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Managing the Monitoring Service

Understanding Monitoring Service Management

The Nodinite Monitoring Service is a critical Windows Service that evaluates resource health, synchronizes with Monitoring Agents, and delivers alerts through Alarm Plugins. As a Nodinite administrator, you manage its configuration, maintenance windows, and operational parameters to ensure reliable monitoring and compliance with your organization's policies.

Key management capabilities:

  • Configure behavior – Control data retention, cleanup intervals, and missing event handling through System Parameters
  • Schedule maintenance – Temporarily pause monitoring during planned downtime using User Notifications
  • Ensure alert delivery – Leverage the Alarm Queue for resilient alerting that survives temporary service outages
  • Coordinate updates – Pause the Monitoring Service when updating Log Databases to prevent conflicts
  • Troubleshoot issues – Analyze service diagnostics files and Log Audits to resolve problems

Important

Nodinite version 7 manages all configuration through the Web Client Administration portal. The deprecated v6 Install and Update Tool is no longer used for Monitoring Service configuration.

System Parameters for Monitoring Service

The Monitoring Service behavior is controlled by System Parameters stored in the Nodinite Configuration Database. These parameters determine data retention policies, cleanup intervals, and synchronization behavior.

Nodinite provides the following system parameters specifically for the Monitoring Service:

How to View and Change System Parameters

All system parameters are managed in the Web Client Administration | Settings | System Parameters page.

To view or modify Monitoring Service parameters:

  1. Log on to the Nodinite Web Client
  2. Navigate to Administration | Settings | System Parameters
  3. Locate the Monitoring Service parameters (use the search filter for efficiency)
  4. Review current values and descriptions
  5. Change values as needed (requires Administrator Role)

Tip

For complete system parameter documentation including all Monitoring Service, Monitoring Service, and Web Client parameters, see the System Parameters Overview.

Related documentation:

Service Management Operations

Pausing for Log Database Updates

When updating the schema or applying patches to Nodinite Log Databases, you must stop the Monitoring Service to prevent database write conflicts during the update process.

The Update Guide automates this workflow:

  1. Stop Services – Monitoring Service and Logging Service are paused
  2. Update Database Schema – DACPAC deployment applies schema changes
  3. Restart Services – Services resume normal operation

Important

Always pause the Monitoring Service before updating Log Databases. Failure to do so can cause update errors or database corruption.

Complete instructions are available in the Update Log Database guide:

Update Log Database – Step-by-step wizard for safely updating database schemas with service pause automation

Maintenance Mode During Planned Downtime

During planned maintenance windows, you can temporarily suppress monitoring alerts and disable Auto Healing actions using Maintenance Mode.

Maintenance Mode is configured through User Notifications:

  • Set Type/Severity to Maintenance when creating a User Notification
  • Specify the Start time and End time for the maintenance window
  • Select All Monitor Views or a subset of Monitor Views to include
  • Optionally configure Recurrence for scheduled maintenance (e.g., weekly patching)

During Maintenance Mode, Nodinite will:

  • Mute alerts – Alarm Plugins will not send notifications for selected Monitor Views
  • Disable Auto Healing – Automated recovery actions on Resources are suspended
  • Display notification – Users see the maintenance window on the Dashboard and in the Notifications area

Tip

Use recurring maintenance windows for routine patching schedules (e.g., "Second Tuesday of every month, 2:00 AM - 4:00 AM").

Complete Maintenance Mode documentation:

What is a User Notification? - Maintenance Mode – Conceptual overview of Maintenance Mode
Add or Manage User Notification – Step-by-step guide for creating maintenance windows

Alarm Queue and Resilient Alert Delivery

New 7.x
Nodinite version 7 introduces the Alarm Queue for resilient alert delivery. If an Alarm Plugin fails to send an alert (due to network issues, service outages, or misconfiguration), the alert is queued for automatic retry.

How the Alarm Queue works:

  1. Alert fails to send – Network timeout, service unavailable, or authentication error occurs
  2. Entry added to queue – Alert payload and metadata are saved to the Alarm Queue
  3. Automatic retry – Monitoring Service periodically attempts to resend queued alerts
  4. Success – Entry is removed automatically once the alert is successfully delivered
  5. Failure – Entry remains in the queue; administrators are notified to investigate

Benefits:

  • Never lose critical alerts – Temporary outages won't result in missed notifications
  • Automatic recovery – Once the underlying issue is resolved, queued alerts are sent automatically
  • Full visibility – All retry attempts are logged for audit and troubleshooting

Note

If there are entries in the Alarm Queue, Nodinite displays a prominent alert for all users on the Dashboard, signaling the need for administrative attention.

