SolarWinds WPM Quick Start Guide

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2 Contents Copyright 2014 SolarWinds Worldwide, LLC. All rights reserved worldwide. No part of this document may be reproduced by any means nor modified, decompiled, disassembled, published or distributed, in whole or in part, or translated to any electronic medium or other means without the written consent of SolarWinds. All right, title, and interest in and to the software and documentation are and shall remain the exclusive property of SolarWinds and its respective licensors. SOLARWINDS DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, CONDITIONS OR OTHER TERMS, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, STATUTORY OR OTHERWISE, ON SOFTWARE AND DOCUMENTATION FURNISHED HEREUNDER INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION THE WARRANTIES OF DESIGN, MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL SOLARWINDS, ITS SUPPLIERS, NOR ITS LICENSORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES, WHETHER ARISING IN TORT, CONTRACT OR ANY OTHER LEGAL THEORY EVEN IF SOLARWINDS HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. The SolarWinds, the SolarWinds & Design, ipmonitor, LANsurveyor, Orion, and other SolarWinds marks, identified on the SolarWinds website, as updated from SolarWinds from time to time and incorporated herein, are registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and may be registered or pending registration in other countries. All other SolarWinds trademarks may be common law marks or registered or pending registration in the United States or in other countries. All other trademarks or registered trademarks contained and/or mentioned herein are used for identification purposes only and may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies. Microsoft, Windows, and SQL Server are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. Version 2.1, revised 08/26/2014

3 SolarWinds SolarWinds WPM Quick Start Guide About SolarWinds SolarWinds, Inc develops and markets an array of network management, monitoring, and discovery tools to meet the diverse requirements of today s network management and consulting professionals. SolarWinds products continue to set benchmarks for quality and performance and have positioned the company as the leader in network management and discovery technology. The SolarWinds customer base includes over 45 percent of the Fortune 500 and customers from over 90 countries. Our global business partner distributor network exceeds 100 distributors and resellers. Contacting SolarWinds You can contact SolarWinds in a number of ways, including the following: Team Sales Technical Support User Forums Contact Information [email protected] Conventions The documentation uses consistent conventions to help you identify items throughout the printed and online library. 3

4 Web Performance Monitor Documentation Library Convention Bold Italics Fixed font Straight brackets, as in [value] Curly braces, as in {value} Logical OR, as in value1 value2 Specifying Window items, including buttons and fields. Book and CD titles, variable names, new terms File and directory names, commands and code examples, text typed by you Optional command parameters Required command parameters Exclusive command parameters where only one of the options can be specified Web Performance Monitor Documentation Library The following documents are included in the SolarWinds WPM documentation library: Document Administrator Guide Evaluation Guide Page Help Quick Start Guide Release Notes Purpose Provides detailed setup, configuration, and conceptual information. Provides an introduction to Web Performance Monitor features and instructions for installation and initial configuration. Provides help for every window in the WPM user interface Provides installation, setup, and common scenarios for which WPM provides a simple, yet powerful, solution. Provides late-breaking information, known issues, and updates. The latest Release Notes can be found at SolarWinds 3 4

5 WPM Quick Start Guide 3 About SolarWinds 3 Contacting SolarWinds 3 Conventions 3 Web Performance Monitor Documentation Library 4 4 Chapter 1: Introduction 8 Chapter 2: Installing 9 Upgrading WPM? 9 Upgrading WPM Players (Agents) 9 Additional Poller and Web Site 9 Installing the WPM Server and Web Console 10 WPM Server Software Requirements 10 SolarWinds SQL Database Server Requirements 11 Requirements for Virtual Machines and Servers 13 Additional Required Components 13 Installation Procedure 14 To avoid permissions issues, do not install on a domain controller. 14 Completing the SolarWinds Configuration Wizard 15 Web Console Licensing 18 Maintaining Licenses with License Manager 19 Installing License Manager 19 Using License Manager 19 Installing the Recorder 20 Recorder Requirements 20 Installation Procedure 20 Configuring Settings 21 Installing the Player 22 5

6 Recommended Player Requirements 22 Minimum Player Requirements 22 To avoid permissions issues, do not install on a domain controller. 23 Installation Procedure 23 Configuring Settings 23 How to choose which configuration to use? 23 Server initiated communication 24 Player initiated communication 24 Configuring Web Proxy Settings 24 Chapter 3: Recording Sequences 26 Creating Recordings 26 Before Running the Recorder for the First Time 26 Common Recording Actions 27 Create a Recording 28 Text Matching 30 XY Capture Mode 31 Image Verification 32 Stopping the Recording 33 Testing the Recording 33 Saving the Recording 33 Exporting the Recording 34 Managing Recordings 34 Adding Wait Time to Steps 35 Importing Recordings 35 Exporting Recordings 36 Deleting Recordings 37 Chapter 4: Transactions 38 Creating Transactions 38 6

7 Starting the Add a Transaction Monitor wizard 38 Opening the Manage Transaction Monitors page 38 Adding Transactions in Discovery Central 39 Thresholds 39 Adjusting Thresholds for Network Latency 40 Importing Recordings as Transactions 40 Playback Locations 40 Determining good playback locations 40 Cloud Portal Management 41 Create a Cloud Instance: 41 Playback Locations 42 Adding a playback location 43 Editing a playback location 43 Deleting a playback location 44 Rackspace Transaction Location 44 Setting Account Limitations 44 Additional Poller and Web Site 46 Additional Poller System Requirements 46 Additional Web Console Requirements 47 7

8 Chapter 1: Introduction Web Performance monitoring is used to get an accurate sampling of your Web sites and services from the view point of your users/customers. SolarWinds Web Performance Monitor (WPM) lets you precisely monitor the quality of service experienced by your end-users. WPM is composed of the Recorder, the Player, and the Server and Web Console. 8

