FAQ
How Our Monitoring System Works
Our monitoring system is built on Zabbix and consists of three key components:
- Server – A part of our infrastructure that collects and stores all the data.
- Agent – Installed on each server to gather metrics.
- Proxy – Forwards data from the agents to our Zabbix server.
What Makes Our Monitoring Better Than Standard Zabbix?
Our solution is a customized monitoring system that includes not only the standard Zabbix metrics but also numerous additional parameters at the OS and database management system (DBMS) levels. This system is our own development, based on years of experience in database administration, incident management, and predictive support. We have been working with this monitoring system since 2008, and we haven’t seen any other solutions on the market with features like monitoring for backups, tracking details like the timing of the last full backup or the size of differential backups.
Do We Need to Install Your Software on Our Server?
Yes, we require the installation of an agent on each server we support. This agent needs administrator rights on both the OS and DBMS.
How Safe Is This? Will Our Data Be Secure?
We only transmit state data about the database, such as lock status, resource-intensive processes, replication state, dispatchers, etc. You can verify our agent installer with any antivirus software before installation. The agent uses a dedicated system account (preferably a domain account) with permissions to start the service. Data is sent only to the proxy, meaning the servers do not open direct access to the outside; the connection is established with the proxy server, which is under your control.
Additionally, Zabbix supports encrypted communication between components using Transport Layer Security (TLS). All transmissions occur within a VPN for added security.
Does This Add Extra Load to the Server?
The agent periodically collects data at the OS and DBMS levels, adding only a few percentage points of load on an average server. For smaller servers (fewer than 6 cores and 8GB of RAM), we can discuss the feasibility of this monitoring setup separately. On Windows OS, data collection uses PowerShell scripts, which may result in a slightly higher load (more than 2-3%) if there are already active PowerShell processes, but this should not significantly affect functionality.
Can We View the Data Collected by Your Monitoring?
Yes, we can grant access for relevant users and set up a system account for connecting to Grafana or another visualization tool, if needed.
How Does Your Company Conduct Audits?
First, we set the target servers for monitoring (we deploy the Zabbix agent there). This allows us to collect various slices of data in a convenient format with minimal resource expenditure.
Next, we configure data collectors for heavy queries and locks in the database management system (DBMS) to obtain extended information on current performance issues. After that, we begin manually collecting information on the configuration of the operating system (OS) and DBMS and create a preliminary version of the recommendations document.
Then, the document is supplemented with data from monitoring and collectors, and its final version is prepared. Typically, this process takes 2-4 weeks.
Why does it take so long? Can it be done in a week?
It is possible to complete it in a week, but then there won’t be enough data on load and performance. It might happen that the chosen week turns out to be “quiet,” and we won’t see significant problems, while the following week may reveal the actual system load. Furthermore, the labor costs for a one-week audit and a four-week audit are the same, which means the price will also be the same.
What audit options are available?
We have several options:
- Standard Audit – Provides a report with an analysis and recommendations.
- Audit with Issue Resolution – Includes service adjustments, DBMS updates, and configuration changes.
- Customized Audit – For additional requests like database migration, high-availability configuration, or DBMS version upgrades, we handle these as separate, fully scoped projects.
What will I receive after the monitoring? A file with the results?
After monitoring, you will receive a document with detailed information from us, including data about the server and the work performed, along with our recommendations.
An example of the document’s table of contents:
1. GENERAL INFORMATION
1.1. SERVER INFORMATION
1.2. MEMORY
1.3. DISK SUBSYSTEM
SERVER CONFIGURATION
2.1. WINDOWS UPDATE
2.2. POWER OPTION
2.3. WINDOWS FIREWALL AND ANTIVIRUS SOFTWARE
2.4. EVENT LOG
SERVER PERFORMANCE
SQL SERVER
4.1. INSTANCE
4.1.1. General Information
SQL SERVER VERSION:
4.1.2. User Role Check on the Instance
4.1.3. Composition and Configuration of Databases, System Users
4.1.4. Database Placement
4.1.5. Database Backup
4.1.6. Database Maintenance
4.1.6.1. Integrity Check
4.1.6.2. Updating Statistics
4.1.6.3. Defragmenting Tables and Indexes
4.1.6.4. Truncating Database Files
4.1.7. Relevance of SQL Server Agent Jobs
4.1.8. Ensuring Fault Tolerance and High Availability
4.1.9. Performance
4.2.0. Errors and Exceptions
5. MONITORING
6. REMARKS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Do you work on a prepayment basis?
No, payment is usually made after the work is completed. We trust our partners and are focused on long-term cooperation.
Why is the audit price so high?
In fact, the audit price is quite low when considering our labor costs. Our profit lies in establishing new partnerships and demonstrating our competencies for future collaboration.