VA2 for Siebel vs VA2 for other applications
VA2 has custom tables and special interfaces for Siebel. It collects Siebel information, especially Siebel Application Server information and stores it in the VA2 repository. Since the Siebel Server interface is difficult to monitor, the VA2 functions that distill this information make VA2 an especially attractive option for Siebel deployments.
Virtual Administrator 1 was written specifically for Siebel, and only had a Siebel interface. With VA2 an application architecture was used that made the system extendible. Because Siebel is a large distributed application with typically many interfaces. Siebel is often customized and implemented differently with each deployment. VA2, with its completely user definable rules, allows each user to set up the monitored points and statistics they are interested in. The built in interface to Siebel App servers make it easier to apply statistics and analysis rules.
However, the functional result of VA2 is to display Statistics (graphs) and react to events (Analysis Rules). Since the Statistics and Analysis rules are written in Perl, they are not limited to Siebel, and in fact can monitor nearly anything. The built in log file monitoring and integrated event handling help achieve comprehensive system monitoring.
Examples of other applications monitored with VA2
SQL - results of any SQL query can be tracked and analyzed. This means that any application that is accessible via ODBC can be monitored
SQL timing - time of queries for particular applications
Event Routing is handled based on Administrators schedules, and routed to email or other systems (such as larger system monitoring tools, such as HP Openview, BMC, etc).
Database Performance - Graph key DB performance indicators, such as Shared Pool Memory in Oracle, query performance, or the growth rate of a MSSQL server
Log file monitoring - Defined key words in application log files will raise events. This can be applied to any application that produces log files
WMI info - WMI is a powerful management interface for Windows Systems. Just point VA2 to any WMI point and monitor systems for points such as Used Virtual Memory, Running Services, CPU Usage, and thousands more
MQ Series - Using the MQ API, monitor the depth and availability of MQ Series applications
MQ Series - Most application integration systems are built from scratch, for a specific purpose. VA2 has proven useful in monitoring integration systems, as it typically can monitor the source, target, and transactions of integration systems due to its flexible nature.