Alarms

On this page   Overview 1. Name the threshold policy; select a location 2. Select sensor types 3. Define the target sensors 4. Configure thresholds 5. Configure hysteresis 6. Summary New state sensor: Gateway Comm Status Overriding alarm threshold policy settings   Overview   You will only receive notifications on alarms when you connect a Gateway and subscribe to IT Expert or you subscribe devices to Asset Advisor.   Most devices come with a set of pre-defined default alarms. While thresholds can be defined directly on devices, like those that use APC Network Management Cards (NMC), it's easier to use threshold policies in IT Expert if you're defining alarm thresholds for sensors on multiple devices.   In IT Expert, Administrators and Operators with the appropriate permissions can create alarm threshold policies on numeric and state sensors on the Alarms > Threshold policies page.      Watch the video   Multiple threshold policies of the same sensor type are grouped in the list by priority. Use the icon    to drag and drop the policy in the list to determine which policy takes precedence when device sensors are in multiple policies.     Avoid getting duplicate alarms. Once you configure threshold policies, consider deleting the individual sensor thresholds you created previously on the Alarms > Thresholds page.   Threshold policies will replace individual sensor threshold configuration in the future.       To create a threshold policy:   Log in to IT Expert and go to Alarms > Threshold policies. Click Create policy.   1. Name the threshold policy; select a location   When a device is in multiple threshold policies, the policy in the location closest to the device takes priority.     2. Select sensor types   Select the numeric or state sensor type. Click Show all… to see all available numeric or state sensor types. Note: To create a threshold for Battery Capacity Remaining, select Percent.    This example is a Temperature threshold policy.     3. Define the target sensors   Select the target sensors and then narrow your selection.  The list reflects the number of devices, sensors and locations that meet your criteria.   Click Configure in each section to specify what you want to include in the policy and then click Next.   Target sensors by:   - Device type - Manufacturer - Model - Sensor type - Sensor name   Configure device types   Configure device models   Configure sensor types   4. Configure thresholds   Configure the high and low threshold values that cause warning and critical alarms for numeric sensors.   You can change the values in the fields to visualize the thresholds in the graph.  Note: The data shown in the graph are an example, not actual data.   Numeric sensor threshold   5. Configure hysteresis   Hysteresis settings reduce chattering from frequently occurring alarms. Note: The device always triggers its pre-defined default alarms.   Number of violations Specify the number of times a threshold must be violated before an alarm occurs. To trigger an alarm without delay, set the number of violations to 1. Configuring a large number of violations reduces the sensitivity of the threshold alarm.   Number of samples Specify the sample size to be evaluated before an alarm clears. Samples are polling cycles, five minutes by default.  The sample looks back at that number of polling cycles regardless of whether an alarm has occurred. Configuring a large sample size compared to violations can delay the alarm from clearing.   You can change the values in the fields to visualize the hysteresis in the graph.  Note: The data shown in the graph are an example, not actual data.     6. Summary   View the summary and save the threshold policy.     New state sensor: Gateway Comm Status   The Gateway Comm Status - protocol  sensor is available for every discovered device: SNMP, Modbus, NetBotz, Redfish.   Devices monitored by Gateway 1.23 and newer support configuring hysteresis for communication alarms reported by the Gateway Comm Status sensor.   Communication alarms are generated after one violation when devices are not included in a policy for the Gateway Comm Status sensor.   To quiet communication alarms for your monitored devices, create a policy, choose the Gateway Comm Status sensor, and configure hysteresis as appropriate.   Note: To create a policy to trigger an alarm on the Gateway Comm Status - protocol  sensor without delay, set the number of violations to 1.     State sensor threshold   Overriding alarm threshold policy settings   You can override the settings on a specific sensor that is included in a threshold policy. Once you alter the settings, threshold policies will no longer apply to the sensor. If you delete the threshold configuration on that sensor, any threshold policy settings for the sensor will once again apply.   To override a threshold policy on a specific sensor:   Go to the details page on the device and select Sensors. Toggles allow you to see policy-based thresholds and the individual thresholds you have previously configured. Make sure Show policy-based thresholds is selected. Click the arrow to view the threshold policy settings for the sensor. Adjust the settings and click Set sensor threshold.       To remove the override and reapply threshold policy settings for the sensor, click Delete sensor configuration.          

