Pandora:Metaconsole:Documentation en:Introduction

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1 Introduction

The Metaconsole is a Web portal where you can visualize, synchronize and manage in an unified way different Pandora FMS monitoring systems, called Instances from now. You can also read other similar terms like "nodes".

This way, the data management of different monitoring environments will be done in a transparent way for the user. We divide the Metaconsole interaction possibilities on the Instances in three different categories:

• Visualization: There are different ways to visualize data:Lists, tree views, reports, graphs, etc.
• Operation: The creation, edition and deleting of the Instance data through the Assistant/Wizard.
• Administration: The configuration of the Metaconsole parameters and also the synchronization of data between Metaconsole and Instances.

1.1 Interface

Through a simplified interface (compared with Pandora FMS) the actions availables in the Metaconsole are distributed in 6 groups:

• Monitoring

• Tree view
• Tactic view
• Group view
• Alert view
• Monitor view
• Wizard

• Events
• Reports

• Create new reports
• Reports
• Templates
• Template wizard

• Screens

• Network map
• Visual console

• Netflow
• Advanced

• Synchronization
• User management
• Agent management
• Module management
• Alert management
• Tag management
• Policy management
• Category management
• Metasetup

2 Comparative

If you knew Pandora FMS before version 5.0, then you know that the Metaconsole concept already exist

In this section, we are going to analyze the differences between the current Metaconsole and the old one,and also the problems solved and the improvements proposed.

2.1 Before Version 5.0

Before version 5.0, a normal installation (Console+Server) of Pandora FMS could also work, as Metaconsole.

2.1.1 Communication

The communication between the Metaconsole and the instances was unidirectional. The Metaconsole connected with the instance data base and Managed all the data in memory.

It did not store almost nothing in its own database.

2.1.2 Synchronization

Synchronization was done between the instances. For example:

Lets suppose that we want to configure some alert templates so as all the instances would have them.

We should enter in one of the instances, configure them, go back to the Metaconsole and synchronize the templates of that instance with the other ones.

2.1.3 Problems

The Metaconsole was very inefficient because of its not centralized architecture. A lot of connections were done to different databases and the user experience was poor. The available options were insufficient to get the wanted control of the instance environments without exit from the Metaconsole.

Summarizing, the Metaconsole was slow in case it had a bit of load and the user was very limited by its options.

2.2 From Version 5.0

The Metaconsole from version 5.0 is an special environment completely independent and incompatible with the console.

2.2.1 Communication

The communication between the Metaconsole and the instances is bi-directional. The Metaconsole connect with the instance database and the instances replicate part of their data to the Metaconsole database.

Other data, such as groups, alert templates, tags... are stored in the Metaconsole.

2.2.2 Synchronization

The synchronization is done in a one way: From the Metaconsole to the instances.

For example:

Lets suppose that we want to configure some alert templates for the ones that have several or all instances. Without exit from the metaconsole we could configure the templates and synchronize them with the instances that we want.

2.2.3 Improvements

The Metaconsole from version 5.0 is a much more centralized, quick, and flexible tool than the previous version. It also includes much more views and features, and also improvements in the ones that previously exist. It does not manage all data in memory, storing part of the information, improving this way the user experience.

2.3 Summary table

In the following table you can see the differences between the old Metaconsole features and the new ones.

	Before version 5.0	From version 5.0
The metaconsole can work as an instance
Synchronization	Decentralization	Centralized
Communication	Unidirectional	Bidirectional
Instance configuration
User panel
Tactic view	Through instances	General and 15 last events
Agent browser
Group view
Event visor	(Data in Instances)	(Data in the Metaconsole)
Tree view
Alert view
Module view
Network map
Traffic monitoring (Netflow)
Synchronization tools	Users/Profiles Components Policies Alerts	Users/Profiles Groups Components Alerts Tags
Move agents between instances
Report templates
Editors	Reports Visual console	Users/Profiles Groups Components Reports Visual console Alerts Tags Categories
Apply/Policy queue

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