Administrator s Guide Citrix Resource Manager System Monitoring and Analysis for MetaFrame XP for Windows, Feature Release 1 and Service Pack 1 Citrix Systems, Inc.
Information in this document is subject to change without notice. Companies, names, and data used in examples herein are fictitious unless otherwise noted. No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, for any purpose, without the express written permission of Citrix Systems, Inc. 2001 Citrix Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Citrix, Independent Computing Architecture (ICA), MultiWin, DirectICA, SecureICA, Program Neighborhood, MetaFrame, MetaFrame XP, WINFRAME, NFuse, and Resource Manager are registered trademarks or trademarks of Citrix Systems, Inc. in the U.S.A. and other countries. Microsoft, MS, MS-DOS, Windows, Windows NT, and BackOffice are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. All other Trade Names referred to are the Servicemark, Trademark, or Registered Trademark of the respective manufacturers.
Contents 3 Contents Chapter1 IntroductiontoResourceManager...7 Aboutthisguide...7 IntroducingResourceManager...7 HowcanIuseResourceManager?...8 What snewinfeaturerelease1/servicepack1?...9 NewFeatures...9 Whattoreadnext...10 Gettingmoreinformation...11 FindingresourcesontheCitrixwebsite...12 Providingfeedbackaboutthisguide...12 Chapter2 InstallingResourceManager...13 Overview...13 Systemrequirements...13 Softwarerequirements...13 InstallingResourceManager...14 Beforeyoustart...14 InstallationProcedure...15 UpgradingtoFeatureRelease1/ServicePack1...16 UninstallingResourceManager...18 DisplayingResourceManageranditscomponents...18 DisplayingtheCitrixManagementConsole...18 DisplayingthemainResourceManagerscreen...20 Displayingalltheserversinaserverfarm...20 DisplayingResourceManagerfortheentireserverfarm...21 DisplayingResourceManagerforasingleserver...21 Displayingthepropertiesofasingleserver...22 Displayingtheapplicationsinaserverfarm...22
4 Resource Manager Administrator s Guide Chapter3 MonitoringServersandApplications...23 Overview...23 ViewingtheitemsResourceManagerismonitoring...23 Checkingwhichserversarebeingmonitored...24 Checkingwhichmetricsarebeingmonitored...25 Checkingthestatusofthemetrics...25 Watchingforalarms...26 Monitoringthestatusofaserver...26 Organizingserversintofoldersformonitoring...29 Findingoutwhenaserverhasstoppedoperating...29 Watchingforalarmswhiledoingothertasks...30 Keepingtrackofapplicationusage...31 Startingtomonitoranapplication...31 Checkingthestatusofthemonitoredapplications...32 Suspendingnotificationofametric sstatus...32 PreparingyoursystemforResourceManageralerts...33 Preparingyoursystemforemailalerts...33 PreparingyoursystemforSMSalerts...35 PreparingyoursystemforSNMPalerts...37 Gettingmoreinformationaboutmonitoring...38 Chapter4 ReportingandAnalyzingInformation...39 Overview...39 Creatingreportstoanalyzedata...39 Lookingbacktoaspecifictime...40 Reportingaboutuseofapplications...41 Reportingonuseractivity...41 Viewingsavedreports...42 Chapter5 FrequentlyAskedQuestions...43 InstallingResourceManager...44 UsingnewFeatureRelease1/ServicePack1functionality...44 ManagingtheResourceManagerlocaldatabase...45 FarmMetricServer...45 Real-timemonitoring...46 RemoteconnectiontoResourceManagerservers...48 TimeZones...49 LookingforHelpinformation...50
Contents 5 AppendixA DefaultMetricSet...51 Overview...51 Introduction...51 DefaultsetofmetricsforWindows2000Server...52 LogicalDisk...52 Memory...52 NetworkInterface...53 PagingFile...53 Processor...53 System...54 TerminalServices...54 DefaultsetofmetricsforWindowsNT4.0,TerminalServerEdition...54 LogicalDisk...54 Memory...55 NetworkSegment...55 PagingFile...56 System...56 AppendixB Glossary...57 Index...59
C HAPTER 1 Introduction to Resource Manager About this guide This Guide is intended for network administrators, and is designed to provide you with a summary of the main ways in which you can use Resource Manager in your network environment. This chapter introduces the basic concepts and the documentation that is supplied with Resource Manager. The following topics are included: A brief introduction to Resource Manager A summary of the tasks you can perform with Resource Manager Details of where to find more information about Resource Manager Introducing Resource Manager You can use Resource Manager to manage resources on a server, or on a network with multiple servers. Resource Manager enables you to collect, display, and analyze data about system performance, application use, and user activity. Use Resource Manager to do the following: watch what is happening at a particular moment for a system. This is known as real-time monitoring. analyze and report using records of system activity. Resource Manager can track and store information about a wide variety of system and network processes and events. These are known as metrics. If the value of a metric falls outside normal limits, Resource Manager can inform you about this in a number of ways. During installation, Resource Manager automatically creates a set of default metrics, and assigns upper and lower limits to define the normal operation of each one.
8 Resource Manager Administrator s Guide How can I use Resource Manager? You can use Resource Manager in your server farm to help you with the following tasks: Monitoring your existing server farm You can use Resource Manager to monitor and analyze system performance, loading, and user behavior. You can view information about an entire server farm, analyze individual servers and applications, or monitor specific aspects of performance. By fine-tuning the monitoring process, you can customize the information that Resource Manager provides, to suit your specific environment. Identifying, diagnosing, and solving problems Resource Manager can warn you about any developing problems on your network. If a problem does occur, you can analyze the relevant data to help you decide what action to take. Gauging and justifying future resource needs You can produce reports about system usage which will help you to identify requirements for future resources, such as new servers or additional licenses. Planning and scaling your server farm By deploying Resource Manager on a pilot system, you can gauge how the system will cope in likely scenarios. This will help you to scale your network, set baselines and spot potential problems before they can affect the final installation. For example, you can evaluate whether a computer can support the activity of a desired number of users.
Chapter 1 Introduction to Resource Manager 9 What s new in Feature Release 1 / Service Pack 1? If you have previously been using Resource Manager for MetaFrame XPe version 1.0, you will notice a number of differences when you upgrade to Feature Release 1 or Service Pack 1. For instructions on performing the upgrade, see Upgrading to Feature Release 1 / Service Pack 1 on page 16. New Features For Resource Manager, Feature Release 1 and Service Pack 1 both offer the following new features: Process monitoring. You can now disable the Incremental setting for an application: that is, specify that higher is better for the Count metric s value. This enables you, for example, to monitor whether a particular process has stoppedrunningintheserverfarm.todothis,youwouldsetuptheprocessasa Resource Manager application, and then set Resource Manager to warn you if the count for the process falls below 1. Server monitoring. Resource Manager can now send alerts to notify you if a server in the farm stops operating. For more information, see Finding out when a server has stopped operating on page 29. Monitoring servers in folders. If you have organized some of the servers into folders (see Organizing servers into folders for monitoring on page 29), the status display for the entire server farm now lists the server folders, with an indicator showing the status of the servers in each folder. Resource Manager alerts. When configuring SMS alerts, if all the servers in your server farm are running Feature Release 1 or Service Pack 1, you can now specify a prefix (such as a dial-out access code) for each type of modem. For email alerts, Resource Manager now sends you an email after configuration, to confirm that the alerts are working. Ignoring processes. When you have identified a set of processes to exclude from monitoring on one server, you can now specify that you want to ignore the same processes on other servers in the server farm. Automatic server reboots. The Reboot Schedule display for a server now shows the scheduled reboot time in both the local time zone for the server to be rebooted and the local time zone for the server from which you are accessing the Citrix Management Console. Also, Resource Manager now retains a record in the Server Log of all automatic reboots of a server. The Resource Manager online Help contains detailed instructions for using Resource Manager.
