SLA Watch. On line web services to verify information systems' functionality and performances. 1

Transcription

1 SLA Watch On line web services to verify information systems' functionality and performances 1

2 SLA Watch is a set of services "pay per use" for the remote monitoring of availability and performances of an ICT resource addressable via Internet (i.e. with an IP address).. SLA Watch can be applied to any ICT system, or parts thereof, outsourced or not, regardless of the level of compleity and of the size of the considered one. SLA Watch, in its basic operation, is agentless and allows to : a) continuously monitor the availability of the controlled ICT resource, identifying the download time; b) continuously monitor the end-to-end response time of the controlled ICT resource from the SLA Watch system via Internet. The monitoring frequency is settable up to every 1 minute, depending on the customer's requirement: the default value is 5. SLA Watch is based on a suitable integration of Nagios and Centreon, two consolidated and widely used open source software, implemented on cloud with an high availability architecture. Nagios is the main "engine", and Centreon is used as user's interface and for interoperability and integration with other systems, as described hereinafter. Nagios can monitor almost all of the eisting ICT systems. The proof is that Nagios received awards worldwide, including the most recent: 2012: SourceForge Featured Project 2012: PortalProgramas 2011 Open Source Awards: "Essential For Communications Networks" 2011: Linu Journal Readers Choice: "Best Monitoring Solution" 2011: LinuQuestions.org Members Choice Award 2011: "Monitoring Application of the Year" 2011: WebHostingSearch: "Best Web Tool" What controls The controlled ICT resources include every type of physical and logical ICT units; they are organized in: host: the physical unit addressable on the Internet, equipped with an IP address. Typical eamples of hosts include intelligent switches, routers, wireless access points, firewalls, servers, storage (SAN, NAS,..), network printers, etc. service: the logical units operating on hosts. They are software programs, from basic software to middleware and applications, and also ICT services provided by outsourcers and cloud computing. Virtualized servers can be considered as both hosts and services. If it is defined a SLA, Service Level Agreement, SLA Watch periodically compares the SLA' indicators with these detected for the monitored ICT resource. A SLA can be formally defined, for instance inside the contract with a provider, or informally, for instance that one assumed/hoped by the on premise' ICT management or by the users. The monitoring indicators of basic SLA Watch are agent less and carried out by its own connections, so do not be "intrusive" or in the customer's systems or in those of the provider. SLA Watch can be configured and customized according to the indicators to be monitored and to the customer requirements and ICT structures. 2

3 SLA Watch services The following Table details the SLA Watch basic service and the possible options already available or to be implemented via a specific project. SLA Watch services with various options "Host" (physical or virtual) availability: time in which it is active or not, over the considered horizon. "Service" availability: time in which it is active or not, over the considered horizon. End-to-End Response Time of the web home page on port 80. Over the horizon are given the graph and the minimum, maimum and average values End-to-End Response Time of a specific web page. Over the horizon are given the graph and the minimum, maimum and average values End-to-End Response Time of other ports and protocols (for instance: https, ftp, ftps, imap, pop3, ldap, scp, sip, etc.) For carrying out some controls may be necessary to a project and the activation of a local server Nagios Initial set up for customerc'scontract Accounts' set up and profile configuration for contract-customer users Set up monitoring frequency; default frequency = 5 m. Periodic report summary for each ICT monitored resource: weekly, monthly, quarterly, etc.. Tree correlations between physical and logical resources for alarms Defining critical alarms to signal Alarm signal automatically via Alarm signal automatically via SMS Second-level controls with agents of the physical and logical resources monitored. A non-ehaustive list of possible controls are listed below Implementing Nagios local server for monitoring and control, interoperable with SLA Watch SLA Watch integration with other monitoring systems: IBM Tivoli, HP products' family (past HP Open View), CA products' family (past CA Unicenter), SLA Watch integration with ICT Discovery and CMDB services SLA Watch integration with TT, Trouble Ticketing service Basic (agent less) Option Ad hoc project () Currently the following are the services provided via web by Malabo that can be integrated with SLA Watch: ICT Discovery: locate all physical and logical resources of an ICT system, with their detailed technical description, creating a centralized database, which constitutes a CMDB. Discovery requires an "agent" on the resources; ICT TT, Trouble Ticketing system, allowing centralization and tracking of all requests and alarms from the users of the informatics system and of SLA Watch. The integration of these two services with SLA Watch is based on the specific needs of a customer and of his informatics system: the signals and alarms of the latter and TT are used to update the state of resources in the CMDB and in SLA Watch. This integration helps diagnose the causes problems and outages reported and/or identified. ICT Discovery will also give a clear and updated picture of ICT resources in the target informatics system, and put these ICT resources under monitoring to analyse their actual use and performances. SLA Watch can be also integrated with other monitoring systems, typically these already in operation in the target informatics system, so as to provide a unique and complete view without having to duplicate the controls. 3

