GEM is an open source server management toolkit for Database Administrators. GEM is our solution to managing many Database Servers without a lot of stress.
- Server Monitoring And Alarming
- Maintenance Plan based Server Backup
- Configuration Reporting and Auditing
- Extended System Stored Procedure Library
- Swiss army knife set of command line utilities
- Central Monitoring Station Architecture
- Easy Setup
- Database Support: Sybase & SQL Server
- Host Support: Win32, Linux, and Unix systems
- Based on 15+ years of free software
- Open source perl
GEM is a feature rich,
low cost package that is easy to install, configure, and manage. GEM
uses a small footprint, centralized, agent less
architecture that has minimal server impact and will revolutionize the way you
perform system administration.
The Generic Enterprise Manager or GEM automates the
routine parts of server management. It monitors your systems and notifies you
of problems before your users do. GEM configuration auditing can reveal serious
issues before they become a problem. For example, a database backup checker
reads system logs to ensure your backups succeed. GEM gives small and mid sized
companies the tools that up until now only the very largest companies
possessed.
GEM provides a simple, complete solution to help you
manage your Database Servers and associated Windows, Unix, and Linux
systems. While GEM provides comprehensive operating system level
monitoring and alarming, the strength of GEM is database infrastructure
management. GEM is designed for database administrators, by database
administrators.
GEM is a non-invasive, agent less system that runs on a central monitoring station.
Nothing runs on your remote systems. Even our backup solution runs
centrally. You will need a Win32 monitoring station if you are using GEM
with Win32 systems, and a Unix monitoring station if you are using GEM on Unix.
GEM will install our excellent system stored procedure library on all your
database servers.
What Is the Generic Enterprise Manager
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The Generic Enterprise Manager (GEM) is a systems management package designed specifically for Database
Administrators. GEM provides a simple, complete solution to help you manage your Database Servers and
associated Windows, Unix, and Linux systems. While GEM provides comprehensive operating system level
monitoring and alarming, the strength of GEM is its simple proven mechanisms to help you manage your
database infrastructure. GEM is designed for database administrators, by database administrators.
The Generic Enterprise Manager is written in open source perl. It is broken into several component packages, each consisting of small, self-documenting, easy to read perl programs. These packages use common libraries, a common directory structure, and common configuration files.
Fundamentally, GEM benefits your users by reducing systems problems. GEM effectively automates
cumbersome tasks like collecting and parsing database error logs and delivers that information to the administrators in a clear,
concise manner. This dramatically increases your ability to spot problems - GEM helps you find
issues before they become problems and allows you to proactively manage your servers.
By effectively delivering system health information, GEM decreases the time spent on routine tasks and
increase quality of service provided. GEM will both reduce downtime and decreasing the time you spend on system maintenance.
GEM dramatically increases the information about each server that administrators have at their fingertips.
GEM protects your servers by guaranteeing your server back ups and by providing the configuration audit
information you need to restore in the event of an emergency.
GEM monitors important services in your database infrastructure and alarms operators if there is a problem. Our alarm routing mechanism allows you to receive only get the messages you care about.
GEM is most effective for small and mid sized organizations (3-100 database servers). GEM requires administrator access to your databases, so a DBA must be responsible for installing and running it.
GEM contains numerous features for both developers and administrators. GEM provides a Database Utilities Toolkit of command line tools and contains an excellent library of new system stored procedures.
GEM is a must for companies that perform remote server management or have servers in multiple branch offices.
The power of GEM is based on its open architecture. Fundamentally, GEM is an open source
set of libraries and management programs that are used by numerous tiny programs (300 line is pretty typical)
designed to monitor and analyze your environment. The underlying components, the libraries and standard configuration
files are designed to be
easily understood and well documented, but most importantly, hundreds of working example programs are readily
available. Because all the scripts that acutally do work are simple and small, you can troubleshoot and customize
GEM with minimal effort.
As an example, let us say YOU wish to add a new report to the console. All you would need is to create a perl script
that creates either html or text output, modifying one line in a configuration file, and then scheduling your program. The
report then appears integrated into the console. If this is too complex, the console provides a second, even easier, interface.
