountered.
| Time | Severity | Event | Severity | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10:00:00 | Warning | Start |
|
|
| 10:00:02 | OK | End | Warning | 2 secs |
| 10:01:00 | Critical | Start |
|
|
| 10:01:04 | OK | End | Critical | 4 secs |
| 10:03:00 | Warning | Start |
|
|
| 10:03:02 | Critical | End/Start | Warning | 2 secs |
| 10:03:09 | OK | End | Critical | 7 secs |
| 10:08:00 | Warning | Start |
|
|
| 10:09:00 | Critical | End/Start | Warning | 1 min |
| 10:10:00 | Warning | End/Start | Critical | 2 mins |
| 10:12:00 | Critical | End/Start | Warning | 2 mins |
| 10:14:00 | Warning | End/Start | Critical | 2 mins |
| 10:18:00 | OK | End | Warning | 4 mins |
Figure 7 Non Compound Events
| Time | Severity | Event | Severity | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10:00:00 | Warning | Start |
|
|
| 10:00:02 | OK | End | Warning | 2 secs |
| 10:01:00 | Critical | Start |
|
|
| 10:01:04 | OK | End | Critical | 4 secs |
| 10:03:00 | Warning | Start |
|
|
| 10:03:02 | Critical | Ongoing |
|
|
| 10:03:09 | OK | End | Critical | 9 secs |
| 10:08:00 | Warning | Start |
|
|
| 10:09:00 | Critical | Ongoing |
|
|
| 10:10:00 | Warning | Ongoing |
|
|
| 10:12:00 | Critical | Ongoing |
|
|
| 10:14:00 | Warning | Ongoing |
|
|
| 10:18:00 | OK | End | Critical | 10 mins |
Figure 8 Compound Events
Transitions
The Fault Report allows the summation of faults that transition between states. For example, it can show the number of Faults that went from Warning to Critical. The transitions for an individual fault are the transition at the start, the transition at the end and all those that happen in between. It should be noted that this means that some transitions will be counted twice.
Setting up a simple Fault Report
The following gives a step guide to setting up a simple report.
- Select set of 2 Attributes on which to group the Fault Report
- Open Express Reports Setup Editor
- Select File -> New to create a new setup document
- Select Database from the
icon to create a new database connection - Rename the database to "GW Database"
- Select the database type in the drop down labelled Options
- Fill in the database information and authentication information (user plaintext for the password)
- Select Report from the
icon to create a new report definition - Rename the Report to "Test Report"
- Select "GW Database" from the drop Database drop down
- Enter the 1st Attributes Name in the View Path Table (1:sup:st Row)
- Press Add Row on the Path Table to create a 2nd row.
- Enter the 2nd Attributes Name in the View Path Table (2nd Row)
- Enable the Result Columns -> Total section
- Select allEvents and percentCritical from the Result Columns -> Total drop down. This will enable the columns "Total All" and "Percent Critical".
- Enable the Result Columns -> Max Duration section
- Select criticalEvents from the Result Columns -> Max Duration drop down. This will enable the column "Max Duration Critical".
- Select Run Settings to see the run settings
- Enter "Test Run" for the name of the Report Run
- Enter "test" for the name of the directory. (This is the directory where the report will be saved)
- Select File -> Save to save the setup file
reports > report > faultReport > datasources > database
The name of the data source to use for the data for this report. Currently only a single data source is supported for the trend report.
Mandatory: Yes
reports > report > faultReport > viewPath
This allows the user to specify a set of attributes used to break down the report. These can be either values selected from the table below or Managed Entity attributes specified in the Gateway Setup File. The user can specify 1 or more attributes. The order is important. The first attribute being the right most attribute in the report. An example is shown below, where a user has specified 4 elements for the view path; first an attribute called COUNTRY, second an attribute called SYSTEM, third the Gateway name and finally the Managed Entity name.
| Setting Value | Description |
|---|---|
| Gateway | The names of the Gateway |
| Managed Entity | The names of the Managed Entity |
| Full Variable Name | View.Row.Column from the Managed Variable Names |
| Managed Variable | Row.Column from the Managed Variable Names |
| Column Name | The Column Name of the Managed Variable Names |
| Row Name | The Row Name of the Managed Variable Names. |
Mandatory: Yes (1 or more)
reports > report > faultReport > compoundEvents
The Fault Report can treat Events in one of two ways. If this is set to true then ExpressReport treats Compound Events as a single event, otherwise it treats Compound events as multiple events. See section Events for more details.
reports > report > faultReport > filtering > managedVariables > managedVariable > name
This is the name of the managed variable. The list of managed variables restricts the report to faults for those managed variables. The Managed Variable name is a Legacy Name (and can be obtained from Active Console by selecting Copy -> Legacy Name on a Dataview cell. This name is a 3 part name starting with a '%' and with the view, row and column names separated by '.'
