Steps to Access Web Dashboard

User needs to follow the below mentioned steps to access the Web Dashboard.

  1. Go to the ND Home page.

User Permission (Capabilities) Indication

This enhancement indicates the capabilities, which is assigned to a user so that user can have access to this information from all screens. For example, one of the capabilities in which guest user falls in is “ReadOnly”.

Now, the user is able to see the assigned capabilities in the Logged-in user’s button tool-tip.

If that user has multiple capabilities, it is displayed in a comma separated format.

Layout of Web Dashboard

Web Dashboard consists of top pane, left pane, and bottom pane.

Top Pane

Top pane consists of following sections/specifications/action items:

Section Icon/Representation Description
Screen Navigation     By clicking on these icons, user can navigate to previously navigated screens, such as Home, Test run, Dashboard. User can close a screen using the  icon beside that screen name.
Current Date & Time   This is the current date and time of the system.
Theme Selection   Using this icon, user can select the theme for web dashboard as well as product UI.
Alerts This displays alerts (capacity and behavior) specification.
Logged in User Name This shows currently logged-in user name. On clicking the down-arrow, there is an option to logout or view Help.
Zoom In/Out This icon is used to zoom in/out the screen size.
Toggle Menu Navigation Panel Clicking this can enable/disable the menu navigation
Toggle Tree Navigation Panel Clicking this can enable/disable the tree navigation
Toggle Lower Tabular Panel Clicking this can enable/disable the lower tabular panel
Navigation Icons This is used to navigate between pages of the web dashboard.
Monitor Up/Down Status This is used to view the monitor up/down status
Elapsed Time It is the amount of time that passes from the beginning of an event to its end.
Last Sample Time This displays the last sample time of the graphs in mm/dd/yyyy hh:mm:ss format.
Favorite selection This displays currently loaded favorite. User can change the favorite from the drop-down arrow.
Time Period This displays the time range of graph data as configured by the user. User can also customize the time period.
View By   This displays resolution of the samples i.e. graphs aggregated by a specified interval. User can change the view by from the drop-down arrow.
Test Run Number This denotes the current test run number.
Start/Stop/Restart This is used to start/stop/restart test. It is applicable in case test is currently running.
Pause Test Run Click this icon to pause a test run. Click it again to resume.
Pause/Resume Data Update  /  Use these icons to pause/resume data update in test run. It stops updating data in Dashboard but continue running test. Once resume, system captures all the data.
Advance Settings   There are following options within the Advanced Settings section
Monochromatic Colors User can use different shades of one color for multiple graphs.

Layout Selection

 User can select layout, such as graph, data, tabular from here.
Add Widget Use this icon to add widget on the graph panel.
Add New Layout User can define the metrics (rows X columns) using this icon.
Save Layout User can save the defined layout using this icon.

Left Pane

It contains following menus / sub-menus, and menu items:

View

  • Dashboard: This displays the current Dashboard.
  • Application End to End View: To view end to end monitoring approach.
  • Geo Map: To view Geo map.
  • DB Monitoring: This is a powerful feature to measure the performance of each query contributing in a session execution. It provides complete monitoring of MSSQL queries with insights into SQL activity, wait statistics, databases, support services, Temp DB, and high availability. It enables a user to detect such queries, which are consuming more resources as compare to normal ones. Once identified, user can diagnose the issue and perform corrective measures.

Analytics

  • Compare: This feature is used to compare two test runs. User can perform further actions for post compare operation:
    • Enable Compare: To apply the comparison.
    • Disable Compare: To disable the comparison applied and back to original form.
    • Update Compare: To update the inputs provided for comparison.

Favorites: Favorite allows a user to save current view of Real Time Graphs (RTG). User can create a new profile by saving current view of RTG UI as a profile. If user wants to see current view of graphs next time in Web Dashboard, then user needs to add graphs in favorite. When user loads saved favorite, then all graphs of favorite are displayed in Web dashboard’s graph panel.