10 Resource Manager Administrator s Guide What to read next For further information about Resource Manager, refer to the following sections in this Guide: To find Instructions on installing Resource Manager Details of the changes that installing Resource Manager makes to the Citrix Management Console An overview of real-time monitoring How you can generate reports from stored Resource Manager information Answers to common questions about Resource Manager Details about the default metrics that are configured during installation Definitions of the technical terms used in this Guide. Refer to Chapter 2: Installing Resource Manager Displaying Resource Manager and its components on page 18 Chapter 3: Monitoring Servers and Applications Chapter 4: Reporting and Analyzing Information Chapter 5: Frequently Asked Questions Appendix A: Default Metric Set Appendix B: Glossary See the Resource Manager Help for detailed information on tasks not covered in this Guide, for example: Setting a server to reboot automatically. You can assign times at which Resource Manager reboots individual servers. Changing the Farm Metric Server. This is the server that interprets metrics that apply to the entire server farm (for example, application counts). Reviewing the history of a Resource Manager server. Resource Manager maintains a log for each server in the server farm, containing the history of metrics being monitored on the server, and any changes to the Resource Manager configuration.
Getting more information Chapter 1 Introduction to Resource Manager 11 This Administrator s Guide includes a general introduction to installing and configuring your Resource Manager system. You can find the Administrator s Guide in Adobe PDF format: In the /doc directory of your distribution CD-ROM. On your MetaFrame XPe server, once you have installed Resource Manager. From the Start Menu, select Start > Programs > Citrix > Documentation. On the Citrix Web site at http://www.citrix.com/support. Select the Product Documentation tab. You can check the Product Documentation area of the Web site at any time for the latest updates to Citrix technical manuals. Any updates to this manual published after the release of this product will be posted there. You can also view online Help for Resource Manager from within the Citrix Management Console. Refer to the online Help for: Detailed procedures for tasks within the Resource Manager user interface, for example, adding metrics, changing the farm metric server and generating reports. Context sensitive help for each setting in a dialog. An online summary for the default metrics. To open the Help system, select Contents and Index from the Help menu. For help regardingthecontentsofadialogbox,pressf1orclickthehelpbuttoninthe dialog box. You can access the task-based help topics from the left frame of the help window using the Table of Contents, the Index, or by searching for a particular word or phrase using the Search tab. Note The different components of MetaFrame XPe ship with their own JavaHelp.jar files. Because of this, when you use the Citrix Management Console Help index, you will see various alphabetical lists: one for the Citrix Management Console itself, one for Load Manager and others for additional components that you have installed, for example, Resource Manager or Installation Manager. This is a Java limitation. When looking for terms in the index, make sure that you scroll down to the list for the appropriate product. Please consult the readme file in the root directory of your CD-ROM, for any last-minute updates, installation instructions, and corrections to the documentation.
12 Resource Manager Administrator s Guide Finding resources on the Citrix web site Citrix offers online Technical Support Services at http://www.citrix.com/ that include the following: Downloadable Citrix ICA Clients, available at http://www.citrix.com/ download/ A Frequently Asked Questions page with answers to the most common technical issues An FTP server containing the latest service packs and hotfixes for download An Online Knowledge Base containing an extensive collection of technical articles, troubleshooting tips, and white papers Interactive online support forums A product documentation library, available at: http://knowledgebase.citrix.com/ Providing feedback about this guide We strive to provide you with accurate, clear, complete, and usable documentation for Citrix products. If you have any comments, corrections, or suggestions for improving our documentation, we would be happy to hear from you. You can email the authors at: documentation@citrix.com Please include the name and version number of the product and the title of the document in your email.
C HAPTER 2 Installing Resource Manager Overview This chapter explains in detail how to install Resource Manager. The following topics are included: Issues to consider before you start, including software requirements Installation instructions, including licensing information Instructions on how to upgrade to Resource Manager for MetaFrame XPe for Windows, Feature Release 1 or Service Pack 1 An overview of the user interface and navigation System requirements This section describes minimum configurations and recommendations for the installation of Resource Manager. Software requirements You can install Resource Manager on servers with the following operating systems: Windows NT Server 4.0, Terminal Server Edition with Service Pack 5 or later Windows 2000 Server Family: Windows 2000 Server, Windows 2000 Advanced Server. In addition to the Windows operating system requirements, you require MetaFrame XPe, and a valid MetaFrame XPe license. For Resource Manager, Service Pack 1 includes minor enhancements and new features. Feature Release 1 includes all the features in Service Pack 1. For guidelines on the licensing requirements for Feature Release 1 for other XPe components, see the MetaFrame XP Administrator s Guide.
14 Resource Manager Administrator s Guide Important IfyouintendtouseResourceManageronWindowsNT4.0Server, Terminal Server Edition, you need to install the correct Microsoft Data Access Components (MDAC) drivers. See MDAC requirements on Windows NT 4.0, Terminal Server Edition on page 15. Installing Resource Manager Resource Manager (System Monitoring and Analysis) is a component of MetaFrame XPe. On each server that you want to monitor using Resource Manager, you need to add and activate an XPe license and install the System Monitoring and Analysis component. If Resource Manager is not already installed on the machine, follow the instructions below. If Resource Manager is already installed, and you want to upgrade it to the Feature Release 1 / Service Pack 1 version, refer to Upgrading to Feature Release 1 / Service Pack 1 on page 16. Before you start Before you install Resource Manager, we recommend that you do the following: Ensure that the machines on which you are going to install Resource Manager meet the software requirements. If you intend to use Resource Manager on Windows NT 4.0 Server, Terminal Server Edition, you need to install the correct Microsoft Data Access Components (MDAC) drivers. See MDAC requirements on Windows NT 4.0, Terminal Server Edition below. Ensure that each server on which Resource Manager is installed can connect to a data store. (The data store is a database that MetaFrame XP and its components use to keep track of configuration information about the servers, applications, and configured users in the farm.) You will have set up a data store during MetaFrame installation, and when you install Resource Manager, it will use this data store. Note By default, the first server on which you install Resource Manager becomes the Farm Metric Server. The Farm Metric Server is the server that interprets metrics that apply to the entire server farm (for example, application counts) and sends alerts if necessary. It is recommended that the Farm Metric Server is lightly loaded and, preferably, a MetaFrame XP Data Collector. If necessary, you can change the Farm Metric Server to a different machine after installation. See the Resource Manager online Help for full instructions.
Chapter 2 Installing Resource Manager 15 MDAC requirements on Windows NT 4.0, Terminal Server Edition If you intend to use Resource Manager on Windows NT 4.0 Server, Terminal Server Edition, you need to install the correct Microsoft Data Access Components (MDAC) drivers before you install Resource Manager. The recommended MDAC versiontouseismdac2.5servicepack1(version2.51.5303.5). Alternatively, you can use MDAC 2.6. You may need to do this if, for example, other products on your system require this version of MDAC. If you use MDAC 2.6, you also need to install the Microsoft Jet 4.0 Service Pack 3. You must reboot after installing the Jet service pack. The MDAC 2.5 Service Pack 1 and Jet 4.0 Service Pack 3 are available to download from http://www.microsoft.com/downloads. } To install the MDAC drivers 1. Stop the Terminal Server Licensing service. 2. Empty the event log. 3. Install the drivers, and restart the servers. Installation Procedure Use the following procedure to install Resource Manager for the first time on a MetaFrame XPe server. You will need to follow this procedure for each server in your farm. } To install Resource Manager on a MetaFrame XPe server 1. On your MetaFrame XPe server, exit all applications. 2. Insert the System Monitoring and Analysis CD-ROM into your CD-ROM drive. If your CD drive supports Autorun, the Resource Manager splash screen is displayed. If the splash screen does not display, click Run from the Start menu and type d:\autorun.exe where d is the letter of your CD drive. 3. Click Citrix Resource Manager Setup. 4. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete installation. Click Next to continue after each screen. if you want to return to a previous screen, click Back. 5. Repeat this procedure to install Resource Manager on every server in your farm.
