Server Monitors

What are Server Monitors?

Server monitors track the health and performance of your servers by collecting real-time system metrics including CPU usage, memory consumption, disk space, network activity, and system load. This enables you to proactively identify performance issues, capacity problems, and potential failures before they impact your services.

Why Server Monitoring is Essential

Performance Optimization

• Resource utilization: Track CPU, RAM, and disk usage patterns
• Bottleneck identification: Pinpoint performance constraints
• Capacity planning: Plan upgrades based on usage trends
• Cost optimization: Right-size your infrastructure

Proactive Problem Detection

• Early warnings: Detect issues before they cause outages
• Threshold alerts: Get notified when resources exceed safe limits
• Trend analysis: Identify gradual performance degradation
• Preventive maintenance: Schedule maintenance based on data

Troubleshooting and Diagnostics

• Historical data: Analyze past performance during incidents
• Correlation analysis: Connect performance issues to system events
• Root cause analysis: Identify the source of performance problems
• Impact assessment: Understand how issues affect overall system health

How to Access Server Monitors

Access server monitoring through:

• Main dashboard → Server Monitors section
• Sidebar navigation → Server Monitors
• Direct URL: /server-monitors

Monitored System Metrics

CPU Metrics

• CPU Usage Percentage: Overall processor utilization
• CPU Load Average: 1, 5, and 15-minute load averages
• CPU Cores: Number of processor cores available
• CPU Model: Processor type and specifications
• CPU Frequency: Current processor frequency

Memory Metrics

• RAM Usage Percentage: Memory utilization percentage
• RAM Used: Amount of memory currently in use (MB/GB)
• RAM Total: Total available system memory
• Memory Trends: Historical memory usage patterns

Storage Metrics

• Disk Usage Percentage: Disk space utilization
• Disk Used: Amount of disk space consumed (MB/GB)
• Disk Total: Total available disk space
• Disk Trends: Storage consumption over time

Network Metrics

• Network Download: Current download speed and activity
• Network Upload: Current upload speed and activity
• Total Download: Cumulative data downloaded
• Total Upload: Cumulative data uploaded

System Information

• Operating System: OS name and version
• Kernel Information: Kernel name, version, and release
• CPU Architecture: System architecture (x86_64, ARM, etc.)
• System Uptime: How long the system has been running

Setting Up Server Monitoring

Step 1: Create a Server Monitor

1. Navigate to Server Monitors
2. Click "Create Server Monitor"
3. Fill in the monitor configuration form

Step 2: Basic Configuration

Monitor Details

• Name: Descriptive name for your server (e.g., "Production Web Server", "Database Server #1")
• Target: Unique identifier for your server (can be hostname, IP, or custom identifier)
• Description: Optional details about the server's purpose and role

Project Assignment

• Assign the server monitor to a project for organization
• Group related servers together (e.g., "Production Environment", "Client X Infrastructure")
• Helps with team access control and reporting

Step 3: Notification Configuration

Alert Thresholds

Set thresholds for when to receive alerts:

• CPU Usage: Alert when CPU exceeds specified percentage (e.g., 80%)
• Memory Usage: Alert when RAM usage exceeds threshold (e.g., 90%)
• Disk Usage: Alert when disk space exceeds limit (e.g., 85%)
• Load Average: Alert when system load is too high

Notification Handlers

• Select which notification methods to use for alerts
• Choose different handlers for different severity levels
• Configure escalation procedures for critical alerts

Step 4: Install Monitoring Agent

Get Installation Script

1. After creating the server monitor, click on its name
2. Navigate to the "Installation" or "Code" section
3. Copy the provided installation script

Installation Methods

Linux/Unix Servers (Bash Script)

The system provides a custom bash script that:

• Collects CPU, memory, disk, and network metrics
• Gathers system information (OS, kernel, hardware details)
• Sends data to your monitoring endpoint via API
• Runs automatically via cron job

Installation Steps

1. Copy the provided script to your server
2. Save it as a file (e.g., server_monitor.sh)
3. Make it executable: chmod +x server_monitor.sh
4. Test the script: ./server_monitor.sh
5. Add to cron for automatic execution

