Installation & Configuration

What components are installed during setup?

Business Gauges comes with 3 components:

You may choose to install all components on a single computer, or to install each component on a different computer in a multi-user environment.

What is the best way to install in a multi-user environment?

For a multi-user environment, it is recommended to install Business Gauges Service on a networked server or server-like computer that has the desired network availability. Business Gauges Dashboard can be installed separately on any number of computers in the enterprise or it can be placed in a shared folder and have a shortcut defined to run from there. The clear advantage of the shortcut method is the simplicity of upgrading the dashboard when a new version is released, especially if it has to be installed on a large number of machines.

What could be the reason to a failed installation?

One possible reason to a failed installation is if Business Gauges was unable to install the service component. Make sure you install Business Gauges using an administrator account. Another reason for a failed installation could be that one of the defined port values of Business Gauges is already taken by another application. You can change the defined port values by reinstalling the software or by directly modifying the Business Gauges INI files.

Can I place my service data in a shared folder?

Yes. This way you can share the service data folder with two or more service instances for large scale deployments. Make sure you set the right folder permissions so that all service instances can have full control over the shared storage area.

Why am I unable to connect to the service?

Connection failures can occur for several reasons. Make sure the service has started (using Computer Management > Services) and that it is not blocked by a firewall application (if you use Windows Firewall you must explicitly configure it to allow bgsvc.exe to accept network connections). Also, make sure no other application is using the defined service ports. Finally, make sure you use the correct user credentials and that your user is active and the password is correct.

What is the 'Asynchronous Gateway'?

The Asynchronous Gateway is a light-weight HTTP server embedded in the Business Gauges Service and designed to receive HTTP GET requests from a data source, an application or enterprise message bus in your enterprise. The code to submit sensor values this way is automatically generated for you when you create an asynchronous sensors. You can choose to use generate code in any one of the following languages: Java, C#, VB.NET, Perl or Python.

Do I need to have the .NET framework installed?

No. Business Gauges does not use the .NET framework.

Do I need to have Vista for the gauges to work?

No. Business Gauges was designed to work primarily on Windows XP.

Sensors Definition & Configuration

What is the best way to label a gauge?

A good label for a gauge is usually composed of up to 6 words and have no more then 30 characters. The gauge label is shown in the console to identify the sensor and in the dashboard gauges list. It is also displayed on the gauge it-self. Maintaining a short and descriptive label is an important aspect of creating a good sensor.

What is 'Sensor Status' used for and why?

Sensor Status is used to indicate the sensor condition and to control the sensor availability to dashboard users. When a sensor is created or edited its status is automatically set to draft. When a sensor is in draft mode, it cannot have active gauges in the dashboard. When the sensor is properly configured, it can be saved and set to published status. When a sensor is published it can be activated by users in the dashboard. A sensor can be published only if it was tested okay. the disabled status can be used to temporarily block the sensor for administrative reasons. When a sensor status is changed from published to draft or disabled, all of its active gauges are automatically disabled.

Can my users use different threshold values?

Yes. When you create a sensor you define a lower and upper threshold for the sensor. While these are the default values, users can always change the thresholds using the gauge properties window. Users can even have different thresholds set for the same gauge per each dashboard configuration they create.

What are 'Sampling Rules' used for?

Most sensors proactively sample values from their data sources. Sampling rules are there to control the timing and interval of the sampling activity. When a new sensor is defined, a default sampling rule is created with an interval of 1 minute.

How can I scale down a measured value?

Scaling a measured value can be done in any sensor type using the 'Sensor Value Expression' (First tab page of the sensor in the console). Expressions such as 'value/1000' or 'value*100' can be used. The keyword value is the variable containing the sampled value. The expression is parsed using Python so any built-in python function can be used to modify the sampled value.

Why can't I use a certain web site for my web page sensor?

Almost any standard web page can be used by a web page sensor, however, some pages which include custom java scripting or information stored in flash graphics may not work properly with web page sensors.
Another possible reason for web page sensors to fail parsing a page can be cookie-based page authentication. Business Gauges supports HTTP authentication. If your page is secured using HTTP authentication, you can enter a username and password and have your sensor gain access to it. Other forms of security (custom security, cookies etc.) are not supported.
If you cannot have Business Gauges process any web page then perhaps you have to use a proxy server to access the web. You can enter your proxy server information to the sensor so it can access the page.

How can I get data from a remote FTP site?

You can use a scripted sensor for this. Here is an example of a python script accessing an FTP site to count a web site hits directly from the apache log file:

    class HitsCounter:
        counter = 0
        
    def callback(line):
        HitsCounter.counter = HitsCounter.counter + 1

    from ftplib import FTP
    ftp = FTP('ftp.mysite.com')  
    ftp.login('username','password')               
    ftp.retrlines('RETR /logs/domain/http/access.log',callback)
    return HitsCounter.counter

Security & User Management

Why can't I see all gauges in the console tree?

A Business Gauges administrator can use the console to define and configure sensors. To be able to configure an existing sensor, you must be defined as one of the sensor's owners. This can be accomplished from the original sensor owner's account, form the 'Security' tab page of the sensor. This kind of sensor partitioning can be used to control what users can see or not.

Why can't I see the user management tree?

To be able to access the console user management tree, an administrator must have the 'Superuser' permission.

How can I change user passwords?

User passwords can be reset by right-clicking on any user object in the console tree and choosing 'Change Password' or by selecting a user and going to Main Menu > User > Change Password.
If you want the user to be asked to change the password on the next login, check the 'Must Change Password' check box.

How can I recover/reset my initial administrator account password?

In the command prompt, change directory to where Business Gauges is installed and type the following command:

reset -u username -p password -d c:\bgdata 

Dashboards & Gauges

Why can't I see a certain gauge in my dashboard gauges list?

You can only have access to gauges which you have permission to use. If you cannot see a specific gauge then you may not listed as a user of this gauge. Also, you may have issued a gauge search in the dashboard and the list is still showing only the gauges that match your search criteria. Try to press the Reset button to rebuild the gauges list or contact your administrator and ask to have access permission to the gauge you want.

How can I change the look or size of my gauges?

You can access the gauge properties by right-clicking it and choose 'Properties'. Using the properties pages you can change the gauge type, default gauge limits and thresholds, label and color scheme. You can change the gauge position on the screen by dragging the gauge using the mouse, and you can resize the gauge by selecting it and using your mouse wheel button or by pressing the + and - keys. When you apply your changes they are automatically saved to your active dashboard configuraiton.

Can I 'Auto hide' my active gauges?

Yes. Minimize the dashboard to the system tray by pressing the close window (X) button in the dashboard window frame, then right-click on the system tray icon and choose Autohide. You can have your hidden gauges appear again by moving your mouse over the dashboard icon in the system tray or by pressing the CTRL+WIN keys.

Why do I get the "No Connections Available" message?

Business Gauges is licensed based on the number of allowed concurrent connections to the service. This message is displayed when there are no available connections to the service, for one of two reasons: i. The service reached the maximum number of dashboards connections, ii. The service license has not been installed yet.

How can I revert back to the default gauge settings?

You customized gauge setting are saved to your dashboard configuration. To restore the original settings, all you need to do is to create a fresh dashboard configuration and re-display the gauge.