What is a Nodinite Time Interval?

You get an alert. Then 200 more—for the same problem. Or your compliance team discovers users have been querying 3 years of personal data. Both problems are solved with one building block: a Time Interval.

• ✅ Stop alert fatigue – Resend alerts per monitoring state at the pace you choose, instead of flooding inboxes
• ✅ Govern data access – Limit how far back users can search Log Views through Time Interval Configurations
• ✅ Define once, reuse everywhere – Change "15 minutes" in one place and every Monitor View using it follows
• ✅ Escalate by priority – Give critical systems shorter intervals than background jobs

What Is a Time Interval?

A Time Interval is a named, reusable duration—"15 minutes", "1 hour", "30 days"—defined by a Quantity and a Unit. Once created, it can be referenced across your entire Nodinite environment without redefining the value.

Info

Supported units: seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years. A single Time Interval can be reused across any number of Time Interval Configurations and Monitor Views.

When to Use It

Time Intervals are consumed in three places:

Why It Matters

One definition, used everywhere. Change "15 minutes" to "10 minutes" in one place and every Monitor View using it updates instantly—no hunting down duplicates, no inconsistencies between teams.

Time Intervals (blue) power two use cases: data access control, where Time Interval Configurations (orange) restrict Log Views (teal), and alert recurrence, where Monitor Views (purple) resend alerts per state at the chosen interval. The same Time Interval can be reused across many configurations and Monitor Views.

Alert Recurrence with Time Intervals

Time Intervals are the foundation of Nodinite's intelligent alert recurrence system. When you enable recurrence for an Alarm Plugin in a Monitor View, you configure how often alerts should be resent for each monitoring state—ensuring persistent problems receive attention without overwhelming your team.

Why Alert Recurrence Matters

Traditional monitoring tools flood teams with thousands of alerts for the same issue. Nodinite takes a smarter approach:

How Alert Recurrence Works

When you configure alert recurrence in a Monitor View:

1. Select Monitoring States - Choose which states trigger recurring alerts (Error, Warning, OK, Unavailable, Connection Error)
2. Assign Time Intervals - For each state, select a Time Interval defining how often alerts should be resent
3. Automatic Escalation - Nodinite Monitoring Service automatically resends alerts at the configured intervals while the state persists

Sequence diagram: the participants (blue) exchange the initial alert, two reminders at the Time Interval (yellow notes), and the resolution alert, so teams stay informed without alert fatigue.

Configuring Alert Recurrence Per State

Each monitoring state can have its own Time Interval, allowing you to prioritize urgent issues:

Tip

Escalation Strategy Best Practices:

• Critical systems: Error = 15 min, Warning = 1 hour
• Standard services: Error = 1 hour, Warning = 4 hours
• Background jobs: Error = 1 day, Warning = 1 week
• Always confirm resolution: Configure OK state alerts to verify fixes

Real-World Alert Recurrence Example

Scenario: Production payment gateway monitoring

Configuration

• Monitor View: "Payment Gateway - Production"
• Alarm Plugin: E-mail with options
• Recurrence enabled with Time Intervals:

What Happens

1. 10:00 AM - Payment gateway enters Error state (API timeout)
   • Initial alert sent: "CRITICAL: Payment Gateway Down"
2. 10:15 AM - Still in Error state
   • Recurring alert sent: "REMINDER (15 min): Payment Gateway Still Down"
3. 10:30 AM - Still in Error state
   • Recurring alert sent: "REMINDER (30 min): Payment Gateway Still Down"
4. 10:35 AM - Resource returns to OK state
   • Resolution alert sent: "RESOLVED: Payment Gateway Online"
5. 2:35 PM - Still in OK state (4 hours later)
   • Confirmation alert sent: "CONFIRMED OK: Payment Gateway Stable for 4 Hours"

Result: Team receives 5 targeted alerts instead of 35+ alerts from traditional monitoring. No alert fatigue, clear escalation path, confirmation of resolution.

