Summary

This Knowledgebase article describes the procedure for configuring protected applications and for configuring monitoring of protected applications.

More Information

Neverfail Application Protection and Monitoring

Neverfail Heartbeat uses plug-ins to start, stop, and protect applications.

The Applications page of the Neverfail Heartbeat Management Client consists of five tabs: Summary, Services, Tasks, Rules, and Plugins. Each of the tabs provides direct access to the function indicated by the tab name.

• Summary Tab - The Summary tab indicates which server (Primary or Secondary) is active, the Application State, Application Health, and shows the Application Log.
• Services Tab - The Services tab shows a listing of all services monitored by Neverfail and allows ordering of the services for starting and stopping. It also provides the ability to edit the actions to take should a service fail and allows services that are running or services that are set to automatic to be added to the monitored services.
• Tasks Tab - The Tasks tab shows a list of tasks to be performed by their classification (Network Configuration, Pre Start, Post Start, Pre Stop, Post Stop, Pre Shadow, Post Shadow, Periodic, and Rule Action). Only configured tasks are visible in the pane and the task list can be ordered. Rule Action tasks created in this screen become available as an action on the Services and Rules screens. This screen also provides the ability to add, edit, and remove tasks and to run an individual task on command. It also provides the ability to add account information should a task require other than the default credentials.
• Rules Tab - Neverfail uses Rules to set parameters for monitoring operations and services on the server and the protected applications. Rules are created only by plug-ins and cannot be manually created. The Rules tab allows the user to modify the parameters for the Rule and when the Rule is enabled, to configure up to three successive actions to take when the performance of the system or protected application falls outside the defined parameters.

Procedure

How to Configure the Protected Application and Monitoring

To configure protected applications, follow the steps below:

1. Open the Neverfail Heartbeat Management Client by navigating to Start -> All Programs -> Neverfail -> Manage Server .
2. Select the server group on the Servers Overview screen. Click on each of the tabs as indicated and configure the protected applications as indicated below.

Applications

1. Click on the Applications tab.
2. Select the Summary tab, select the desired application, and click on Edit . The Stop Timeout and Start Timeout fields are available for editing the period of time to wait for the application to start or stop before Neverfail considers the action a failure of the application.
3. When complete, click on OK .

Tasks

1. Tasks should be created before configuring either Services or Rules . After creating a user-defined task, it then becomes available as an action in the list of both the Services and Rules . Only Network Configuration tasks can be run on either the Primary or Secondary server. All other tasks can only be run on the Primary server. To create a task, click on the Tasks tab and then click on the Add button.
   
   Note: The Tasks pane also provides the ability to order tasks. The procedure used to sequence tasks is the same for both tasks and services. See the Services section below to find out more about assigning a specific sequence for tasks.
   
2. Assign a name to the task.
3. Select the task type from the drop down menu.
4. Type the path or Browse to the location of the file or script to execute.
5. Select the user account, which is authorized to run the task from the Run As drop down. Note: If an account other than the local/system account is required to execute the task, the new account credentials can be added by clicking on the User Accounts button in the upper right of the screen.
6. Click on OK .

Services

1. Click on the Services tab.
2. Select a service associated with the protected application and click on the Edit button.
3. Click on each of the three available fields (On First Failure, On Second Failure, and On Third Failure) and select the desired action to take upon failure of the service.
4. Click on OK .
5. Repeat for each service associated with the protected application.
   
   Note: The sequence in which services are started and stopped can be ordered as necessary to meet the needs of the user environment.
   
   CAUTION - Default ordering is established based upon application and service dependencies. When modifying service ordering, ensure that service dependencies are taken into account when establishing other than default ordering. Failure to properly order services may cause a protected application not to start or to fail.
6. Use the Up and Down buttons to change the order of services as required.

Rules

1. Use the Rules tab to enable/disable rules for performance monitoring of the system or protected application. Click on the Rules tab. Note: Rules are only created by plug-ins and cannot be created by the user.
2. Select the desired rule and then click on the Edit button.
3. The Applications: Rules -> Edit screen allows the user to configure the parameters for monitoring the desired function. It also provides the ability to configure three successive actions to perform should the performance of the function fall outside of the defined parameters.
4. Configure each of the fields as required to meet user requirements. Note: Default parameters are preconfigured by Neverfail but can be modified. Neverfail recommends that SCOPE be used to assist in defining performance thresholds.
   
   

Applies To

Neverfail Heartbeat v6.2 and later

Related Information

None

KBID-2043