Every organization, regardless of its size, requires a comprehensive monitoring solution that stays on top of the health and performance of its many devices, platforms, and applications. One such monitoring platform is ManageEngine Applications Manager, an availability and performance monitoring tool that helps to diagnose and fix problems before they impact the organization.
Plus, Applications Manager is relatively simpler to use when compared to similar tools. Read on to know how you can set up this platform, what configurations you must change, and how to start and stop it. But before we get down to the installation and usage, let's start with the system requirements and the actions required to prepare a conducive system for the Applications Manager.
System Requirements
Below are the basic requirements you need to ensure that the Applications Manager performs its functionality optimally.
Hardware Requirements
Below are the hardware requirements needed for the optimal performance of the Application Manager. Note that the exact usage depends on the number of monitors you use.
| 1 to 100 monitors | 2 Core/2.0 GHz processors, 4 GB RAM, and 100 GB hard disk space |
| 101 to 250 monitors | 2 Core/2.0 GHz processors, 8 GB RAM, and 150 GB hard disk space |
| 251 to 500 monitors | 4 Core/2.0 GHz processors, 12 GB RAM, and 200 GB hard disk space |
| More than 1000 monitors | 4 Core/2.0 GHz processors, 16 GB RAM, and 200 GB hard disk space |
Note that you need an additional 4 GB of memory for your operating system, as the values above only show what the Applications Manager needs.
Software Requirements
The Applications Manager runs well only on Windows and Linux operating systems. Specifically, it performs optimally in Windows 8,10, and 11, and Windows Server 2022, 2019, 2016, and 2012 R2. As for Linux, it works well on certain distributions only like CentOS 7.x, Debian, Fedora, OpenSUSE, RHEL 7 and above, Ubuntu, and SUSE Linux Enterprise.
When it comes to browsers, the Applications Manager supports only Chrome, Firefox, and Microsoft Edge browsers. Before using these browsers, make sure to enable JavaScript and third-party cookies.
Database
Moving on to the databases, the Applications Manager supports PostgreSQL and Microsoft SQL for storing the configuration and device-related data that was collected during the monitoring process. Note that PostgreSQL comes as a part of your Applications Manager bundle, and two other users (dbuser and rouser) will be automatically created during the installation process. At the time of writing this piece, the Applications Manager supports PostgreSQL versions up to 10.1 for 32-bit installations and 11.16 for 64-bit installations.
As for Microsoft SQL, the Applications Manager supports versions 2019, 2017, 2016, and 2014. ManageEngine recommends that you have the SQL database and the Applications Manager on the same LAN.
Note that the Applications Manager supports the SQL Always On Availability Groups, and all that you have to do is provide the availability group's listener port and DNS name. Most times, the listener port is 1433, but verify the port during installation.
Now that you have the system requirements in place, let's move on to installation.
Installing and Starting the Applications Manager
As a first step, download the Applications Manager and install it. Follow the installation wizard's steps to install the software. Double-click the app and open it. Log in with your username and password, which is “admin” and “admin” by default.
To use the web client, go to Programs Menu -> ManageEngine Applications Manager -> Applications Manager Start. If you already have the Applications Manager open, look for a blue A icon on your system tray, and simply double-click to open the console.
If you're starting the Applications Manager for the first time, here are the steps to set it up.
Setting up the Applications Manager
To start the setup process, click the “Set Up Applications Manager Wizard” button. This opens up a bunch of configurations that you must set up. The exact steps depend on the application server, database server, ERP, cloud apps, mail servers, and other devices in your network. Check the documentation of the respective device to ensure compatibility with the Applications Manager.
For example, if you want to monitor an Apache Geronimo server, head to the startup file. By default, you can find it in the <Geronimo Installation directory>/bin. Simply add these commands to the startup file.
-Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote
-Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote.port=1999
-Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote.ssl=false
-Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote.authenticate=false
Restart the server.
Likewise, continue this setup process for all the devices you want to monitor. Once the setup is done, you're all set to use the Applications Manager.
Stopping the Applications Manager
To stop or shut down the Applications Manager on Windows, navigate to Start → Programs → ManageEngine Applications Manager → Applications Manager Shutdown. For Linux systems, navigate to the <AppManager Home> directory and run the shutdownApplicationsManager.sh file.
Another option is through the Admin tab of your Applications Manager. Navigate to Tools and click the Shut Down Applications Manager icon. This option works well on both Windows and Linux systems.
Now that we've talked about starting and stopping the Applications Manager, let's talk about how you can use this versatile tool.
Using the Applications Manager
Open the Applications Manager and navigate to the Home tab. This tab will display the default dashboard that will display the health and availability of monitor groups and apps, and the infrastructure snapshot. You can also see the recent 10 alarms including their respective messages, involved devices, type, and timestamp. Below these, you can see a summary of the number of devices the Applications Manager is monitoring, their performance, and the top N monitors.
Below is a snapshot of how the default dashboard will look.
You can even get a more detailed view by clicking each of these parameters.
Monitors Tab
Right next to the Home tab, you can see the Monitors tab. Here, you'll find the list of all monitors discovered in the network, and you can click on each monitor to learn more about its health, performance, availability, and other parameters.
