Spiceworks Basics 1: Inventory, Troubleshooting, Monitoring & Alerts

Break Out Session-Overview

Basics of Inventory &Monitoring Your Network

Greg KattawarVP Dev & Co-founder, Spiceworks Inc.

Session Overview• Integrated Application

• Scanning

• Groups/Categories

• Inventory Summary/Views

• Inventory Details

Integrated Application(What’s Different?)

• Single pane for everyday use– Broad DashBoard

– Data/Info 1 click away

– Xtra-Tools & Extensions

– Research, Groups, Q & A

– Trouble-Shooting

• Application Core: (Inventory)– Monitoring, Reporting

– Help Desk, Trouble-Shooting

– Documentation/Notes Spiceworks

How does it work?

How it Works?

DB

Helpdesk Tickets

Company Intranet

WMISNMP

SSH Reports

UserPortal

Monitoring

Full ScansHealth Check

Notes &Documents

Up/Down Monitor

PING

Scanning• Initiates many things…

– Monitors evaluated– DB updated

• Scanning Details– 4 Types (full, partial, health-check, up/down)

– Schedules (1min, 15min, daily/nightly)

– Naming• NetBios, DNS

– Access & Authentication• Ping, WMI• SSH , SNMP

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Scanning cont’• Unknowns & Partials & Delays

– Firewall, AV blocking…– Authentication, WMI, DNS-Conflicts– Network timeouts– Pre 3.1 unknowns or dups (delete and rescan)

• SettingsChange/Improve Speed: Hi/Med/Slow, collect_anti_virus, collect_events

Slow Network/Latency: snmp_timeout, timeout (ping)

Device Hanging Scan: wmi_no_hang_check

Ghost Devices: sweep_ping

Tests Pass but still Unknown Device: use_ip_address_for_wmi

Debugging problems: verbose_scan_logging ->finder_child.logSpiceworks

Groups/Categories• Why use Groups?

– Load time of views (100-200 devices)

– Logical groupings (location, custom-attr, AD)

• 3 Basic Types– Default – based on type. (manual, scanned, AD)

– Custom – with rules (smart)

– Custom – without rules (move, copy)

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Inventory Summary• Views

– Widget / Icon / Browse / Glide– Environment, Group, Device– Pivots, Filters

• 3 Basic Containers (Groups)– Default – based on type. (manual, scanned, AD)

– Custom – with rules (smart)

– Custom – without rules (move, copy)

• Unknowns & Partials– Firewall, AV blocking…

– Authentication, WMI, DNS-Conflicts

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Inventory Details• Detailed HW/SW Information (Device, Network Device, Software)

• DNS• Windows Events• Additional Information

– Notes/Attachments– Tickets/Change Control

• Troubleshooting– Compare– VNC/RDP– ping/nslookup/traceroute– WOL

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Questions?

Monitoring Session Overview

• Alert and Monitor Types• Examples• Default Configuration• Q&A

Monitoring Example

Device: A device is any computer connected to the network. You can monitor a specific device, or monitor them all by typing "Any Device".

Is online: Be alerted if a device goes online.

Is offline: Be alerted if a device goes offline.

Is discovered: Be alerted if a new device is discovered on the network.

New for 3.5 - offline for a time period

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Monitoring Example

Disk: Find out if there are issues with any disk on your system. You can keep an eye on every disk on your system by typing "Any Disk", or pick one particular disk.

Was added: Be alerted when a hard drive is added.

Was removed: Be alerted when a hard drive is removed.

Is < x% free: Be alerted when diskspace falls below a certain percentage. Choices are 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25%.

Has < x MB/GB free: Be alerted when diskspace falls below a certain value. Choices are 50, 100, 250, 500 MB and 1, 5, 10 GB.

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Monitoring Example

Software: Stay on top of software issues with this monitor. You can designate a specific program to be monitored, or choose to monitor all software by typing "Any Software".

Is installed: Be alerted when programs are installed.

Is uninstalled: Be alerted when program are removed.

Is not compliant: Be alerted if too many copies of a program are installed.

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Monitoring Example

Service: A service is a program that runs in the background of a computer to keep everything else working right. You can monitor a specific service, or monitor them all by typing "Any Service".

Is uninstalled: Be alerted when a service is uninstalled.

Is installed: Be alerted when a service is installed.

Is stopped: Be alerted when a service has stopped.

Is started: Be alerted when a service has started.

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Monitoring Example

Hotfix: A hotfix is a patch that is downloaded to fix a program. You can decide to monitor all hotfixes by typing "Any Hotfix", or choose to monitor one individual hotfix.

Is uninstalled: Be alerted when a hotfix is uninstalled.

Is installed: Be alerted when a hotfix is installed.

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Monitoring Example

Event: You can find out when an event of your choosing happens such as a certain ID logging in. Or you can monitor all events by typing "Any Event".

Is triggered: Be alerted when an event is triggered.

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Where Alerts Show Up ?4 Key Places…

1. On Inventory Summary

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Where Alerts Show Up

2. email notification

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Where Alerts Show Up

2. email sample

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Where Alerts Show Up ?

3. on the device

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Where Alerts Show Up ?

Some Built-In Monitors

Your Monitors

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Default Configuration

• pre-configured monitors• email configuration

– 2 steps

Default Out-of-the-box Monitors (v3.5)

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Enable EmailNotifications

For 3.1 Click to Edit

For 3.5 Click to Edit

e-mail configuration

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Questions?