ServicePilot Provisioning
To monitor equipment with ServicePilot, the tool needs to be configured to tell it what to do. This involves provisioning ServicePilot to monitor resources using predefined packages. Resources can be added to the configuration in a number of ways:
| Provisioning method | Description |
|---|---|
| Static provisioning | As soon as a new agent is discovered by ServicePilot, it may be used to provisioning new resources manually. See Add a manual resource below. |
| Dynamic provisioning | If a dynamic provisioning resource has been added to the ServicePilot configuration then when a new agent is connected to the ServicePilot Manager, new resources will be added to the configuraiton automatically. See Add an Auto-provisioning rule. |
| Programming/File provisioning | Resources, views and graphical elements can be managed using the ServicePilot API. See API for details. |
To understand this terminology, some of the concepts are detailed below. Regardless of the provisioning method used, you will start by creating a number of views in the ServicePilot configuration, into which you will place the resources you wish to monitor.
Monitoring hierarchy
ServicePilot stores time series of data as indicators in objects. These objects are placed in a tree hierarchy of views originating from a root view called MAIN. Views can contain multiple items including other sub-views, objects as well as graphical elements and shortcuts to other parts of the view hierarchy. The monitored equipment is added to the configuration as resources based on the package templates.
Hierarchy of all views
An example hierarchy of views and objects is presented below. A Site A view has been created in which resides an object named Site A Device - Ping. The MAIN view also includes a Windows Server 1 view containing objects and a sub-view containing more objects.
Object and indicators
Each object contains one or more indicators. The indicator's values come from the monitored systems. Each object is based on a class that defines the type of object and therefore what indicators it will contain.
View configuration
Before adding resources to monitor, start by creating some views in which to place the resources. These views will help categorize the devices monitored and group elements, maybe by technology or by geographic location. When resources are added to the configuration, they will include sub-views and objects of their own to complete the hierarchy of monitored elements.
Editing views
Add a view
It is best to place your monitored resources in to views and sub-views so that they can be categorized and managed.
| 1. Using a user with administrative privileges, log in to ServicePilot |
| 2. Open SETTINGS > Configuration |
| 3. Click on Provisioning > View editor |
| 4. Navigate the existing view hierarchy in the left hand pane and click on the view in which you wish to create your new view |
| 5. Drag and drop the view icon into the view pane |
| 6. Give the new view a unique name |
| 7. Click OK |
| 8. Finally, click Save all the changes |
Modify view
There are a number of ways to access view parameters. They can be reached via Provisioning > View editor > view icon, Provisioning > View editor > Properties for the current view and via Provisioning > Resources.
View settings can change:
- view visibility
- view geo location if, for example, the view represents a site
- view icon
- view position in its parent view
- view size
- view background color
- view display type
- the arrangement of icons inside the view
1. Access to the view parameters from the wrench
| 1. Using a user with administrative privileges, log in to ServicePilot |
| 2. Open SETTINGS > Configuration |
| 3. Click on Provisioning > View editor |
| 4. Navigate the existing view hierarchy in the left hand pane and click on the view which contains the view to change |
| 5. Click on the red wrench icon |
| 6. Click OK once changes have been made |
| 7. Finally, click Save all the changes |
2. Access to the view parameters from the gear
| 1. Using a user with administrative privileges, log in to ServicePilot |
| 2. Open SETTINGS > Configuration |
| 3. Click on Provisioning > View editor |
| 4. Navigate the existing view hierarchy in the left hand pane and click on the view to change |
| 5. Click on the view properties icon |
| 6. Click OK once changes have been made |
| 7. Finally, click Save all the changes |
Manage resources
Once a view exists, a new resource can be placed inside it. Depending on the device to be monitored, it is possible to tell ServicePilot to automatically add resources whenever a new ServicePilot Agent contacts ServicePilot. In this case add an Auto-provisioning rule. Alternatively, add a manually provisioned resource for more complex scenarios.
Note: If the resource does not appear to collect any data when it is added, make sure that credentials and IP addresses are correctly entered and firewalls are not blocking the monitoring traffic.
SNMP polling and ICMP Ping testing can be performed from the Diagnostics ServicePilot web page.
The ServicePilot Agent can produce extended debug logs that might be useful to diagnose conectivity issues. See steps to enable ServicePilot Agent debug mode.
Auto-provisioning
Auto-provisioning is configured by creating auto-provisioning rules that will add resources to the configuration when new elements to monitor are discovered.