Mandatory: No
reports > report > faultReport > filtering > managedEntities > managedEntitiy > name
This is the name of the managed entity. Listing managed entities restricts the fault report to faults on the listed entities.
Mandatory: No.
reports > report > faultReport > filtering > attributes > attribute
This setting is used for selecting managed entities based on their attribute values.
Mandatory: No.
reports > report > faultReport > filters > filter
Deprecated. Use: reports > report > faultReport > filtering > attributes > attribute
reports > report > faultReport > filters > filter > name
This is the name of the attribute e.g. COUNTRY. The attribute name is used to select a group of managed entities if they are associated with this attribute, this means any managed entity e.g. with the attribute COUNTRY will be selected.
Note: The value is ignored if only the name is specified.
If multiple attribute names are specified then the managed entity will have to be associated with attribute1 and attribute2 and attribute3 etc.
Mandatory: Yes either this setting or the View path setting.
reports > report > faultReport > filters > filter > value
This is the value of the attribute e.g. COUNTRY = UK. The attribute value is used to select a group of managed entities if they are associated with this attribute and value, this means only managed entities e.g. with the attribute COUNTRY and value UK will be selected. If multiple attribute name and values are specified then the managed entity will have to be associated with attribute1 value1 and attribute2 value2 and attribute3 value3 etc
Mandatory: Yes.
reports > report > faultReport > resultColumns
This section specifies which result columns to display.
Mandatory: Yes.
reports > report > faultReport > resultColumns > total
This allows the user to turn on/off the columns that show the total number of different types of events.
(Total All, Total Critical, Total Warning, Total Open)
It also allows the user to turn on/off the percentage columns that show the % of a type of event (against the total number of all events)
(Percent Critical, Percent Warning)
reports > report > faultReport > resultColumns > maxDuration
This allows the user to turn on/off the columns that show the maximum duration's of different event types. The column will show the duration of the longest event of the type specified.
(Max. Duration All, Max. Duration Critical, Max. Duration Warning)
reports > report > faultReport > resultColumns > averageDuration
This allows the user to turn on/off the columns that show the average duration's of different event types.
(Avg. Duration All, Avg. Duration Critical, Avg. Duration Warning)
reports > report > faultReport > resultColumns > totalByTransition
This allows the user to turn on/off the columns that show the total number of events that have performed a specific transition.
(OK-Warning, OK->Critical, Warning->OK, Warning->Critical, Critical->OK, Critical-Warning)
reports > report > faultReport > resultColumns > filteredEvents
Allows for the creation of a new column of filtered events based on a range of days (the full range is Monday - Sunday) and a time period for each day e.g. Monday - Friday 9:00AM to 5:30PM. The severity of the events can also be restricted.
These are some examples where it may not be immediately obvious whether events are filtered:
- An event is excluded if it starts before the start period, but continue past the start period.
- A compound event is excluded if it starts before the start period, but individual events are within the start and end time.
- An event is excluded if the start time is on a day that is not monitored even if it is within the start and end time e.g. Start time is 9PM and end time is 9AM, we are monitoring Mondays only, our event happens on Tuesday at 7AM, this event will be excluded.
Mandatory: No
reports > report > faultReport > resultColumns > filteredEvents > columnName
The column header that will appear in the report for filtered values.
Mandatory: Yes.
reports > report > faultReport > resultColumns > filteredEvents > severityToTrack
Allows the filtered events to be restricted by severity.
Mandatory: Yes.
reports > report > faultReport > resultColumns > filteredEvents > severityToTrack > warning
If true warning events will be tracked.
Mandatory: Yes.
reports > report > faultReport > resultColumns > filteredEvents > severityToTrack > critical
If true critical (error) events will be tracked.
Mandatory: Yes.
reports > report > faultReport > resultColumns > filteredEvents > start
The starting time period from 00:00:00 to 23:59:00. Any events after or on the start time and before or on the end time will be counted in the column.
Mandatory: Yes.
reports > report > faultReport > resultColumns > filteredEvents > end
The ending time period from 00:00 to 23:59. Any events after or on the start time and before or on the end time will be counted in the column.
