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By Amy Oldham
February 12, 2014
Protector is a powerful tool in your fight against telecom fraud; therefore, it’s important that system operations occur how and when you expect them to. And that’s exactly why Protector provides several resources for monitoring the system’s overall performance and activity.
First, Protector includes multiple different alerts, ranging from an error in an input file, to end of day processing complete, to a CDR rule violation. You designate which users receive the alerts as well as the timing/frequency of notifications. For the application’s primary owner, who is responsible for monitoring the overall health of Protector, it is recommended that you are configured (in Enterprise Manager) to receive notifications for all the system/network alerts listed below. You may also designate members of your information technology staff to receive these alerts if they share responsibility for system monitoring. Second, Protector includes a CDR History view in Enterprise Manager. This option is an essential monitoring aide for personnel responsible for keeping the system up and running. It is recommended that the application’s owner review this data daily.
| Resource | Information Provided | Recommendations | Steps to Take |
|---|---|---|---|
| I'm Alive | This standard alert is included in all Protector installs and typically configured during the initial system training. This alert indicates that Protector’s CDR Processor (Core) and CDR Warehouse services are running as intended. The “I’m Alive” notification is designed to increase your comfort level by advising you automatically and regularly that Protector is running properly. |
Equinox recommends you receive this notification once per day toward the end of the day rather than hourly. When I’m Alive alerts are sent hourly, it is easy to overlook one or more in the daily deluge of email. | In Enterprise Manager, go to File|Settings|“I’m Alive” to select the desired type of I’m Alive notification. Designate the users who receive this alert using the Security|Users|Alert dialog.
If you do not receive this alert, open the Controller utility and look at the status of the Protector Core and Protector Warehouse services. If they are not running, follow the steps in the Restarting Services topic in the Controller Bulletin. If system function is not restored, contact Equinox Customer Support. |
| CDR Inactivity | This standard alert is included in all Protector installs and typically configured during the initial system training. This alert is configured per data source and indicates that data source file latency has been exceeded. The metric used for this alert is whether Protector has processed a CDR from this switch’s file within the expected interval. Because there are no records to process in a zero byte file, these types of files trigger this alert so long as the inactivity interval threshold is exceeded. | Ensure that the interval for this alert is set appropriate to the file delivery time to avoid false alarms. For example, if you receive files once an hour you might have Protector wait 75 minutes before waiting to report inactivity. | In Enterprise Manager, go to Configuration|Switches|Inactivity to set the inactivity interval. Designate the users who receive this alert on the Security|Users|Alerts dialog. If you receive this alert, check the delivery method and follow up appropriately. The way in which you receive files (pushed to a directory, pulled from FTP, etc.) determines how you verify successful file delivery. If you are unsure of the file delivery method for Protector, contact Equinox Customer Support. |
| No Violations | This standard alert is included in all Protector installs and typically configured during the initial system training. It is triggered when there are no violations generated within a specified period of time. The length of time elapsed before this alert is triggered is user configurable. | Review the time threshold for this alert by visiting the File|Settings|General dialog in Enterprise Manager. Make sure it is set appropriate with relation to the file delivery interval and daily operations. Visit Security|Users|Alerts to designate alert recipients. | Check all switches for data. There are several possible causes for Protector to not generate violations, including no files being delivered; however, even if files are successfully delivered, if the server is out of disk space, Protector cannot process them. Also, if a file is delivered containing no or empty records, there is nothing for Protector to process, which means no violations are generated. |
| Begin EOD (End of Day) |
Once every 24 hours, at the time you specify, the CDR Processor performs the EOD process. During this time, normal processing is temporarily halted as Protector resets, updates, and clears out information collected during the previous day (24-hour period). This standard alert, included in all Protector installs and typically configured during initial system training, signals that Protector’s EOD process has started. | It is recommended that this process occur at 4:00 a.m. This ensures that typical daily business activity is not what triggers violations after attempted fraud. It also mitigates impact to the system’s performance. You cannot resolve cases during EOD. | In Enterprise Manager, designate which users receive this alert via the Security|Users|Alerts dialog. If you do not receive this notification, check the value on the File|Settings|General dialog in Enterprise Manager to verify the EOD scheduled time. If past scheduled EOD, contact Equinox Customer Support for assistance. |
| End EOD | This standard alert is included in all Protector installs and typically configured during the initial system training. It means that Protector’s End of Day process has ended and you can continue working in Case Manager and Enterprise Manager again. (Refer to the previous definition for more information about EOD.) | Of the two alerts relating to EOD, this one is more important, because you cannot resolve cases until EOD is finished. This alert signals that normal Protector processing is resumed. | In Enterprise Manager, designate which users receive this alert via the Security|Users|Alerts dialog.
If you do not receive this alert, first verify that you did receive the Begin EOD alert for today. If EOD began but you never received the End EOD alert, contact Equinox Customer Support. |
| CDR History | Protector maintains a list of all CDRs it has processed and presents this information in Enterprise Manager under Configuration|CDR History. This view displays details, by date/time, for each file processed from all your switches in one comprehensive view. | Adjust the way data is displayed in the grid as well as the amount of data displayed at one time to aide you in researching potential issues. | Look at the data presented in the CDR History view to determine when the last file was processed by Protector. Then go to that data source to see whether there is newer data available. |
For descriptions of other available alerts, as well as steps for configuring them, refer to the Protector Enterprise Manager Manual. That same document also illustrates and describes the CDR History view. For questions or help with resources for monitoring Protector, contact Equinox support. You can reach them at support@equinoxis.com or by phone at (615) 612-1225.
About the Author: Amy Oldham is in Corporate Communications at Equinox Information Systems, where she creates and maintains the company’s technical documentation as well as all other customer-facing publications. As part of her efforts on the Sales & Marketing team, Amy is responsible for the company’s newsletter, email campaigns, press releases, and social media presence. When not writing, Amy enjoys swimming, running, and spending time with her family. To learn more about Equinox, its products, and staff, visit www.equinoxis.com or call (615) 612-1200.
