eG Monitoring
 

Service Topology

This page appears when any one of the following activities are performed:

  • When a specific transaction associated with a web site service is clicked

  • When you click on a non-website service (not associated with segments) in the Services Health page

  • When you click on the [More...] button that is appended to the list of abnormal components associated with a non-website service in the Services Health page

  • When you click on a segment associated with a service

This topology corresponds to the service topology configured by an administrative user at the time of configuring the eG system. The service topology displays the different components involved in supporting a service and the interconnections among them. Following conventional management practices, the eG system displays states in red to indicate critical problems. Green is used to indicate good health, while blue is used to indicate an unknown state. Besides the above, orange is used to indicate major problems, and pink to indicate minor ones. The direction of the interconnection between components can help a user identify the problem component(s) in an IT infrastructure. For example, if an application server and a web server component are experiencing problems, from the direction of the interconnection between the application server and the web server, a user can infer the component that is most likely to be associated with the root cause of a problem. By clicking on a component in the topology, a user can proceed to explore the layer model for this component.

If you want to focus on the links emerging from or leading to a particular component in the topology, all you need to do is to move your mouse pointer over that component in the SEGMENT PREVIEW. The type and IP:Port of the component in focus will then be displayed in the Highlighted Component box at the bottom of the SEGMENT PREVIEW section, and the relationships specific to the component will be highlighted in the preview. Moreover, in order to help you view and analyze the configured topology better, the SEGMENT PREVIEW section provides a special toolbar comprising of a wide variety of viewing options. This toolbar is also available while previewing the segment/service topology in the eG monitor interface.

Note:

The special toolbar will be available only if your browser supports the Java plugin Sun JRE 1.3.x and above. In case of browsers that do not support this plugin, the toolbar options are still available, but in the form of a shortcut menu that appears upon right-clicking anywhere in the SEGMENT PREVIEW section.

Each of the options provided by this toolbar is discussed in great detail, below:

  • The Zoom In option enables you to magnify the segment preview and view it more clearly. By default, the preview is of size 8. Using the Zoom In option you can magnify the preview, progressively, to a maximum of 10. When you click on the Zoom In tool on the toolbar, the mouse pointer changes to resemble a 'magnifying glass' with a '+' sign within. Then, use the 'magnifying glass' pointer to click anywhere on the preview, so that it enlarges by one size - i.e., if you click once on the 'default' view using the 'magnifying glass' pointer, then the segment preview magnifies to size 9 from the default size 8. Another click ensures that the preview is magnified to size 10.

  • The Zoom Out option condenses the segment preview, and is especially useful while viewing large, unwieldy segment topologies. When the Zoom Out tool is clicked, the mouse pointer changes to resemble a 'magnifying glass' with a 'minus' sign within. Every subsequent click on the preview reduces the preview by one size. For example, if, after choosing the Zoom Out option, you click on the 'default' preview (of size 8), the preview size will reduce to 7. This way, you can keep reducing the preview size until you arrive at a view that you are most comfortable with. However, you can reduce the preview size only to a maximum of size 1.

  • Instead of gradually increasing the size of the preview, you can instantly switch to size 10 (which is the maximum size to which a preview can be enlarged), with the help of the Total Zoom In tool.

  • Using the Total Zoom Out option, you can, in a single mouse click, reduce the preview size to the maximum possible extent (i.e., to size 1). This tool comes in handy while monitoring a very large segment topology using the eG monitor interface. In a vast topology representation, you will have to scroll from left to right or from the top to bottom, just to view the complete topology. Naturally, even simple tasks such as identifying the number of affected components in the segment and the problem type, will take time. By totally zooming out such a topology, administrators can view the complete topology at a single glance, and quickly zero-in on the number of problem components in the segment and the type of problems (whether critical/major/minor) faced by them.

    • Note:

    You need not always use the scroll bars for scrolling right / up the preview. Instead, click on any of the white spaces within the preview, and drag your mouse up, down, right, or left to scroll.

  • The Fit to Width tool is tailored for viewing large topology representations requiring incessant left to right scrolling. Clicking on the Fit to Width tool reduces the size of the segment preview to such an extent that almost all associations to the right of the topology are available in a single page itself or within a minimum number of scrollings. This way the tool saves the time and trouble involved in scrolling right for a better view of the topology.

  • Large topologies comprising of many top-bottom relationships can be condensed to appear in a single view using the Fit to Height tool. If you click on the Fit to Height option now, you will find that the preview resizes and the components that were hidden previously appear in a single view (see Figure 3.107) or within a minimum number of scroll downs. This saves the time and effort involved in continuous scroll downs.

  • To considerably cut down / completely do away with scrolling (right and down), you can use the Fit to Screen option. This option, when clicked, reduces the preview size and ensures that the entire topology, no matter how big, is available in a single view or within a minimum number of scrollings.

  • Use the Default tool to restore the segment preview to its default size (i.e., size 8)

  • To undo the previous tool selection and restore the 'arrow' mouse pointer, use the Normal tool. This is particularly useful while viewing the segment topology in the eG monitor interface. If the topology reveals one/more problem components, then you might want to click on one of the components to perform the next level of diagnosis. This is not possible in the Zoom In or Zoom Out modes as the arrow pointer replaced by the 'magnifying glass' pointer in these cases. Therefore, while in these modes, click on the Normal tool to restore the arrow pointer, and then proceed to click on a component in the topology.

  • Sometimes, while zooming in/out or while scrolling, the preview could get repainted, skewing a few images. In order to restore the preview to normalcy, use the Refresh button.