Cron Job Configuration

Set up automatic data collection:

# Edit crontab
crontab -e

# Add line for every 5 minutes (adjust as needed)
*/5 * * * * /path/to/server_monitor.sh

# Or every minute for high-frequency monitoring
* * * * * /path/to/server_monitor.sh

Understanding Server Monitor Data

Monitor Status

• 🟢 Active: Server is reporting data regularly
• 🔴 Inactive: No data received recently (check agent/connectivity)
• 🟡 Warning: Some metrics exceed warning thresholds
• 🔴 Critical: One or more metrics exceed critical thresholds
• ⚪ Paused: Monitoring is temporarily disabled

Data Freshness

• Last Log: When the last data was received
• Data Frequency: How often your server sends updates
• Expected Intervals: Based on your cron job configuration
• Missing Data Alerts: Notifications when data stops arriving

Metric Trends and Graphs

• Real-time displays: Current resource utilization
• Historical trends: Performance over time
• Peak usage periods: Identify high-demand times
• Correlation analysis: How different metrics relate to each other

Managing Server Monitors

Viewing Detailed Metrics

1. Click on any server monitor from your list
2. View current real-time metrics
3. Examine historical performance graphs
4. Review system information and specifications
5. Check alert history and threshold breaches

Customizing Alert Thresholds

1. Go to server monitor details
2. Click "Edit" or "Settings"
3. Adjust threshold values based on your server's normal operation
4. Set different thresholds for warning vs. critical alerts
5. Save your changes

Managing Data Collection

Adjusting Collection Frequency

• High frequency (1 minute): Critical production servers
• Standard frequency (5 minutes): Normal production monitoring
• Low frequency (15-30 minutes): Development or stable servers
• Custom intervals: Based on specific requirements

Pausing Monitoring

• During maintenance: Pause to avoid false alerts
• Server decommissioning: Pause before removing servers
• Testing periods: Pause during load testing or migrations

Understanding Alert Conditions

CPU Alerts

• High CPU usage: Sustained CPU usage above threshold
• Load average spikes: System load exceeding normal levels
• CPU frequency changes: Processor throttling or speed changes
• Core utilization: Uneven load distribution across cores

Memory Alerts

• High memory usage: RAM utilization exceeding safe limits
• Memory leaks: Gradual increase in memory usage over time
• Available memory low: Risk of out-of-memory conditions
• Swap usage: System using swap space (performance impact)

Disk Alerts

• Disk space low: Storage approaching capacity limits
• Rapid disk growth: Unusual increase in disk usage
• Critical disk full: Risk of system issues due to full disk
• I/O performance: High disk activity affecting performance

Network Alerts

• High bandwidth usage: Network utilization exceeding normal levels
• Unusual traffic patterns: Unexpected network activity
• Connectivity issues: Problems reaching monitoring endpoints
• Data transfer anomalies: Unusual upload/download patterns

What to Expect

Initial Setup

• Install monitoring script on your server
• First data appears within minutes of script execution
• Initial baselines are established after a few data points
• Alert thresholds can be fine-tuned based on normal operation

Ongoing Monitoring

• Continuous data collection according to your cron schedule
• Real-time metric updates on the dashboard
• Automatic alerts when thresholds are exceeded
• Historical data accumulation for trend analysis

Alert Notifications

• Threshold breaches: Immediate alerts when limits are exceeded
• Recovery notifications: Alerts when metrics return to normal
• Missing data alerts: Notifications when servers stop reporting
• System information changes: Alerts for hardware or OS changes

Common Issues and Troubleshooting

No Data Received

• Check script execution: Verify the monitoring script runs without errors
• Network connectivity: Ensure server can reach monitoring endpoints
• Authentication issues: Verify API key and server ID are correct
• Firewall restrictions: Check if outbound HTTPS is blocked
• Cron job setup: Confirm cron job is properly configured and running

