Getting Started with Alerts

Dotcom-Monitor is an active external service that simulates end-user interactions with Internet services such as web applications, mail servers, and video streaming. As Dotcom-Monitor imitates a user’s behavior, it simultaneously monitors for problems affecting availability, accessibility, and performance. Alerts are a critical part of the Dotcom-Monitor service and provide real-time alert whenever service-affecting problems are detected.
This guide walks you through multiple alert configuration options and offers tips on how to get the most out of alerts.

Concepts

Dotcom-Monitor offers an extremely flexible framework for problem alerting. There are several main concepts that should be understood to maximize the power of this alerting system.

Alert Delivery

An alert is a single message notifying the recipient about specific issues exposed during the monitoring process. Alerts are delivered by a number of means, including any combination of the following delivery mechanisms:

• Email
• SMS
• Custom Notification Script
• Wireless Email
• SNMP Alerts
• Phone
• PagerDuty
• Slack
• Zapier
• AlertOps
• MS Teams

For specifications of the delivery mechanisms, see Alert-delivery mechanisms.

Alert delivery mechanism can be chosen while an alert group configuring.

Alert Groups

An alert group is a grouping of alert addresses assigned to a monitored device. For example, an alert group could contain e-mail addresses, SMS addresses and phone numbers as alert addresses. There is no limit on the number of alert addresses assignable to a group, and there is no limit on the number of alert groups per account. You can find and configure alert groups under the Configure > Notification Groups screen. Multiple alert groups can be assigned to one monitoring device (changes take effect immediately).

Alert Templates

Dotcom-Monitor uses a default format for alerts but allows modification of alert template. Users can create custom templates with a set of variables that Dotcom-Monitor provides. Templates can be created for any alert address. Once templates are created, they appear on the Alert Template screen.

Scheduler

The scheduler allows assigning specific activation periods to alert groups, which enables on-call coverage between specific groups of persons or disables alerts during specific time periods. Dotcom-Monitor allows for multiple schedules within the same account. Once a schedule has been created, it can be assigned to an alert group.

As an example, three schedulers could be created as follows:

• Scheduler 1 – 08:00 –15:59, Monday  – Friday
• Scheduler 2 – 16:00 –23:59, Monday  – Friday
• Scheduler 3 – 00:00 –07:59, Monday  – Friday, all-day Saturday and Sunday

In the following example, there are three groups in the account with the following alert types:

• Alert Group A – E-mail, Phone
• Alert Group B – E-mail, SMS, Phone
• Alert Group C – Wireless e-mail, SMS, Phone, SNMP trap

Using these examples, Scheduler 1 could be assigned to Alert Group A, so the individuals whose e-mail and SMS addresses are specified in the alert device will receive e-mail and phone alerts Monday through Friday from 08:00 –15:59 only.
If no schedule is assigned to a group, it is assumed that the group is eligible for alerts 24/7.

Filters

Filters are used to define rules of “how and when” alerts have to be sent. By default, any problem that Dotcom-Monitor detects is an error, but alerts can be blocked using filters.

Filters are assigned to a device while configuring alert settings.

Advanced Alerting Options

Advanced options such as escalation, throttling, uptime alerts refine incoming alerts and can be set up for a device while configuring alert settings.

Setup Order

To set up alert options, we suggest following this order:

1. 1. Set up templates.
   2. Set up filters.
   3. Set up schedules.
   4. Create an alert group:
      • Assign a schedule to the group.
      • Add alert addresses to the group.
      • Assign templates to each address.
   5. Create a monitoring device:
      • Assign filters.
      • Assign alert groups and escalation procedures.
      • Setup Uptime alert(s).
      • Configure throttling.