Creating Plugins to Monitor New Types of Device

A Plugin is an extension module for Serio IT Service View that enables it to monitor the performance characteristics of particular network devices, such as servers, routers, switches, printers, or software, such as web servers, firewalls, databases or anti-virus software.

Serio IT Service View comes pre-packaged with a number of Plugins for monitoring devices such as Windows 2003/2008 Servers, Exchange Servers, Web Sites, and devices that can respond to Ping requests.

Plugins work by polling network devices periodically for status information in the form of SNMP Variables. The values of the SNMP Variables returned are tested in Validation Scripts, written in Serio IT Service View's scripting language, SerioScript. Depending on the value of an SNMP Variable, the Validation Script may specify that an action is taken.

Plugins complement the monitoring of SNMP Traps from devices. If a device fails suddenly it may never send an SNMP Trap. Because Plugins work by polling devices periodically, they will always detect if the device is no longer available.

You can create your own Plugins, using SerioScript. You may want to do this to monitor a specific type of network device for which no Plugin exists, using the flexibility of SerioScript to respond to conditions you detect with custom actions.

For further information see: Creating your own Plugin: Roadmap.