Table of Contents
- Getting Started
- Agent-Based Management
- Data Providers
- Directory Services
- Event Log Archiving for JSIG and CMMC Compliance
- Auditing
- Hosts
- Templates
- Template Properties
- Batch Update Templates
- Assign Templates
- Log Management Templates
- SCAP Compliance Monitor
- Active Directory User Monitor Templates
- File and Directory Monitor Templates
- Windows Monitor Templates
- Account Lockout Monitor Template
- Logon Monitor Template
- CPU Monitor Template
- Memory Monitor Template
- Disk Space Monitor Template
- SMART Monitor Template
- Process Monitor Template
- Service Monitor Template
- Performance Counter Monitor Template
- PowerShell Template
- Registry Value Monitor Template
- System Security Monitor Template
- Task Scheduler Template
- Clock Synchronization Template
- Defragment NTFS Disks Template
- Windows Audit Policy Monitor Template
- Windows Logon As Monitor Template
- Windows Update Template
- WMI Query Template
- Network and Application Monitor Templates
- Database Monitor Template
- Directory Service Monitor Template
- DNS Blacklist Monitor Template
- DNS Monitor Template
- Domain Expiration Monitor Template
- Network Speed Monitor Template
- Ping Monitor Template
- Database Table Reseed
- SQL Server Shrink and Backup Template
- SSH Shell
- TCP Port Scan Monitor Template
- Website Monitor Template
- Wake On LAN Template
- SSL Certificate Monitor Templates
- Email Monitor Templates
- SNMP Monitor Templates
- Windows Accounts Templates
- Monitors
- Reports
- File and Permission Reports
- Summary Reports
- Auto-Configurators
- Filters
- Actions
- Database Actions
- Desktop Actions
- Email Actions
- Event Log Actions
- Executable Actions
- File Actions
- IIS IP Address Restriction Actions
- Microsoft Teams Actions
- PowerShell Actions
- Report Actions
- Service Actions
- SMS Actions
- SNMP Trap Actions
- Syslog Actions
- Template Actions
- IIS IP Address Restriction Actions
- Action Variables
- Schedules
- Environment Variables
- Options
- Account Lockout Monitoring and Reporting
- Merging Logs
- SNMP
- SSH Shell
- Syslog
- Exporting and Importing Configuration Objects
- Shared Views
- Active Directory User and Group Filters
- Assign Actions
- Assign Azure Audit Logs
- Assign Consolidated Logs
- Assign Directories
- Assign Disks
- Assign Event Logs
- Assign Files
- Assign Services
- Assign Shares
- Auto-Config Host Assignment Properties
- Define CSV and W3C Log Entry Columns
- Define Log Entry Columns
- Define Log Entry Columns with Regular Expressions
- Executable Status
- Executable Timeline
- Explicitly Assigned Logs
- File Explorer
- General Executable Properties
- Report Columns
- Report Date/Time Ranges
- Report Security Event Log Filters
- Select Folder or File
- Target Files and Sub-Directories
- Command Line Interface
- Server Configuration
- Agent Configuration
- Troubleshooting
- Terminology
Templates
When designing Server Manager one of our primary goals was to produce a highly scalable and easily configurable software package. The result was a system that uses what we call Templates. A Template is defined as a configurable object that defines properties for an executable function that is assigned to one or more hosts, host groups, template groups and summary reports. For example:
- A Ping Monitor Template that defines the failure rate prior to triggering.
- An Website Monitor Template that sends an email alert when any assigned website is down or missing expected content.
How it works:
Once a template has been created it must be assigned to a computer, device or host. Upon being assigned to a host, Server Manager immediately calculates and saves the next execution time. The Explorer Viewadds a Monitor Node under the assigned host. Every minute at the top of the minute Server Manager checks to see if a Monitor should be executed. If a Monitor is scheduled to execute, Server Manager creates a new thread. The thread then executes the Monitor, fires Actions, saves the results to the history database and finally calculates and saves the next execution time.
To create a Template:
- Select File | New | Template. The Select Template Type view displays.
