Current Alarms - Unknowns

Besides open issues, you can also use the CURRENT ALARMS window to view the tests that are currently in an UNKNOWN state in the environment. A test can switch to an UNKNOWN state when the eG Enterprise system is unable to determine the state of one/more metrics that test reports - this could be because of any of the following reasons:

• The test could have been wrongly configured;
• The eG agent executing the test could have suddenly stopped;
• The eG agent may have been unable to pull out metrics from the server;
• The eG agent executing the test may not be able to transmit the metrics collected by that test to the eG manager, owing to say, poor network connectivity;

To enable administrators to receive a heads-up on the Unknown tests in the environment, so that issues such as the ones mentioned above can be isolated and resolved, the Show list in the left top corner of the CURRENT ALARMS window includes a special Unknowns option.

Selecting the Unknowns option from the Show list invokes the list of unknowns window, where the TESTs in an indeterminate (i.e., UNKNOWN) state, the layers to which the tests are mapped, the names of the components they are associated with, and their corresponding component types will be listed.

By moving your mouse pointer over any test in this window, you can determine which measure(s) of the test is in the UNKNOWN state currently and which SERVICES are impacted by this.

By default, the eG Enterprise system displays the UNKNOWN tests across all managed component types in the environment. This is why, the Filter by list is set to Component Type by default and the Types list is set to All by default. To view the Unknowns related to a specific component type, pick anytype of your choice from the Types list. Doing so will list only those UNKNOWN tests that are associated with the components of the chosen Type.

You can even filter the Unknowns list on the basis of service and segment names, so that you can quickly figure out which service/segment components have been affected by Unknowns and what tests and metrics are causing this. For instance, to view the Unknown tests in a service, select Services from the Filter by list and pick a service from the Services list. The service components with Unknowns, their corresponding component types, the layers to which the UNKNOWN tests are mapped, and the UNKNOWN tests themselves will then be listed.

Likewise, to view the details of Unknowns in a particular segment, pick Segments from the Filter by list, and select the Segment of interest to you. The Unknowns window will then appear, where you can view the segment components with Unknowns, their corresponding component types, the layers to which the UNKNOWN tests are mapped, and the UNKNOWN tests themselves.

Where there are numerous components with Unknowns, you can quickly zoom into the Unknowns of specific interest to you using the search utility that the Unknowns window embeds. For instance, to view the Unknowns related to particular component type, pick the Type criterion from the Search by list and specify the whole or part of the component type to search for in the text box next to it. Then, click on the ‘magnifying glass’ icon within. This way, you can instantly access information related to the Unknowns in all component types with names that match the specified search string.

Besides component Type, you can build search conditions on the basis of Component name, Test name, and Layer name by selecting the desired search criterion from the Search by list and specifying the corresponding search string in the adjacent text box.

Also, with a single mouse click, you can change the order in which the Unknowns are sorted. By default, Unknowns are storted in the ascending order of the contents of the TYPE column. This is indicated by the ‘up arrow’ symbol next to the column label - TYPE. To arrange the Unknowns in the descending order of TYPE, just click on that column label. This will automatically sort the Unknowns list in the descending order of component type and will suffix the column heading TYPE with a ‘down arrow’ symbol. To sort the Unknowns on the basis of any other column, simply click on that column heading.