Dell Power Solutions

SYSTEMS MANAGEMENTWeb serverGlobal InternetnetworkFirewallSwitchLoad balancerFirewallApplicationserverSuite of agentless monitorstracks more than 65IT infrastructure componentsEnd userAdministrators can easily configure alertand automated error recovery settingsPowerEdge serverrunning SiteScopeSiteScope identifies problemsusing detailed reports and performance dataDatabaseserverFigure 1. A Dell PowerEdge server loaded with Mercury SiteScope monitors the IT infrastructureis implemented as a Java server application. It runs on the serveras a daemon process, monitors system parameters, sends alerts, andgenerates summary reports. Administrators connect to Site Scopeusing a Web browser, and can view status information and makeconfiguration changes from a centralized location, as shown in theexample scenario in Figure 1.SiteScope also allows system administrators to remotely monitormultiple servers from a central installation without the need foragents on the remotely monitored systems. SiteScope accomplishesremote monitoring by logging into systems as a user from its centralserver, which can run on Microsoft ® Windows ® , UNIX® , and Linux®operating system platforms. Several login formats are supported,including Telnet, remote login (rlogin), HTTP, Secure Shell (SSH),and Network BIOS (NetBIOS).Incorporating the IPMI specificationThe Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) 1.5 specificationfacilitates the management of rack-mounted Internet serversand systems in remote environments over serial, modem, andlocal area network (LAN) connections. IPMI 1.5 also includes theability to automatically alertIT managers of system errorsand enable immediate systemrecovery, regardless of powerstate or supported communicationsmedia.SiteScope is currently theindustry’s only agentless endto-endinfrastructure monitoringsolution that supports IPMI.Using the IPMI 1.5 specificationfor hardware monitoring,Agentless monitoringenables IT and operationsgroups to spend more timebuilding and improvingproduction systems and lesstime monitoring them.SiteScope is designed to collect data from any server that isIPMI enabled, such as eighth-generation Dell PowerEdge servers.SiteScope’s IPMI monitor takes advantage of the LAN interface andcollects metrics remotely. This means that SiteScope can supportIPMI-enabled systems without requiring agents to run on the serverthat is being monitored.One huge benefit of the IPMI specification is that it provides afacility for monitoring critical metrics—even if the server is downor hung. This is essential for enterprise-wide monitoring because itenables SiteScope to determine whether the underlying hardware isfunctioning properly. In contrast, agent-based systems can becomeinoperable when the host server crashes.Temperature is a critical metric for determining server health.Many IT organizations have multiple racks of servers operatingin small spaces. Such dense environments can create excessivetemperatures that lead to server failure. Because it supports IPMI,SiteScope has the capability to monitor temperature changes in realtime and identify negative trends. This helps IT staff to understandtemperature patterns and develop profiles of normal fluctuations tohead off potentially devastating overheating situations.The benefits of monitoring Dell servers with Mercury SiteScopeMercury SiteScope monitors and helps ensure the availability andperformance of a wide variety of distributed IT infrastructures,including Dell PowerEdge servers, PowerVault storage systems,PowerConnect devices, applications, network devices, infrastructureservers, and system components. SiteScope continuously monitorsthe performance of these components and sends alerts when potentialproblems are detected.Mercury SiteScope software is available directly from Dell; smallto medium-sized businesses and large enterprises can purchaseSiteScope installed on a Dell PowerEdge 1850 server. Alternatively,64POWER SOLUTIONS Reprinted from Dell Power Solutions, February 2005. Copyright © 2005 Dell Inc. All rights reserved. February 2005