Alerts

  • Alert Maintenance Window: This window provides alert maintenance configuration to disable generation of alerts at the time of maintenance or server goes down.
  • Alert Settings: This is used to enable/disable alert configuration, such as alert mail, capacity/ behavior alert, and thread dump.
  • Baseline: In case of behavior alert, alerts are generated based on trends and trends are defined in baseline.
  • Alert Policy: This is used to create policy for specified condition and rules.
  • Alert Actions: This is used to create actions, such as alert mail, thread dump, and TCP dump.
  • Rules: This is used to activate/deactivate/add/delete/update rules.
  • Active Alerts: This is used to see generated alerts, such as capacity and behavior alerts.
  • Alert History: This is used to see the alerts generated in the past.
  • Active Alert Graphs: This is used to generate graphs for active alerts.
  • Alert Stats Report: This is used to generate stats report for alerts.
  • Alert Action History: It contains details of action taken by alerts, such as SNMP Trap Sent / Email Sent / Cisco Spark Chat sent and so on.
  • System Status: The status of all the tiers and their related servers is displayed. It also displays how many instances are connected with each server. The status of tiers/server/instances are categorized into critical, major, and normal state, which is represented by red, orange, and green color respectively.

Configuration

  • Derived Metrics: Derived graphs are those graphs that are derived from two or more graphs by applying some formulas provided by user.
  • Monitors: To configure the monitors.
  • Topology: To configure topology.
  • Batch Jobs: To configure batch group and batch jobs.
  • Tier Group: To configure tier group list.
  • Agent Config: For ND agent configuration.
  • Configuration Settings: For various settings, such as dashboard settings, multi-node configuration, show vector in title, and graph tree.
  • Color Management: It is used to define the color of the graphs.
  • Manage Catalogue: It provides a common platform for the selection of graphs and storing them as a catalogue.

Reports: Reports menu is used to create various types of reports, such as stat report, compare/trend report, hierarchical report, and so on. These reports are generated using templates and have other advanced options to include all or selected metrics. The reporting format may be selected as Word, HTML or Excel. It includes tabular data with or without graphical illustration.

Actions

  • Thread Dump: To take thread dump, analyse thread dump, and schedule thread dump.
  • Heap Dump: A heap dump is a dump of the state of the Java heap memory. This is useful for analysing the use of memory i.e.an application is making at some point in time so handy in diagnosing some memory issues, and if done at intervals handy in diagnosing memory leaks. User can take heap dump from here.
  • Process Dump: To take process dump.
  • TCP Dump: This option is used to take the TCP dump.
  • Mission Control: It is a property through which user can get thread JVM information for JRocket. This includes two features – Memory Analyzer and Flight Recorder.
  • Java Flight Recording: To view all java flight recordings
  • Run command: This is used to run command on server.
  • Download File: To download a file from the system.

Admin

  • Projects: Displays the Project Administration window to add, delete, rename a project / sub-project.
  • LDAP Server Settings: To configure LDAP Server settings.
  • Servers: DisplaysServer Administration windowto configure a server.
  • Settings: To configure module tab settings.
  • Manage Controllers: To manage controller with details, such as appliance name, controller name, controller URL, and Service End point IP.
  • GIT Settings: To perform GIT Remote Server settings.
  • Retention Policy: To configure the data retention / data backup policy (NDE Purge)
  • Access Control: To perform identification, authentication and accountability of entities through login credentials including passwords.
  • Agent Info: To view machine agent status and application agent status.
  • NetHavoc: A feature to implement resilience testing.

Advanced

  • Sessions: To view running and executed sessions and perform various operations on the same.
  • Design: To design the following components:
    • Script
    • Create Script
    • Scenarios
    • Scenario Profile
    • IP Management
    • Event Definition
    • Health Check Monitor
    • Test Suite
    • Test Case
    • Test Report
    • JMeter 
  • Transactions: To view all the transactions running in the system and perform various operations on the same.
  • Health: This section displays the health of the appliance and Cavisson services.
  • System Logs: This displays system logs that include – Kubernetes, RBU Access Logs, Peripheral Device logs, and system events.
  • Infrastructure View: This displays performance dashboard that includes details for environment, release, disk usage, inventory, and report. The user can perform various operations within this section.

Postgres Stats: This displays overall connection stats that includes Max connections, reserved connections, used connections, and available connections. Apart from this, a user can view detailed connection stats based on database and application

Lower Pane

Lower pane displays data of all the graphs of the selected panel. The data is displayed in Tabular format. It is located at the bottom of the Dashboard GUI.