Just put a query/command into a second config file and the report automatically appears.
The same applies to integrating your own custom alarming into our alarming system. Just take your existing monitoring script,
add a few lines of perl (our alarm interface is open), and your alarms will automatically be routed and managed from GEM.
GEM is an open ARCHITECTURE that includes a complete set of open source programs. This allows you to make
GEM a complete solution to both your infrastructure and your business monitoring and reporting needs.
- The GEM Configuration Utility is a graphical utility that sets up and customizes your configuration.
- The GEM Console is a set of web pages that provide cross enterprise reports.
- The GEM Batch Scripts provide monitoring, data collection, and analytics on your systems.
- The GEM Enterprise Manager is a set of user interface programs
- Our Maintenance Scripts are a complete solution for scheduled database administration.
- The GEM Stored Procedure Library provides numerous new system stored procedures.
- The GEM Database Utilities consist of numerous well-documented command line utilities.
- The GEM Web Interface provides a secure web interface
- The GEM File Repository stores collected system information in an easily read directory structure.
- The GEM Monitoring Database stores monitoring and alarming information.
GEM is a non-invasive agent less system that runs on a central monitoring station. Nothing runs on your remote systems. Even our backup solution is runs centrally. You will need a Windows monitoring station if you are using GEM with Win32 systems/databases, and a Unix monitoring station if you are using GEM for Unix systems/databases.
GEM will install our popular system stored procedure library on all servers.
GEM provides a
database maintenance package which can optionally
be used for server back ups and maintenance.
The GEM Configuration Utility creates a set of custom monitoring and maintenance scripts known as the GEM Batch Scripts, which are scheduled on your monitoring stations. Information is collected in the GEM Repository and the GEM Monitoring Database, from which it is reformatted and delivered.
If you have a hybrid environment (both Win32 and Unix Systems), GEM is normally installed on a samba shared drive. This permits the same code to be used on your windows, Linux, and Unix systems. The windows monitoring system will run scheduled tasks on your windows domain and the Unix/Linux server will use cron to schedule jobs in your Unix domain.
GEM is written in open source perl. Perl is regarded as the language of choice for systems administrators and your administrators will find it easy to understand GEM. With a normal level of perl experience, they can troubleshoot any problems that arise. GEM uses standard perl/DBI for database independent connectivity and perl/Tk and perl/CGI for user interfaces. Programs are self-documented using the standard perldoc format (i.e. See documentation via perldoc program.pl) and follow standard best practices. The GEM documentation is created from this same perldoc.
The core of GEM is a set of flexible perl library modules. Use of this library interfaces permits the majority of GEM programs to be short and simple. This has the benefit of simplified systems maintenance. The combination of an API and practical examples allows users great flexibility in terms of customization.
Every environment has numerous specific needs. GEM is specifically designed for easy expansion to meet your needs.
GEM is a server administration tool, and it is therefore expected that you have administrator access (sa, sa_role) to your databases. For your Unix systems/databases, you will need access to a Unix account with read permission on your Sybase error logs. To monitor win32 systems, you need to schedule batch jobs using an account with read access to the event logs and services (in practice this means administrator access).
GEM requires one or two monitoring stations. You need a Win32 monitoring station if you wish to monitor Win32 servers/databases and a Unix monitoring station if you wish to monitor Unix servers/databases. The ideal Unix monitoring system is an older 4 cpu system, possibly a recently decommissioned server. The ideal Win32 monitoring system is a 2-3 year old Win2K or Win2005 server with 2 GB RAM.
You will also need a small monitoring database. This monitoring database can be SQL Server you are running all Win32 or Sybase for other configurations. For cleanliness, it is recommended that this server be running on one of your monitoring stations.
The GEM monitoring stations require a recent version of perl. The DBI module and the appropriate DBD modules (DBD::ODBC or DBD::Sybase) must be installed.
Finally, you will need access to a Web Server that can run cgi scripts.