Add an Auto-provisioning rule
| 1. Using a user with administrative privileges, log in to ServicePilot |
| 2. Open SETTINGS > Configuration |
| 3. Click on Provisioning > Auto-provisioning |
| 4. Click on Add a rule |
| 5. Complete the Automatic provisioning rule dialog. Specify at least a Rule name and set the Discovery type based on the Agent installed |
| 6. Click OK |
| 7. Finally, click Save |
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Rule name | Unique descriptive name for the auto-provisioning rule |
| Enabled | Activate or suspend the creation of resources based on this rule |
| Discovery type | The type of agent used to perform the discovery (see details below) |
| Host filter optional | Agent host name filter over which the rule will be applied or excluded. Example: (host*|server*) or !(host*|server*) |
| Destination view optional | View in which the discovered resources will be created. Using the {host} variable will automatically create a view by host in which the host's resources will be added. Example: MAIN/AutoProv/{host}. However, if the {host} variable is not used, all of the resources created by this rule will be placed in the same defined view |
Discovery type: ServicePilot Agent
Resource discovery by ServicePilot Agent will start monitoring elements as soon as a ServicePilot Agent is deployed on a host. Resource discovery is dependant on the platform; Windows or Linux. It is possible to specify the categories of resources that should be monitored.
System category:
| Category | Description |
|---|---|
| System packages | Based on the OS on which the ServicePilot Agent is installed, either a server-micrsoft-windows-sp-agent or a server linux-sp-agent package resource is added with default parameters. These parameters may then be manually edited per resource. |
| Inventory | Perform an inventory (OS, disks, processes, software installed) for the host on which the ServicePilot Agent is installed. The result of this inventory is available under TOOLS > Diagnostics > Inventory. |
| Docker | Include a server-docker package resource for the Linux host on which the ServicePilot Agent is installed. |
| Network traces | Allows for the collection of network traces based on NETTRACE technology (NETTRACE technology requires a Host Full-Stack license for each host on which this is enabled). The result of the traces are shown under ANALYSIS > APM and statistics are also added to objects for each host in the Destination views defined by the auto-provisioning rule. |
Application category:
A number of listening ports may be opened on a ServicePilot Agent to capture application traces and process statistics. The following list of ports define the default ports for various protocols. With the exception of UDP port 8125, any other port placed in the APM Ports field will listen for HTTP traffic and determine the type of data received for processing.
| Port | Description |
|---|---|
| UDP/8125 | StatsD listener. Port used to collect StatsD formatted statistics |
| TCP/8126 | Datadog APM receiver. Default port for collecting Datadog APM traffic |
| TCP/9411 | Zipkin HTTP collector. Default port used to collect Zipkin formatted application traces |
| TCP/4318 | OpenTelemetry HTTP port. Default port used to collect OpenTelemetry formatted application traces |
APPTRACE technologies required Host Full-Stack licenses for each host from which data is collected. The result of the traces are shown under ANALYSIS > APM and statistics are also added to objects for each host in the Destination views defined by the auto-provisioning rule.
Security category:
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Windows Logon | Windows logon log collection |
| Windows Sysmon | Windows Sysmon event collection |
| Windows Defender | Windows Defender security log collection |
The result of this log collection is shown in the Security category, under ANALYSIS > Metrics & KPI. Statistics are also added to objects for each host in the Destination views defined by the auto-provisioning rule.
Coming soon - Logs category:
A number of different log sources will be able to be collated and presented by ServicePilot. These will include the following types of logs:
- Public IP address network flows
- Specific protocol messages (Web, DNS and SMTP by default)
- URL/User Agent/... (HTTP or HTTPS for APM enabled applications)
- Logins
- Sysmon messages
- X509 certificate fields
Coming soon - Other packages category:
By listing other package names, it will be possible to add resources of these package automatically per ServicePilot Agent deployed.
Discovery type: Endpoint Agent
When ServicePilot Endpoint Agents are deployed, they will use this configuration to determine what actions they are to perform.
