Effective Centralised Management
- GUI management with "at a glance" simplicity
- Monitor the health and status of a network of Message Servers
- Reduces cost of ownership
- Reflects the division of management within an enterprise
- Simple, consistent configuration of a messaging network
- Synchronised network-wide configuration updates
|
Click here for the full size screen shot of
the Central Management System. (Use your browser's Back button to return to this page.) |
The Central Management System comprises three main components:
- The Central Management Station (CMS)
- The Central Configuration Manager (CCM)
- Route400 Message Servers enabled for Central Configuration Management
The Central Configuration Manager maintains a consistent configuration for a group of Message Servers, providing distribution and synchronisation of configuration updates.
Background
Centralised management is a vital step towards lowering the total cost of ownership associated with distributed network components such as Route400 Message Servers.
Route400 Message Servers are highly distributable resources that are typically dispersed both geographically and organisationally within an enterprise.
Where Message Servers are geographically distributed it is important to establish remote management in order to ensure that even the most distant server can be managed as easily as a local server. Remote management need not mean reduced management. With the Route400 Central Management System, full management functionality is maintained when compared with local management.
Bringing management together in a central location further reduces the management overhead, enabling scarce technical staff to be concentrated at a central site. However for those staff to be effective requires tools that are both simple to operate and avoid "overloading" the operator with information. The Route400 Central Management System offers "at a glance" management screens presenting information in an easily digested format. Changes to system configurations are made in a controlled and co-ordinated manner, minimising the probability of errors.
It is also important that centralising management does not expose the network to a single point of failure (i.e. where no management workstation means no management). NET-TEL’s approach avoids this pitfall allowing operation from alternative locations, with the possibility of local control being retained.
Management tools must match the needs of an enterprise rather than impose demands. The Central Management System allows management to match the organisational and political divisions that exist within an enterprise, allowing appropriate delegation of ownership.
Overview
The Central Management Station (CMS) provides for the monitoring and control of a specified group of Message Servers. A graphical user interface allows alarms and diagnostic logs to be viewed and processed from a central location. The CMS is also able to re-configure any of the managed Message Servers centrally.
Route400 Message Servers are designed to operate unattended, however the Alarm Manager function of the CMS provides an audible and visual notification of any alarm conditions. The CMS operator can view details of outstanding alarms either via the Alarm Manager or from the corresponding Message Server’s window. Once cleared, alarms are retained in a log file for a configurable period. Alarm statistics are generated so that frequently occurring error types are readily detectable.
CMS enables the system manager to reconfigure a set of remote Message Servers from a central site. Functions available include redefining the system configuration, saving back-up configurations, reinitialising systems with new configurations and rolling back to previous configurations.
The Central Configuration Manager (CCM) is an enhanced version of the local Route400 Configuration Manager, with additional features to support the management of multiple Message Servers.
Configuration information for members of a "Managed MTA Group" is entered into the CCM. The CCM maintains centrally the details of the messaging network, its connectivity, users and routing paths.
When a configuration change is requested through the CCM, the update information is distributed to the relevant Message Servers by the CMS and, under operator control at the CMS, the update can be activated at an appropriate moment.
Central Management Station
Tailor server groupings:
- Individual Message Servers may be chosen to belong to a "Managed MTA Group", enabling them to be monitored and re-configured from a central location
- Alarms can be monitored locally and through the CMS Alarm Manager
- Diagnostic logs can be read locally and via an MTA status screen at the CMS
- Local configuration management can be used for any aspect of MTA operation not considered to be under central control
- Central configuration is not obligatory
- Configuration management can be delegated to local control
- Operation of the CMS does not rely on use of the CCM
- Set of Message Servers under central management can be defined by manual CMS operation or by using the CCM.