Inaccurate Metrics

• Script permissions: Ensure monitoring script has necessary permissions
• System commands: Verify required system utilities are available
• Virtualization issues: Some metrics may be limited in virtualized environments
• Container environments: Docker/container metrics may need special handling

False Alerts

• Threshold adjustment: Fine-tune alert thresholds based on normal operations
• Temporary spikes: Consider average values over time vs. instant readings
• Scheduled events: Account for regular maintenance or backup jobs
• Baseline establishment: Allow time for system to establish normal patterns

Missing Alerts

• Notification handlers: Verify alert channels are properly configured
• Threshold values: Check if thresholds are set appropriately
• Alert frequency: Ensure alerts aren't being rate-limited
• System performance: Very high system load might delay script execution

Best Practices

Monitoring Strategy

• Critical servers first: Start with your most important servers
• Baseline establishment: Monitor for a week to understand normal patterns
• Threshold tuning: Adjust alerts based on actual server behavior
• Comprehensive coverage: Monitor all key server roles (web, database, etc.)

Alert Configuration

• Graduated thresholds: Warning at 80%, critical at 95%
• Context-aware alerts: Different thresholds for different server types
• Time-based considerations: Account for peak usage periods
• Alert fatigue prevention: Avoid too many low-priority alerts

Data Collection

• Appropriate frequency: Balance monitoring detail with system overhead
• Consistent scheduling: Use regular intervals for better trend analysis
• Error handling: Ensure monitoring script handles failures gracefully
• Log rotation: Manage local log files to prevent disk space issues

Team Organization

• Clear naming: Use descriptive names that identify server purpose
• Project grouping: Organize servers by environment, client, or function
• Role-based access: Configure appropriate team access for different server groups
• Documentation: Maintain records of server purposes and dependencies

Advanced Monitoring Techniques

Performance Baseline Establishment

• Normal operation patterns: Document typical resource usage
• Peak usage identification: Understand when servers are most loaded
• Seasonal variations: Account for business cycle impacts
• Growth trends: Track how resource usage increases over time

Capacity Planning

• Trend analysis: Project future resource needs based on growth
• Peak capacity planning: Ensure adequate resources for peak loads
• Scaling decisions: Use data to decide when to upgrade or scale out
• Cost optimization: Identify over-provisioned resources

Correlation Analysis

• Multi-metric correlation: Understand how CPU, memory, and disk relate
• Application performance: Correlate server metrics with application performance
• External factors: Consider how external events affect server performance
• Dependency mapping: Understand how server performance affects other systems

Security and Compliance

Data Security

• Secure transmission: All data sent over HTTPS
• API authentication: Secure API keys for data submission
• Access control: Limit who can view server metrics
• Data retention: Understand how long metrics are stored

Compliance Considerations

• Monitoring logs: Maintain records of system performance for audits
• Change tracking: Document server configuration and performance changes
• Incident documentation: Use metrics data for incident reports
• Retention policies: Align data retention with compliance requirements

Integration with Other Monitoring

Holistic Monitoring Strategy

• Application monitoring: Combine server metrics with application performance
• Network monitoring: Include network performance alongside server metrics
• Log analysis: Correlate performance metrics with log data
• User experience: Connect server performance to user impact

Incident Response

• Performance context: Use server metrics during incident investigation
• Root cause analysis: Identify performance bottlenecks causing issues
• Recovery verification: Confirm performance returns to normal after fixes
• Post-incident analysis: Use data to improve monitoring and prevent recurrence

Tips for Success

• Start simple: Begin with basic CPU, memory, and disk monitoring
• Understand your baselines: Learn what "normal" looks like for each server
• Iterate on thresholds: Continuously adjust alerts based on experience
• Monitor the monitors: Ensure your monitoring infrastructure is reliable
• Document everything: Keep records of server purposes, thresholds, and changes
• Regular reviews: Periodically assess monitoring effectiveness and coverage
• Team training: Ensure team members understand how to interpret metrics
• Automation: Use monitoring data to trigger automated responses where appropriate
• Plan for growth: Consider how monitoring needs will change as you scale
• Stay proactive: Use trends to address issues before they become critical