Please take into account the security considerations associated with the ability of ServicePilot Endpoint Agents to download and run scripts from the ServicePilot Manager.
| Discovery type | Description |
|---|---|
| Collect activity | Collect user usage statistics such as keydown events, mouse clicks, mouse travel distance. |
| Traceroute | Perform a web based traceroute from the Endpoint Agent host to up to 5 web servers. |
| Compliance | A command and parameters of a program or script that will produce a numeric result between 0 and 10 indicating compliance of the Endpoint Agent host. Files may be downloaded to the Agent from the \endpoint directory in the WorkFolder of the ServicePilot server. |
| Vulnerability | In the same way that a command may be run to determine the Endpoint Agent host Compliance, a Vulnerability command may be specified operating in the same manner. |
Discovery type: RUM
A RUM discovery rule automatically monitors web pages that have been instrumented with ServicePilot RUM code. When RUM JavaScript is included in web pages, client browsers will send statistics to ServicePilot indicating the responsivness of the source web site from a client's point of view. Resources will be added to ServicePilot for each RUM rule and script deployed. To enable RUM:
Install agent code in the web pages served by a web server. See the RUM Agent documentation:
| 1. Using a user with administrative privileges, log in to ServicePilot |
| 2. Click on Agents > Install an agent |
| 3. Open the Developer Agents tab |
| 4. Follow the instructions under Get started for the RUM Agent |
| 5. Add an associated RUM auto-provisioning rule |
Add a manual resource
| 1. Using a user with administrative privileges, log in to ServicePilot |
| 2. Open SETTINGS > Configuration |
| 3. Click on Provisioning > View editor |
| 4. Navigate the existing view hierarchy in the left hand pane and click on the view in which to add the new resource |
| 5. Select the type of monitoring package needed by category and use the filter to limit the options displayed |
| 6. Drag and drop a package into the central view editor |
| 7. Set the resource properties based on the package type selected. A unique resource name is always required as well as all fields highlighted with a (*). The resource will make use of the default agent to obtain the data unless the Agent fields are completed with the agents from which the queries are to be made. The Ping SNMP Agent will be used for all Ping and SNMP queries while the Agent will be used for all other queries. |
| 8. To view package documentation, click on the Documentation tab |
| 9. Click OK |
| 10. Finally, click Save all the changes |
Note: many packages use SNMP queries to obtain information. You may need to specify an SNMP policy with the correct credentials to monitor the device. See the Policies documentation for details.
Edit a resource
| 1. Using a user with administrative privileges, log in to ServicePilot |
| 2. Open SETTINGS > Configuration |
| 3. Click on Provisioning > View editor |
| 4. You have two different choices to edit a ressource: |
| Option A | Option B | |
|---|---|---|
| Navigate to the existing view hierarchy in the left hand pane and click on the view containing the resource | At the left side of the screen, write in the searchbar the ressource's name that you want to edit | |
| In the central view editor, select the ressource that you want to modify | Click on the ressource that you want to modify | |
| Press on the red wrench to change resource properties | ||
| 5. Set the resource properties based on the package type selected. A unique resource name is always required as well as all fields highlighted with a * . The resource will make use of the default agent to obtain the data unless the Agent fields are completed with the agents from which the queries are to be made. The Ping SNMP Agent will be used for all Ping and SNMP queries while the Agent will be used for all other queries. |
| 6. To view package documentation, click on the question mark next to the package name |
| 7. Click OK |
| 8. Finally, click Save all the changes |
Shortcuts
Shortcuts are links to other objects and views in the monitoring hierarchy. They allow for the cloning of the link's destination status to the view in which the shortcut is placed.
Note: Users that are members of groups that have access to views containing shortcuts will be allowed to navigate to these shortcuts' destinations, even if these destinations are outside of the group's view access list. Users will be able to see all view, object and indicator data from the shortcuts' destinations.
Create a View shortcut
View shortcuts provide access to a destination view and all of its content. The resource name for the shortcut must be unique amongst all of the resource, object and view names.
A view shortcut could, for example, allow for resources to be visible in both a logical hierarchical grouping and also in views by geographic location. A server could be defined in a view for the server's site and a shortcut to the server added to a view containing all resources that relate to an application that the server hosts.
| 1. Using a user with administrative privileges, log in to ServicePilot |
| 2. Open SETTINGS > Configuration |
| 3. Click on Provisioning > View editor |
| 4. Navigate to the view in which you wish to place the shortcut |
| 5. Drag and drop the name of a destination view from the left-hand Navigation hierarchy into the Provisioning pane |
Create a shortcut to a view that is inside resources
View shortcuts provide access to a destination view and all of its content. The resource name for the shortcut must be unique amongst all of the resource, object and view names.
