Alexander SMK FAQs

Installation                                                                             

Can I install this software on any system?
There are two modes for the software, open or restricted. Restricted use software is specific to each individual OEM. The restricted software will install only on systems provided by the OEM and has detailed information about the hardware operating environment. Open mode software will install on any system and attempts to discover the operating environment and monitor it.

What user privileges do I need to install this software on any system?
When installing the software you must log in to the local system as Administrator.

What "TYPE" of installation should I install on every system?
Generally speaking it is necessary to have at least 1 System Monitor Central (SMC) on a network. Once your SMC is installed additional systems only need the agent software to become a managed system within the SMC tree. If you wish to be able to browse directly to a system, the local monitor selection includes a web browser. All managed systems are accessible from the SMC using a standard web browser.

Can I install multiple SMC systems on the same network?
Yes you may install multiple SMC systems on the same network, but managed systems can only belong to one SMC at a time.

Can I install the software on Windows NT/95/98 or Windows Me
No, the software will not install on these operating systems. Windows 2000 with SP3 is the minimum

My Server that supports IPMI but I see no Hardware sensor data or IPMI tab.
During the installation, you are asked if you want to install an unsigned driver, you must choose yes for the IPMI driver to be loaded for these features to work, however if you did not choose yes during the installation you may still load the driver in either of two ways using the "Add IPMI Support" option from the Program \ utilities menu or from the \system_monitor\agent\drivers directory, run the install_imbdrv.bat and then start the agent service.

My system has two java.exe processes running since I installed my Central Manager and my anti-virus software says it is a virus.
Some anti-virus software packages alert on unknown types of processes such as java.exe which is running. These processes are the actual web service and central manager service processes since these are java applications. Do NOT quarantine or delete these java.exe processes or the software on the system will need to be uninstalled and re-installed.

I have unsigned driver installation disabled on my system, and the system does not show up in the SMC tree after being installed.
During the installation, an IMB driver is used for IPMI support on systems with this capability, if the driver is not installed the agent will not start. If this occurs you must go to the My Computer/ Properties / hardware / Driver Signing and configure the ability to install unsigned drivers. Then use the "Add IPMI Support" option from the Program \ utilities menu or from the \system_monitor\agent\drivers directory, run the install_imbdrv.bat and then start the agent service.


General                                                                                   
I got an error on the details window when selecting the systemdetails page of a system from the Central manager system?
Being a web browser interface, occasionally there may be a timeout when getting data from the end system being viewed. Generally using the web browsers refresh will cure most visual issues.

I just installed the system, logged in and there is no information when I select the different tabs for the system details page of a system from the Central manager system?
When the software agent is installed on the system it takes a minute or two to collect all of the data, generally using the refresh button in the header section of the SMC will allow the agent to complete initialization and display the information.

I am having trouble with email events from my newly installed the system.
When the software agent is installed on the system it takes a minute or two to collect all of the data, generally using the refresh button in the header section of the SMC will allow the agent to complete initialization and display the information.


Login                                                                                       
Why can't I Login?
The software uses the windows login authentication and check for Administrative permissions. To login, the user must have Administration privileges on the individual system or Domain Admin privileges on the (Windows) domain that the system is a member of.

If my system is not is a windows Domain, do I need to enter anything in the domain field?
No, username and password are all you need for a non-domain system.

If my system is in a windows Domain and I am logging into the local system rather than the domain, do I need to enter anything in the domain field?
Generally, just a username and password are sufficient. In the event that it does not allow login insert the windows system name in the domain field and click login. Note: (the machine's base windows name, not the fully qualified domain name).

If my Windows XP system is not allowing me to login to the application and I have tried the other solutions shown?
There is one registry entry to look at which has to do with allowing applications to login. From the start button select run. Type regedit and click OK.

Select HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE->CURRENT_CONTROL_SET->CONTROL->LSA

When selected there should be an entry on the right side for "forceguest" and a value. The correct value for forceguest is 0x0000000. If the value is 0x0000001 the value must be modified to 0x0000000 for the login to work. This can be done easily by highlighting and right clicking on forceguest. A popup box appears. Select modify and enter a 0 where the one is. Click OK and close the window. The login should now work properly.

I left the screen open and now a message says I have to login again, why?
The software has an inactivity log off time, after which you must log back in.

When I login to the software it puts me back to the login screen?
The Internet Explorer browser, Privacy Level for Cookies or Security Level is set too high. IE Browser Security and Privacy levels must not be set to high.

