Network/Internet monitor functions

This group contains functions that are used to monitor Network/Internet protocols and services.

HTTP/HTTPs function

GFI Network Server Monitor can check for the availability of HTTP and HTTPs sites, through specified ports.

GFI Network Server Monitor can be configured to go through a proxy server and to pass access credentials when authentication is required. These credentials can be specified as part of the GFI Network Server Monitor Proxy Server parameters, which are configured from the `General Options' node. For more information on proxy server parameters, please refer to the `Proxy Server settings' section in the `General Options' chapter.

Should the HTTP/HTTPS site require authentication, GFI Network Server Monitor will pass the username and password specified in the Logon Credentials of the monitoring check. For more information on authentication details, please refer to the Logon Credentials section in the `Configuring GFI Network Server Monitor' chapter.

URL:http(s):// - Specify the location of the HTTP/HTTPS site in URL format (i.e. http://server[:port]/path/... format).

Use server verification (https) for this site - Enable, this flag when logon credentials are required to access the target site.

Check for availability only - Enable this option to check ONLY for the availability of a target site.

Check availability - Enable this flag to check the availability of a target site as well as to search its contents for a specific string.

Contains the following text - Enable this flag and specify the string to be searched for, in the contents of the target site. If no match is found, the check will be classified as failed.

Does not contain the following string - Enable this flag and specify the string to be searched for, in the contents of the target site. If no match is found, then the check is classified as successful.

Use http web site authentication - Enable this flag if the HTTP target site requires authentication. This option will use the authentication details specified in the logon credentials of the check properties.

Use proxy server - Enable this flag if the target web site is to be accessed through the Proxy server.

FTP

GFI Network Server Monitor can check the availability of FTP sites through specified ports.

GFI Network Server Monitor can be configured to go through a proxy server as well as to pass access credentials to the specified FTP site should authentication be required.

URL:ftp(s):// - Specify the location of the ftp site in URL format (i.e. ftp://server[:port]/path/... format).

Use FTP site authentication - Enable this flag when logon credentials are required to access the specified FTP site.

Use Proxy server - Enable this flag if the specified FTP site is to be accessed through a Proxy server.

IMAP Mailserver check

GFI Network Server Monitor can check the availability of IMAP mail servers. The IMAP Mailserver check initiates a handshake connection to the remote IMAP port and through the replies received, it can verify if the remote server's IMAP protocol is working properly. This check can also be configured to physically log on to a specific mailbox and check for the number of emails present in a folder within the accessed mailbox. This will verify that the IMAP service is indeed running, accessible and delivering the service required to the end users. The IMAP check also supports logon to the IMAP mailbox using SSL. Through SSL, you can secure the transmission session by electronically authenticating each end of an encrypted transmission.

Port - Specify the TCP port to be used when connecting to the IMAP mail server (IMAP default port is 143).

Timeout - Specify the connection timeout in milliseconds. The check will fail if a connection is not established before the specified timeout passes.

Requires an encrypted connection (SSL) - Select this option if you want to encrypt the data during transmission.

Login to mailbox - Select this option if you want to physically check whether a mailbox on your mail server can be logged on to.

Mail count in folder - Select this option if you want the check to fail/succeed based on the number of emails present in a folder on the IMAP server. In addition, you must specify the:

IMAP folder name (e.g. Inbox)

Logical comparison operator: Specify if the count should be `equal to', `not equal to', `less than', `less than or equal to', `greater than', `greater than or equal to' a specified value.

The value (i.e., the number of emails) to which the retrieved count will be compared.

NOTE: When the `Login to mailbox' option is selected, alternative credentials will be required so that this check can remotely log on to the mailbox on your IMAP server. The New Check Wizard automatically prompts you to configure these alternative credentials (i.e., the user name and password) during the creation of this check. After the check has been created, you can make changes to alternative credentials from the Check properties dialog > `Logon Credentials' tab.

NNTP news server availability

GFI Network Server Monitor can check NNTP news servers by starting a handshake connection on the remote TCP port (normally port 119). By handshaking, GFI Network Server Monitor can verify that the remote server's NNTP protocol is online and functional.