9 Chapter 2: Installing WPM contains separate installers for the Server, Recorder, and Player. Installing the Server also installs local copies of the Recorder and Player, and you may install additional copies of the Recorder and Player on other computers as needed. This chapter discusses the following installation-related topics: Upgrading WPM? Web Console Licensing Installing the Recorder Installing the Player Upgrading WPM? Upgrading from the previous version is simple. Just run the executable files on your current installation. All WPM Recorders and Players in your environment need to be running on the same version number. There is no need to uninstall anything. All previous settings and transactions will be saved. Note: SolarWinds advises against the use of mismatched Player/Recorder versions. Upgrading WPM Players (Agents) Upgrading Agents is as simple as executing the newer agent installers over the previous version. All information is retained in the new agent. The agent selfregisters and your current transactions will begin to poll again. If you uninstall agents, transactions will go to unknown. Once you install new agent on the same machine with the same settings, transactions will be polled again. Additional Poller and Web Site If deploying WPM into an existing SolarWinds environment that does use additional pollers or web sites, you must update the existing additional pollers and web site using the files provided: 9

10 Chapter 2: Installing Additional Poller update Solarwinds-Orion-SEUM-Poller.exe Additional Web Console update Solarwinds-Orion-SEUM-WebOnly.exe Installing the WPM Server and Web Console WPM uses a simple wizard during the installation process. Note: Downgrades of SolarWinds products are not supported. If you are upgrading or installing multiple SolarWinds products, confirm that you are installing them in the order given in the Upgrade Instructions located in your SolarWinds Customer Portal. WPM Server Software Requirements The following table lists minimum software requirements and recommendations. Software Operating System TCP/IP Ports Web Server Requirements Windows Server 2003 SP2, 2008, including R2, with IIS in 32-bit mode, or IIS and MSMQ must be installed. SolarWinds recommends that SolarWinds administrators have local administrator privileges to ensure full functionality of local SolarWinds tools. Accounts limited to use of the SolarWinds Web Console do not require administrator privileges. Note: SolarWinds does not support production installations of SolarWinds products on Windows XP, Windows Vista, or Windows 7 systems. Note: Both the WPM Player and Recorder support Windows 8 and Windows (TCP) open for http traffic 443 (TCP) open for https traffic (TCP) open for SolarWinds traffic (TCP) open for player-initiated communications mode Microsoft IIS, version 6.0 and higher, in 32-bit mode. 10

11 SolarWinds SQL Database Server Requirements.NET Framework Web Console Browser DNS specifications require that hostnames be composed of alphanumeric characters (A-Z, 0-9), the minus sign (-), and periods (.). Underscore characters (_) are not allowed. For more information, see RFC 952. Warning: The following Windows accounts, as configured by IIS 6.0 on Windows Server 2003 with their default security settings, are required: IUSR_<hostname>, as a member of the Guests group ONLY. IWAM_<hostname>, as a member of the IIS_WPG group ONLY. Disabling these accounts or changing any default settings of these accounts may negatively affect the operation of your SolarWinds installation. SolarWinds strongly recommends against altering these accounts or their settings. Note: SolarWinds neither recommends nor supports the installation of any WPM product on the same server or using the same database server as a Research in Motion (RIM) Blackberry server. Version 4.0. NET Framework is required for the SolarWinds server Microsoft Internet Explorer version 8 or higher with Active scripting Firefox 3.0 or later Google Chrome SolarWinds SQL Database Server Requirements The following table lists the software and hardware requirements for the SolarWinds database server. Resource Microsoft SQL Server Version Requirements SQL Server 2005 SP1 Express, Standard, or Enterprise SQL Server 2008, including R2, Express, Standard, or Enterprise Notes: SQL Server Express Edition 3.5 SP2 is only supported for 11

12 Chapter 2: Installing CPU Speed Hard Drive Space Memory.NET Framework SolarWinds evaluations. Due to latency effects, SolarWinds does not recommend installing your SQL Server and your SolarWinds server or additional polling engine in different locations across a WAN. For more information, see SolarWinds Knowledge Base article, Can I install my Orion server or Additional Polling Engine and my Orion database (SQL Server) in different locations across a WAN? Either mixed-mode or SQL authentication must be supported. If you are managing your SolarWinds database, SolarWinds recommends you install the SQL Server Management Studio component. If your SolarWinds WPM product installs SQL Server System CLR Types, a manual restart of the SQL Server service for your SolarWinds database is required. Use the following database select statement to check your SQL Server version, service pack or release level, and edition: select SERVERPROPERTY ('productversion'), SERVERPROPERTY ('productlevel'), SERVERPROPERTY ('edition') 2.0 GHz 2 GB Note: The SolarWinds installer needs at least 1GB on the drive where temporary Windows system or user variables are stored. Per Windows standards, some common files may need to be installed on your server operating system drive. 2 GB Version 4.0.NET Framework is required. TCP/IP Ports 1443 (TCP) open for remote SQL client access traffic 12

13 Requirements for Virtual Machines and Servers Requirements for Virtual Machines and Servers SolarWinds installations on VMware Virtual Machines (VM) and Microsoft Virtual Servers are fully supported if the following minimum requirements are met for each VM. Note: SolarWinds strongly recommends that you maintain your SQL Server database on a separate physical server. Virtual Resource Requirements CPU Speed Allocated Hard Drive Space Memory Network Interface 2.0 GHz 2GB Note: Due to intense I/O requirements, SQL Server should be hosted on a separate physical server configured as RAID 1+0. RAID 5 is not recommended for the SQL Server hard drive. 3 GB Each virtual machine on which SolarWinds is installed should have its own, dedicated network interface card. Note: SolarWinds uses SNMP to monitor your network so if you are unable to dedicate a network interface card to your SolarWinds server, you may experience gaps in monitoring data due to the low priority generally assigned to SNMP traffic. Additional Required Components The SolarWinds Installation Wizard installs the following required x86 components if they are not found on your SolarWinds database server: SQL Server System Common Language Runtime (CLR) Types. SolarWinds products use secure SQL CLR stored procedures for selected, non-business data operations to improve overall performance. Microsoft SQL Server Native Client Microsoft SQL Server Management Objects 13