In this tab, you'll notice that all the monitors are grouped into six views, and they are:
- Category In this view, all the devices are divided into their respective categories like Applications Servers, Database Servers, etc.
- Bulk Config As the name suggests, the devices are intelligently grouped to enable you to perform bulk actions on them like updating passwords, changing access, etc. This is an intelligent classification based on your usage and the nature of devices in your network.
- Google Map In this view, you'll get to see the layout of devices on Google Maps. In particular, this view can come in handy if your devices are spread across many geographical locations.
- Icon This view displays the icon of each service.
- Table In this view, the monitors are displayed in a tabular format.
- Plasma In this interesting view, you can get a snapshot of what's happening with your monitors. This view is so-called because you can put the display on a plasma screen, and can monitor even if you're not in front of the monitor.
These views are designed to make it convenient for you to stay on top of all that's happening in your network. Based on your personal preference, you can decide the best view you want.
Alarms Tab
The next tab you'll see is the Alarms tab. This tab will display all the notifications that are generated when one or more parameters exceed the established threshold values. Also, there are three severity levels, namely, Critical, Warning, and Clear, represented by red, orange, and green dots respectively.
You can filter the notifications based on their severity levels, in an ascending or descending alphabetical order, date and time of occurrence, name of the technician handling the issue, etc. You can even filter the notifications that have the following tags: configured traps, unsolicited traps, and JMX notifications. All these filters can help you quickly find what you want, so you can take the necessary actions accordingly.
The notifications tab also comes with pagination.
Reports Tab
To the right of the Alarms tab, you'll see the Reports tab. Here, you can see different report templates, and when you click on the one you want, the Applications Manager will populate this report with the latest data and will display them for you.
The report templates are also grouped under different categories like availability & health, response time, alarm summary, and monitor. You can even create custom reports based on your needs. Needless to say, this is a simple way to not just understand the snapshot of your system, but also use it for decision-making, internal auditing, capacity planning, and other critical strategic functions within your organization.
Support Tab
The next tab on your right is the Support tab, and here you'll find links to the existing knowledge base, how-to demos, testimonials, troubleshooting tips, product roadmap, and more. This tab also has all the information you need to connect to the technical or customer support team.
Admin Tab
The last tab on your right is the Admin tab. As the name suggests, this tab lists all the administrative functions that you can do with the Applications Manager. These actions are grouped under different categories, namely,
- Discovery and Data Collection
- Alarm/Action
- Product Settings
- Integration with Portals
- Reporting
- Tools
The actions listed under each of these categories are self-explanatory. Feel free to navigate through them to do the actions you want.
In all, these are some of the most important actions you can do through the Applications Manager. As you can see, the user interface is seamless and intuitive. It's also well-designed and categorized to help you quickly find what you want to know to do.
Next, let's talk a bit about the best practices you can follow to get the most out of the Applications Manager.
Best Practices for Using Applications Manager
Every application has a bunch of best practices that enable you to leverage the tool well, and the Applications Manager is no exception. Below are some of the best practices recommended by ManageEngine.
Secure the Web Console
You can take many steps to protect your Applications Manager, especially when your employees plan to access the web console through the Internet.
- Make sure to create a hard-to-crack password for login. You must change the default “admin” password before you allow anyone to access your Applications Manager through the Internet.
- Avoid public access to the Applications Manager, and send the link only to authorized employees who need it for their work.
- Disable all the unused ports and protocols on your network. Also, disable the HTTP access, so only the HTTPS ports are used for connections. Moreover, it's a good idea to use a third-party SSL certificate.
Update the Patches
An often overlooked aspect is patch management. Sometimes, when you don't have the latest patches for apps and operating systems, you may not get the maximum from the Applications Manager. Ensure that all your devices are updated to their latest versions.
Prevent Insider Threats
As an Applications Manager contains critical information about your organization's infrastructure, take steps to secure it from insider attacks. Firstly, provide role-based access, so only those who need this tool can access it. Furthermore, use a zero-trust policy, which means, anyone who wants to access the Applications Manager must prove that he or she has been authorized to use it.
Data Backup
Take periodic backups of your data to prevent accidental or intentional loss. The good news is this backup process is easier than you think. Simply run the BackupPGSQLDB.bat/.sh and RestorePGSQLDB.bat/.sh files from the <AppManager Home> directory to backup and restore your data respectively.
Restart the Application Manager
ManageEngine recommends that you restart the Applications Manager at least once every fortnight. It also recommends that you use SSH for Telnet for Linux machines and SNMP or WMI for Windows systems to get optimal results.
Thus, these are some best practices that can come in handy while using the Applications Manager. Besides what's mentioned, ensure that your organization's security policies are not violated, and consider doing periodic audits to identify and fix issues before they impact the wider organization.
Bottom Line
To conclude, using the Applications Manager is easy and doesn't require advanced technical know-how or coding skills. This aspect is what makes the Applications Manager so valuable for many organizations, both big and small. We hope this information was helpful, as you try to make the most of what the Applications Manager offers. Start a 30-day free trial.
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