IT Expert Administrator users can configure alarm notification policies to inform specific users in their organization about alarms that occur on monitored devices.    7970073418525_6801824457629.png   A Default notification policy is pre-configured that includes all groups, locations, categories, and device types, and alarms with critical severity. You can modify the default notification policy or delete it if you do not want to receive notifications.   Go to Administration > Alarm notifications. Click New policy. Provide a name for your notification policy, and click Create policy. Select at least one recipient group or email address, at least one location, and the alarm severities, categories, and device types to include in the notification policy. Click Save.   Individual recipients will receive email notifications once their email address is verified.  Check the box to also notify users for clearing alarms.    Group recipients for notifications are based on group permissions already created in IT Expert. ITE users specify whether to notify on clearing alarms in their profile > Notifications.           Resolve conflicts during configuration Conflicting selections are highlighted to make it easier to decide whether to edit permissions or create an additional policy to achieve the desired result. For example, a group might not have permissions for the locations you selected. See IT Expert permissions     Recipients Click Select recipients to choose the group(s) or individual email recipients to include in the notification policy.   Groups Group recipients for notifications are based on group permissions already created in IT Expert. Selections in the Groups section take precedence over selections in all other sections in the policy. See IT Expert permissions   Other email addresses You can click Add emails to add recipients who are not members of a group in IT Expert. No group permissions can be assigned to these recipients.   An verification email is sent to each address to confirm it is valid. No alarm emails are sent to these recipients until their email address is confirmed. You can resend the verification email if needed.   Location Click Select locations to choose the location(s) to include in the notification policy.   Users in some groups may not have permissions for all the locations you select. Check user group permissions on the Administration > Groups tab to adjust. You might need to create an additional policy to achieve the desired result. See IT Expert permissions   There is information displayed on the page when any selections in the policy are invalid.   Severity Select the alarm severities to include in the notification policy: Critical, Warning, or both.   Category Select the alarm categories you to include in the notification policy: Power, Environment, Infrastructure, Security, and Uncategorized. See IT Expert alarm categories   Device type Click Select devices to choose the device types to include in the notification policy.  Correct missing information in an existing policy   A warning is displayed in the policy when any option is invalid, for example, if a group or location selected in a policy was deleted from the system. Click the policy to make the necessary changes.   7969757472285_6801824457629.png 7969757470237_6801824457629.png The My profile > Notifications tab allows you to choose whether you want to receive email notifications, push notifications in the EcoStruxure IT mobile app, and cleared alarms. Other alarm notification settings are configured by the Administrator for your organization by group, location, and device type in notification policies. See Configure EcoStruxure IT mobile app push notifications from IT Expert   Note: Notification policies do not include sending email alarm notifications to external management systems. See Alarm email integration for notifications from IT Expert

Alarm severity policies allow you more control of the push notifications you receive when device alarms occur.  Note: Severity policies do not affect alarms generated by thresholds configured in IT Expert.   You can create an alarm severity policy to change the severity of alarms generated by a single device, from all devices of the same device model, or from all the devices of the same device type. For example:   Change the severity of alarms from critical to warning or informational to limit the number of push notifications for alarms that are not important to you. Change the severity of warning or informational alarms to critical to receive push notifications when those alarms occur. Note: If you use the default notification policy, only critical alarms generate push notifications from the EcoStruxure IT mobile app. You can modify the default notification policy or create a policy to receive notifications for warnings.   You can create a severity policy on the alarms details page or on the Alarms > Severity Policy tab. Any severity policy affecting an alarm is displayed on the alarm details page in Properties and on the Severity Policy tab.   When you create a new severity policy, the policy affects any subsequent alarms that occur. The severity of alarms that occurred before the policy was created is unchanged.   Create a severity policy on the Alarms > Severity Policy tab   Go to Alarms > Severity Policy and click Create Policy.   Specify the Name of the policy.   In the Devices section, click Configure to specify whether you want the policy to affect a single device, all the devices of a certain type, or all the similar devices of the type and model you choose.       In the Alarm section, type the name of the alarm(s) that will be affected by the policy. You can choose an exact match for the alarm name or choose a partial match to include all alarms that have the word(s) you specify in their names. Suggestions for possible alarm names are displayed.     Select the severity you would like the alarm(s) to be: Critical, Warning, or Info.   Click Save.   Create a severity policy on the alarm details page   Go to the Alarms tab and select an alarm.   In the Properties section, click New on the Severity policy line.      Specify the Name of the policy.   In the Devices section, click click Configure to specify whether you want the policy to affect a single device, all the devices of a certian type, or all similar devices of the type and model you choose. Note: When you select Alarms from this device, an exact match for the device type, model, and the specific device is automatically selected.     In the Alarm section, type the name of the alarm(s) that will be affected by the policy. You can choose an exact match for the alarm name or choose a partial match to include all alarms that have the word(s) you specify in their names. Suggestions for possible alarm names are displayed. Note: When you select Alarms from this device, an exact match for the alarm is automatically selected.     Select the severity you would like the alarm(s) to be: Critical, Warning, or Info.   Click Save.