Per-Monitor View Configuration

Time Intervals for alert recurrence are configured per Monitor View, not globally. This allows different escalation strategies based on business criticality:

• Production systems: Aggressive recurrence (15 min Error, 1 hour Warning)
• Test environments: Relaxed recurrence (1 hour Error, 1 day Warning)
• Background batch jobs: Minimal recurrence (1 day Error, 1 week Warning)

Learn how to configure alert recurrence in Monitor Views →

The IsRecurring Flag in Alert Payloads

When Nodinite sends a recurring alert, it includes an IsRecurring flag in the alert payload (XML for email, JSON for webhooks). This allows you to customize alert content based on whether it's the first alert or a reminder:

Email Alarm Plugins (XML):

<AlarmObject>
  <IsRecurring>true</IsRecurring>
  <!-- Other alarm data -->
</AlarmObject>

Webhook Alarm Plugin (JSON):

{
  "IsRecurring": true,
  // Other alarm data
}

Use Case: In your Stylesheet or webhook handler, you can display different content:

• First alert (IsRecurring = false): "NEW ISSUE: Payment Gateway Down - Investigate immediately"
• Recurring alert (IsRecurring = true): "RECURRING ISSUE (15 min): Payment Gateway Still Down - Escalate to senior engineer"

Learn how to use the IsRecurring flag in stylesheets →

Data Access Control with Time Intervals

Beyond alert recurrence, Time Intervals control how far back Users can search historical data in Log Views. This enforces compliance, security, and performance policies:

Why Restrict Data Access?

How Data Access Control Works

1. Create Time Intervals - Define access windows (7 days, 30 days, 90 days), see Add or manage a Time Interval
2. Build Time Interval Configurations - Combine multiple Time Intervals for flexible policies, see Add or manage Time Interval Configuration
3. Assign to Log Views - Restrict Log View data access using Time Interval Configurations on the Search setup tab
4. Enforce Access - Users can only search within their assigned time windows

Learn more about Time Interval Configurations →

Reusability and Consistency

Time Intervals are designed for reuse across your entire Nodinite environment:

Single Definition, Multiple Uses

A Time Interval like "15 minutes" can be used in:

• Monitor View A: Error state recurrence for critical payment systems
• Monitor View B: Warning state recurrence for standard APIs
• Monitor View C: Connection Error recurrence for database monitoring

Centralized Management

Change a Time Interval's value in one place, and it updates everywhere it's used:

• Before: "15 minutes" used in 10 Monitor Views
• Change: Adjust to "10 minutes" for faster escalation
• After: All 10 Monitor Views automatically use "10 minutes"

Consistency Across Teams

Enforce organizational standards:

• Policy: "Critical systems must resend Error alerts every 15 minutes"
• Implementation: All critical Monitor Views use the same "15 minutes" Time Interval
• Compliance: Single source of truth ensures policy adherence

Time Interval Use Cases

1. Alert Recurrence for Critical Systems

Business Need: Payment gateway failures cost $10,000 per hour. Ensure immediate escalation.

Solution

• Create Time Interval: "15 minutes"
• Monitor View: "Payment Gateway - Production"
• Recurrence: Error state = "15 minutes"
• Result: Team receives reminders every 15 minutes until resolved

2. Compliance-Driven Data Retention

Business Need: GDPR requires log data older than 90 days to be inaccessible.

Solution

• Create Time Interval: "90 days"
• Time Interval Configuration: "GDPR Compliance" with 90-day limit
• Assign to all Log Views containing personal data
• Result: Users cannot search beyond 90 days, ensuring compliance

3. Role-Based Log Access

Business Need: Support team needs 30 days of history, auditors need 90 days, business users need 7 days.

Solution

• Create Time Intervals: "7 days", "30 days", "90 days"
• Time Interval Configuration 1: "Support Team Access" (30 days)
• Time Interval Configuration 2: "Auditor Access" (90 days)
• Time Interval Configuration 3: "Business User Access" (7 days)
• Assign configurations based on user roles
• Result: Each team sees only the data they need

4. Escalation by System Priority

Business Need: Different systems have different SLAs and escalation requirements.

Solution

Result: Alert frequency matches business impact, eliminating alert fatigue while ensuring critical issues get immediate attention.

Next Steps

How to add or manage a Time Interval
What is a Time Interval Configuration
Configure alert recurrence in Monitor Views

Related Topics

Time Interval Management

Time Intervals Overview
Time Interval Configurations
User Notifications - Recurring notifications and maintenance windows
Customize

Alert Configuration

Alarm Plugins - Configure email, webhook, and event log alerts
Monitor Views - Create monitoring dashboards with alert recurrence
E-mail with options - Advanced email alerts with recurrence
HTTP Webhook - Webhook alerts with recurrence

Data Access

Log Views - Historical log data search with time restrictions
Users - Role-based access control
Working with Log Views (Getting Started) - How business users search within the allowed window
Working with a Monitor View (Getting Started) - How business users receive alerts

Monitoring Strategy

Monitoring Service - Automatic alert distribution engine
Stylesheets - Customize alert content with IsRecurring flag
Alarm Plugin Object XML - Understanding alert payload structure