1.2.3 The Scanning Modules

Product-Specific Scanning Modules

Mail Monitor provides scanning modules for each entity shown in Table 1-1, Table 1-2, and Table 1-3. The entities that can be monitored vary according to which products can run on which platform.

Table 1-1 Entities Scanned by Mail Monitor on Windows NT Systems

Table 1-2 Entities Scanned by Mail Monitor on OpenVMS Systems

Table 1-3 Entities Scanned by Mail Monitor on DIGITAL UNIX Systems

Tools

A tool is a means of presenting and collecting information. The Windows client sends a tool to a server, where the tool operates on the information scanned. Note that when a V2.1 or earlier client initiated a scan, the client did not send the tool to the server. The server sent all the scanning data to the client, and the tool's filter operated only at the client's end of the connection.

Each tool produces a specific kind of record. For example, the Dev Graph tool produces a Graph record. Scanned data that is presented in text form can either be a Monitor record (which the Client presents in a window that has the name of the tool as a title) or a record specific to the tool (for example, an Event record, which has the format of a DECnet[TM] event). The default tools are:

• Counters, which displays information on various counters. Original values are displayed in the NCL Objects and Perf Counters tools.

• Dev Graph, which shows the number of free blocks remaining on server devices. This only applies to servers displayed in your Current Map.

• Devices, which shows device information in the form of messages received for the objects shown in your Current Map.

• Errors, which displays any Error or Fatal Error messages received for the objects shown in your Current Map.

• Events, which uses the Events Dispatcher file to display DECnet-Plus events

• Jobs, which (on an OpenVMS system) displays the jobs that are running and related information such as queue name.

• MPDU Queues, which provides a graph showing the MPDUs (Message Protocol Data Units) queued for each server, Peer MTA and MTA Agent.

• MPDU Traffic, which displays a graph showing the incoming and outgoing Message Protocol Data Units (MPDUs) for each server in the Current Map.

• MSG Graph, which shows a graph of the number of messages of each severity level received for each server/entity. See the online Help for information on severity levels.

• Monitor, which displays monitor messages for each server, relay, and entity in the Current Map.

• NCL Graph and NCL Objects, which display information on the NCL messages and objects utilized by some monitored entities, for example, MAILbus 400, and DIGITAL X.500.

• Perf Counter, which gives information on the Performance Counter on Windows NT systems.

• Processes, which displays the processes that are running and related information such as user names or page faults.

• Queues, which (on an OpenVMS system) displays the queues that are defined.

• Release Notes, which allows you to view the release notes.

• Scan Log and Server Log, which display the log files maintained for each server and for each scan. These tools only apply to a single server, so make sure that you have only one server displayed in your Current Map.

• Status, which displays the current status of the servers shown in your Current Map, for example, a server may be starting a new scan of an entity.

• TimeZones, which displays the scan time and GMT offset of each server given in your Current Map. Use this monitor tool to determine scan times if you monitor entities in different timezones.

• Versions, which displays the software version of the entities monitored, including details of link dates and patches installed.

A filter is the set of instructions that a tool uses in order to filter out unwanted information before a server passes the information back to the client.

The CONTROL Scanning Module

The CONTROL scanning module works in conjunction with the Control management module by executing, on the server, the commands issued by the client.