I login to the software but when I select one of the system details tabs the tree disappears?
Within the Internet Explorer browser, add the system to the trusted sites list under the Security tab. This will allow proper access to the details page information.

I browse to the system and it says page not found?
This will occur if the system was installed with SSL enabled it will need HTTPS instead of HTTP in the web address, the system is not running or the Web Service is not running on the system. Verify that the system is powered on and that the Web Service is enabled in the Windows services list. (Systems installed agent only can not be browsed to).


Central Alert Matrix                                                             

Can I add more that one email recipient address?
Yes, multiple email addresses may be entered. They must be separated by a semi colon. For example: user1@test.com;user2@test.com

If I click the test notifications button will all of the recipients entered receive a test email message?
Yes, all of the notification targets will be sent an email when the button is clicked.

I installed Windows XP Service Pack 2 and now I cannot browse to the system?
Windows XP Service Pack 2 provides protection for the system on the network by closing most all communication ports on the system. To open the ports necessary for the software to work you must launch the (XP SP2 Port Update) or (XP-2003 Port Update) from the products Utilities sub-menu.

I installed Windows 2003 Service Pack 1 and now I cannot browse to the system?
Windows 2003 Service Pack 1provides protection for the system on the network by closing most all communication ports on the system. To open the ports necessary for the software to work you must launch the (XP-2003 Port Update) from the products Utilities sub-menu.

Must I configure alert notifications here if I already entered notification recipients the System Alerts.
It is recommended that there is one recipient configured at the Central Alerting level because there are events related to the Central Manager system that would otherwise be missed.

If I did not configure alert notifications when installing the software on the local systems, will I receive notifications of I enter notification recipients at the Central Alerts.
Yes, by default the checkbox for events to be sent to the SMC is checked so that the systems will be monitored immediately upon software installation.


System Alert Matrix                                                             
What is the function of the "Reset Form" button?
The reset form button is used when someone starts to make changes to the configuration and then decides that they need more information and should not leave things partially configured. Clicking the rest form will undo any changes that have NOT been saved.

What does the "Restore Physical Sensor Thresholds" button do?
The "Restore Physical Sensor Thresholds" button, when clicked sets the physical sensor thresholds back to the original defaults. This will affect all sensors when clicked.

I keep getting notified about a voltage going out of range and I do not want to know about it. How do I get it to stop?
Each individual sensor has a check box for alerting and threshold range. The threshold range can be changed by the user and the range widened or the sensor checkbox can be unchecked so that alerts for that individual sensor or group of sensors will not be sent.

I changed a value for a hardware sensor to over range and waited and the color did not change. Why did the screen coloring not update?
The browser screen must be refreshed by the user for the health state coloring change to occur, If the user does nothing the color change will appear when the two minute automatic tree refresh occurs.

I changed a value for a hardware sensor to over range and refreshed the screen but the color did not immediately change. Why did the screen coloring not update immediately?
The health state is updated on a 20 second monitoring cycle. The health state coloring change time would depend on the timing of the event within the 20 second cycle.

Can I add more that one email recipient address?
Yes, multiple email addresses may be entered. They must be separated by a semi colon. For example: user1@test.com;user2@test.com

If I click the test notifications button will all of the recipients entered receive a test email message?
Yes, all of the notification targets will be sent an email when the button is clicked.


Managed Systems List                                                       
My Managed system does not show up in the managed systems listing, why?
For a managed system to appear in the listing on the central manager the IP address of the central manager must be entered when installing the software on a new managed system. If the IP address of the central manager was not entered or entered incorrectly during the installation, the system will not appear in the list. To resolve this try refreshing the browser screen first to see if the new system appears in the listing. If the system is still not in the list, try adding the system manually by typing the address of the new system into the central manager screen and click add. If this does not work, check the system Services and verify that the agent service is running.

My system appears in the ungrouped list when I select to view by function or location.
By default the function and location fields are blank. These are user entered fields that are available on the system section of the managed system. Enter a new function and location for the managed system and apply the change. Refresh the screen and try listing by function or location and see that the grouping is now correct.

My Managed system is purple, but when I select the system, I get the information from the system?
The system will appear purple for two reasons either the system is no longer connected to the network or the central manager IP address configured on the system is incorrect. Since you get information from the system it must be connected to the network, so open the system alerts for that managed system and check the IP address of the central manager. If it is not correct, change the address and click apply. Refresh the central manager screen and the color should change to reflect the current health state of that managed system.