You will only receive notifications on critical alarms when you connect a Gateway and subscribe to IT Expert or you subscribe devices to Asset Advisor.   Most devices come with a set of pre-defined default alarms. While thresholds can be defined directly on devices, like those that use APC Network Management Cards (NMC), it's easier to do in EcoStruxure IT if you're defining thresholds on multiple devices.   To create additional alarm thresholds in EcoStruxure IT:   Log in to EcoStruxure IT and go to Alarms > Thresholds > Configure new thresholds.      Select the sensor type you want to create. Click Show all… to see all available sensor types. Note: To create a threshold for Battery Capacity Remaining, select Percent.    ITE_alarm_thresholds_all_360006995617.PNG   Specify a name for the threshold. The default name is the sensor type.   Select the sensors to include in the threshold and then click Continue. For more information, see Sensor selection.     Enter values for at least one threshold parameter, Min, Low, High, or Max, in ascending order from left to right. Min and Max are critical alarms, Low and High are warnings.    Tip: There is a list next to each value where you can change the units if the sensor type you are creating a threshold for has multiple unit options.     When a monitored device sensor reports a value below what you defined as Low a warning alarm is generated. When a monitored device sensor reports a value above what you defined as High a warning alarm is generated. When a monitored device sensor reports a value below what you defined as Min, a critical alarm is generated. When a monitored device sensor reports a value above what you defined as Max, a critical alarm is generated.   Click Save.   Sensor selection   Only sensors contained in the current location or below in the location hierarchy are displayed in the sensor selection view. With the sensor selection window closed, you can change the current location at the top of the Thresholds view.   idea_icon_360006995617.png You can create or edit thresholds at any location in your location hierarchy that contains all of the sensors in the threshold. If you want to edit a threshold to add sensors from a different location, change your current location to one that also includes the new location.   To select all sensors, click Add all visible sensors to selection. If there are more results than appear, scroll to the bottom of the list, and then click Add all visible sensors to selection again.   Click the button on the right to change the sort order of the list or sort by Name, Type, Serial number, or IP address.   Click Show selected to view the list of the selected sensors.   Filters   There are several ways to filter the list of sensors:   Filters on the left filter by Favorites, Device Type, Model, and Manufacturer. To only view sensors for a certain device, click Add device… and search for the device you want to focus on. The text field above the sensor list filters sensors by Label, IP Address, Serial Number, Manufacturer, Device Type, and Model.   Alarm threshold zone in graphs   The threshold zone for alarms appears in the graph on the device's alarm details page and in sensor plots when an alarm was triggered on the device by a threshold configured in IT Expert.   Click the toggle to highlight the threshold zones.   10510648138013_360006995617.png Also see Sensor plots

When you create an alarm notification policy in IT Expert, you can choose from several categories of alarms generated by monitored devices. Note: Some alarms may appear in more than one category.   Examples of alarms in each category include but are not limited to:   Alarm category Alarm types Environment Temperature, humidity, dew point, leak, vibration Abnormal operation, airflow, compressor Generator engine Infrastructure Communication lost Device or sensor unplugged, malfunctioned, inactive Firmware mismatch Security Wrong password Power On battery, battery capacity, battery age, battery disconnected, self-test Runtime Bypass, Load, Overload UPS capacity Mains, busbar, phase sequence Voltage, Current, Frequency, Total power Uncategorized Generic alarm condition present  

You can acknowledge an alarm in either IT Expert or the EcoStruxure IT mobile app by assigning yourself, a colleague, or your partner responsibility for it.   Partners with Administrator access to customers' organizations can acknowledge alarms. See Partner access to device data   How to acknowledge alarms in IT Expert To acknowledge alarms in dashboards, click an alarm on the Alarms tab or click the menu icon in the alarm on the Dashboards page.   5072150363677_360017032918.png The Alarms tab displays the alarm history for the selected location. The Dashboards page displays only the latest alarms for the selected location.    These examples show the Dashboard.   Click the menu icon in any alarm. Click Acknowledge. Choose a user in your organization or a partner to be responsible for the alarm. Provide additional details in the Notes field as needed, and click Apply.     The assignee's name is displayed in the alarm list. A note icon is displayed when there is information in the Notes field. Unacknowledged alarms are listed as Unassigned.   Note: At this time, users and partners are not notified that an alarm was assigned to them. Notifications will be introduced in a subsequent release. In the meantime, it is recommended that users check IT Expert or the EcoStruxure IT mobile app regularly and use the alarm filter to easily see assigned alarms.   In both ITE and the mobile app:   Acknowledgements remain associated with alarms after they are cleared.   Acknowledgements remain associated with recurring alarms on a device. You can reassign or unassign the alarm to modify the acknowledgement.    When you unassign or change the assignee on an acknowledged alarm, the notes remain. There is no assignee history.   In ITE:   The CSV export of the alarm list includes the current assignee and an indication that a note is included in the acknowledgement.   Filtering the alarm list in ITE   You can filter the alarm list by severity and by unassigned alarms, only alarms that have been assigned, or only alarms that are assigned to you. These examples show the filters on the dashboard.     Also see Mute alarms How to acknowledge alarms in the EcoStruxure IT mobile app   Tap Alarms. Swipe left on an alarm and tap to assign it to yourself and add a note. You can also swipe all the way left to quickly assign the alarm to yourself. Tap More... to assign the alarm to a colleague or a partner, add a note, change the assignee, call the assignee, or mute the alarm. 360015823097_360017032918.png   360016013477_360017032918.jpg   Filtering the alarm list in the mobile app   Tap the filter button in the search field to see only assigned or unassigned alarms. Note: You cannot search the alarm list by assignee at this time.   360015823117_360017032918.png