Complete Alarm Queue documentation:

Alarm Queue Overview – Detailed explanation of queue management and purging
What is an Alarm Queue Entry? – Understanding queue entries, retry logic, and manual removal

Data Retention and Automated Cleanup

The Monitoring Service participates in Nodinite's automated data cleanup process. Historical Monitor Events, Monitoring Agent backups, and incomplete BizTalk events are purged according to the retention policies defined in System Parameters.

Cleanup governed by system parameters:

Cleanup behavior:

  • Automated cleanup – The Monitoring Service periodically cleans up expired data based on system parameter values
  • No manual intervention – Cleanup runs automatically at the interval defined by CleanUpTimerInterval
  • Compliance support – Adjust retention periods to meet regulatory requirements (SOX, HIPAA, GDPR, etc.)

Tip

If you need longer retention for compliance, increase the DaysToKeepMonitorEvents value. For large-scale environments with thousands of resources, consider reducing retention to optimize database size.

Troubleshooting and Diagnostics

When experiencing issues with the Monitoring Service, Nodinite provides multiple diagnostic tools to identify and resolve problems.

Viewing Service Diagnostics

The Monitoring Service generates diagnostic files containing detailed operational information, error logs, and performance metrics.

Diagnostics file location:

C:\Program Files\Nodinite\{EnvironmentName}\MonitoringService\DiagnosticsFiles\

Note

Replace {EnvironmentName} with your environment name (e.g., DEMO, Production, Test).

Diagnostic file format:

  • Primary file: diagnostic.log.json – Current diagnostic log in JSON format
  • Rollover files: diagnostic.log_001.json, diagnostic.log_002.json, etc. – Previous diagnostic logs after rotation

Diagnostic file contents:

  • Service startup and shutdown events
  • Monitoring Agent synchronization attempts
  • Alarm Plugin execution results and error messages
  • Configuration changes and parameter values
  • Error stack traces and exception details
  • Performance metrics and timing information

Warning

Diagnostics files may reveal internal errors not visible in the Nodinite Web Client. Always review diagnostics when troubleshooting service behavior.

Example:

C:\Program Files\Nodinite\DEMO\MonitoringService\DiagnosticsFiles\diagnostic.log.json

Using Log Audits for Investigation

All administrative actions related to the Monitoring Service are logged in Nodinite's Log Audits feature. Use Log Audits to:

  • Track configuration changes – See who modified Monitor Views, Alarm Plugins, or System Parameters
  • Investigate alert failures – Review Alarm Plugin execution history and error messages
  • Audit compliance – Generate reports for SOX, HIPAA, or ISO 27001 compliance requirements
  • Identify user actions – Determine who executed remote actions or disabled Auto Healing

To access Log Audits:

  1. Log on to the Nodinite Web Client
  2. Navigate to Administration | Tools | Log Audit Search
  3. Filter by date range, user, or action type
  4. Review audit records for relevant Monitoring Service activities

Log Audit Search – Complete guide for querying and exporting audit logs

Common Troubleshooting Scenarios

Problem Diagnostic Source Resolution
Alerts not being sent Alarm Queue + Diagnostics file Check for queued entries, review plugin configuration, verify network connectivity
Monitoring Agent offline Diagnostics file + Log Audits Verify agent service is running, check firewall rules, review synchronization logs
Missing resource state changes DaysToKeepMonitorEvents value + Log Databases size Adjust retention period, verify cleanup hasn't removed needed history
Auto Healing not executing User Notifications (Maintenance Mode) Confirm no active maintenance window is suppressing Auto Healing
Service won't start Diagnostics file + Windows Event Log Check database connectivity, verify service account permissions

Best Practices for Monitoring Service Management

  • Review system parameters quarterly – Ensure retention periods align with current compliance requirements
  • Monitor the Alarm Queue – Investigate any persistent queue entries promptly to prevent alert delivery failures
  • Schedule regular maintenance windows – Use recurring User Notifications for patching and planned downtime
  • Audit configuration changes – Regularly review Log Audits to detect unauthorized modifications
  • Test Alarm Plugins after changes – Verify alert delivery after modifying plugin configurations or credentials
  • Pause services before database updates – Always use the Update Guide workflow to prevent database conflicts
  • Avoid manual service restarts during business hours – Schedule restarts during low-activity periods to minimize monitoring gaps

Next Step

System Parameters Overview
How to Change System Parameters
Add or Manage User Notification

Monitoring Service

Configuration & Settings

Maintenance & Operations

Data Management

Troubleshooting