Port - Specify the TCP port number to be used when connecting to NNTP news server. (NNTP Default port is 119).

Send command when connected - Enable this flag to send a specified command as soon as the connection is established.

Response must include the following string - Enable this flag in order to check if the response message contains a specified string.

Timeout - Specify the number of milliseconds before the function will timeout. Usually, a connection to the server will be established within 1 second. However, some slow/busy servers need more time. Default value is set to 7000 milliseconds.

POP3 Mailserver check

GFI Network Server Monitor can check the availability of POP3 mail servers. The POP3 Mailserver check initiates a handshake connection to the remote POP3 port and through the replies received, it can verify if the remote server's POP3 protocol is working properly. This check can also be configured to physically log on to a specific mailbox and check for the number of emails present in a folder within the accessed mailbox. This will verify that the POP3 service is indeed running, accessible and delivering the required service to end users. The POP3 check also supports logon to the POP3 mailbox using SSL. Through SSL, you can secure the transmission session by electronically authenticating each end of an encrypted transmission.

Port - Specify the TCP port to be used when connecting to the POP3 mail server (POP3 Default port is 110).

Timeout - Specify the connection timeout in milliseconds. The check will fail if a connection is not established before the specified timeout elapses.

Requires an encrypted connection (SSL) - Select this option if you want to encrypted the transmission (i.e. establish a secure session by electronically authenticating each end of an encrypted transmission).

Mail count in folder - Select this option if you want to count the number of emails in a POP3 mail box. In addition, you must specify the:

Logical comparison operator: State if the count should be `equal to', `not equal to', `less than', `less than or equal to', `greater than', `greater than or equal to' a specified value.

The value (i.e., the number of emails) to which the retrieved count will be compared to.

NOTE: When the `Login to mailbox' option is selected, alternative credentials will be required so that this check can remotely log on to the mailbox on your POP3 server. The New Check Wizard automatically prompts you to configure these alternative credentials (i.e., the user name and password) during the creation of this check. After the check has been created, you can make changes to alternative credentials from the Check properties dialog > `Logon Credentials' tab.

SMTP Mailserver check

GFI Network Server Monitor can check the availability of SMTP mail servers. The SMTP Mailserver check initiates a handshake connection to the remote SMTP port and through the replies received, it can verify if the remote server's SMTP protocol is working properly. This check can also be configured to physically log on to the server (where applicable) and gain access to the SMTP service. Once logon is authorized, the SMTP check can also send a physical test email to a target email address. This will verify that the SMTP service is indeed running, accessible and delivering the required service to end users.

The SMTP check also supports logon to the SMTP server using SSL. Through SSL, you can secure the transmission session by electronically authenticating each end of an encrypted transmission.

Port - Specify the TCP port to be used when connecting to the SMTP mail server (SMTP Default port is 25).

Timeout - Specify the connection timeout in milliseconds. The check will fail if a connection is not established before the specified timeout elapses.

Send an email to one or more recipients - Select this option if you want to verify your SMTP server's functionality by sending a test email to particular recipients. To specify the sender and recipient(s) email address, click on `Configure'.

NOTE: When the `Login to mailbox' option is selected, alternative credentials will be required so that this check can remotely logon to the mailbox on your SMTP server. The New Check Wizard automatically prompts you to configure these alternative credentials (i.e., the user name and password) during the creation of this check. After the check has been created, you can make changes to alternative credentials from the Check properties dialog > `Logon Credentials' tab.

NTP Time Server availability

Most of organizations use a time server to ensure accurate time settings. The NTP protocol is the protocol used to synchronize times between workstations/servers, and external time sources. GFI Network Server Monitor uses NTP to check the availability of internal and external time sources.

DNS server check

The DNS server check can read a specific `record' type on a DNS server and then compare it to a specified (expected result) value. In addition, you can also specify how this check will interpret the result after comparing the value returned by the DNS server to the parameter specified in the `Record values' field.