16 Resource Manager Administrator s Guide Note At the end of installation you may be prompted to reboot the server. If the reboot server dialog is displayed, we recommend that you reboot the server immediately. If this is impractical, the server should be rebooted as soon as possible. Licensing Resource Manager A MetaFrame XPe license is required to enable you to use all Resource Manager functionality. Refer to Licensing MetaFrame XP in the MetaFrame XP Administrator s Guide for further details. After you add a Citrix license, you can use your software during a grace period when you do not have to activate the license. But you must activate each license to ensure the continued operation of your software. Refer to Licensing MetaFrame XP in the MetaFrame XP Administrator s Guide for details about how to do this. Upgrading to Feature Release 1 / Service Pack 1 When you run the installation program that upgrades a MetaFrame XPe server to Feature Release 1 or Service Pack 1, the program automatically detects whether Resource Manager is installed on the server. If Resource Manager is already present, you can upgrade to Feature Release 1 or Service Pack 1. Important If you decide to upgrade servers to Feature Release 1 or Service Pack 1 over a period of time (rather than all at the same time), make sure that you upgrade the Farm Metric servers (main and backup) before upgrading other Resource Manager servers in the server farm. Resource Manager uses the Farm Metric Server to interpret information collected from the other servers. This may cause inconsistency if another server is running a later version of Resource Manager. } To upgrade to Feature Release 1 or Service Pack 1 1. Ensure that MetaFrame XP is installed on the server, and that there is a valid, activated MetaFrame XPe license. 2. Ensure that Resource Manager (System Monitoring and Analysis) is installed on the server.
Chapter 2 Installing Resource Manager 17 3. Run the installation program for Feature Release 1 or the Service Pack, according to which XPe license you have. For Resource Manager, the same features are included in Service Pack 1 and Feature Release 1. For guidelines on which option you should select for other components of MetaFrame XPe, and details of the licensing requirements for Feature Release 1, see the MetaFrame XP Administrator s Guide. The installer for Feature Release 1 and Service Pack 1 updates all of the components for MetaFrame XPe (for example, Resource Manager and Installation Manager) at the same time. Important The installer does not include a full installation of Resource Manager: it only installs updated features. When you run the installation program that upgrades a MetaFrame XPe server to Feature Release 1 or Service Pack 1, the program automatically detects whether Resource Manager is installed on the server. If Resource Manager is present, the installation program automatically upgrades it. If Resource Manager is not present, you must first install a full Resource Manager version of MetaFrame XPe, and then upgrade it to Feature Release 1 or Service Pack 1. It is possible to use Resource Manager in an environment where some servers in the server farm have been upgraded to Feature Release 1 or Service Pack 1, and others have not. However, if you are monitoring a server which has not been upgraded, certain aspects of the user interface in Feature Release 1 / Service Pack 1 will not work for that server, even if the server from which you are running the Citrix Management Console has been upgraded.
18 Resource Manager Administrator s Guide Uninstalling Resource Manager If you no longer want to use a server as a Resource Manager server, you will need to uninstall Resource Manager. This is necessary so that the various subsystems can remove data about the server. Warning If you want to uninstall MetaFrame XPe from a server, you must uninstall Resource Manager before uninstalling MetaFrame XP itself. Failure to do so will cause the MetaFrame uninstallation to fail and render your server inoperable. } To uninstall Resource Manager from a server 1. Check whether the server from which you are going to remove Resource Manager is being used as the main or back-up Farm Metric Server, and nominate a different Farm Metric Server if necessary. See the Resource Manager Help for instructions on how to change the Farm Metric server. 2. Use Add/Remove Programs from the Control Panel to uninstall Resource Manager from the server. 3. The uninstall process does not remove all Resource Manager files. Use the Details option to view the files that are still left. You will need to remove these manually from the server. Displaying Resource Manager and its components The following procedures are designed to familiarize you with the interface, so that you can quickly get up to speed with the application. Displaying the Citrix Management Console The Citrix Management Console is a centralized management utility which enables you to administer your entire server farm. You need to install the Citrix Management Console on every machine from which you want to administer Resource Manager servers. You can install the Citrix Management Console on a MetaFrame XPe machine (at the time when you install MetaFrame XPe itself), or on a remote machine. For instructions on using a remote machine, see Remote connection to Resource Manager servers on page 48.
Chapter 2 Installing Resource Manager 19 } To display the Citrix Management Console 1. From the Start menu, select Programs > Citrix > CitrixManagement Console. Alternatively, click the Citrix Management Console icon on your desktop. When the Citrix Management Console starts, a dialog box asks you to log in to a MetaFrame server. 2. Enter the server name, user account name and password, and click OK. When you are connected to a farm, the Citrix Management Console displays a windowwithtwomainpanes: The left pane shows a hierarchical list of the components of a Citrix server farm, which is referred to as a tree structure. The right pane displays information about the object that is selected in the left pane. From this window you are able to access Resource Manager.
20 Resource Manager Administrator s Guide Displaying the main Resource Manager screen } To display the main screen In the left pane of the Citrix Management Console, select Resource Manager. Alternatively, double-click Resource Manager in the right pane. This window displays a number of tabs which enable you to perform the following functions in Resource Manager: Generate reports about the current status of servers Configure automatic alerts Use a Watcher window to monitor servers while you are doing other tasks Change the main or backup Farm Metric Server Refer to What to read next on page 10 for details about where you can find more information about these topics. Displaying all the servers in a server farm } To display all the servers in a farm From the left pane of the Citrix Management Console, select the folder labeled Servers, and click the plus sign next to it. The tree expands to reveal all the servers in your farm. This group of servers are also listed in the right pane under the Contents tab. The servers in a farm are managed as a single entity, which share some form of physical connection and a single data store.
Chapter 2 Installing Resource Manager 21 Displaying Resource Manager for the entire server farm This view enables you to monitor all the servers in your farm. In this way you can gain an overall picture of the status of the server farm, and spot any problems as they occur. } To display Resource Manager for a server farm 1. Select the folder labeled Servers in the left pane of the Citrix Management Console. 2. Select the Resource Manager tabintherightpane. Refer to Organizing servers into folders for monitoring on page 29 for further details. Displaying Resource Manager for a single server } To display Resource Manager for a single server 1. In the left pane of the Citrix Management Console, ensure that the folder labeled Servers is expanded, and select the server that you want to monitor. 2. Select the Resource Manager tabintherightpane. This displays all the metrics that are being monitored for that server. When a problem arises, a colored alarm is displayed to warn you. Refer to Monitoring the status of a server on page 26 for further details.
22 Resource Manager Administrator s Guide Displaying the properties of a single server } To display server properties 1. In the left pane of the Citrix Management Console, navigate to the server whose properties you want to display. 2. Select the server, and select Actions > Properties. Alternatively, click the right mouse button, and select Properties from thedropdown list. Use this dialog box to alter the configuration of the server that you are monitoring. Most server configuration options can be accessed here. Displaying the applications in a server farm } To see which applications are available for monitoring in a server farm From the left pane select the folder labeled Applications. You can use Resource Manager to monitor all MetaFrame XP Published Applications that are running on Resource Manager servers in the server farm. When you start using Resource Manager, all Published Applications are already listed in the Applications folder. You can also monitor applications that have not been published in MetaFrame XP, by setting them up as Resource Manager applications, and identifying the serversonwhichyouwanttomonitorthem.whenyousetuparesource Manager application, it is added to the list in the Applications folder. Refer to Checking which metrics are being monitored on page 25.
C HAPTER 3 Monitoring Servers and Applications Overview This chapter explains how you can use Resource Manager to monitor server performance, application instances and resource usage in real time. The following topics are included: How you can use real-time monitoring in your network environment Information about status indicators and alarms Monitoring a single server Monitoring a group of servers Monitoring applications Configuring automatic alerts Viewing the items Resource Manager is monitoring Resource Manager provides you with information about a number of system and network processes and events. There are status displays which show this information in real time, enabling you to see the status of your system at a glance. You can monitor the following: the status of the servers in a farm the number of instances of specific applications that are running in a farm. Each item that is being monitored is referred to as a metric.