Mandatory: Yes.
reports > report > faultReport > resultColumns > filteredEvents > days
Allows for the selection of 1 or more days in the week e.g. Monday - Friday. Any events that happen during the days selected will be counted in the column.
Mandatory: Yes.
reports > report > faultReport > dateRange > relative
This allows the user to specify a time period for the report that is relative to the run date of the report.
The end time is the day before the report was run. The start time is specified as a period of time in (Hours, Days, Weeks or Years).
Mandatory: Yes
Generating Reports
Reports can be generated one of two ways, either on demand via an Active Console command or as a scheduled command set on the Gateway.
Running a Report on Demand
Right-click the Gateway that is setup up to run Express Reports > Express Reports > Generate Report Run.
A dialog will show the report runs that can be generated (a report run can be one or more reports that are generated at the same time).
Select which report to run and click OK. An output window will be displayed to show the progress of the generated report.
To view the report the report/s that have just been generated read the section:
Secondly a scheduling pattern needs to be set e.g. the figure below shows that on the first Monday of every month starting from 14-Sep-2010 16:14:00 the reports will be deleted and will not stop because there is no end date.
Scheduling a Report to Run
To schedule a report to run you will need to create a new scheduled command. An example configuration is shown below, followed by a breakdown of the values supplied.
- Click the internal command and set it to
/REPORT:generateRun. - A scheduling pattern needs to be set.
- The report run name needs to be supplied. For example, a report run called "Me and Mv report" has been configured.
- Set the target. In this example,
/geneos/gateway/directoryis used in the Gateway Setup Editor.
Note: Only one argument can be specified, so it is not possible to have multiple report runs specified.
If everything has been setup correctly you should see output in the gateway setup file that resembles this:
<Tue Sep 14 17:06:00> INFO: RunningScheduledCommand Executing Scheduled
Command 'Generate Reports', writing to log file 'file://./Generate
Reports.20100914-17.06.00.log'
<Tue Sep 14 17:06:01> INFO: CommandManager Executing command
'/REPORT:generateRun' on DataItem '/geneos/gateway[(@name="Express
Reports Server")]/directory'
<Tue Sep 14 17:07:13> INFO: RunningScheduledCommand Completed Executing
Scheduled Command '/REPORT:generateRun'Deleting Reports
Deleting reports on demand
Right-click the gateway that is setup up to run Express Reports > Express Reports > Delete Report Runs.
A dialog will show giving the option to deleted all reports that are older than e.g. 180 days and the option of deleting scheduled reports, on user generated reports or both.
Select the parameters for deletion and click OK. An output window will be displayed to show how many reports were deleted.
Scheduling Reports to be Deleted
To schedule reports to be deleted you will need to create a new scheduled command. An example configuration is shown below, followed by a breakdown of the values supplied.
- Click the internal command and set it to /REPORT:deleteRuns.
- A scheduling pattern needs to be set. In the provided example above, on the first Monday of every month starting from 14-Sep-2010 16:14:00 the reports will be deleted and will not stop because there is no end date.
- Three arguments need to be supplied the first being age of the reports to be deleted in days. For example, 0 days deletes all reports, the second argument is to delete scheduled commands and the third argument is to delete non-scheduled commands.
- Set the target. This will always be the path "/geneos/gateway/directory". This will appear as "All gateways" in the setup editor.
If everything has been setup correctly you should see output in the gateway setup file that resembles this:
<Tue Sep 14 16:14:01> INFO: CommandManager Executing command
'/REPORT:deleteRuns' on DataItem '/geneos/gateway[(@name="Express
Reports Server")]/directory'
<Tue Sep 14 16:14:01> INFO: ExpressReports Going to delete all report
runs aged more than 0 days.
<Tue Sep 14 16:14:04> INFO: ExpressReports 5 report runs deleted.
<Tue Sep 14 16:14:05> INFO: RunningScheduledCommand Completed Executing
Scheduled Command '/REPORT:deleteRuns'Viewing Generated Reports
To view reports that have been generated you will need to type the following address into a web browser:
http://<gateway hostname>:<gateway port>/expressreports/
e.g. http://itrsrh:8500/expressreports/
You will be presented with the welcome page.
Click on "Report List" to see the reports that have been previously generated. The page will default to showing scheduled reports, but you can also choose to show non-scheduled (reports that have been run from the Active Console) and all, which show both sets of reports in the same list. Each report that has been generated is grouped by the minute it was generated via the header (see below).
When you click on a report that has been generated you will see that it is still possible to navigate back to the home page or the report list.