- Click the template type to create. The Template Properties view displays.
- Configure the Template Properties.
- When applicable, assign target hosts, host groups, and template groups.
- When you have finished configuring the template, click the OK button to save.
To assign a template to computers, devices and hosts:
- From the Explorer View, navigate to the template you want to assign a host.
- Right-click and select Assign | Computer, Device or Host. The Select Multiple Computers, Devices and Hosts dialog displays.
- Check the computers to assign then click OK.
Sample Templates
Server Manager includes sample templates of which several are initially assigned to the localhost. The sample Templates can be modified and assigned to other computers as necessary. To view the sample templates, from the Explorer View, expand the Templates node then select Sample Templates.
Available Template Types
Type | Description |
---|---|
Log Management | Configure Event Log, Syslog and text log file management. |
Log Consolidation | Configure log consolidation (e.g. Schedule Server Manager to download the latest Security Event Log entries and save to Microsoft SQL Server or MySQL). |
Log Entry Retention Policy | Configure how long to retain log entries in the consolidation database (e.g. Archive entries older than 30 days and remove entries older than 90 days). |
Log Backup | Backup, compress, encrypt and sign native Event Log and text log files (e.g. Download native Security Event Logs every night). |
Log Monitor | Configure log monitoring (e.g. Create a real-time text log monitor to scan an application log then trigger notifications when search criteria is detected). |
Active Directory Users | Configure Active Directory user monitoring. |
Active Directory User Monitor | Monitor Active Directory user attribute values (e.g. Get notified when a specific user attribute value changes). |
Active Directory User Integrity Monitor | Monitor Active Directory users for changes (e.g. Get notified when a user account changes). |
Active Directory User Table Monitor | Generate Active Directory user properties data tables. Optionally, filter and trigger actions for each user (e.g. Notify each domain user 7 days before their Windows Account password must be changed). |
File and Directory Monitors | Configure templates that monitor files and directories (e.g. File integrity, file collection and retention, directory size, etc.) |
File Integrity Monitor | Validates the integrity of operating system and application files. |
File Size and Activity Monitor | Monitor file sizes and activity (e.g. Get notified when a file size exceeds 1 GB or is inactive for 10 minutes). |
File Collection and Retention | Backup files to a central location and delete expired files (e.g. Copy database backups to a central location then delete old backups no longer needed). |
Directory Size Monitor | Monitor directory sizes (e.g. Scan a directory every hour and trigger an alert if the size exceeds a threshold). |
Directory Watcher Monitor | Monitor, log and trigger actions when a directory or file is created, modified, renamed or deleted without using Object Access Auditing (e.g. Monitor all changes made to a secure directory). |
Directory Cleaner | Schedule old data files to be deleted (e.g. Once a week delete database backups and IIS log files that are older than 30 days). |
Delete Temporary Files | Schedule the service to remotely delete temporary files (e.g. Delete temporary files that were last modified 3 days ago). |
Windows Monitors | Configure templates that monitor network availability and applications (e.g. Ping, web server, email, etc.) |
Account Lockout Monitor | Configure the frequency to scan Active Directory for domain account lockouts and the frequency to scan servers for local account lockouts. |
Logon Monitor | Monitor Windows logon events (e.g. Get notified when any domain administrator logs on to a server). |
CPU Monitor | Monitor CPU load over a period of time (e.g. Get notified when CPU load exceeds 50% for 10 minutes). |
Memory Monitor | Monitor memory consumption over a period of time (e.g. Get notified when memory consumption exceeds 75% for 10 minutes). |
Disk Space Monitor | Monitor free disk space (e.g. Every hour check the available disk space on all logical disks). |
SMART Disk Monitor | Monitor SMART Predictive Disk Failure status (e.g. Check SMART status every hour). |
Process Monitor | Monitor Windows Processes and the resources they consume (e.g. Restart a process when it consumes more than 4 GBs of memory). |