24 Resource Manager Administrator s Guide Checking which servers are being monitored Use the following procedure to determine which computers in your server farm are being monitored, and to gain an overall view of the real time performance of your system. } To check which computers are being monitored in your system 1. In the left pane of the Citrix Management Console, select the folder labeled Servers. 2. Select the Resource Manager tab to display all the status indicators for each server. The status of servers in your system is displayed, which enables you to gain an idea of the general state of your server farm. The Servers column lists all the computers that Resource Manager is monitoring. For each server, the Metric Count column shows the number of metrics that are being monitored. The display also shows a current count for each type of colored status indicator. If you have organized some of the servers into folders (see Organizing servers into folders for monitoring on page 29), the status display for the entire server farm lists the server folders, with an indicator showing the status of the servers in each folder. Refer to Checking the status of the metrics on page 25 for details about what each colored status indicator means.
Chapter 3 Monitoring Servers and Applications 25 Checking which metrics are being monitored Although the Metric Count column provides you with information about the number of different metrics that are being monitored for a server, you may want to know what metrics these include. } To determine which metrics are being monitored for a server 1. In the left pane of the Citrix Management Console, ensure that the folder labeled Servers is selected, and the Resource Manager tab is selected. 2. From the right pane, double-click on the server that you want to monitor. The status for that server is displayed which lists all the metrics that are being monitored. Refer to Monitoring the status of a server on page 26 for details. Checking the status of the metrics For each server in your system, colored status indicators show the status of each monitored condition, or metric. During installation, Resource Manager automatically configures a set of limits for the metrics that apply to each server. If the value of a metric falls outside normal limits, the status indicators show that this is the case. You may be required to alter these limits to suit your specific network environment. The meaning of each condition is described by the following table: Status indicator Green Yellow Red Metric condition represents normal operation. That is, the value of the metric falls between limits that have been set. represents a warning condition. This indicates that a problem may be developing that will require further analysis to improve performance, or to prevent the situation from becoming worse. represents a problem condition. This often means that some action is required to provide better application or server performance. Both yellow and red indicators occur when the average value for a metric over a 15 second period falls outside the normal limits, and remains there for a defined period of time. Blue represents a metric that is not yet active, and needs to be configured.
26 Resource Manager Administrator s Guide Black Gray represents a metric that is set to Sleep: that is, you have indefinitely suspended notification of the metric s status. Refer to Suspending notification of a metric s status on page 32 for further details. represents a metric that is set to Snooze: that is, you have suspended notification of the metric s status for a fixed period. Refer to Suspending notification of a metric s status on page 32 for further details. Watching for alarms Resource Manager determines the status of each metric by sampling the statistics associated with the monitored condition every 15 seconds, and the colored status indicators change accordingly. There are a number of ways in which Resource Manager enables you to monitor the status of servers in your server farm. You can do this by monitoring the status of individual servers, by monitoring the status of all selected servers, or by displaying a window which enables you to watch for alarms when the status displays are not visible. Monitoring the status of a server Use the following procedure to view the status display for an individual server. } To view the status display for a server 1. In the left pane of the Citrix Management Console, navigate to the list of servers in the farm. 2. Select the name of the server that you want to monitor.
Chapter 3 Monitoring Servers and Applications 27 3. Select the Resource Manager tab to display the current set of metrics that are being monitored for the server. When a metric s value goes beyond its defined limits, Resource Manager displays an alarm for the metric. Refer to Checking the status of the metrics on page 25 for an explanation of what each status indicator represents. Customizing real-time monitoring By changing the set of metrics that are being monitored, or altering the alarm configuration for specific metrics on each server, you can tailor real-time monitoring to suit your network environment. } To change the set of metrics that are being monitored 1. Click the right mouse button on any metric in the right pane of the Citrix Management Console.
28 Resource Manager Administrator s Guide 2. Select Add/Remove Metrics to display the Add Remove Metrics dialog box. You will see from this dialog box that a metric is a combination of the following three items: An object which represents the category that you want to monitor. It is a physical or logical system resource, for example the hard disk of a computer. The counter which is the specific aspect of the object that you want to monitor. For example, processor time. The instance of an object. For example, on a computer with more than one hard disk, the instance would identify which disk you want to monitor. 3. Use the options to determine the metrics that you want to monitor. It is recommended to limit the total number of metrics being tracked on a server to less than 50. Important Some metrics have duplicate instances. This has been observed, for example, with the Physical Disk metric, on machines that have a zip drive installed. When a metric with duplicate instances exists, Resource Manager cannot monitor either instance of that metric. Do not try to add either instance of the metric in the Add/Remove Metrics dialog.
Chapter 3 Monitoring Servers and Applications 29 } To change the metric properties 1. Click the right mouse button on any metric in the right pane. 2. Select Properties to display the Server Metric Properties dialog box. 3. Configure how alarms should operate for each metric by doing the following: specify the thresholds for each alarm type using the Yellow Limit and Red Limit columns specify the time period beyond which a limit must be exceeded to trigger an alarm using the Yellow Time and Red Time columns. Tip To help you set appropriate thresholds for a new metric that is not yet configured (blue status indicator), you can display a graph of the current metric value, and set the Yellow and Red Limits to levels that suit these values. Right-click the counter name for the metric in the gray column at the left side of the Server Metric Properties dialog, and select Advanced Threshold Configuration. Organizing servers into folders for monitoring You can monitor a group of servers as an individual unit by placing them into a folder, and viewing the status display for that folder. } To monitor a selected group of servers 1. In the left pane of the Citrix Management Console, select the Servers folder. 2. Click the right mouse button, and select New Folder. 3. Enter a name for the new folder in the text box. 4. Select the names of servers from the left pane, and drag and drop them into the new folder. 5. Select the new folder, and click the Resource Manager tabtoviewthestatus display for all servers in the customized unit. Finding out when a server has stopped operating Resource Manager can send alert messages to notify you when a server in the server farm stops operating. The alerts will be sent in all formats that Resource Manager is configured to send in the server farm. This may be an email, an SNMP message, an SMS message, or more than one of these formats. For full details about alert messages, refer to the Resource Manager online Help.
30 Resource Manager Administrator s Guide Important In order to send alerts when a server stops operating, the Farm Metric Server must be a server that is running Resource Manager for MetaFrame XPe for Windows, Feature Release 1 or Service Pack 1. The Farm Metric Server is the server that interprets metrics that apply to the entire server farm (for example, application counts) and sends alerts if necessary. By default, the first server on which you install Resource Manager becomes the Farm Metric Server. See the Resource Manager online Help for instructions on how to change to a different Farm Metric Server after installation. The alerts work in different ways, depending on the version of Resource Manager that is installed on the server that has stopped operating: For servers that are running Resource Manager for MetaFrame XPe for Windows, Feature Release 1 or Service Pack 1, alerts are sent only when the server has stopped operating unexpectedly: that is, when the IMA service was not properly stopped. For servers that are running Resource Manager for MetaFrame XPe version 1.0, alerts are sent any time that the server stops operating, including expected events such as scheduled reboots. Watching for alarms while doing other tasks At times when you do not want to show the full status display on the screen, you can monitor the status of the metrics by displaying a smaller window, called the Resource Manager Watcher window. } To display the Resource Manager Watcher window 1. Select the Resource Manager Watcher Window icon from the toolbar of the Citrix Management Console. This window lists any red or yellow status indicators in the server farm. Note If this window appears blank, this indicates that no problems have been detected in the server farm. 2. Double-click on a server alarm to view the status display for that server.
Keeping track of application usage Chapter 3 Monitoring Servers and Applications 31 You can use Resource Manager to keep a count of how many instances of specific applications are running in the server farm, and notify you if the number of instances of a monitored application reaches a limit that you specify. This enables you to manage application licenses. Important You can only use Resource Manager to keep track of the usage of 32-bit applications. You cannot monitor 16-bit applications. Starting to monitor an application } To start monitoring an application 1. Make sure that Resource Manager knows about the application. The Applications folder in the left pane of the Citrix Management Console lists all applications that Resource Manager currently knows about. If the application is a MetaFrame XP Published Application, Resource Manager already knows about it. Tip Resource Manager can monitor a Published Application only if you specified the full path name of theapplication in theproperties dialog when you published the application in MetaFrame XP. When you publish an application in MetaFrame XP, it is a good idea to use the Browse button to select the executable, to make sure that you use the correct full path. For full instructions on publishing applications, refer to the MetaFrame XP Administrator s Guide. 2. If the application is not a MetaFrame XP Published Application, and you do not want to publish it, you need to set it up as a Resource Manager Application. To do this, right-click the Applications folder in the left pane of the Citrix Management Console, and select New Resource Manager Application. A wizard is displayed which enables you to define an application in Resource Manager to monitor. Use the online Help system for details about how to use this wizard. When you have set up the Resource Manager Application, it is addedtotheapplications folder. Important If an application is already a MetaFrame XP Published Application, do not add it again as a Resource Manager Application.
