7.1 GroupWise Monitor Overview

7.1.1 GroupWise Monitor Functionality

GroupWise Monitor enables you to monitor the status of all agents throughout your GroupWise system in one convenient location. You can install Monitor on either Linux or Windows. Either version can monitor agents on both Linux and Windows. Depending on the installation platform, two or three different monitoring environments are available:

  • Monitor Web Console: The Monitor Web console, provided by the Monitor Application, takes advantage of your Web server’s capabilities to make agent status information available to you when you are outside your firewall.

  • Monitor Agent Web Console: The Monitor Agent Web console, provided by the Monitor Agent itself, can be used only behind your firewall but provides capabilities not available in the Monitor Web console. This section focuses on using the full-featured Monitor Agent Web console.

    NOTE:The Monitor Web consoles are available on both Linux and Windows.

  • Monitor Agent Server Console: The Monitor Agent server console is available only on Windows servers. All agent configuration tasks can be performed at the Monitor Agent server console, but some reports are not available.

Specific differences in functionality between the Monitor consoles are summarized in Comparing the Monitor Consoles in Monitor in the GroupWise 2012 Administration Guide.

7.1.2 GroupWise Monitor Components

GroupWise Monitor consists of two components, the Monitor Agent and the Monitor Application.

GroupWise Monitor Components
  • Monitor Agent: The Monitor Agent continuously polls other GroupWise agents (POA, MTA, and GWIA, as well as the Messenger Agents, and GroupWise gateways), gathers status information from them, and displays the status information at the Monitor Agent server console. The Monitor Agent also services requests for agent status information from the Monitor Application.

  • Monitor Application: The Monitor Application extends the capability of your Web server so that agent status information can be displayed in your Web browser. Two browser-based consoles are available:

7.1.3 One Monitor Server versus Two

The Monitor Agent and the Monitor Application can run together on a Linux server or a Windows server. The server where they run together must be a Web server because the Monitor Application is installed into the Web server installation.

The Monitor Agent and the Monitor Application can also run on different servers. The security issues discussed in Monitor Security Requirements might determine whether you run the Monitor Agent on the same server with the Web server and the Monitor Application.

7.1.4 Monitor Security Requirements

GroupWise Monitor can be configured to support the level of security you have established for your Internet/intranet communication.

If you are not concerned about security issues (for example, you only plan to use Monitor on a secured intranet), you can install the Monitor components to any servers that provide access for your GroupWise administrators and that meet the requirements listed in Section 7.2, Monitor System Requirements.

If you plan to use Monitor to provide GroupWise administrators with access to your GroupWise system from anywhere on the Internet (rather than simply within a secured intranet), and you already have a firewall in place to provide security, you have the following options for configuring Monitor:

Configuring Monitor with a Proxy Service

If your firewall includes a proxy service, you can install the Monitor Application to a Web server inside your firewall, and the Monitor Agent to another server inside the firewall, as shown in the following illustration.

Monitor Installed inside the Firewall

If desired, the Monitor Agent can also be installed to the Web server rather than a separate server, as discussed in Section 7.1.3, One Monitor Server versus Two.

Configuring Monitor without a Proxy Service

If your firewall does not provide a proxy service, you need to install the Monitor Application to a Web server that is outside the firewall. Because the Monitor Agent requires direct access to a GroupWise domain directory, it needs to be installed to a server that is located within the firewall. It should be installed to the same server where a domain directory is located.

Monitor Installed outside the Firewall

The firewall must allow inbound IP packets to be sent from the Web server to the IP address and port number of the Monitor Agent (for example, 172.16.5.18:8200).

In addition, the firewall must allow outbound IP packets to be sent from the Monitor Agent to the Web server. This requires all high ports (above 1023) to be open to outbound IP packets.

7.1.5 Monitor and the GroupWise High Availability Service on Linux

The Linux version of Monitor can be used with the GroupWise High Availability service (gwha) to automatically restart GroupWise agents when they stop unexpectedly. For setup instructions, see Enabling the GroupWise High Availability Service for the Linux GroupWise Agents.

There is no GroupWise High Availability service for Windows. Windows includes a mechanism for restarting services automatically when they stop unexpectedly. For more information, see Restarting the Windows Agents Automatically.