My Managed system is blue, but I can still connect to the system using other application just not this one.
The system will appear blue if the monitoring agent service is stopped manually at the local system. The Monitoring Agent service must be running for the system to be managed by the central monitoring station or locally. If the service is stopped, start it and the system should become manageable again. If the Service stops again, check the Windows application event log to see why the agent service is stopping. Perhaps the evaluation period has expired.


Reports                                                                                   
I generated a report in CSV format and saved it and now I cannot use the screen to do another.
There is a Microsoft issue with the saving of the CSV file which causes and issue on the browser screen. Use the browser refresh and refresh the screen. This will clear the issue.

I generated a report and it gives me messages that the agent could not be contacted?
There is a timeframe that the service will wait for response to the request for certain information in the reports. If the information requested is not responded to in a timely manner then this message is give to show that the data was not accessible at the time of the request. This can occur when the system resource was in use and did not respond to the request.


Remote Console                                                                  
I cannot remote console back to the system that is installed as the central manager?
This is correct. The remote management software does not allow loop-back connections.

I launch remote console and the default password does not let me in?
The default password can be changed by users of the managed system. If the default password is not working, you will need to find out if the user of the system changed it from the default value.

I launched the remote console and it is sending me to a site for Java?
The remote console requires that a java runtime is installed on the system that is running as the central manager. The software automatically points the user to a link to get the java runtime. It is up to the administrator to install the java runtime onto the central manager system for the remote console feature to work.


Systems that support IPMI                                                
My SMC is a Server that supports IPMI and I cannot connect using the IPMI over LAN feature from the central manager?
This is correct. The IPMI over LAN does not allow loop-back connections. The IPMI event log feature is available for event log viewing and extraction

I tried to connect using the IPMI over LAN feature from the central manager, but it did not connect?
In some instances the first attempt to connect fail, verify that the IP address and password entered are correct for that system and try to connect again.

My Server that supports IPMI but I see no Hardware sensor data or IPMI tab.
The Monitoring agent can talk to the IPMI controller as long as the driver is loaded. During installation or after installation using the "Add IPMI Support" option from the Program \ utilities menu or from the \system_monitor\agent\drivers directory.

My Server that supports IPMI and I saw the hardware information, the system was rebooted and now I see no Hardware sensor data.
The Monitoring agent can talk to the IPMI controller as long as the driver is loaded. If the driver was marked for deletion and the system was rebooted the driver is no longer there that communicates with the IPMI controller. Using the "Add IPMI Support" option from the Program \ utilities menu or from the \system_monitor\agent\drivers\ directory, execute add_imbdrv.bat.


Systems that support RAID                                              
My system is running windows 2000 Advanced Server and the agent fails to start.
The agent software requires the msvcp60.dll be on the system in the windows\system32\drivers directory. This can be accomplished by installing the Windows 2000 journal viewer application form the windows update site or from another system that has this DLL installed.

--  Adaptec Zero Channel RAID

   I created a raid set and my system health state became red.
   Initially the disks that are in the system show up as individual physical drives on the system. When they become part of a RAID set, they are no longer shown in windows as individual physical disks. This causes the health state to become red because the disk are no longer responding. To clear this condition, open the system alerts page, select physical disks and click on the red X next to the physical disk that is red. When it asks you "do you want to delete this" click yes. Do this for each disk that is red and the software will no longer monitor these devices.

   How many raid sets can be configured per physical array.
   Only one logical RAID set can be configured on the physical RAID array.


--  Adaptec PCI RAID

    I have a RAID controller installed as well as the O/S driver,
   how come I cannot manage the RAID controller.
   The Adaptec PCI requires a CLI (command line interface) to be installed on the system to manage the controller. Our software also requires that the CLI is installed on the system for the software to be able to manage the controller. This is installed using the CD that came with the controller.

    How many logical raid sets can I create on 1 physical
   RAID array?
   The software supports up to a maximum of 10 logical raid sets per physical RAID array.


--  LSI PCI RAID

   I created a raid set and my system health state became red.
   Initially the disks that are in the system show up as individual physical drives on the system. When they become part of a RAID set, they are no longer shown in windows as individual physical disks. This causes the health state to become red because the disk a

--  3ware PCI RAID

   How many logical raid sets can I create on 1 physical
   RAID array?
   The software supports up to a maximum of one logical raid set per physical RAID array.

   I created a raid set and select a small portion of the
   physical RAID array, but the RAID set created took
   the whole physical RAID arrays capacity.
   For this brand of controller there is no capability to resize the raid set size, it is always full capacity, Event if you edit the size on the screen it will create the raid set with full capacity.