32 Resource Manager Administrator s Guide 3. Add the Count metric to the application. This is the metric that keeps track of the number of instances of the application that are running in the server farm. To add the Count metric, select the application in the Applications folder, then click the right mouse button anywhere in the right pane of the Citrix Management Console, select Add/Remove Metrics, and choose the Count metric. 4. Define the alarm thresholds for the Count metric. For instructions, see Customizing real-time monitoring on page 27. Checking the status of the monitored applications 1. In the left pane of the Citrix Management Console, select the folder labeled Applications. This folder contains all the applications that are available for monitoring: that is, all MetaFrame XP Published Applications, and all Resource Manager Applications. 2. Select the Resource Manager tab. A status display indicates those applications that are currently being monitored. You will see that the Metric Count column in the status display is always set to 1. This is because Resource Manager only monitors one metric, that is, the Count metric, for each application. Suspending notification of a metric s status You can stop Resource Manager giving you information about a specific metric that it is monitoring for a server or application. This is useful when, for example, you want to work on a problem without receiving repeated alarms. When you suspend notification, Resource Manager continues recording information about the metric's values, but does not display alarms or send alerts. } To stop Resource Manager notifying you about the status of a metric 1. In the status display for the server or application, select the metric for which you want to suspend monitoring (use the SHIFT or CTRL key to select more than one metric), and click the right mouse button. 2. Select from the following: Snooze to suspend notification for a defined period of time. The status indicators become gray. Sleep to suspend notification for an indefinite period of time. The status indicators become black.
Chapter 3 Monitoring Servers and Applications 33 3. To resume notification, reselect the metric(s) and choose either Snooze or Sleep, as necessary. The color of each status indicator starts changing again, to indicate the condition of each metric. Preparing your system for Resource Manager alerts You can use Resource Manager to send alert messages each time certain metrics change to a red alarm status, or back to green ( normal ) from a red alarm. The alerts can be in one or more of the following forms: Short Message Service (SMS) text messages to cell phones Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) messages Email messages To use Resource Manager to send alerts, you need to set up at least one Resource Manager server to send the alert messages. You will need to make sure that these servers have additional hardware or software to handle each type of alert you require: for example, a modem for SMS alerts, and an email system for email alerts. For SNMP alerts, you need to set up SNMP on every machine which has a metric configured to send SNMP alerts. When you have done this, you can configure settings in Resource Manager, such as who will receive the alert messages, and set up the individual server and application metrics that you want to trigger the alert messages. Preparing your system for email alerts To set up your system for email alerts, you first need to choose and configure the servers in the farm that you want to use to actually send the email messages. These servers are called MAPI Connection Servers. Selecting the MAPI Connection Servers You need to select one or more servers in the farm to be the MAPI Connection Servers: that is, the servers that send the email alert messages. You can configure metrics on any Resource Manager server to trigger email alerts, but it is the MAPI Connection Servers that actually send the alert messages, using your email system. Typically, you might configure two or three MAPI Connection Servers in the server farm: one of which is the main email server and the others to act as backup. Each MAPI Connection Server must be able to access a mail server (for example, Microsoft Exchange Server). It must have an email client installed (for example, Microsoft Outlook) that conforms to the X-400 protocols.
34 Resource Manager Administrator s Guide Creating a mail profile for Resource Manager On each MAPI Connection Server, you need to configure a mail profile for Resource Manager to use. The profile must have the same name and details on all of your MAPI Connection Servers. It is recommended that you give the profile a name that is easy to recognize (for example, Citrix Resource Manager). The profile is used throughout the server farm. When you create the mail profile, make sure that you include the mail system that you want to use: for example, Microsoft Exchange Server. You can also specify an address book for the profile. When you have finished setting up the profile, it is a good idea to test that you can logontoyouremailsystemusingtheprofile,andthatyoucansendamessage. Enabling the Resource Manager Mail Service Email alerts are managed by a service called the Resource Manager Mail Service. This service is installed automatically on all servers on which you install Resource Manager. You need to enable the service on each MAPI Connection Server. } To enable the Resource Manager Mail Service on a MAPI Connection Server 1. In the Windows Control Panel, open the Services folder, double-click the Resource Manager Mail Service, and select Properties. 2. Ensure that the startup type for the service is Automatic. 3. Change the logon for the service to This account. 4. Enter the details of the local user account that you want Resource Manager to use for email alerts. The account name must include the domain. Make sure that you type the account details exactly, or browse to the account so that you can be sure that the details you enter are correct. 5. Ensure that the Resource Manager Mail Service is started. Configuring Resource Manager to use email alerts When you have set up the MAPI connection servers, you can set up Resource Manager to use email alerts for the server farm. For example, you need to set up the people who will receive the alert messages. These settings apply to the entire server farm. } To configure Resource Manager to use email 1. In the left pane of Citrix Management Console, select Resource Manager. 2. In the right pane, select the E-mail tab.
Chapter 3 Monitoring Servers and Applications 35 3. Check that the MAPI Connection Servers list displays the names of the servers you have configured to send email alerts for the server farm. If necessary, use the Add and Delete buttons to edit the list. 4. Check that the Selected MAPI Profile exactly matches the profile that you have set up for Resource Manager on the MAPI Connection Servers. If it does not, use Edit to change the profile. 5. In Recipient Addresses, select the users who you want to receive email alert messages for the server farm. The users can be set up in the profile you have defined for Resource Manager on the MAPI Connection Servers. Tip You may want to organize the people you want to receive email alerts into groups in the address book for the Resource Manager profile. For example, you might create a group of people who normally receive the alerts, and another group who receive alerts during holiday periods. See the Resource Manager Help for: Instructions on how to set up a metric to trigger an alert Additional information about each dialog. Preparing your system for SMS alerts If you want to use SMS alerts, ensure that at least one Resource Manager server in the server farm has a modem. This may be an analog modem or an ISDN card. You need to investigate the modem requirements of the service providers for the cell phones to which you want to send alerts. Some service providers require a specific type of modem (usually analog). Where this is the case, at least one server with that type of modem must be in the server farm before you can use SMS alerts for that service provider. If the people that you want to receive SMS alerts use a variety of different service providers, you need to know the details of the gateway that Resource Manager must use to communicate with each service provider. Each provider is likely to have a different telephone number, and may employ a different protocol to carry the messages. Some service providers offer an analog line, others offer ISDN. You will probably need to configure a range of numbers to call, and a range of protocols to use.
36 Resource Manager Administrator s Guide Configuring Resource Manager to use SMS When you have ensured that all the requirements for SMS alerts are present, you can set up the way in which Resource Manager uses SMS for alerts in the server farm. For example, you need to set up the people who will receive the alert messages. These settings apply to the entire server farm. You need to select one or more servers in the farm to send the SMS alerts. A server that you have configured to send SMS alerts is called a TAPI Server. You can configure SMS alerts to occur on any Resource Manager server, but it is the TAPI Servers that communicate with the service providers and instruct them to send text messages. } To configure Resource Manager to use SMS alerts 1. In the left pane of Citrix Management Console, highlight Resource Manager. 2. In the right pane, select the SMS tab. 3. To configure the servers that you want to communicate with the service providers, in the TAPI Servers list, highlight the server you want to configure and click Edit to display a configuration dialog. 4. If the server has more than one modem, identify which modem to use, and specify the type of connection (analog or digital). 5. For each type of modem, you can use the Use Prefix box to specify any prefix (such as a dial-out access code) that the device needs to use. Do not enter anything in the Use Prefix box if some servers in the farm have been upgraded to MetaFrame XPe for Windows, Feature Release 1 or Service Pack 1, and others have not. If this is the case, you need to enter the prefix as part of the phone number when you set up the SMS gateway. 6. Use the Enabled checkbox to enable or disable this server for SMS alerts. By leaving this box unchecked, you can configure the server for SMS alerts, but specify that you do not want to use it at the present time. Similarly, if you need to reconfigure the server, you can just clear the Enabled box rather than having to reconfigure SMS messaging. 7. Click OK to return to the main SMS tab. 8. If required, set up the gateway that is to be used for calls to each service provider that you want to use. The SMS Gateways panel shows a list of all gateways that are currently configured. 9. When one or more gateways have been configured, you can set up the details of the people who can receive SMS alerts. The Users panel shows a list of all the people who are currently configured to receive the alerts.