14 Chapter 2: Installing Installation Procedure To avoid permissions issues, do not install on a domain controller. To install WPM: 1. Log on to your future WPM server as a Windows administrator. 2. If you downloaded the product from the SolarWinds website, navigate to your download location, and then launch the executable file. 3. If you received physical media, browse to the executable and launch it. 4. If you are prompted to install requirements, click Install, and then complete the installation, including a reboot, if required. Notes: Downloading and installing Microsoft.NET Framework 3.5 SP1 may take more than 20 minutes, depending on your existing system configuration. If a reboot is required, click Install to resume installation after rebooting, and then click Next on the Welcome window. 5. If you want to use the SolarWinds Improvement Program to send anonymous data about your SolarWinds usage to SolarWinds, click Send data. 6. Review the Welcome text, and then click Next. 7. If the Setup Wizard detects that Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS) is not installed, select Suspend installation to manually install IIS, click Finish, quit setup, and then install IIS. Notes: The SolarWinds Web Console requires that Microsoft IIS is installed on the WPM Server. If you do not install IIS at this point, you must install IIS later, and then configure a website for the SolarWinds Web Console to use. 8. If an IIS installation was required, launch the installer again, and then click Next on the Welcome window. Note: A server reboot may be required after installing IIS. 9. Accept the terms of the license agreement, and then click Next. 10. If you want to install WPM in a destination folder other than the default given, click Browse, select an installation folder, and then click OK. 11. Click Next on the Choose Destination Location window. 12. Confirm the current installation settings, and then click Next on the Start Copying Files window. 13. Click Finish when the Web Performance Monitor Setup Wizard completes. 14. If you are evaluating WPM, click Continue Evaluation. 15. If you are installing a production version of WPM, click Enter Licensing Information, and then complete the following procedure to license your 14

15 Completing the SolarWinds Configuration Wizard WPM installation: a. If you have both an activation key and access to the Internet, select the first option, I have Internet access and an activation key, enter your Activation Key, and then click Next. Note: If you are using a proxy server to access the Internet, check I access the Internet through a proxy server, and then provide the Proxy address and Port. b. If you do not have access to the Internet from your designated WPM server, select This server does not have Internet access, click Next, and then complete the steps provided. Completing the SolarWinds Configuration Wizard The following procedure using the SolarWinds Configuration Wizard completes and configures your SolarWinds software installation. Notes: Confirm that you have designated a SQL Server database instance for WPM. Confirm that the Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager is not open while the Configuration Wizard is running. SolarWinds recommends that you close any and all browsing sessions that may be open to the web console before starting the Configuration Wizard. During configuration, the SolarWinds polling engine will shut down temporarily with the result that, if you are actively polling, you may lose some polling data. SolarWinds recommends that you perform upgrades during off-peak hours of network usage to minimize the impact of this temporary polling stoppage. To configure WPM: 1. If the Configuration Wizard has not loaded automatically, click Start > All Programs > SolarWinds Orion > Configuration and Auto-Discovery > Configuration Wizard. 2. Click Next on the Welcome dialog of the Configuration Wizard. 3. If you are prompted to stop services, click Yes. Note: To ensure that all updates and changes are installed correctly, it is imperative that you stop all services. 15

16 Chapter 2: Installing 4. Specify the SQL Server instance you want to use to store network data. Notes: If you are using SQL Express, specify your instance as (local) and use a strong password. For more information about authentication with strong passwords, see microsoft.com/ms aspx. Due to its inherent limitations, SolarWinds recommends against the use of SQL Express in production environments. The selected instance must support mixed-mode or SQL authentication with strong passwords. A strong password must meet at least three of the following four criteria: o Contains at least one uppercase letter. o Contains at least one lowercase letter. o Contains at least one number. Contains at least one non-alphanumeric character, e.g., #, %, or ^. For more information about authentication with strong passwords, see 5. Provide credentials, if required, to log into the selected instance. Notes: 6. Click Next. In general, SolarWinds recommends using SQL Server Authentication to ensure that the WPM server can always access the SQL Server, even when it is hosted remotely on a separate server. If you are using an existing database, the user account needs only to be in the db_owner database role for the existing database. If you are using an existing SQL account, the user account needs only to be in the db_owner database role for the SolarWinds database. If you are creating a new database, the user account must be a member of the dbcreator server role. The sysadmin role and the sa user account are always members of dbcreator. If you are creating a new SQL account, the user account must be a member of the securityadmin server role. Note: The sysadmin role and the sa user account are always members of securityadmin. 16

17 Completing the SolarWinds Configuration Wizard 7. If you are creating a new database, select Create a new database, provide a name for the New Database, and then click Next. Note: SolarWinds recommends against using non-alphanumeric characters in database names. 8. If you are using an existing database, select Use an existing database, type the database name or select it from the list, and then click Next. 9. If you want to create a new SQL account for the SolarWinds polling engine and web console to use for accessing the database, select Create a new account, provide an account name and password, confirm the account password, and then click Next. 10. If you want to use an existing SQL account to provide database access to the SolarWinds polling engine and web console, select the existing account, provide the appropriate password, and then click Next. 11. If you need to specify a particular IP Address for the SolarWinds Web Console, provide the IP address of the host web server. Note: SolarWinds recommends the default All Unassigned unless your environment requires a specific IP address for your SolarWinds Web Console. 12. Specify both the Port through which you want to access the web console and the Website Root Directory into which you want to install web console files. Note: If you specify any port other than 80, you must include that port in the URL used to access the web console. For example, if you specify an IP address of and port 8080, the URL used to access the web console is If you want to enable automatic login using Windows Authentication, select Yes Enable automatic login using Windows Authentication. Note: Manual login using Windows Authentication is always available, regardless of whether or not automatic login is enabled. 14. Click Next. 15. If you are prompted to create a new directory, click Yes. 16. If you are prompted to create a new website, click Yes. Note: Choosing to overwrite the existing website will not result in the deletion of any custom SolarWinds website settings you may have previously applied. 17

