Graphic Elements

This section describes the graphic objects that are used in displays and their behavior:

•

Heatmaps

•

Tables

•

Trend Graphs

•

Icons and Buttons

•

Timestamps

Heatmaps

Heatmaps organize your Solace PubSub+ resources (brokers, VPNs, Clients, Bridges, Endpoints and so forth) into rectangles and use color to highlight the most critical value in each. Heatmaps enable you to view various alert metrics in the same heatmap using drop-down menus. Each metric has a color gradient bar that maps relative values to colors. In most heatmaps, the rectangle size represents the number of resources in the rectangle; a larger size is a larger value. Heatmaps include drop-down menus by which to filter data. The filtering options vary among heatmaps (the Solace Brokers Heatmap is shown below).

For example, the Solace Brokers Heatmap contains a Metric drop-down menu with options such as Alert Severity and Alert Count. Menu options vary according to the data populating the heatmap. Alert Severity is selected and its corresponding color gradient  bar is shown. Each rectangle represents a connection. A red rectangle in the heatmap indicates that one or more resources associated with that connection currently has an alert in an alarm state. The yellow rectangles in the heatmap indicate that one or more resources associated with that host currently have an alert in a warning state. A green rectangle would indicate that no alert is in a warning or alarm state.

In most heatmaps, you can also drill down to more detail by clicking a rectangle in the heatmap.

Note: Typically, it takes about 30 seconds after a server is started to appear in a Solace PubSub+ Monitor display. By default, data is collected every 15 seconds, and the display is refreshed 15 seconds afterward.

As previously mentioned, each Metric drop-down menu option has a color gradient bar that maps relative values to colors. The following summarizes the heatmap color code translation for typical heatmaps:

Alert Severity 

The maximum alert level in the item (index) associated with the rectangle. Values range from 0 - 2, as indicated in the color gradient bar, where 2 is the highest Alert Severity. 

 Metrics that have exceeded their specified ALARM LEVEL threshold have an Alert Severity value of 2. For a given rectangle, this indicates that one or more metrics have reached their alert thresholds.

 Metrics that have exceeded their specified WARNING LEVEL threshold have an Alert Severity value of 1. For a given rectangle, this indicates that one or more metrics have reached their warning thresholds.

 Metrics that have not exceeded either specified threshold have an Alert Severity value of 0. For a given rectangle, this indicates that no metrics have reached their warning or alert thresholds.

Alert Count 

The total number of critical and warning alerts in a given item (index) associated with the rectangle. The color gradient bar  numerical values range from 0 to the maximum count of alerts currently in the heatmap. The middle value in the gradient bar indicates the average alert count.

Mouse-over

The mouse-over functionality provides additional detailed data in a tool-tip when you mouse-over a heatmap. The following figure illustrates mouse-over functionality in a heatmap object. In this example, when you mouse-over a host, details are shown such as alert count, number of connections, and pending messages.

Tables

Solace PubSub+ Monitor tables contain the same data that is shown in the heatmap in the same View, and additional data not included in the heatmap. For example, the Solace Brokers Table display (shown below) shows the same data as the Solace Brokers Heatmap display. The following figure also illustrates the Column Visibility which allows you to select the columns you want in the table.

 

Tables support advanced HTML, interactive features: sorting on multiple columns, filtering on multiple columns, column resizing, column reordering, and hiding columns. Many of these features are accessed from the column menu, shown in the screen shot above, which you open by clicking on the menu icon in a column's header.

Additional features are:

• Multiple Column Sorting

• Column Visibility

• Column Filtering

• Column Reordering

• Row Paging

Multiple Column Sorting

Click on a column header to sort the table by that column. On the first click, the column is sorted in ascending order (smallest value at the top), on the second click the sort is in descending order, and on the third click, the column is returned to its original unsorted state. A sort on a string column is case-sensitive.

To sort multiple columns, click on the column header for each column you want to sort. The sorting is performed in the order that the column headers were clicked. Multiple column sorting is a very useful feature, but can also cause confusion if you intend to sort on a single column, but forget to "unsort" any previously selected sort columns first. You should check for the up/down sort icon in other column headers if a sort gives unexpected results.

The grid's row selection is cleared if the sort is changed or if columns are resized or reordered.

Column sorting is reflected in an export to HTML and Excel.