Chapter 3 Monitoring Servers and Applications 37 10. If you want, you can organize the alert recipients into groups. The Groups panel shows a list of all existing groups, and the number of members in each. See the Resource Manager Help for: Instructions on how to set up a metric to trigger an alert Additional information about each dialog. Preparing your system for SNMP alerts To receive SNMP messages, a computer on a network requires an SNMP management tool that enables it to listen for messages. A number of third-party commercial tools are available. You need to set up SNMP on every machine which has a metric configured to send SNMP alerts. Important If you want Resource Manager to send alerts for the Count metric on any applications that are running in the server farm (see Keeping track of application usage on page 31), make sure that the Farm Metric server has the SNMP service enabled and running. The Farm Metric server is the server that interprets metrics, such as application counts, that apply to the entire server farm. } To configure Resource Manager to use SNMP alerts 1. In the left pane of Citrix Management Console, highlight Resource Manager. 2. In the right pane, select the SNMP tab. 3. Click Edit. 4. Type the exact name of the SNMP community that is to receive the alert message. 5. Identify the destination port number that is to receive the SNMP messages. To use the default port (you would nearly always want to do this), enter 0. 6. Identify the local port number. To use the default port (you would nearly always want to do this), enter 0. See the Resource Manager Help for: Instructions on how to set up a metric to trigger an alert Additional information about each dialog.
38 Resource Manager Administrator s Guide Getting more information about monitoring Look in the Resource Manager online Help for more detailed information about: Monitoring applications. You can use Resource Manager to keep a count of how many instances of specific applications are running in the server farm, and notify you if the number of instances of a monitored application reaches a defined limit. This enables you to manage application licenses. Displaying a graph that tracks a metric s value in real time. Changing the alarm thresholds for a metric. Ignoring specific processes on a server.
C HAPTER 4 Reporting and Analyzing Information Overview This chapter describes how you can generate and analyze reports using data that is held on each server. Topics in this chapter include: Displaying the current status of a server Displaying stored data about applications and users Viewing reports that you have saved Creating reports to analyze data Resource Manager enables you to produce a variety of reports based on the data that has been collected about your server farm. Reports in Resource Manager present detailed information about your network environment, and include the following: the status of your server farm at a particular moment in time the statistics about the users in your server farm. You can use this information to inform others about the network environment, and to establish future resource requirements. You can identify why problems have occurred, and reduce the likelihood of these occurrences in the future. The information in the reports comes from a local store of Resource Manager data that is held on each Resource Manager server. This store holds Resource Manager data for the previous 48 hours.
40 Resource Manager Administrator s Guide } To produce a report 1. In the left pane of the Citrix Management Console, select Resource Manager. 2. Select the Reports tab. 3. Choose from the following types of report, and refer to each section for further information: System Snapshot - refer to Looking back to a specific time Current Processes - refer to Reporting about use of applications Current Users - refer to Reporting user activity Once you have generated a report, you can save it as HTML or CSV format, which you can then include in a document. Note Resource Manager uses a number of HTML templates to create reports. These are located on each server in the Citrix Resource Manager folder, and must not be edited so that any inconsistencies in the reports are avoided. Looking back to a specific time If there is a problem on a particular server, you can produce a system snapshot which displays information about the status of the server at the exact time when the problem occurred. You can then use this report to try and evaluate why the problem happened. } To produce a system snapshot 1. Select System Snapshot from the Reports tab. 2. Use the options to specify the interval of time for which you want records to be displayed.
Reporting about use of applications Chapter 4 Reporting and Analyzing Information 41 You can produce a report that displays information about the processes that are being monitored in the server farm and, in particular, processes that are running on a specific server. } To produce a recent process report 1. Select Current Processes from the Reports tab. 2. Choose which process and user to report on, and use the Report Options check boxes to specify the information that you want to include in the report. Reporting on user activity You can use Resource Manager to provide information about how users at your site use applications and servers. } To display a user analysis report 1. Select Current Users from the Reports tab 2. Select which user you want to analyze, and for which server.
42 Resource Manager Administrator s Guide Viewing saved reports You can view reports that have been saved as an HTML file, and if necessary, you can convert to CSV. } To view a saved report 1. Select View Saved Report from the Reports tab. 2. Navigate to the location of the report, and click Open.
C HAPTER 5 Frequently Asked Questions This chapter covers some common questions that you may encounter when using Resource Manager, and offers possible resolutions. It covers issues related to: Installing Resource Manager Using the new functionality in Feature Release 1 / Service Pack 1 Choosing the Farm Metric Server Real-time monitoring Time zones Finding Help information
44 Resource Manager Administrator s Guide Installing Resource Manager Q: Can I install the Feature Release 1 / Service Pack 1 version of Resource Manager without installing Resource Manager first? No. The installer does not include a full installation of Resource Manager: it only installs updated features. When you run the installation program that upgrades a MetaFrame XPe server to Feature Release 1 or Service Pack 1, the program automatically detects whether Resource Manager is installed on the server. If Resource Manager is present, the installation program automatically upgrades it to the Feature Release 1 / Service Pack 1 version. Therefore, to use the Feature Release 1 / Service Pack 1 functionality of Resource Manager, you must install a full Resource Manager version of MetaFrame XPe, and then upgrade it to Feature Release 1 or Service Pack 1. UsingnewFeatureRelease1/ServicePack1functionality Q: Do I need to upgrade the servers in my server farm in a specific order? If you decide to upgrade servers to Feature Release 1 or Service Pack 1 over a period of time (rather than all at the same time), make sure that you upgrade the Farm Metric servers (main and backup) before upgrading other Resource Manager servers in the server farm. Resource Manager uses the Farm Metric Server to interpret information collected from the other servers. This may cause inconsistency if another server is running a later version of Resource Manager. Q: I set up a feature in Resource Manager, but it doesn't seem to be working. What could be the problem? Check whether the server you are monitoring has been upgraded to Resource Manager for MetaFrame XPe for Windows, Feature Release 1 or Service Pack 1. It is possible to use Resource Manager in an environment where some servers in the server farm have been upgraded to Resource Manager for MetaFrame XPe for Windows, Feature Release 1 or Service Pack 1, and others have not. However, if you are monitoring a server which has not been upgraded, certain aspects of the user interface in Feature Release 1 / Service Pack 1 will not work for that server, even if the server from which you are running the Citrix Management Console has been upgraded.
Managing the Resource Manager local database Farm Metric Server Chapter 5 Frequently Asked Questions 45 Q: How is metric data stored for each Resource Manager server? Each MetaFrame XPe server with Resource Manager installed has a Microsoft Jet Access database, in which it stores metric values and application information for the last 48 hours. This database is located in:...\citrix Resource Manager\LocalDB\RMLocalDatabase. It is accessed only when creating real-time graphs, displaying system snapshots, and running reports on that specific server. Q: How can I manage the size of the local database on each Resource Manager server? The local Resource Manager database on each server is compacted each time you restart the server, or when you start and stop the IMA service. However, this file may grow large, and to save disk space you may want to compact the database manually. } If you need to reduce the size of the database: 1. In the Control Panel, navigate to the Services dialog. 2. Stop and then Start the Independent Management Architecture service. This will compact the local database. This action does not affect users that are already logged into the server. For regular database compaction, you can create a script to stop and restart the IMA service, and schedule it to run at times when farm activity is low. Q: What is the best way to select the Farm Metric Servers for Resource Manager in my server farm? It is recommended that the Farm Metric Servers (main and backup) are servers that are lightly loaded and, preferably, MetaFrame XP Data Collectors. This is because the Farm Metric Server gathers its information from the Data Collector. By default, the first server on which you install Resource Manager becomes the Farm Metric Server. The second server on which you install Resource Manager becomes the Farm Metric Backup server. If these servers will experience heavy loading or are not Data Collectors, you should specify different servers to be the Farm Metric Servers. If you want Resource Manager to notify you by sending alerts when a server in the farm stops operating, the Farm Metric server must be a server on which you have installed Resource Manager for MetaFrame XPe for Windows, Feature Release 1 or Service Pack 1.