Following information is displayed in this pane:

  • Show/Hide Graph: This column represents the presence of the graph on the widget.
  • Graph Number: This column displays the graph serial number.
  • Color: This column displays the color of the graph.
  • Metric Name: This column represents the metric name.
  • Min: This column displays the minimum value of the data sample of the graph.
  • Max: This column displays the maximum value of the data sample of the graph.
  • Avg: This column displays the average value of the data sample of the graph.
  • Last: This column displays the last value of the data sample of the graph.
  • Samples: This column displays the total number of samples.

User can perform following actions on the lower panel:

  • Download the details in PDF, Excel or Word.
  • Configure the columns to show/hide.
  • Increase/decrease the size of the panel.
  • Hide pagination.
  • Filter the graph values on any column.

Multi-Node Monitoring

This feature provides users the capability to monitor multiple nodes within a single dashboard. In current days, all the e-commerce applications are moving into multiple nodes to accommodate the application complexity. Now, we have enhanced monitoring capability with the evolution of multi DC in a single dashboard. This advanced technology enables a user to use a single dashboard to monitor multiple nodes. There is a master node among all the nodes, which allows a user to view the Dashboard of all the nodes.

In the below screen, the metrics are displayed for all data centers:

To view metrics of a particular node, go to the Node drop down list (at the top) and select the required node from there.

Then, only the metrics of that particular node is displayed. Topology is also defined for Multi-DC environment. To view this, go to the graph tree and navigate to the nodes:

In multi-DC environment, there is a group for nodes. Within the node, there are tiers, servers and instances. Multi-DC environment support can also be seen in the session window as follows:

In the above image, it can be seen that same session is running at different nodes.

Other features supported in Multi DC:

  • Parametrization and Filters on Favorite.
  • Lower Panel operations, such as show/hide metrics.
  • Zoom Operation for derived Graph.
  • Open Merge with Pattern.

Multi DC Support for Web-DDR (Drill-Down Report)

A user can drill-down across all connected remote nodes data via Web DDR. An option to search multiple nodes is available. Select any node and the reports are displayed if the filter criteria is satisfied, else ‘no record found’ error message is displayed.

Go to Application End-to-End View. Right click Tier Status, click Drill Down Report, then Flow Path response time.

Node menu in Flowpath report:

After changing the Node in Flowpath report, data regarding changed DC is displayed.

Multi DC Support for Web-DDR (IP Health Report)

A user can create a DDR from IP Health Report in Multi DC and change DC in IP Stats report. In the Application End-to-End View window, the user must make sure to select all the check boxes in the Node. Select a tier by double-clicking it, and then click Integration Point Health in the right pane.

This displays the IP Stats in a separate window. Click the Node drop-down list on the upper-right corner to view all the available nodes. The user can change the report by selecting any node.

Audit Log

Audit log displays the activity log details of all users. Initially, it displays number of users currently logged in.

In Audit log, entries are populated in audit log files for only those actions of users, which affects user’s object, such as add, edit, update, delete.

Audit log is a separate feature whose permission can be provided to a user, by default user has the permission to see own audit logs. If we assign audit log feature capability to any user, he/she is able to see all the activities performed by user logged in to that machine.

Audit log window displays User, Session Id, IP Address from where user has accessed, Activity Date Time, and Activity description. Every time when user logged in, then a session id is generated. ‘User’ and ‘session id’ group audit log table. Upon expanding any user, displays its multiple sessions. Upon further expansion of any session, activities for that session is displayed.

  • By default, audit log window displays logs for a particular duration (such last n hour). More logs can be filtered by applying filter for specified time.
  • Active users (which are currently performing some activities i.e. not idle in last one hour) is displayed in a section of User Management.
  • Users with Admin capability can force or log out any other user (Users are forcefully logged out if inactive for ‘n’ duration). If same user is trying to log in from different browser or from different IP (Admin can allow access) then system prompts the user about old active session. After confirmation of user, old session is logged out, this allows user to log in new session.
  • Session is not having time restrictions, user can also view Logs for specific period. Full session of user can be displayed if any activity lies between applied period.
  • System displays complete log for that session. While finding Historical data, system searches for LoggedIn activity. If not found, then user can configure N hours and search for the same. If LoggedIn activity found, then activity is displayed from there to logged out. During that applied period, if LoggedOut session is not available, then go forward N Hours and search for LoggedOut activity. If found, cover all the activities done till LoggedOut otherwise time bound activities are displayed only.
  • By default, logs are displayed for last one hour. User can apply any specified time range and view the logs.
  • There is a filter provision on each field. User can filter by user, or session id, activity time, or some text in activity description.