18 Chapter 2: Installing 17. Confirm that all services you want to install are checked. Note: Typically, all listed services should be selected for installation. 18. Click Next. 19. If you are prompted to disable the SNMP Trap Service and enable the SolarWinds Trap Service, click Yes to disable the (Windows) SNMP Trap Service and enable the SolarWinds Trap Service. 20. Review the final configuration items, and then click Next. 21. Click Next on the Completing the SolarWinds Configuration Wizard dialog. 22. Click Finish when the SolarWinds Configuration Wizard completes. 23. Log in to the SolarWinds Web Console as an administrator. Note: Until you change your account, you can log in with User name Admin and no password. Web Console Licensing Web Performance Monitor is licensed by the total number of transactions that are implemented, regardless of whether or not transactions are managed or unmanaged. The number of licenses is calculated by multiplying the number of recordings by the number of locations assigned. For example: 5 recordings, 1 location = 5 licenses 5 recordings, 3 locations = 15 licenses. Note: Disabled transactions do not count towards this number. License Tier Implemented Transactions License WP5 5 License with 1st-Year maintenance WP10 10 License with 1st-Year maintenance WP20 20 License with 1st-Year maintenance WP50 50 License with 1st-Year maintenance WP License with 1st-Year main- 18

19 Maintaining Licenses with License Manager tenance WP License with 1st-Year maintenance WPMX Unlimited, standard playback rate License with 1st-Year maintenance Maintaining Licenses with License Manager SolarWinds License Manager is a free utility allows you to easily migrate SolarWinds licenses from one computer to another without contacting SolarWinds Customer Service. The following sections provide procedures for installing and using License Manager: Installing License Manager Using License Manager Installing License Manager Install License Manager on the computer from which you are migrating currently licensed products. Note: You must install License Manager on a computer with the correct time. If the time on the computer is even slightly off, in either direction, from Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), you cannot reset licenses without contacting SolarWinds Customer Service. Time zone settings neither affect nor cause this issue. To install License Manager: 1. Click Start > All Programs > SolarWinds > SolarWinds License Manager Setup. 2. Click I Accept to accept the SolarWinds EULA. 3. If you are prompted to install the SolarWinds License Manager application, click Install. Using License Manager You must run License Manager on the computer where the currently licensed SolarWinds product is installed before you can migrate licenses to a new installation. The following procedure deactivates currently installed licenses that can then be transferred to a new installation. To deactivate currently installed licenses: 19

20 Chapter 2: Installing 1. Click Start > All Programs > SolarWinds > SolarWinds License Manager. 2. Check the products you want to deactivate on this computer, and then click Deactivate. 3. Specify your SolarWinds Customer ID and password when prompted, and then click Deactivate. Note: Deactivated licenses are now available to activate on a new computer. When you have successfully deactivated your products, log on to the computer on which you want to install your products, and then begin installation. When asked to specify your licenses, provide the appropriate information. The license you deactivated earlier is then assigned to the new installation. Installing the Recorder The WPM Recorder is a Windows application that you can install on any computer that meets the system requirements. Recorder Requirements Resource CPU Memory Operating System TCP/IP Ports Requirements 1.0 GHz 2 GB Microsoft Windows XP, Vista, 7, Server 2003, or Server (TCP) open for http traffic 443 (TCP) open for https traffic (TCP) open for SolarWinds traffic Web Browser Internet Explorer 8 or 9. Installation Procedure 1. Run the TransactionRecorder.exe installer from your WPM package -or- Download and run the TransactionRecorder.exe installer from the WPM Web Console. The download link is WPM Settings > Manage Recordings 20

21 Configuring Settings > Download Recorder Locally. 2. Follow the installer instructions. Configuring Settings Each time you run the Recorder, you will be asked to specify the connection details of the WPM server. The connection details are saved for future Recorder sessions after you enter them the first time, so in future sessions, you need only click Connect or Work Offline. WPM Server Enter the IP address or the hostname of the WPM server. User name Enter the user name to log in to the WPM server. If you have not configured any additional WPM users, use the default user name admin. You can specify Active Directory accounts in either domain\username or format. Additionally, the SolarWinds WPM user chosen must have administrator rights to create and manage recordings. Users who are not administrators should consider using Work Offline mode. Password Connect Enter the password associated with the user name. If you have not configured any additional WPM users, leave the password of the admin user blank. Click to connect to the WPM server and run the Recorder. Work Offline Click to run the Recorder in offline mode. In offline mode, recordings cannot be saved or loaded to the WPM server, but must instead be exported and imported to and from your local disk as (XML).recording files. To save an offline recording into the WPM server, you must use the WPM Web Console's Import function on the WPM Settings > Manage Recordings page. Or, if you have another Recorder available that can connect to the WPM server, import the file into that Recorder and then save it to the WPM server. 21

22 Chapter 2: Installing Installing the Player The WPM Player is a Windows service that you can install on any computer that meets the system requirements. Recommended Player Requirements The recommended requirements allow a single Player to monitor up to 50 transactions of 30-second duration at 5-minute intervals. The minimum is 1 minute. Resource CPU Memory Operating System TCP/IP Ports Requirement 2.0 GHz Quadcore 3 GB Microsoft Windows XP, Vista, 7, Server 2003, or Server (TCP) open for http traffic 443 (TCP) open for https traffic (TCP) open for SolarWinds traffic (TCP) open for server-initiated communication mode Web Browser Internet Explorer 8 or 9. Minimum Player Requirements The minimum Player requirements allow up to two 30-second transactions to be monitored at 1-minute intervals. Note: The Player that is installed on the SolarWinds WPM server is configured to work as a minimum-resource player in the interest of conserving the system resources of your SolarWinds WPM server. Resource CPU Memory Operating System Requirement 2.0 GHz single core. Virtual Machine okay. 2 GB Microsoft Windows XP, Vista, 7, Server 2003, or Server