46 Resource Manager Administrator s Guide See the Resource Manager online help for instructions on how to change the Farm Metric Server to a different machine after installation. Q: How do I find out which server is currently acting as the Farm Metric Server? } To identify the Farm Metric Server 1. On any Resource Manager server, start the Citrix Management Console. 2. In the left pane of the Citrix Management Console, highlight Resource Manager. 3. In the right pane, select the Farm Metric Server tab. The current Farm Metric Server is listed. Real-time monitoring Q: I am getting the error message: The Farm Metric Server cannot be contacted. What can I do? If you see this message: 1. First, find out which servers are acting as the Farm Metric Server and the Backup Farm Metric Server. 2. Ensure that both the Farm Metric Server and the backup are operational. If either server is down, restart it. If either of the machines is heavily loaded, the Farm Metric Server can take some time to respond, so the error indicates a TimeOut error. If you suspect that this might be the case, wait for a few moments, or change the Farm Metric server and the backup to machines that are more lightly loaded. Q: What are metrics, and where do they come from? Metrics are the trackable items that Resource Manager measures for a server or application. A metric is a combination of: An object. This is the category that you want to monitor. It is a physical or logical system resource: for example, a computer's hard disk. The instance of the object. For example, a computer may have more than one hard disk. In this case, the instance would identify which disk you want to examine. The counter to be monitored. This is the specific aspect of the object that you want to monitor. For example, processor time. Resource Manager can track any Performance Monitor counter as a server metric.
Chapter 5 Frequently Asked Questions 47 Q: How many metrics can I monitor on a server? It is recommended to limit the total number of metrics being tracked on a server to less than 50. Q: For a MetaFrame XP Published Application, Resource Manager shows the application count as zero, even though some instances of the application are running. How can I see the correct application count? Check that you have specified the full path name (rather than just the application executable) in the Properties dialog for the published application in MetaFrame XP.ItisagoodideatousetheBrowsebuttontoselecttheexecutabletomakesure that you are using the correct full path. For instructions on publishing applications, see the documentation for MetaFrame XP. Q: The IMA service crashed while I was adding Resource Manager metrics to a server. What happened? If the IMA service stops working while you are adding metrics for monitoring on a server, it may be because you have tried to add a metric which has a duplicate instance. This has been observed, for example, with the Physical Disk metric, on machines with a zip drive installed. When a metric with duplicate instances exists, Resource Manager cannot monitor either instance of that metric. Q: Some metric values reported by Resource Manager are negative. What should I do? Some values returned by the Windows Performance API and displayed by Resource Manager are negative. You should ignore these values. Q: How can I monitor the disk on my Microsoft Windows 2000 Server machine? By default, Resource Manager monitors the LogicalDisk performance object on Windows 2000 Server machines. Some installations of Windows 2000 Server, without Windows 2000 Service Pack 1 installed, do not include the LogicalDisk performance object. If you have this type of installation, there is no disk monitoring metric included in the default list of metrics. There are two possible ways that you can address this: You can monitor the PhysicalDisk performance object instead, by adding appropriate PhysicalDisk metrics using Resource Manager. Unfortunately, this means that only the physical drive is monitored, not each partition, and % Disk Free Space is not monitored. You can install Windows 2000 Service Pack 1, which enables you to monitor the LogicalDisk object. This is usually preferable, as you can then also monitor the physical drive, partition and % Disk Free Space.
48 Resource Manager Administrator s Guide Q: A server in my server farm stopped operating, but Resource Manager did not send an alert to warn me that this had happened. Why not? In order to send alerts when a server stops operating, the Farm Metric Server must be a server on which you have installed Resource Manager for MetaFrame XPe for Windows, Feature Release 1 or Service Pack 1. The Farm Metric Server is the server that interprets metrics that apply to the entire server farm (for example, application counts) and sends alerts if necessary. By default, the first server on which you install Resource Manager becomes the Farm Metric Server. See the Resource Manager online Help for instructions on how to change to a different Farm Metric Server after installation. Remote connection to Resource Manager servers Q: Can I use a non-metaframe workstation to display Resource Manager information for a remote MetaFrame XPe server? You can view Resource Manager information on a remote MetaFrame XPe server from a non-metaframe workstation. To do this, you need to install the Citrix Management Console on the workstation, then add the elements that are used to display Resource Manager data. 1. Ensure that Resource Manager is installed on the MetaFrame XPe server for which you want to view Resource Manager information. 2. Install the Citrix Management Console on the workstation, using the setup program on the MetaFrame XP Server CD: XP_ServerCD:\Administration\setup.exe Important It is not possible to use the installation program on the System Monitoring and Analysis CD (included with MetaFrame XPe) to install Resource Manager on a workstation.
Chapter 5 Frequently Asked Questions 49 Time Zones 3. From a MetaFrame XPe server that has Resource Manager installed, copy the following files to their corresponding location on the workstation: %ProgramFiles%\Citrix\Administration\Plugins\ResourceManager.jar %ProgramFiles%\Citrix\Administration\Help\rms20.jar %ProgramFiles%\JavaSoft\JRE\1.3\lib\ext\base.jar %ProgramFiles%\JavaSoft\JRE\1.3\lib\ext\DataTransform.jar %ProgramFiles%\JavaSoft\JRE\1.3\lib\ext\Date.jar %ProgramFiles%\JavaSoft\JRE\1.3\lib\ext\line.jar 4. If you want, upgrade the Resource Manager components on the workstation (see below for instructions), so that you can display the Feature Release 1 / Service Pack 1 version of Resource Manager. For details of the new features, see What s new in Feature Release 1 / Service Pack 1? on page 9. 5. Start the Citrix Management Console on the workstation. Q: On a non-metaframe workstation, how do I upgrade the Resource Manager components to Feature Release 1 / Service Pack 1? } ToseetheFeatureRelease1/ServicePack1functionality 1. On the workstation, run the Citrix Management Console installer on the CD- ROM for MetaFrame XPe for Windows, Feature Release 1 / Service Pack 1. See the MetaFrame XP Administrator s Guide for full installation instructions for Feature Release 1 / Service Pack 1. Q: I have connected to a Resource Manager server in a different time zone, and have seen some apparent time discrepancies. What is happening? All dates and times displayed in the CMC are in the context of the server's time zone and current local time. You also need to be aware that, when you connect to a server using an ICA client, the clock shown on your remote desktop is in the client machine s time frame (although it looks like the server). If you look in the local database for any reason, please note that the times stored there are in UTC (= GMT), and therefore cannot be directly compared with the times displayed in the CMC.
50 Resource Manager Administrator s Guide Looking for Help information Q: I cannot find any Resource Manager terms in the Citrix Management Console Help index. Where are they? The different components of MetaFrame XPe ship with their own JavaHelp.jar files. Because of this, when you use the Citrix Management Console Help index, you will see various alphabetical lists: one for the Citrix Management Console itself, one for Load Manager and others for additional components that you have installed, for example, Resource Manager or Installation Manager. This is a Java limitation. When looking for terms in the index, make sure that you scroll down to the list for the appropriate product.
