Audits
OSsonar continually runs audits of your system and perhaps of your applications. A sensor performs one audit. The result of the sensor is either No Concern or Concern.
For a Concern, a countermeasure may be executed to take action on the concern.
A Concern creates a sensor alert.
This auditing of the system is helpful with SOX compliance and is ideal for remote management.
Sensor Alerts
A sensor alert can be handled locally or can be transferred to another OSsonar for processing. Consolidating alerts makes OSsonar ideal for Remote Monitoring.
There are three levels of alerts. You configure how many consecutive alerts will be in each alert level. You configure how alerts are notified in each level.
You can prioritize alerts and configure how certain priorities will be notified. For example, you could also text message a low disk space concern.
Alert Console
Outstanding alerts are maintained, both locally and remotely, in the special directory /ossonar/etc/console. Applications can be written to display the alerts and to color code them based on their alert level.
Console utilities exists to:
- Read the console information for you
- Manually remove an alert from the console
- Cause a sensor to be rerun now
- Cause all monitored OSsonars to check-in with the Test Alert.
Custom Sensors
Sensors can be custom programmed and added. They can be written in any computer language supported by the machine.
Failsafed Managers
The two main daemons, OSscrond and OSsonard, watch each other and will restart the other should it fail. The Verification Manager, OSswatchdog, watches the other two and will restart them should they both fail.
Status Board
The Status Board (/ossonar/bin/lsstatus) continually displays the current status of the sensors. It is entertaining and informative to watch.
Logs
OSsonar maintains several logs that will be helpful to the system administrator in researching a problem.
Languages
OSsonar is designed to be language independent. Also all custom written sensors can use the same utilities to be multi-language.
OSsonar can be translated into many different country languages.