23 To avoid permissions issues, do not install on a domain controller. TCP/IP Ports 80 (TCP) open for http traffic 443 (TCP) open for https traffic (TCP) open for SolarWinds traffic (TCP) open for server-initiated communication mode Web Browser Internet Explorer 8 or 9. To avoid permissions issues, do not install on a domain controller. Installation Procedure 1. Run the PlaybackPlayer.exe installer from your WPM package -or- Download and run the PlaybackPlayer.exe installer from the WPM Web Console. The download link is WPM Settings > Manage > Player Locations > Download player. 2. Follow the installer instructions. Configuring Settings After installing the Player, you must configure its settings. Later on, you will copy these settings into your WPM server when you define your Playback Locations so that the server knows how to connect and relay commands to this particular Player. To configure Player settings: 1. Click Start > All Programs, SolarWinds Orion > Web Performance Monitor > WPM > Playback Player Settings. IP Address for this player This is the IP address of the Player. You will have two options on the setup screen How to choose which configuration to use? WPM offers two choices during the player configuration setup for how the player communicates with the WPM player. 23

24 Chapter 2: Installing Server initiated communication The server initiated player is passive and waits for requests from the WPM server on a specified port. This requires firewall/nat configurations on each Agent machine. Player initiated communication Port Selecting this option allows the player to actively initiate communication with the WPM server on port Firewall/NAT configuration is simplified because the active agent actively connects to the poller server using a HTTP(S) protocol. MSPs and larger distributed deployments may prefer this option. This is the port on which the WPM server connects to the Player. This port must be open on your Player firewall. The default port is Password This is an optional password that you can define to protect against unauthorized connections to your Player. Configuring Web Proxy Settings If the Player is on a network that requires you to connect to a proxy to access web sites, you must set the web proxy in Internet Explorer and then follow this procedure: 1. Run Gpedit.msc 2. In the left-hand pane, expand Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components. 3. Select Internet Explorer. 4. In the right-hand pane, double-click Make proxy settings per-machine (rather than per-user). 5. Select Enabled and then click OK. 6. Run Gpupdate /force 7. Restart the "SolarWinds WPM Playback Player" service. Note: Remote Deployment: The WPM Player can be deployed using a wide variety of existing application deployment solutions currently on the market, such as, Microsoft s System Center Configuration Manager, or Symantec s Altiris. You can also use psexec from the command line to both install and uninstall the player from remote computers. 24

25 25 Configuring Web Proxy Settings

26 Chapter 3: Recording Sequences This section discusses these topics: If you are recording a web page that uses Windows Authentication see the following KB article about enabling Integrated Windows Authentication how to record and save action sequences. Managing Recordings how to edit/modify recorded action sequences. If you are recording a web page that uses Windows Authentication see the following KB article about enabling Integrated Windows Authentication n+problems+when+playing+back+a+recording Creating Recordings The Recorder window is split into two panes, as depicted in the following image: The left-hand pane is the Recorder web browser that records your browser actions. The right-hand pane is the Time Line that shows you what actions have been recorded and also allows you to edit your actions while still recording. Before Running the Recorder for the First Time The Recorder web browser uses the settings and security level of the Internet Explorer browser of that computer it is installed on. If your web site required the browser to accept cookies, or if you need to connect to the Internet through a web proxy, these are settings you must make in Internet Explorer. If the security level of the browser is too high, the Recorder will prompt you to lower the security settings to the recommended level. 26

27 Chapter 3: Recording Sequences Disable browser integration for Adobe Acrobat Reader if it is installed. If it is installed, the recorder will prompt you to disable the browser integration type. If using Internet Explorer 9.0, change the.zip Windows file association. Internet Explorer 9.0 handles.zip files in a manner that is incompatible with the Recorder. As a workaround, install a third-party.zip utility such as WinZip or 7zip to change the.zip file association. Common Recording Actions Depending on which action is enabled, you will see different options available in the recorder menu. Menu items enabled during a recording: Record Stop Add Wait Time X, Y Capture Mode Text Verification Image Verification Image Verification with click sequence Menu items enabled when the recording is stopped: Record Play Recorded Sequence Play Step-By-Step Insert Wait Time 27

28 Create a Recording Insert Text Verification Insert Image Verification Create a Recording To run the recorder: 1. Click Start > SolarWinds Orion > Web Performance Monitor > Recorder. To begin recording: 1. Enter a URL in the address field and navigate to the page where you want to start the recorder. 2. Click Record. All your browser actions will now be recorded. You will see them listed in the Time Line pane on the right side of the Recorder. If you make a mistake while recording: 1. Click Undo as many times as necessary to remove the incorrect actions from the time line. 2. Correct your mistake in the browser. If there are any unnecessary actions in the time line: 1. Select the unnecessary action and then press the DELETE key. 2. Edit each step after you have completed the recording sequence by right clicking on any step in the timeline. 28

29 Chapter 3: Recording Sequences Note: New steps must be added between two existing actions or at the end of the last step in the recording. 3. Edit the wait time for each step by clicking time icon To correct errors in text field actions: 1. Double-click the text field action in the Time Line pane. 29

30 Text Matching 2. Enter the corrected text in the Text box, and then click OK. Text Matching Monitoring is not only about playing back sequences, but also about verifying that the results you get back are what you expect. For example, after recording a login sequence, you may want to add a check on the next web page to find any text that says "Login successful", "Welcome", or some other keyword that indicates whether the login action was successful. If the match is not successful, WPM will set the transaction status to Down. Typically, you want to make the text matching action the first action on the page that is loaded after logging in. If success means a page contains certain text: 1. Click the text verification icon 2. Enter the text to search for in the Enter text to match box. 30