A PPENDIX A Default Metric Set Overview Introduction This appendix describes the default set of metrics that are monitored by Resource Manager. During installation, Resource Manager automatically configures a default set of metrics for each server, according to the server type. There is a default set of metrics for: Windows NT 4.0, Terminal Server Edition Windows 2000 Server When you first install, Resource Manager picks a set of default metrics and settings for your server type. These settings should give a good overview of the system, and should mean that you can start monitoring straight away without needing to customize the settings. As you get more used to the normal ranges of your system usage, you may want to fine-tune the settings, or add different metrics. The main factors of each server that Resource Manager is monitoring are: Network cards or interfaces Processor Disks Page files Session usage Memory
52 Resource Manager Administrator s Guide Default set of metrics for Windows 2000 Server Logical Disk % Disk Time Gives an indication as to how busy the disks are. The disk can become a bottleneck for a number of reasons: The server has too little physical memory so is thrashing. If thrashing is occurring, the pages/sec will also be high. A single user is running an application or process, which makes extensive and rapid use of the disk. You can investigate such a user by running Current Process and Current User reports. Many users are performing large amounts of disk activity. The speed of the disks may be the server s bottleneck. The metric % Disk Time is calculated using a number of factors and values above 100% are possible. If you see values of 100% disk time, the disk is in constant use. Values greater than 100% may indicate that the disk is too slow for the number of requests. % Free Space The server is running out of disk space. This can be for a number of reasons: Memory A lack of remaining disk space after installing the Operating System and applications. A large number of users have logged in (now or in the past) and their configuration data, settings and files are taking up too much space. There is a rogue process or user who is consuming a large amount of disk space. Available Bytes Informs the administrator if too much memory is being used. This could be because: Toomanyusersareloggedin. The applications users are running are too memory hungry for the amount of memory available on the server. There is some user or process using a large amount of memory. Running a Current Process report may help you track this down. Being short on memory could result in thrashing. The disk usage and paging metrics may also change to a red alarm state.
Appendix A 53 Pages/sec A large amount of paging indicates either: The system is low on physical memory and the disk is being used extensively as virtual memory. This can be caused by too many users being logged on, too many processes running or a rogue process stealing virtual memory. An active process or processes are making large and frequent memory accesses. Too much paging will degrade the performance of the server for all users logged on. The Available Bytes, Disk and % Processor Time metrics may also enter warning or danger states when a large amount of paging occurs. Short bursts of heavy paging are normal, but long periods of heavy paging will seriously affect server performance. Network Interface Bytes Total/sec Gives a good indication of how much network activity this server is generating/ receiving. If this metric changes to yellow or red, the server is experiencing unusually high network activity and may cause a network saturation. If too many users are remotely logged on for the network card to support, this metric may change to a warning or danger state. In this situation, the bottleneck could be the network or server s network card, which may decrease performance of users sessions. Paging File Processor %Usage A high page file usage usually indicates that the server s page file size should be extended. If the Memory: Pages/sec metric is also high, then it may be a good idea to add more physical memory. % Interrupt Time The processor is spending a large amount of time responding to input and output rather than user processing. A large value for interrupt time usually indicates a hardware problem or a very busy server. % Processor Time A high processor time for a long period of time indicates that the processor(s) is the bottleneck of the server, there are too many users logged in, or there is a rogue user or process (use the Current Process report to investigate).
54 Resource Manager Administrator s Guide System Context Switches/sec A large number of threads and/or processes are competing for processor time. Terminal Services Active Sessions There are a large number of users logged in and running applications. The server may begin running out of memory or processor time and performance for users may deteriorate. Inactive Sessions There are a large number of disconnected sessions, which are taking up virtual memory. You should remove some disconnected sessions, or reduce the length of time for which disconnected sessions can persist until they are automatically destroyed. Default set of metrics for Windows NT 4.0, Terminal Server Edition Logical Disk % Disk Time Gives an indication as to how busy the disks are. The disk can become a bottleneck for a number of reasons: The server has too little physical memory so is thrashing. If thrashing is occurring, the pages/sec will also be high. A single user is running an application or process, which makes extensive and rapid use of the disk. You can investigate such a user by running Current Process and Current User reports. Many users are performing large amounts of disk activity. The speed of the disks may be the server s bottleneck. The metric % Disk Time is calculated using a number of factors and values above 100% are possible. If you see values of 100% disk time, the disk is in constant use. Values greater than 100% may indicate that the disk is too slow for the number of requests. % Free Space The server is running out of disk space. This can be for a number of reasons: A lack of remaining disk space after installing the Operating System and applications.
Appendix A 55 Memory A large number of users have logged in (now or in the past) and their configuration data, settings and files are taking up too much space. There is a rogue process or user who is consuming a large amount of disk space. Available Bytes Informs the administrator if too much memory is being used. This could be because: Network Segment Toomanyusersareloggedin. The applications users are running consume too much memory relative to the amount of memory available on the server. There is some user or process using a large amount of memory. To help you track this down, you can run a Current Processes report. Being short on memory could result in thrashing. The disk usage and paging metrics may also change to a red alarm state. Pages/sec A large amount of paging indicates either: The system is low on physical memory and the disk is being used extensively as virtual memory. This can be caused by too many users being logged on, too many processes running or a rogue process stealing virtual memory. An active process or processes are making large and frequent memory accesses. Too much paging will degrade the performance of the server for all users logged on. The Available Bytes, Disk and % Total Processor Time metrics may also enter warning states when a large amount of paging occurs. Short bursts of heavy paging are normal, but long periods of heavy paging will seriously affect server performance. % Network utilization Gives a good indication of how much network activity this server is generating/ receiving. If this metric changes to yellow or red, the server is experiencing unusually high network activity and may cause a network saturation. If too many users are remotely logged on for the network card to support, this metric may change to a warning state. In this situation, the bottleneck could be the network or server s network card, which may decrease performance of users sessions.
56 Resource Manager Administrator s Guide Paging File System %Usage A high page file usage usually indicates that the server s page file size should be extended. If the Memory: Pages/sec metric is also high, then it may be a good idea to add more physical memory. Active Sessions There are a large number of users logged in and running applications. The server may begin running out of memory or processor time and performance for users may deteriorate. Context Switches/sec A large number of threads and/or processes are competing for processor time. Inactive Sessions There are a large number of disconnected sessions, which are taking up virtual memory. You should remove some disconnected sessions, or reduce the length of time for which disconnected sessions can persist until they are automatically removed. % Total Interrupt Time The processor is spending a large amount of time responding to input and output rather than user processing. A large value for interrupt time usually indicates a hardware problem or a very busy server. % Total Processor Time A high processor time for a long period of time indicates either the processor(s) is the bottleneck of the server, there are too many users logged in, or there is a rogue user or process (use a Current Process report to investigate). Total protocol Bytes/sec The number of bytes sent through the network to display to remote users. If this is particularly high, a large number of users are receiving frequent screen updates from the server. The users display performance may deteriorate as more users log on, or when other network activity is performed by the server (for instance, copying a file).
Glossary A PPENDIX B alarm A condition that occurs when a metric value is equal to, or outside of, the upper and lower limits for a defined period of time. alarm threshold The upper and lower limits for a particular metric, beyond which an alarm condition occurs. The values for default metrics are automatically set during installation, but a user can later assign these values. alert An event that is triggered by an alarm, and which can be one of the following: an email message, an SNMP message, or an SMS message (cell phone alert). Citrix Management Console Citrix s extensible, platform-independent tool for administering Citrix servers and management products. data store A data store that centralizes configuration information about published applications, users, printers, and servers. Each Citrix server farm has a single data store. Independent Management Architecture (IMA) Citrix s server-to-server infrastructure that provides robust, secure, and scalable tools for managing any size server farm. Among other features, IMA enables centralized platform-independent management, an ODBC-compliant data store, and a suite of management products that plug in to the Citrix Management Console. license number An alphanumeric string displayed by Citrix Management Console when you enter a product serial number. You enter the license number on the Citrix Activation System web page to receive an activation code for the MetaFrame XP server license. MAPI Connection Server The server that holds information about MAPI connections. MDAC Microsoft Data Access Components. A collection of Microsoft software components that provide ODBC core functionality and ODBC drivers for many database management systems (DBMS). MetaFrame Citrix s server-based computing solution that incorporates Citrix s Independent Computing Architecture (ICA) protocol. metric One of a series of measurable items for a server or application. You can select which metrics you want to monitor for a particular server.