Column Visibility

You can hide or show columns in the table by clicking on any column's menu icon, and choosing Columns from the menu. This opens a submenu with a check box for each column that toggles the visibility of the column. All columns in the data table appear in the Columns menu, even those that are initially hidden.

 

Tip: If a table has twenty or more columns, the first check box in the list is labeled "Select All". A click on that checkbox will toggle the visibility of all columns. This can be useful when only a few columns of many are currently of interest. (Note that it is not possible to hide all columns, so at least one column will be visible).

Column visibility changes are NOT reflected in an export to HTML and Excel.

Column Filtering

You can create a filter on any column. If filters are created on multiple columns, then only the rows that pass all of the filters are displayed. That is, if there are multiple filters they are logically "ANDed" together to produce the final result.

You can configure a filter on any column by clicking on the column's menu icon and choosing Filter from the menu. This opens the Column Filter dialog:

 

Options in the Column Filter dialog vary according to the data type of the selected column:

• String columns: You can enter a filter string such as "abc" and, from the drop-down list, select the operator (equal to, not equal to, starts with, contains, etc) to be used when comparing the filter string to each string in the column. All of the filter comparisons on strings are case-insensitive. You can optionally enter a second filter string (e.g. "xyz") and specify if an AND or OR combination should be used to combine the first and second filter results on the column.

• Numeric columns: You can enter numeric filter values and select arithmetic comparison operators, (=, !=, >, >=, <, <=). You can optionally enter a second filter value and comparison operator, and specify if an AND or OR combination should be used to combine the first and second filter results.

• Boolean columns: You simply select whether matching items should be true or false.

• Date columns: You can select a date and time and choose whether matching items should have a timestamp that is the same as, before, or after the filter time. The date is selected by clicking on the calendar icon and picking a date from a calendar dialog. The time is selected by clicking on the time icon and picking a time from a drop-down list:

 

 

Data updates to the grid are suspended while the filter menu is opened. The updates are applied when the menu is closed.

Column filtering is reflected in an export to HTML and Excel.

 

If the row header is enabled, at least one column must remain locked.

Column locking is NOT reflected in an export to HTML and Excel.

Column Reordering

You can reorder the grid columns by dragging and dropping a column's header into another position. Dragging a column into or out of the row header area (the leftmost columns) is equivalent to locking or unlocking the column.

Column reordering is NOT reflected in an export to HTML and Excel.

Row Paging

If the data table contains more than one 200 rows, page controls appear at the bottom of the grid.

Right-Click Exporting

Right-clicking on a table provides a context menu with three options: Export to Excel, Copy Cell Value, and Copy Column Names.

Export to Excel

Selecting this item generates an Export.xlsx file that is downloaded via your browser. You can select whether to export only the Current Page of data or All Pages. In some cases, the value of a cell in the spreadsheet may differ from the visible content. Examples are icons that represent true/false values, or decimals that only show a few places on the dashboard.

Copy Cell Value

Selecting this item copies the value of the cell to the clipboard. In some cases, the value of the cell may differ from the visible content. Examples are icons that represent true/false values, or decimals that only show a few places on the dashboard.

Copy Column Names

Selecting this item copies the table's visible column names, separated by newline, to the clipboard. If the Alt key is pressed, the data table's column names, rather than the visible column names (or "titles"), are copied to the clipboard.

 

Trend Graphs

Solace PubSub+ Monitor trend graphs enable you to view and compare various important metrics over time, such as server memory and virtual memory utilization.

Time Settings

By default, the time range end point is the current time. To change the time range, click the Time Settings  and either:

• choose a Time range from 5 Minutes to 7 Days in the drop-down menu.

• specify begin/end dates using the calendar ..

• specify begin/end time using the clock .

  

Toggle forward/backward in the trend graph per the period you choose (from the Time range drop-down menu) using arrows .

Restore settings to current time by selecting now .

 

Mouse-over

The mouse-over functionality provides additional detailed data in an over imposed pop-up window when you mouse-over trend graphs.

Log Scale

The Log Scale option enables visualization on a logarithmic scale. This option should be used when the range in your data is very broad. For example, if you have data that ranges from the tens to the thousands, then data in the range of tens will be neglected visually if you do not check this option. This option makes data on both extreme ranges visible by using the logarithmic of the values rather than the actual values.

Icons and Buttons

The following describes GUI icons and behavior in the title bar.