31 Chapter 3: Recording Sequences 3. Click Page contains text. 4. Click OK. If success means a page does not contain certain text: 1. Click the text verification icon 2. Enter the text to search for in the Enter text to match box. 3. Click Page does not contain text. 4. Click OK. XY Capture Mode The XY Capture Mode feature records the coordinates clicked within dynamic web pages. This applies to pages that contain non-html elements, such as Flash and Silverlight based content. The feature works by starting a recording, then toggling on/off the XY mode as needed during a recording. When you toggle on the XY Capture Mode, all mouse actions are converted from global coordinates to local browser coordinates and recorded. The Image Match action will then verify that content is properly loaded before playback continues. Note: It is not possible to add Image Match into a recording after it is finished. To use XY capture Mode: 1. Start your recording. 2. Enable the XY Capture mode by clicking the coordinate's icon. 3. Mouse click on the page as needed. 4. Click Image Match and then drag your mouse over a region of the image. 5. Confirm Image Match. 6. Stop the Recording. 7. Verify that the recorded clicks and actions were successful by clicking (Play). 31

32 Image Verification 8. If needed, edit from the timeline by right-clicking on a step. Notes: Actions are recorded at user's speed. If you have an unnecessary delay recorded for some reason, you can double click on recorded action and change recorded delay to another value. Image Matching on animated objects is not suggested. During playback animated objects may be in a different phase of animation causing the Image Match will not be able to find exact recorded image. Select small regions Image Match actions are CPU intensive. Selecting only small regions or portions of the image improves performance of playback. Do not use Recorder on screen resolution greater than 1920x1200 pixels There is an OS limitation that does not allow the WPM Playback Player to function as desired. Image Verification During a recording you can have WPM perform image verifications. Image matches can also be used in conjunction with XY Capture mode to record nonhtml page elements. Once Image Verification is enabled the page becomes grayed out. You select a small region on the page by dragging the mouse. Once you have the image or portion of the image captured you click the Match Image button. During playback the image is matched. If the image is not found, the search is repeated until the defined time elapses. To enable Image Verification: 1. Click the Image Verification icon 2. Click and hold the left mouse button to select the image to match 3. Click the Match Image Button 32

33 Chapter 3: Recording Sequences 4. Verify the image in the picture and click OK. Allow extra time if the image is dynamically generated. 5. Save the recording. Stopping the Recording You must end the recording after you are done recording your action sequence. To end the recording: 1. Click Stop. Testing the Recording You may play back the recording either step-by-step or in its entirety. During the play back, the Player times how long it takes each steps to run. This information is used later to calculate the typical timings for the recording. Note: The Recorder automatically tests the recording when you save it. To play back the entire recording: 1. Click Play. The recorder will play the entire sequence. To play back the recording step-by-step: 1. Click Step. The recorder will play the next action in the sequence and then pause. Saving the Recording If you are connected to the WPM server, you can save your recordings directly to the server. The Recorder automatically tests the recording by playing it back when you save it. The Recorder also presents you with the option to open the Web Console to create a transaction from your new recording. To save a new recording to the WPM server: 1. Click Save 2. Enter the name of this recording in the Recording Name text box. 3. Click Save. To save changes to an existing recording: 1. Click Save To save changes as a new WPM recording: 33

34 Exporting the Recording 1. Click File > Save As. 2. Enter the name of this recording in the Recording Name text box. 3. Click Save. Exporting the Recording If you are in offline mode, you can export your recordings to the local disk as a.recording file that you can later transfer and import into WPM. To export a recording: 1. Click File > Export. 2. If you want to password-protect the recording: a. Click Yes. b. Enter the password in the Password and Confirm Password text boxes. c. Click OK. 3. If you do not want to restrict the recording, click No. 4. Enter the file name for the recording, and then click Save. (creates an XML file) Managing Recordings In the WPM Web Console, the only change you can make to a recording is to change its name. However, the Recorder does let you make some minor changes to a recording. While you cannot add new browser actions, you can delete existing actions, change the text input of text field actions, and edit or insert new Match Content actions. Note: You must either save or export the recording to retain your changes. If the recording you want to edit is on the WPM server, you must first load it into the Recorder. To load an existing recording from the WPM server: 1. Click Open. 2. Select the recording, and then click Open. To delete an action: 1. Select the action and then press the Delete key. To change the text in text field actions: 34

35 Chapter 3: Recording Sequences 1. Double-click the text field action in the Time Line pane. 2. Enter the corrected text in the Text box, and then click OK. To change the text in Match Content actions: 1. Double-click the Match content action in the Time Line pane. 2. Enter the corrected text in the Enter text to match box, and then click OK. To insert a new Match Content action under an existing action: 1. Select an existing action in the Time Line pane. Note: You cannot select the last step if you are inserting a Match Content action. 2. Click 3TMatch Content. To change the name of a step or insert a step below a step: 1. Right-click on a step in the timeline. Adding Wait Time to Steps Adding wait time to steps creates an artificial pause in the recording. To add wait time to a step: 1. To add wait time in between steps click Add Wait Time. 2. Edit the time as needed. Importing Recordings In offline mode, you cannot retrieve Recordings directly from the WPM server. You can, however, open any recordings that have been exported as.recording files. To import an existing recording from a.recording file: 1. Click File > Import. 2. Browse and select the.recording file, and then click Open 35

