Self-Announcing Netprobes

Introduction Copied

A Self-Announcing Netprobe (SAN) is a Netprobe that is configured to make a connection to a Gateway that has no prior knowledge of the SAN, and provide minimal information to allow monitoring to begin. This section provides options as to how the Gateway handles the connection.

For more information on configuring SANs, see Manage Self-Announcing Netprobes.

Configuration Copied

selfAnnouncingProbes > enabled Copied

The enabled setting controls whether the self-announcing probes feature in gateway is enabled or not.

When enabled (set to true), self-announced probes may connect to the gateway, subject to limit checks and filters.

When disabled any self-announced probes which attempt a connection will be rejected. Additionally, any self-announced probes currently connected will be removed and disconnected.

Mandatory: Yes

Default: true (self-announcing probes can connect)

selfAnnouncingProbes > enableReverseConnections Copied

By default, where both components support it, the self-announcing or floating connections are made from the probe to the gateway (unlike normal probes). This is tolerant to network configuration or firewall issues where a probe may be able to announce itself to the gateway but the gateway cannot connect to the probe with the information provided.

In order to disable this feature, and force all netprobe connections to be made in the gateway-to-probe direction this setting can be set false. If this setting is set false then self-announcing or floating probes configured to require reverse connections will reject this gateway.

Mandatory: No

Default: true (connections can be made in the probe-to-gateway direction)

selfAnnouncingProbes > pinSuspendedProbes Copied

This setting controls what happens when a self-announcing or floating probe is suspended, either manually (using the Suspend Probe command) or automatically by the Data Quality feature. It applies only to probes from Geneos version 4.3 upward using ‘reverse’ connections, that is, connections made from the probe to the gateway.

If a reverse-connnected probe is pinned, which is the default, it will normally wait until the Gateway sends it a message to end the suspension. The Gateway sends this message when the suspension period ends or the “Unsuspend Probe” command is used. If the connection to the Gateway is lost or the Gateway fails to send an unsuspend message within the expected time, the probe will poll all the gateways known to it for a new connection.

If a reverse-connnected probe is not pinned to the gateway that suspends it (or is older than Geneos version 4.3), it will immediately attempt to connect to one of the other gateways listed in its setup file.

Mandatory: No

Default: true (probes are pinned to the gateway that has suspended them)

selfAnnouncingProbes > allowSameProbesOnDifferentHostOrPort Copied

This setting allows Self-Announcing Netprobe to reconnect from a different host or port.

Mandatory: No

Default: true

selfAnnouncingProbes > probeLimit Copied

The probe limit setting specifies how many self-announcing probes the gateway will accept for monitoring. Once the limit has been reached, further probes which connect will be rejected. A value of zero means that no probes can connect.

If the limit is reduced while the gateway is running, then self-announcing probes will be removed from the gateway until the total number is within the limit. Probes will be removed on a LIFO (last-in first-out) basis, so the most recent self-announcing probes to connect will be the first to be removed.

Mandatory: No

Default: Unlimited

selfAnnouncingProbes > disconnectedProbeTimeout Copied

An optional time out (in seconds) after which any disconnected self-announced netprobe will be removed from the gateway.

Mandatory: No

Default: Probes never time out.

Unit: Seconds