Use the Ops Center tab as a real-time graphical overview of the events on your network. The Ops Center includes the following useful components:
l A customizable dashboard with several default charts and graphs,
called widgets
l The Widget Manager to browse, edit, add, and pin widgets l Informational widgets with links to videos, documents, and other
resources
To add a widget to the Ops Center dashboard:
1. In the LEM Console, click the Ops Center tab. 2. Click Widget Manager in the upper-right corner. 3. Find and select a filter from the Categories list.
4. In the Widgets pane, scroll through the available widgets to put the widget you want in the main preview position.
5. Click Add to Dashboardin the upper-right corner.
6. To re-position the widgets on the dashboard, drag and drop them into a new position.
To create a new widget using Widget Manager:
2. Click Widget Manager in the upper-left corner.
3. Click the plus button ( + ) at the top of the Categories list. 4. Complete the Widget Builder form.
5. To pin the new widget to the dashboard, select Save to Dashboard. 6. Click Save.
Monitor
Use the Monitor tab to view all of the monitored events on your network in real time. Monitor includes the following useful components:
l A real-time event stream to which you can apply event filters l The Event Details pane, which displays the details for any event
you highlight in the event stream
l A Widgets pane, which displays a graphical representation of the
current filter, if available
l Several default filters to refine the data you see in the event stream l A GUI filter editor, called Filter Creation, to create and edit event
filters
To apply a filter to the Monitor event stream, select a default or custom filter from the Filters list.
To view the Event Details for a specific event in the event stream, select the event in the event stream.
To change the widget the Widgets pane displays for a filter:
1. In the LEM Console, select the Monitor tab.
2. Select the filter you want to modify in the Filters pane.
3. Click the menu at the top of the Widgets pane, and then select the widget you want that filter to display.
Explore
Use the Explore tab menu to access several analysis utilities to get additional information about the events you see in the LEM Console. Use the nDepth option
in the Explore menu to search and analyze the events on your network. nDepth includes the following useful components:
l A variety of clickable charts and utilities to view and refine search
results
l A comprehensive toolbar to switch between multiple utilities and
views
l A Result Details utility to view all of your search results in text
format
l A PDF export utility to configure and export custom reports
Use the Utilities option in the Explore menu to access several IT analysis utilities, including:
l Whois l NSLookup l Traceroute
l Flow (sFlow and NetFlow)
To execute a Whois, NSLookup, or Traceroute task from an event or search
result in the LEM Console:
1. Find the event or search result you want to explore further, and then select it. 2. Click the Explore menu on the Event Grid or nDepth title bar (next to
Respond), and then select the utility you want to use.
To execute a blank Whois, NDLookup, or Traceroute task in the LEM Console:
1. Click the Explore tab on the navigation bar, and then select Utilities. 2. Click the Explore button on the Utilities title bar , and select the utility you
want to use.
3. Complete the form for the utility, and then click Search. Collecting and displaying flow data
LEM supports flow exports from both NetFlow and sFlow devices. Use the Flow Explorer in the LEM Console to viewgraphs, charts, and grids, including the following.
l Top Talkers by IANA-based Protocol l Top Talkers by Port
l Top Talkers by Source/Destination Address l Top Talkers by Total Bytes
l Top Talkers by Total Packets
Refer to the manufacturer specifications to configure your devices to send Flow data to your LEM appliance. The LEM appliance supports data on the •
2100/UDP for NetFlow devices and 6343/UDP for sFlow devices. To enable flow collection and analysis on the LEM appliance:
1. Connect to your LEM virtual appliance using either the vSphere console view, or an SSH client like PuTTY.
2. If you are using an SSH client, log in to your LEM virtual appliance using your CMC credentials.
3. At the cmc> prompt, enter service.
4. At the cmc::scm# prompt, enter enableflow.
5. Enter y to confirm your entry.This command automatically restarts the Manager service on the LEM appliance.
6. To enable Flow analysis for Flow data collected on another computer, enter n and follow the prompts to specify the Flow collector. Otherwise, enter y. 7. Enter exit to return to the cmc> prompt.
8. Enter exit to log out of your LEM virtual appliance. To view Flow data in the LEM Console:
1. Open your LEM Console and log in to the LEM Manager as an administrator.
2. Open the Monitor, Utilities, or nDepth view.
3. Click the Explore menu, and then select Flow. The Flow Explorer presents data in graph, chart, or grid formats
Build
Use the Build tab menu options to customize LEM behavior. The Build menu consists of the following options:
l Groups: Create and manage lists of users, computers, and
information.
l Rules: Create and manage rules that correlate events from different
systems and instruct the LEM appliance to respond accordingly.
l Users: Create and manage LEM Console users.
For additional information about the Users and Groups options in the Build menu, see:
l Getting Started with User-Defined Groups l Creating Users in the LEM Console
Rules – Additional Details
View custom and pre-configured rules in the Rules view under the Build menu. The Rules view consists of the following useful components:
l A GUI editor, just like Filter Creation
l A community rule set, organized by event-centric categories l 35 active responses to assign to custom or pre-configured rules
Manage
Use the Manage tab menu to access details about your LEM architecture. The Manage menu consists of the following options:
l Appliances: Add LEM appliances to monitor in the LEM Console,
view your LEM license details, and configure global settings.
l Nodes: View and manage LEM nodes, including remote logging
devices and LEM Agents.
To set your LEM Console authentication preferences:
1. In the LEM Console, click the Manage tab, and then select Appliances. 2. Click the Login tab on the Properties pane.
3. To enable the LEM Console to authenticate to your LEM appliance upon launch, enter your LEM Username and Password.
4. To enable the LEM Console to ask you for your LEM password upon launch, enter your LEM Username only.
5. Select Login Automatically Next Time. 6. Select Save Credentials.
7. Click Save.
To set the global password policy for LEM users:
1. In the LEM Console, click the Manage tab, and then select Appliances. 2. Click the Settings tab on the Properties pane.
3. Adjust the Minimum Password Length according to your preference.
4. To require complex passwords for LEM users, select Must Meet Complexity Requirements.
Note: Complex passwords must include any three of the following four character types: l Capital letters l Lower-case letters l Numerals (0-9) l Symbols (!, @, #, etc.) 5. Click Save.
Adding Devices
Click the video icon to view the corresponding tutorial.
Configure your IT devices to work with LEM using one of two options:
l Install the LEM Agent and connectors directly on the device
l Set the device to log to LEM and then configure the appropriate connectors
directly on the LEM appliance.
Install the LEM Agent on computers that allow third party software. SolarWinds provides LEM Agents for these operating systems:
l Microsoft Windows (local and remote installers) l Linux l Mac OS X l Solaris on Intel l Solaris on Sparc l HPUX on PA l HPUX on Itanium l AIX
Configure other devices, such as firewalls, routers, or switches to send logs directly to the LEM appliance using syslog or SNMP traps.