Service Monitor | Monitor Windows Services and the resources they consume (e.g. Restart a service when it consumes more than 4 GBs of memory). |
Performance Counter Monitor | Monitor Windows Performance Counters (e.g. Trigger an alert when IO latency is greater than 20ms). |
Registry Value Monitor | Monitor a Windows Registry Value (e.g. Get notified when a Registry Value is changed to an unexpected value). |
Task Scheduler | Start, stop or restart an application or script (e.g. Launch a PowerShell script on a managed server) |
Clock Synchronization | Synchronize clock time with a Network Time Protocol (NTP) server (e.g. Synchronize the clocks on all your once a week). |
Defragment NTFS Disks | Schedule the service to remote execute disk defragmentation (e.g. Defragment production disks once a week). |
Network and Application Monitors | Configure templates that monitor network availability and applications (e.g. Ping, web server, email, etc.) |
Database Monitor | Verify the availability and performance of a database server (e.g. Get notified when a database query is slow to respond). |
Directory Service Monitor | Verify the availability of an LDAP Directory Service server (e.g. Get notified when your domain controller is no longer responding). |
DNS Blacklist Monitor | Monitor DNS Blacklists (e.g. Get notified when your email server is blacklisted). |
DNS Monitor | Check the availability of a DNS server and the accuracy of a record (e.g. Get notified when an MX record is not returning the expected value). |
Domain Expiration Monitor | Verify the expiration date of a domain on a WHOIS server (e.g. Get notified 30 days prior to expiration). |
Network Speed Monitor | Verify the speed your network (e.g. Get notified when your data transfer rate falls below an unacceptable threshold). |
Ping Monitor | Checks the availability of a host and response time of an ICMP ping packet and payload (e.g. Get notified when 7 of 9 pings timeout). |
SSH Shell | Check the availability of an SSH server and run SSH shell scripts. |
TCP Port Monitor | Verifies a TCP port is accepting connections and optionally returns expected results (e.g. Scan a proprietary TCP based service for availability). |
Website Monitor | Verify a website is responsive and returning the expected results (e.g. Trigger an alert if a website returns a 500 error). |
Wake On LAN | Broadcast a UDP Wake on LAN packet (e.g. Shoulder tap computers to wake up). |
SSL Certificate Monitors | Monitor SSL certificates and digitally signed files (e.g. Get notified 30 days prior to expiration). |
SSL Certificate Monitor | Monitor SSL certificates, their intermediate certificates and expiration dates (e.g. Get notified 30 days prior to expiration). |
Windows SSL Certificate Monitor | Monitor Windows SSL certificates, their intermediate certificates and expiration dates (e.g. Get notified 30 days prior to expiration). |
Digital Signature Monitor | Monitor digitally signed files (e.g. Get notified 30 days prior to expiration). |
Email Monitors | Monitor the availability and performance of SMTP, IMAP and POP3 servers (e.g. Get notified when it takes more than 5 minutes for an email to be received). |
End-To-End Email Monitor | Monitor the availability and performance of SMTP, IMAP and POP3 servers (e.g. Get notified when it takes more than 5 minutes for an email to be received). |
SMTP Monitor | Verify the availability of an SMTP email server and optionally send an email (e.g. Get notified when your SMTP server is no longer responding). |
IMAP Monitor | Verify the availability of an IMAP email server (e.g. Get notified when your IMAP server is no longer responding). |
POP3 Monitor | Verify the availability of a POP3 email server (e.g. Get notified when your POP3 email server is no longer responding). |
SNMP Monitors | Monitor SNMP values and traps |
SNMP Get Monitor | Monitor SNMP variables (e.g. Monitor the CPU, memory and disk space from a Linux server). |
SNMP Trap Monitor | Trigger actions when specific SNMP traps are received (e.g. Send an email alert when a switch throws an SNMP trap). |
SNMP Trap Consolidation | Save SNMP Traps from various sources to the data provider database (e.g. Save all SNMP Traps generated from a switch). |
Windows Accounts Templates | Scan both Domain Controllers and Stand-Alone Servers for enabled accounts, active accounts and inactive accounts. |
Sample Templates | Several different Templates are available. |