For example, this check can read the `A record' (address record) from the DNS server and verify if it includes the IP address specified in the expected result field (i.e., `Record values' field).

Type of record - Specify the record type which needs to be defined by the DNS server. This can be an A record or any other record type present in the drop down list.

Host/Domain Name to query - Specify the hostname or domain that you wish to resolve (E.g., www.google.com).

Record values - Specify the expected return value(s). This is the value/string which will be compared to the value returned by the DNS Server ( i.e., the return value).

E.g., If an A record type was selected, the check will query the DNS server to resolve the IP address of the host/domain specified in the `Host/Domain to query' field. This query should return one or more IP addresses which will be compared to the IP(s) specified in the `Record Values' field.

NOTE: Since a DNS query can return more than one IP address, this check allows you to specify multiple return values separated by a comma (,) e.g., 209.217.53.213,66.172.16.32.

Interpretation of values - Specify how this check will interpret the result after comparing the returned value to the parameter specified in the `Record values' field.

E.g., If you select "Find all of the specified values, fail if other values are found", the check will fail only if the returned value does not entirely match to the value specified in the `Record values' field.

ICMP/Ping

The ICMP Ping function checks the availability of a remote host by sending ICMP Echo commands and waiting for the response from the host.

NOTE: Although local hosts should normally respond to ping requests within milliseconds, an ICMP timeout failure doesn't necessarily mean that the remote host is actually functioning beyond its ability to echo packets.

Make sure you.....ping the target computer - Select `Can' to specify that the check is successful if the server replies to the ping. Select `Cannot' to specify that the check fails if the server replies to the ping.

Number of Echo requests to send - Specify the number of pings to be sent.

Minimum number of expected replies - Specify the minimum number of replies that must be received for the check to be successful.

Timeout (m.sec) for each reply - Specify the expected response time (in milliseconds). This is the time that the check will wait for a response to an echo request (i.e. the time between successive echo requests).

Generic TCP/IP check

GFI Network Server Monitor can check local or remote server connections by challenging a specific port. The challenge will involve connecting to the target computer, sending it a sequence of bytes and analyzing the information received.

Port - Specify the TCP port number of the protocol to be checked, by default port 80.

Send command when connected - Enable this flag to send the specified command as soon as the connection is established.

Response must include the following string - Enable this flag in order to check if the response message contains the specified string.

Timeout - Number of milliseconds before the function will timeout. Usually, a connection to the server will be established within 1 second. However, some slow/busy servers need more time. Recommended value is 7000 milliseconds.

Email Route check

The Email Route check verifies if your email services are working properly; it does so by sending a physical email through a target SMTP server and checking for the arrival of the test email in a mailbox on a target POP3 Server.

The sender's and recipient's email address. For more information on how to configure these parameters refer to the `Configuring the sender's and recipient's email address' section.

The SMTP server through which the test email will be sent (i.e., the SMTP server to be checked). For more information on how to configure these parameters, refer to the `Configuring the SMTP Server details' section below.

The POP3/IMAP server through which the test email will be delivered (i.e., the POP3/IMAP server to be checked). For more information on how to configure these parameters, refer to the `Configuring the POP3/IMAP Server details' section below.

The frequency at which this check will verify if the test email was delivered to the destination mailbox. This means that if you set the check email delivery value to 30 seconds, this check will access the destination mailbox two times per minute until the email is found or until the (test) email delivery is timed out.

NOTE: You cannot configure a `Check email delivery ...` value which is greater than the specified timeout value.

The test-email delivery timeout value. This is the time during which the check will verify if the test email was delivered to the destination mailbox. In other words, this is the time allocated for the test email to travel between the SMTP server and the destination mailbox. If the email is not delivered to destination within the specified time, a timeout occurs and the Email route check will fail.

Optionally, GFI Network Server Monitor can delete the test email once the delivery is confirmed. To automatically delete the test email, select the `Delete sent email once delivery is confirmed' option at the bottom of the Email Route check parameters dialog.

NOTE 1: The Email Route check is successful ONLY if the test email is present in the destination mailbox. This means that on heavy-traffic or slow networks, you must configure enough delay between the sending and the verification of delivery stages to allow enough time for the test email to arrive to destination.

