Macintosh WATCHER 4.1

Using WATCHER

To launch the application, double-click the WATCHER icon. The main test list lists all the devices that WATCHER will monitor once testing begins, and provides access to WATCHERís primary features.



Figure 4-1 WATCHER "Untitled" window

Menus

The menus work just as you would expect in any Macintosh application. Their commands perform functions such as configuring the application and testing devices.

To display information about WATCHER on your screen, you can open the online help from the Help menu.

Buttons

The buttons shown below the menus provide access to frequently used commands. From left to right, these buttons include Add, Remove, Attach, Start Test, Stop Test, and Get Info.

	Click Add to open a Add Devices dialog box, letting you add devices to the main test list.
	Click Remove to delete the selected devices from the list.
	Click Attach to open the Attach Notifications dialog box so you can add notifications to the selected device or devices. (You can also double-click on a selected device to bring up the Attach Notifications dialog box.)
	Click Test All to start testing all the devices in the list except those that have been placed on hold. (To place devices on hold, see Testing Devices.)
	Click Stop Test to stop the testing process.
	Click Get Info to open a dialog box containing information about the selected device.

Total Devices Count/
Down Devices Count

These boxes appear on the right-hand side of the window. The upper box indicates the number of devices in the Main Test List. The lower box indicates the number of devices that are "down". If one or more devices are down, the lower box flashes red.

Main Test List

For each device, the Main Test List provides several columns of information: the network on which the device is located, the device type, the device name, the device status, and the device condition. Each entry includes the network where the device resides, and the device type, name, status and condition.

Status Column

The status column is to the left of the Condition column. There are four possible states:

DN = Down

OH = On Hold

UP = Up

NT = Not Tested

The shaded status indicator shows the device's current state. Initially, all devices are in the Not Tested (NT) state. During testing, the device's indicator blinks. After testing, either the up or down indicators are shaded.

Any entry for a device that is down is red on a color screen, or is shown in italics on a black and white screen.

Condition Column

The Condition column provides information, where available, on the detailed status of the device. For example, on a server running Space Probe, it may show the amount of space already used and the space that is remaining. Or, it may show the throughput or the software being used on a router. The information provided depends on the device specific test modules you choose, your use of SNMP, and the device type.

Sorting the Device List

You can sort the devices alphabetically by network, device type, device name, or status. Select Sort By from the Device menu and drag through to one of the options listed there. The column heading for the sorting option you choose is underlined.

You can also re-sort the list by clicking the column heading.The current column heading will be underlined.

You can reverse the order in which devices appear in the device list by clicking on the symbol in the top right-hand area of the main test list. The two boxes in the top-right corner of the main test list indicate the total number of devices listed in the main test list and the number that were found to be out of service during the last test.

Selecting Devices

You can select and deselect one device or a group of devices in the main test list. The following techniques work in all WATCHER lists:

ï To select one item in a list, click on it.

ï To select a block of items, click and drag the cursor across them. To add to the block or remove from the block, hold down the shift button, and click and drag.

ï To select or deselect items spread throughout a list, hold down the Command key, then click each item.

Working with Configuration Documents

A document saves all of the information that you define using WATCHER. This information includes the Main Test List, the status of each device at the time of the last test, and any changes to the default configuration.

You can create and save more than one document, although you can work with only one document at a time. For example, if you want to monitor different sets of devices at different times, you can create a document for each set of devices.

Creating Documents

A new document is created automatically when you start WATCHER. This document is blank until you start adding devices to the Main Test List, creating and attaching notifications, and so on.

To create a document, click the New command from the File menu.

Saving Documents

You should save documents frequently while you work and you should always save documents before starting any tests. If problems occur, you wonít lose any saved information in the document.

To save a document, click the Save command from the File menu.

You can use the Save As command of the File menu to save the current configuration using a new name or location.

Opening Documents

You can open only one document at a time within WATCHER.

To open a document:

1. Click the Open command from the File menu.

2. Locate the document and double-click its file name.