As views that are part of resources are not listed in the left-hand Navigation hierarchy when editing your configuration, shortcuts to these views must be added by adding an object shortcut and manually entering the name of the view in the Object name field as the desgination of the shortcut.
| 1. Using a user with administrative privileges, log in to ServicePilot |
| 2. Open SETTINGS > Configuration |
| 3. Click on Provisioning > View editor |
| 4. Navigate to the view in which you wish to place the shortcut |
| 5. Drag and drop an Object shortcut from the icon above the Provisioning pane into the Provisioning pane |
| 6. Enter the name of the destination view in the Object name field |
Create an Object shortcut
Object shortcuts provide access to a destination object. The resource name for the shortcut must be unique amongst all of the resource, object and view names.
Object shortcuts might be useful to create a view grouping together a number of monitored elements from different resources that comprise an application. Object shortcuts might also be used to link to objects deep in the monitoring hierarchy and make these particular elements more evident.
| 1. Using a user with administrative privileges, log in to ServicePilot |
| 2. Open SETTINGS > Configuration |
| 3. Click on Provisioning > View editor |
| 4. Navigate to the view in which you wish to place the shortcut |
| 5. Drag and drop an Object shortcut from the icon above the Provisioning pane into the Provisioning pane and use the object list picker to set the destination Object name |
Perform a Ping or SNMP diagnostic test
The ServicePilot Agents can Ping and run simple SNMP polling requests to help verify that firewalls and devices are configured correctly to allow monitoring traffic. From the Diagnostics web page, make certain to select the correct ServicePilot Agent from which the tests will be performed. This should match the ServicePilot Agent selected when adding a resource.
| 1. Using a user with operator privileges, log in to ServicePilot |
| 2. Open TOOLS > Diagnostics |
| 3. Enter name of the ServicePilot Agent from which the test will be run and the destination IP address for Ping tests. For SNMP polling tests, complete the Agent, Profile SNMP and IP fields. Press the Apply button to use these values. |
| 3. To test, click on the Ping IP address link to run a Ping every 2 seconds. Click on the Information link to make sure that the device responds to SNMP queries. |
Obtain an SNMP query data dump
The ServicePilot Agent can create a SNMP query data dump by successively querying SNMP OIDs starting from a specified root in the SNMP MIB hierarchy. This log file can then be used to:
- Verify the structure and values of objects returned by SNMP queries
- Act as a basis for creating or updating ServicePilot packages by seeing what information is available
Run a ServicePilot Agent SNMP query data dump
Start by selecting which ServicePilot Agent will be used to perform the SNMP query that has access to the equipment.
| 1. Using a user with administrative privileges, log in to ServicePilot |
| 2. Open SETTINGS > Agents |
| 3. Click on the screen icon to bring up the Agent CLI |
4. Enter snmpwalk <IP_address> -oid:<OID_root> -policy:<SNMP_policy> to run an SNMP query data dump, where <IP_address> is the IP address of the equipment to query, <OID_root> is the root of the SNMP MIB hierarchy to start from (usually 1.3.6) and <SNMP_policy> is the ServicePilot SNMP policy to use when making the query. |
Where to find query logs
ServicePilot SNMP query logs are found on the server on which the ServicePilot Agent is installed. On this server look for the snmpwalk_<IP_address>.txt file.
| Windows | Linux |
|---|---|
| C:\Program Files (x86)\ServicePilot\ServicePilot ISM Enterprise\Logs | /var/log/servicepilot |
Extended Agent debug logs
Enabling ServicePilot Agent extended debug logs, makes the agent write more logs to a servicepilotagent.trace file. These logs may be useful to help diagnose a misbehaving ServicePilot Agent but also show more information about connections between the ServicePilot Agent and monitored devices. It can make clear if a password to access a database or a VMWare vCenter is not correct for example.
Activate ServicePilot Agent debug mode
Start by selecting which ServicePilot Agent will have debug mode enabled. Refer to your resources that are having issues to see which Agent they are using.
Enabling the ServicePilot Agent debug mode will write extensive logs to a trace file. Once these have been activated for enough time to capture the issue, remember to deacivate this extended debugging so as not to fill up disk space and degrade the performance of your server.
| 1. Using a user with administrative privileges, log in to ServicePilot |
| 2. Open SETTINGS > Agents |
| 3. Click on the screen icon to bring up the Agent CLI |
4. Enter debug y to enable extended debug logs. Once the issue has been captured, enter debug n to stop writing to the extended debug logs. |
Where to find debug logs
ServicePilot Agent extended debug logs are found on the server on which the ServicePilot Agent is installed. On this server look for the servicepilotagent.trace file.
| Windows | Linux |
|---|---|
| C:\Program Files (x86)\ServicePilot\ServicePilot ISM Enterprise\Logs | /var/log/servicepilot |