36 Exporting Recordings 3. If the recording is password-protected, enter the password and then click OK. Exporting Recordings It may not always be possible to establish a connection between the Recorder and the WPM server. The way to transfer recordings between a remote Recorder and WPM server is to export the recordings to.recording files on the local disk, and to then transfer them to their destination using , FTP, or some other means. To export the current recording from a Recorder: 1. Click File > Export. 2. If you want to password protect the recording: a. Click Yes. b. Enter the password in the Password and Confirm Password text boxes. c. Click OK. 3. If you do not want to restrict the recording, click No. 4. Enter the file name for the recording, and then click Save. To export a recording from the WPM server. 1. Log on to the WPM Web Console. 2. Click the Transactions tab. 3. Click WPM Settings. 4. Click Manage Recordings. 5. Select the check box next to the recording and then click Export. 6. If you want to password-protect the recording: 7. Click Export. a.select Yes, password protect this recording. b.enter the password in the Password and Confirm Password text boxes. 36

37 Chapter 3: Recording Sequences 8. The web browser begins downloading your.recording file. It is saved under the name nameofrecording.recording. Deleting Recordings You can delete recordings from the Manage Recordings page of the WPM Web Console. All transactions using a deleted recording will themselves also be deleted. 1. Log on to the WPM Web Console. 2. Click the Transactions tab. 3. Click WPM Settings. 4. Click Manage Recordings. 5. Select the check boxes next to one or more recordings. 6. Click Delete. 37

38 Chapter 4: Transactions A transaction is what is created when you schedule a recording to be played back at any one of your playback locations. Transactions contain more than just recordings and locations, however. The transactions also contain customizable timing thresholds that let the WPM server alert you if any transactions are taking longer to run than they should. This chapter discusses the following topics: Creating Transactions How to create transactions out of your recordings. Playback Locations How to register Players as playback locations and how to find good locations for Player agents. Monitoring Transactions How to interpret transaction and step status. Grouping Related Transactions How to link transactions statuses together. Creating Transactions You create transactions in the WPM Web Console. Every transaction requires a recording that is saved on the WPM server and a Player agent that is installed on a computer somewhere. There are two ways to create a transaction: The Add a Transaction Monitor wizard The Manage Transaction Monitors page Both methods are very similar and differ only in where you start. Starting the Add a Transaction Monitor wizard 1. Log into the WPM Web Console. 2. Click the Transactions tab. 3. Click WPM Settings. 4. Click Add a Transaction Monitor. Opening the Manage Transaction Monitors page 1. Log in to the WPM Web Console. 2. Click the Transactions tab. 38

39 Chapter 4: Transactions 3. Click WPM Settings. 4. Click Manage Transaction Monitors. To create a transaction from the Wizard or Manage Transaction Monitors page: 1. Select the recording you want to monitor. a. If you need to import a.recording file, click Import. b. Click the option button of the recording you want to monitor. c. Click Next. 2. If you need to register a Player as a playback location: a. Click Add Location. b. Enter a Name for player at this location field. c. If you select Server-initiated communication with this player, enter the hostname or IP address of the Player in the IP Address field. d. If the Player is password-protected, uses a port other than 17781, or if the WPM server must connect to the Internet through a proxy, expand the Advanced options and then make the necessary changes. e. Click Save. f. If you select Player initiated communication, Click Test. g. Click Submit. 3. Select the playback location. a. Select the check box next to the location. b. Click Next. 4. Adjust the transaction properties such as the thresholds and playback interval. 5. Click Save Monitor. Note: The shortest playback interval possible is 1 minute. Thresholds are not required to create a transaction. For more information, see "Thresholds" on page 39. Adding Transactions in Discovery Central Discover Central is an alternative method of launching the Add a Transaction Monitor wizard. The wizard is described in "Creating Transactions" on page 38. Thresholds The default threshold timing values for a transaction are based on the step timings that were measured when you saved the recording: 39

40 Adjusting Thresholds for Network Latency Typical Value: 1x the initial step timing. Warning: 2x the initial step timing. Critical: 4x the initial step timing. The Warning and Critical thresholds are used to trigger alerts. The Typical Value is plotted as an informational line on charts that you can use to compare the actual timings to. Adjusting Thresholds for Network Latency You should expect to need to set different timing thresholds for transactions that are played back in a very different geographical location than the original recording. For example, if you use a recording to create a transaction that will play back on a Player that is only 100km away from the original recording location, the default threshold timings are probably sensible. But, if the Player is 2,000km away, you will need to raise the timing thresholds to account for that extra network latency. Note: Thresholds are not required to create a transaction. Importing Recordings as Transactions If you want to add a recording that was created by a Recorder that cannot connect to the WPM server, you must export the recording from the Recorder as a.recording file and then transfer it to a computer that can access the WPM Web Console. You can transfer the file by , FTP, or some other method. After transferring the.recording file, you can use the Import command on the Add Transaction page to add the recording to the WPM server. For more information, see "Creating Transactions" on page 38. Playback Locations A playback location is what we call a Player agent that has been registered with the WPM server. Possible playback locations include: a server in a co-location hosting service a workstation in a satellite office a virtual machine hosted by a cloud computing service Determining good playback locations The entire point of synthetic end-user monitoring is to get an accurate sampling of your web site and services from the view point of your customers. To that end, you 40

41 Chapter 4: Transactions should place playback agents in the same geographical locations as the majority of your customers so as to get a sample that is representative of your end-users around the global. Cloud Portal Management WPM allows you to monitor transactions from locations around the globe using a VM Cloud Instance. If you do not have your own infrastructure, consider renting servers from co-location hosts and or virtual machines from cloud computing services. For an example of how to use Amazon Cloud Services to host a Player, see the article"using Amazon Cloud Services as a Playback Location" in the SolarWinds Knowledge Base. Create a Cloud Instance: 1. From the Web Console, click the Web tab. 2. In the All Transactions grouping, click Manage Transactions. 3. Click the Transaction Locations Tab. 4. Check the locations you want to add and then click Add Location. 41

42 Playback Locations 5. Select Add a Location in the Cloud and then click Next. 6. Enter you vendor access key and secret key. Note: All communication is encrypted. 7. Enter the details for your new transaction location Name and Password and the region of the instance. 8. Select the instance size and then click Next. Note: Click Recommend a size for me for sizing suggestions. 9. Verify the information and click Create CI. 10. Add Transactions to the newly created location as needed. Playback Locations The Manage Transaction Locations page lets you add, edit, and delete playback locations. To open the Managing Playback Locations page: 42