You can acknowledge an alarm in either IT Expert or the EcoStruxure IT mobile app to assign yourself or a colleague responsibility for it.   You can add notes on what is being done, and filter the alarm list to easily see who is responsible for certain alarms and alarms that are assigned to you. Note: Alarm acknowledgement is not available in EcoStruxure IT for Partners at this time.   11549924247453_11549998765469.png 11549968437917_11549998765469.jpg

In IT Expert, you can mute a specific alarm or mute all alarms for a device.   When you mute alarms, you will no longer be notified about those alarms when they occur again. Muted alarms still appear in the Alarms list.   Mute one or more alarms on a single device   Select the device on the Devices page.   Click Mute alarms... in the Alarms section on the device details page to mute a specific alarm or mute all alarms for the device. ITE_mute_alarms_on_a_single_device_2_360020446154.png   Set the duration for the alarm to be muted and the reason you are muting the alarm.   ITE_mute_alarms_on_a_single_device_1_360020446154.png   Mute all alarms for one or more devices   Click Mute Alarms... on the Devices page.   Select the devices you want to mute.   Click Mute.     You can also Mute alarms in the EcoStruxure IT app Also see Acknowledge alarms in IT Expert

Want to send alarm push notifications to users in your organization? Go to Administration > Alarm notifications. See Create notification policies   Administrator users can configure IT Expert to send email alarm notifications for critical and warning alarms to external management systems such as ServiceNow.   Go to Administration > More... > Alarm email integration.   Add one or more email addresses separated by a semicolon ( ; ). You can also send email to a system that supports mail forwarding rules. The system could then send email based on the location the alarm is coming from, for example.   Customize the subject of the email using a combination of free text and the following placeholders:   %device% - The device type, model and name %device_type% - The device type %device_model% - The device model %device_name% - The device name %device_ip% - The device ip-address(es) %device_serial% - The device serial number %location% - The location of the device in IT Expert %severity% - The severity of the alarm %state% - Whether the alarm is active or cleared %alarm% - The alarm name %alarm_id% - Alphanumeric unique identifier for the alarm   For example, type Alarm %state% %severity% on %device% at %location% - %alarm% to generate emails with a subject line similar to Alarm active critical on UPS1 at Data Center 1 - Battery fault   Choose whether you want ITE to send emails for only critical alarms, for both critical and warning alarms, or never. You can check the box to also send email when critical or warning alarms clear.   Choose whether you want emails sent in Rich HTML format with images, usually preferred for human readers, as Simple HTML without images, or as Plain text. Plain text is more easily understood by ticketing systems.   Click to send a test email to test your configuration. Emails are sent from alarm@notifications.ecostruxureit.com   Click Save.   ITE_alarm_email_integration_360020629734.png   If an email alarm storm occurs, the number of emails sent is limited to protect the system.   A maximum of 20 emails per minute will be sent. If you specify two email addresses, each will receive ten emails per minute at most; four addresses will receive five emails per minute at most. Alarm email security    

Configure email notifications in IT Expert. Go to Administration > Alarm email. Learn more about Alarm email notifications from IT Expert ITE_alarm_email_4406897416849.png Configure alarm thresholds in ITE. Go to Alarms > Thresholds > Configure new thresholds.  See how to Configure alarm thresholds for notifications ITE_alarm_thresholds_4406897416849.PNG Cause an event on a device that is monitored by ITE. You can temporarily cause an increase or decrease on a temperature sensor, for example. Check IT Expert to make sure an alarm occurred. Check your email for a notification.

The alarm emails sent from EcoStruxure IT Expert to third party email providers are encrypted.   Depending on your system, alarm emails from the email provider to your system can also be sent encrypted. Since this alarm notification is based on email, is there no check to confirm delivery.