Infrastructure Monitoring
Infrastructure monitoring is the process of continuously collecting and analyzing the performance, availability, and health of an organization's IT infrastructure components. It systematically monitors servers, networks, databases, applications, and interconnected systems to detect, diagnose, and address any issues affecting their functionality. By utilizing specialized tools and methodologies, infrastructure monitoring ensures real-time visibility into the operational aspects of the infrastructure, enabling proactive management, timely troubleshooting, and optimization of resources to maintain seamless operations.
Types of Infrastructure Monitoring
There are two types of infrastructure monitoring: agent-based monitoring and agentless monitoring. Understanding the advantages and disadvantages of each type is crucial in selecting the most suitable approach to an organization's specific requirements, infrastructure complexity, and operational objectives.
Agent-based Monitoring
Agent-based monitoring involves the utilization of software agents to collect data from various components of an infrastructure. These agents are dedicated components responsible for collecting, processing, and reporting data to a central monitoring platform.
One significant advantage of agent-based monitoring is its ability to continue collecting data even if the network connection between the monitored system and the monitoring platform is interrupted or lost. In such cases, these agents can buffer the collected data and transmit it to the monitoring platform once the network connection is re-established, ensuring data integrity and continuity of monitoring operations.
Agentless Monitoring
Agentless monitoring involves gathering performance metrics from infrastructure components without installing additional software agents on the devices being monitored. This method relies on established technologies such as Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP), Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI), and Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) to access and collect relevant data from the monitored systems. Furthermore, agentless monitoring operates with minimal intrusion and overhead on the monitored systems, reducing resource consumption and potential conflicts within the infrastructure.
As an agentless monitoring solution, IT-Conductor excels in its ability to monitor, manage, and orchestrate applications and their associated infrastructure components within a single interface.
See Unified Monitoring for more information.
Infrastructure Components
Modern IT infrastructure comprises several interdependent components, each playing a crucial role in ensuring the smooth operation of an organization's technological ecosystem. These components encompass a wide array of hardware, software, and networking elements, collectively forming the backbone of an organization's IT environment. Understanding these components is essential for comprehensive infrastructure monitoring.
Servers
Servers act as the core computing systems within an infrastructure, hosting applications and their data. The most common types of servers used in enterprise environments are file servers, application servers, web servers, and database servers, each with specific functions essential for managing business operations.
Monitoring server health involves a comprehensive assessment of their availability and performance. This ensures that these systems operate optimally, providing uninterrupted service to users while mitigating potential bottlenecks or system failures that could lead to costly downtime. The most common server performance metrics that need to be monitored are the following:
CPU Utilization - refers to how much of the CPU resource capacity is used by all the running services and applications on a server. It is often represented in percentages (%).
Memory Utilization - refers to how much of the memory resource capacity is utilized by all the running services and applications in a server. It is often represented in percentages (%).
Disk Utilization - refers to how much of the disk resource capacity is used.
Here are some of the server types that can be monitored using IT-Conductor:
Database
Databases store and manage critical organizational data. They encompass a wide array of information, ranging from structured data, which fits neatly into predefined categories, to unstructured data, which includes content like documents, images, and multimedia files.
Monitoring databases involves a meticulous process to ensure their optimal performance and reliability. This includes tracking various key metrics such as the following:
Response Time - refers to the duration a database system takes to respond to a specific query or transaction request initiated by a user or an application.
Database Throughput - refers to the rate at which a database system processes and handles data transactions over a specified period.
Query Performance - refers to the efficiency and speed with which a database system executes and responds to queries initiated by users or applications.
Here are some of the database types that can be monitored using IT-Conductor:
Applications
Applications are the diverse array of software programs or services designed to perform specific tasks or functions. They encompass a wide spectrum, ranging from readily available software solutions to custom-developed applications developed to meet specific business needs and workflows.
Monitoring applications involves tracking various performance metrics such as the following:
Application Availability - indicates whether an application is in UP or DOWN state; measures the uptime and downtime.
Average Response Time - refers to the average response time over a specified period.
Peak Response Time - refers to the longest recorded response time within a specified period.
Error Rate - refers to the percentage of the number of requests that result in an error over a specified period.
Timeout - refers to the time the application is idle or not responding to requests.
Retries - facilitates the ability of applications to handle transient failures.
Jitters - inserts variation in time when a request or any remote call is initiated.
In the case of intricate applications like managing an SAP landscape, a multifaceted approach to monitoring becomes indispensable.
See Application Performance Management for more information.
Network
Network components like routers, switches, and firewalls collectively create the essential connectivity framework that enables seamless communication and efficient data transfer across various devices and systems.
Monitoring network infrastructure involves continuous evaluation and analysis of various network performance metrics such as the following:
Network Availability - refers to the state or condition of a network being operational and accessible for users or devices to transmit and receive data without interruption or downtime.
Network Bandwidth - refers to the maximum data transfer rate or capacity of a network communication channel, representing the amount of data that can be transmitted over a specified period.
Network Throughput - refers to the actual rate of successful data transmission over a specified period.
Network Latency - refers to the time delay that occurs when data packets travel from one point to another within a network.
Cloud Components
Cloud infrastructure consists of various components that collectively provide computing resources and services. Some key components include:
Compute - includes virtual machines (VMs), containers, and serverless computing services that enable the execution of applications and workloads.
Storage - refers to the resources used to store data such as object storage, block storage, and file storage services (e.g., Amazon S3, Azure Blob Storage, Google Cloud Storage).
Networking - refers to the components that manage the connectivity between various resources and services. It includes virtual networks, load balancers, content delivery networks (CDNs), and services (e.g., Amazon Virtual Private Cloud (VPC), Azure Virtual Network, Google Cloud Load Balancing).
Cloud monitoring helps track the performance, availability, and health of cloud resources, allowing administrators to optimize usage and identify issues proactively.
Here are some of the public cloud environments you can monitor using IT-Conductor:
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