NOTE 2: Make sure that the email client of the recipient (i.e., the person to whom you have addressed the test email) is not open. Otherwise, the test email might be immediately downloaded from the POP3/IMAP server to the client before the delivery verification takes place, hence causing the check to fail. A separate mailbox which is used only by GFI Network Server Monitor should be used.

Configuring the sender's and recipient's email address

Click on the `Configure' button of the relevant section to specify the following parameters:

From - Specify the sender's email address (i.e., the email account from where the test email will be sent).

To - Specify the recipient's email address (i.e., the email account where the test email will be sent).

Subject - (Optional) Specify the text to be included in the subject field of the test email.

Message - (Optional) Specify the text to be included in the message body.

When all required details have been specified, click on `OK' to save and return to the Email Route check properties dialog.

Click on the `Configure' button of the relevant section to specify the following parameters:

NOTE: The `Host name/IP' parameter contains the details of the SMTP Server to which the connection will be established. This parameter cannot be changed and it is configured to acquire its value from the %CHECK_TARGET% variable. This variable takes its value directly from the Target Computer field in the Check properties. This means that you must specify the correct Target Computer details (i.e., the hostname/IP of your SMTP server) in the Check properties > General tab. Otherwise the check will fail since it will not know which target to query.

Port - Specify the TCP port through which the connection will be established. The SMTP Port is by default set to 25.

Timeout - Specify the connection timeout value. This value defines the time interval required for a connection to take place. If the connection is not established within the specified time period, a timed out will occur and an error is generated. By default, this value is set to 3000 milliseconds

This server requires an encrypted connection (SSL) - Select this option if you want to encrypted the transmission (i.e., establish a secure session by electronically authenticating each end of an encrypted transmission).

Outgoing server (SMTP) requires authentication - Select this option if your SMTP server requires authentication before the transmission takes place. In addition, you must state the alternative credentials that this check will use by selecting one of the following options:

Use credentials set in the folder/check - Select this option to use the authentication details specified in the check properties > `Logon Credentials' tab.

Use the following credentials - Select this option to specify the additional credentials to be used for authentication (i.e. User name and password).

NOTE: The New Check Wizard automatically prompts you to configure alternative credentials during the creation of this check. After the check has been created, you can make changes to alternative credentials from the check properties dialog > `Logon Credentials' tab.

When all required details have been specified, click on `OK' ' to save and return to the Email Route check properties dialog.

Type - Specify the type of mail server that you want to connect to i.e. POP3 or IMAP.

Hostname/IP - Specify the name/IP address of the POP3/IMAP server to which this check will connect. By default, this parameter is configured to acquire its value from %CHECK_TARGET% variable. This variable gets its value directly from the Target Computer field in the check properties. If required, specify an alternative target or use the `Select' button to choose the required POP3/IMAP server from the list of active servers on you network.

NOTE: When using %CHECK_TARGET%, make sure that you specify the correct Target Computer details (i.e., the name/IP of your POP3/IMAP server) in the check properties > General tab. Otherwise the check will fail since it will not know which target to query.

Port - Specify the TCP port through which the connection will be established. By default this parameter is set according to the value selected in the `Type' field (i.e., 995 if POP3 is selected, 993 if IMAP is selected in the `Type' field). However, you can still specify other port numbers by inputting them directly in the provided field.

This server requires an encrypted connection (SSL) - Select this option if you want to encrypted the transmission (i.e. establish a secure session by electronically authenticating each end of an encrypted transmission).

Use credentials set in the folder/check - Select this option to use the authentication details specified in the check properties > `Logon Credentials' tab.

Use the following credentials - Select this option to specify additional credentials (i.e. User name and password) for authentication.

NOTE: The New Check wizard automatically prompts you to configure alternative credentials during the creation of this check. After the check has been created, you can make changes to alternative credentials from the check properties dialog > `Logon Credentials' tab.

When all the required details have been specified, click on `OK' to save and return to the Email Route check properties dialog.