View Audit Log

To view the Audit log, navigate to the logged in user, and click the Audit Log option.

This displays the Audit log window with logged in user details, such as user name, IP, and login time. At the top-right corner, the count of active sessions and active users is displayed.

Upon expanding the record, detailed activities of the user along with the various details, such as activity time, IP address, session ID, user name, module name, activity name, description, and response time (ms) is displayed:

Columns Selection

The user can select columns to be displayed from the drop-down list.

‘Group by’ Columns

In addition, there are various options to select the “Group by” functionality, such as session Id, activity name, activity time, IP, module name, and user name.

Download Report

A user can download Audit logs (the logs of user activity performed in dashboard) in three formats – PDF/Word/Excel.

Other Actions

SR No.

Action/Icon

Description

1

Include Inactive Session

Select the check box to include inactive sessions in the Audit log report

2

To generate user session report

3

To filter / search a record

4

To refresh the Audit log list

 User Sessions Report

This report displays number of users and sessions per day, number of sessions per user and activities count of each activity and its module, done by user in between a specified period in three different tables as follows:

  1. Summary: Displays date wise number of active users and its session count. The details include columns Date, LOB, Environment, Application, Application URL, number of Unique Users, and number of Sessions.
  2. Top N Users: Displays number of sessions count per user (unique) between the specified period. The details include LOB, Environment, Application, Application URL, Users and number of Sessions.
  3. Top N Activities: Displays the count of per activity performed by user in the specified period. The details include LOB, Environment, Application, Application URL, Module, Activity, and Activity Count.

Key Pointers

  • In case of multi-dc, the tables displayed are – Summary, Top-N Users from each application, and Top-N Activities from each application.
  • For summarized table, two chart are displayed, which shows the relation between date and number of users, date and number of sessions. The first chart displays dates on X-axis and number of user count on Y-axis. The second chart displays dates on X-axis and number of session count on Y-axis.
  • Activities, such as Login attempt failed, Login attempt failed due to maximum session limit reached and its session are not counted as active user, active session for summary table, and Top-N user table. This data only come in Top-N Activities table.
  • An HTML link is provided on the number of unique users in the summary table of User session report. To see date wise user list, click or CTRL+Click the user count in summary table. A click opens an HTML in the same tab and ctrl-click opens an HTML in a new tab. This html contains the date wise user list.
  • The current date and time is displayed at the end of report URL to get the actual data when the report is generated.

Generate a User Session Report

  1. Click the icon, specify the time period for the report generation, and click the Apply button.

  1. To generate the user session report, click the icon. The report gets generated and displayed in PDF format. Few are some sample sections of the generated report.

Single Sign On (SSO) support through OKTA

With SSO, a user logs in once and gains access to different applications, without the need to re-enter login credentials at each application. There are set of configurations, which need to be done one time in the OKTA and NDE server and after that user needs to login through OKTA. Upon successful authentication through OKTA, user is not prompted to login again until the user session expires. Both Service Provider Initiated and Identity Provider Initiated modes are supported.

Upon requesting a URL, user is navigated to OKTA login UI. Post successful authentication, user is redirected to product UI home page.

For integration of different applications using OKTA, please contact your Cavisson representative.

Security Token based REST calls

This feature allows only an authorized user to access external REST API URLs. To access URLs, user needs to generate a security token, and use it in REST calls for authentication and authorization purpose. Server will validate the token and allow/discard the request. There is an expiration time associated with every security token, which is taken as input while generation of the token. Once token is expired, user will not be able to access the URL with this token. User needs to get/generate a new token for further use.

  1. To access the Generate Authentication Token window, click the  icon beside the logged in user name, and click the Generate Token option.

2. This displays the Generate Authentication Token window.

3. Enter the duration in HH: MM format and click the Generate button.

4. This generates a token which is valid is valid for the specified duration. User can generate multiple tokens.

5. To copy the generated token, click the Copy button.