43 Chapter 4: Transactions 1. Log in to the WPM Web Console. 2. Click the Transactions tab. 3. Click Manage Transaction Locations. 4. Click Transaction Locations tab. 5. Click a location to see the Location Details view. Adding a playback location 1. Click Add Location. 2. Invent a name for this location and then enter it in the Name for player at this location field. 3. Enter the hostname or IP address of the Player in the IP Address field. 4. If the Player is password protected, uses a port other than 17781, or if the WPM server must connect to the Internet through a proxy, expand the Advanced options and then make the necessary changes. 5. Click Save. Editing a playback location To change the details of an existing playback location: 43

44 Deleting a playback location 1. Select the check box next to the location and then click Edit. 2. To Remotely send changes to this player enable the check box Deleting a playback location To delete playback locations 1. Select the check box next to the location or locations, and then click Delete. Note: To fully delete a cloud instance you must also login to Amazon and delete the instance from your AWS management page. Rackspace Transaction Location One option for a WPM transaction location is to use a Rackspace cloud server. The following section details how to setup a Rackspace Transaction Location in WPM. These steps assume that you have: Created a Rackspace cloud server account. Installed the WPM player on the Rackspace cloud server. To create a Rackspace Playback Location: 1. Click WPM Settings. 2. Click Manager Player Locations. 3. Click Add Location. 4. Provide the details for the name of this location, IP Address and Server-initiated communication (Recommended default). 5. Test the settings to confirm successful connection. 6. Click Submit. 7. Next, you can assign recordings to this location. For more information on how to assign recordings see Transactions on page "38". Setting Account Limitations Account limitations may be used to restrict user access to designated network areas or to withhold certain types of information from designated users. The following procedure sets user account limitations. To set user account limitations: 44

45 Chapter 4: Transactions 1. Log in to the SolarWinds Web Console as an administrator. 2. Click Settings in the top right of the web console, and then click Manage Accounts in the Accounts group of the SolarWinds Website Administration page. 3. If you want to limit an individual user account, complete the following steps: a. On the Individual Accounts tab, check the account you want to limit. b. Click Edit. c. Click Add Limitation in the Account Limitations section. d. Select the type of limitation to apply, and then click Continue. e. Define the limitation as directed on the Configure Limitation page that follows. 4. If you want to limit a group account, complete the following steps: Note: Limitations applied to a selected group account only apply to the group account and not, by extension, to the accounts of members of the group. a. On the Groups tab, check the group account you want to limit. b. Click Edit. c. Click Add Limitation in the Account Limitations section. d..select the type of limitation to apply, and then click Continue. 5. Click Add Limitation in the Account Limitations section. 6. Select the type of limitation to apply from the list, and then click Continue. WPM Limitations are as follows: Single Transaction Single Player Location Selected Transactions Selected Player Locations Transactions with Similar Names Player Locations with Similar Player Location Names Single Group Selected Groups Groups with Similar Group Names 7. Click Settings > Manage Accounts> Edit Account and select from the option below: 45

46 Additional Poller and Web Site Additional Poller and Web Site If deploying WPM into an existing SolarWinds Orion environment that does use additional pollers or web sites, you must update the existing additional pollers and web site using the files provided: Additional Poller update SolarWinds-WPM-v2.0-Poller.exe Additional Web Console update SolarWinds-WPM-v2.0-WebOnly.exe Additional Poller System Requirements The following table lists minimum software requirements and recommendations. Software Operating System TCP/IP Ports.NET Framework Requirements Windows Server 2003 SP2 or 2008, including R2, with IIS in 32-bit mode. Note: SolarWinds does not support production installations of SolarWinds products on Windows XP, Windows Vista, or Windows 7 systems. 80 (TCP) open for http traffic 443 (TCP) open for https traffic (TCP) open for SolarWinds traffic (TCP) open for player-initiated communications mode Version 3.5 (.NET Framework 3.5 SP1 is recommended) 46

47 Chapter 4: Transactions Additional Web Console Requirements The following table lists minimum software requirements and recommendations. Software Operating System TCP/IP Ports Requirements Windows Server 2003 SP2 or 2008, including R2, with IIS in 32-bit mode. IIS and MSMQ must be installed. SolarWinds recommends that Orion administrators have local administrator privileges to ensure full functionality of local Orion tools. Accounts limited to use of the Orion Web Console do not require administrator privileges. Note: SolarWinds does not support production installations of Orion products on Windows XP, Windows Vista, or Windows 7 systems. 80 (TCP) open for http traffic 443 (TCP) open for https traffic (TCP) open for SolarWinds traffic Microsoft IIS, version 6.0 and higher, in 32-bit mode. DNS specifications require that hostnames be composed of alphanumeric characters (A-Z, 0-9), the minus sign (-), and periods (.). Underscore characters (_) are not allowed. For more information, see RFC 952. Web Server Warning: The following Windows accounts, as configured by IIS 6.0 on Windows Server 2003 with their default security settings, are required: IUSR_<hostname>, as a member of the Guests group ONLY. IWAM_<hostname>, as a member of the IIS_WPG group ONLY. Disabling these accounts or changing any default settings of these accounts may negatively affect the operation of your Orion installation. SolarWinds strongly recommends against altering these accounts or their settings. Note: SolarWinds neither recommends nor supports the installation of any Orion WPM product on the same server or using the same database server as a Research in Motion (RIM) Blackberry server..net Version 3.5. (.NET Framework 3.5 SP1 is recommended). Framework Web Microsoft Internet Explorer version 7 or higher with Active scripting 47

48 Additional Web Console Requirements Console Browser Firefox 3.0 or higher Google Chrome 48