- Monitoring the state of all MTA communications and message store users with an at-a-glance display of summary screens
- Entering commands to control operation of Message Servers
- Easy-to-use call command to provide instant test call capability to another MTA
- Rapid diagnostic logging for all OSI communications stack levels and asynchronous ports
- Selecting the logging detail-level for individual stack levels, system modules and threads
- Displaying log records on screen and writing to file
- Configuring the log file location and specifying number of days to preserve logged data
- Manage multiple Message Servers simultaneously
- View administration, alarm and logging screens for each Message Server
- Preserve screen layouts
- Administration screen for entering standard monitoring and control commands
- Alarm screen shows status as critical, moderate and acknowledged
- Logging screen shows time-stamped summary of system activity
- System activity, alarms, errors, operator actions, etc. for all Message Servers selectively logged to common daily journal file
- Multiple levels of logging individually selectable per MTA module
- Manual and automatic alarm collection
- Multiple Alarm Managers enable grouping of monitored Message Servers
- Assign alarm levels to errors depending on severity
- Alarm triggered by loss of communication with a Message Server
- Alarms triggered by remote MTA include:
- Validation errors such as bad password, unknown destination MTA
- Excessive resource usage and misconfiguration
- Route authentication errors
- User authorisation errors
- Alarms identified by issuing MTA, source module, criticality level, date and time of first occurrence, and number of occurrences without acknowledgement or being cleared
- Preconfigurable alarm profiles definable for individual or groups of Message Servers
- Log of screen data written to daily log file
- Text-based audit log files save selectable items for user-definable number of days
- Connectivity from the CMS to remote MTAs may be made over several types of communications media, including TCP/IP, Asynchronous and X.25
Flexible combination of approaches, e.g.
- Backbone network connectivity configured centrally with local information (e.g. users, local connections) configured by a local manager
- MTAs are configured centrally with minimal local management intervention
- CCM constructs configuration files for multiple MTAs, specifying local defaults, remote MTA connections, users, gateways etc for each MTA
- Connections within the network are formed simply by specifying the other MTA to which the connection should be made and, where applicable, the connection medium
- The CCM ensures that correct, consistent, connection information is configured
- Network configuration levels are enforced, allowing advance to a new configuration or reversion to a previous state
- Connection changes are distributed and saved prior to switchover
- Operator initiated switchover is applied network-wide with close synchronisation of all servers
- Centrally supplied configuration information is viewed by local Configuration Manager as read-only
- Conflicts, or apparent over-riding, of local information gives rise to warning messages
- The CCM tool will prove familiar to those already skilled in using a local Configuration Manager
- Extensive configuration of an MTA, its local users, gateways and connections to other MTAs
- "QuickInstall" feature providing rapid and simple installation
- Extensive syntax, value, consistency and completeness checks, assisting correct and reliable operation of the server
- Fast configuration using extensive value-defaulting features
- Establish Message Store database for a new user and administer passwords
- Tailorable logging file size and number of days preserved before auto-deletion
- Set accounting file location, maximum file size, number of hours per file, accounting record formats
- Flexible location for Message-audit archive file
- MailRoom concept permitting specification of distinct file spaces for message storage by MTA group, user group, user platform type, file server location, etc.
- Define connections to remote MTAs, specifying MTA Names (including asymmetric case), communications type and address (incoming and outgoing) and passwords (incoming and outgoing)
- Remote MTAs configurable as 1992/1988 (in Normal Mode or X.410/1984 mode) or 1984 based (requiring message downgrade)
- Comprehensive configuration of communications counters and timers
- User-definable message-scan cycle-time for MTA and Message Store
- Simple inputting and editing of local user-address details, MailBox, address books, preferences, conversions, remote access
- Automatic formatting of user Short Names for planned, consistent Address Book entries
- Automatic amendment of system Address Books with changed user information.
- PostMaster configurable to handle undeliverable mail (with manual mail screening and forwarding or automatic, annotated non-delivery)
- Message redirection configurable by system administrator and user
- Message non-delivery with annotation if user has departed
- Set body part conversion for both individual users and system defaults
- Low-level system tuning with unique "Special Modules" feature
The Route400 Central Management System is supported on the following platforms:
- Windows 3.1 and 3.11
- Windows 95 and NT