4 The possible second-level controls all require a specific project and its implementation with appropriate agents on the ICT resources to be monitored. The non-ehaustive list of second-level controls includes: monitoring other operating systems in addition to Windows and Linu; monitoring CPU usage, memory and storage; monitoring page swapping (etension RAM disk and echange between RAM and virtual memory on disk); controlling the size of files; monitoring of virtualized systems and cloud; monitoring of protocols; monitoring systems of high reliability and clustered; monitoring databases; monitoring of specific applications (ERP, CRM, , collaborative platforms, etc.); monitoring of specific systems (PABX-telephony, instant messaging, audio and video conferencing, SCADA, etc.); monitoring ICT security control systems. User dashboard The SLA Watch's dashboard (consolle) is provided accessing to the service by any modern browser, in particular: Microsoft Internet Eplorer (ecept at the present v.9), Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefo from v.5, current versions of Opera and Safari. SLA Watch allows to have multiple users for the same customer, each with a different profile of access rights and then with a personalized dashboard on the basis of those rights. The figure on the right shows an eample of a synthesis dashboard for multiple system's monitoring. The two figures below refer to the control of a website and show, respectively, the web page with end-to-end response times' graphs (daily and weekly in the picture) and the availability page of the same site during a month. 4

5 Summary periodic reports SLA Watch provides (as an option) the production of periodic reports on the synthesis of monitoring resources, comparing the data obtained with those which may be defined as SLA. The following pictures show eamples of monthly report's pages. What could be the convenience? As above pointed out, SLA Watch can be used for monitoring ICT resources managed both on premise or outsourced: but when it is really necessary, and how it is possible to evaluate the returns? SLA Watch is necessary for all those that require an independent and authoritative control over the performance and availability of ICT systems: typically for those who provide by their ICT systems on-line services such as e-commerce, collaborative platforms, social networks, games, information, documentation, and so on. If these ICT systems are outsourced, and it is the majority of cases for web sites, the user/customer can have only reports and data provided by the same supplier, supposing they there are. What is the real return of this control? It depends on the type of activity, relationship online with stakeholders, level of image, etc. The main return of the monitor 24/24 effective functioning of ICT resources is the verification of their "continuity" and then that of the business they support. Further returns depend on the type of activities and relationships online that the company / organization has with its various stakeholders, as well as from 'image and the media impact in the event of failure or attacks on information systems. At a minimum, shows the various interlocutors that ICT resources are controlled and certainly increases the credibility and authority of the CIO and of the top management towards all. The following figure shows an eample: the web site of an Italian professional association has been outsourced in cloud. One day, the vendor has changed the host to support this website as a cloud, and suddenly the response time is tripled and remained so. From the point of view of the end user the change was imperceptible, at least with a limited 5

6 number of concurrent users, but SLA Watch has highlighted the problem immediately. The supplier has been informed of the change in performance thanks to the data collected, and the technical allocation of the website has been changed and returned to the initial average response times. It is possible to evaluate also the economic return, that mainly is due to cost reductions (reduction of ICT unavailability, improvement of performances, greater marketability with suppliers, etc.) and better governance. Service management and support Malabo manages SLA Watch services by close reference to ITIL v3 and COBIT, and using a computer support 24/24 h. based on the web "trouble ticketing" system (ICT TT). In addition Malabo may also provide a telephone support from 9 to and from to 18 working days, depending on the contract. Malabo can advise the customer sometimes needed to identify which indicators are to control and how, given the specific contet of customer information, or to analyze the causes of the problems. Typical advices include: identification of indicators to be put under control and their mode of treatment; analysis of the problems encountered by the Customer and the Supplier, with the following identification of appropriate controls by means of SLA Watch; detailed analysis of the causes for the misalignment of the SLA/detected indicators; evaluation of the Supplier's services and management, in particular SLA-KPI, support, performances, prices; adequacy of ICT security measures. 6

7 Seeing is believing A sub set of the SLA Watch services is free available at For the login: Login: demo Password: centreon 1) After the login the page <Reporting> appears; ; from the <host> menu on the left, select one of the monitored resources: a screen appears summarizing the uptime of the selected resource. The observation period can be changed from the on the right, by entering the start and end dates. The resulting screen displays a summary of the features (active/inactive) of the host under observation. The time line at the end of the screen shows in details the dates of possible downs. 2) To monitor the end-to-end response time, on the top bar select <Views> and <Graphs> below: the left column of the web page displays the monitored resources available in the "demo". Select cascading resources which appear in the left column, to the last item indented (usually <Check_site>) and click on it: the graphics appear showing end-to-end response time in different time frames: day, week, month, current year. The period of time required can be changed on the menu at the top, entering the start and end dates. 3) To end click <Logout> in the top right of the screen. For more information More information and a quick reference guide are available at To request further information and offers please contact: SLAWatch@malaboadvisoring.it Malabo Srl is an "advisory" and "on line services" company in the field of ICT, Information and Communication Technology, based on a network of senior eperts and ultra specialized companies that work on both the demand and supply of ICT. For ICT demand's customers, the main intervention is to help them concretely in the most effective and efficient use of ICT with the aim of "creating value". This objective also applies to companies offering ICT and the related interventions range from those mentioned above for their internal ICT to more strategic ones, in order to grow and to better position on the Italian and international markets. Typical interventions in the field of information systems include the ICT rationalization and cost reduction, operational management, ICT Enterprise Architecture also in the logic of outsourcing and cloud, ICT governance, ICT security, analysis and risk management, the reorganization of processes to support ICT, the alignment between business and information system, management of compliance and certification. Malabo Srl - Operational office: Via Savona Milan Tel. (02) info@malaboadvisoring.it PEC: malabo_srl@pec.it Registered Office: Via del Caravaggio Milano VAT and Ta Code: