Getting Started with dbWatch Control Center

dbWatch Control Center is your database’s newest database monitoring and management solution. Helping database administrators manage database farms and proactive monitoring helps you identify any issues before it becomes a severe threat to your system, helps tune your database infrastructure, and optimizes your database resource usage.

In this section, you will learn the basics of Control Center, from installation to adding database instances and essential monitoring with Control Center. This guide will show you how easy it is to operate Control Center to monitor and manage your database farm.

Start monitoring your database farm with Control Center



Step By Step Installation Guide

Run the dbWatch Control Center installer. You will be greeted by the start screen of the Installation Wizard.

An initial setup window will appear, click Next.

Control_Center_initial_setup

Specify your destination directory.

 

ControlCenter_specify_directory

After choosing a directory for your dbWatch Control Center installation, click Next.

Tick Install Monitor as you would like to install the dbWatch Control Center monitor.

When do we untick this option?

We untick this option when we only want to install the dbWatch Control Center server without the Monitor because you already have installed the monitor on another remote computer that you will be using to connect to this server.

For the other options, we will leave it as it is and click on Next

 

install_monitor

Tick Install service if you wish to install the dbWatch Control Center server, if you only want to install the dbWatch Control Center monitor untick this checkbox.

Specify the service name, windows user account, and password. Configure the working directory on where dbWatch will save files and specify the dbWatch Control Center port and click Next.

In this window, you have the option to create a start menu folder and user shortcuts. Click Next.

ControlCenter_shortcut

Click Next to start the installation.

ControlCenter_setup

The installation should take less than a minute on a normal computer.

ControlCenter_installing

The installation has now been completed successfully, click Finish. 

ControlCenter_installation_done

Lets open our dbWatch Control Center Monitor

ControlCenter_open

Here you will leave the address as the default(localhost) as you want to connect to the local dbWatch server using port 7100. Click Connect

ControlCenter_setup_initial_dbWatch_ControlCenter_server

After clicking Connect, a new window will appear.

This is the initial setup of your dbWatch Control Center server.

You will set this as a demo server, as you are using an evaluation license.

You need to create an administrator user for this dbWatch server.

Specify your chosen admin user and password. Click Apply.

ControlCenter_setup_dbWatch_ControlCenter_server

Verify if your newly created admin user works, by clicking Test.

On the right side, you can see the green check mark that shows the user is valid.

After testing it, click Close.

ControlCenter_verify_admin_user

You can now start adding a database instance on your dbWatch Control Center monitor, by clicking on the “+” sign.

What To Do Next

If you did not start the Monitor directly, you need to manually start it. This is located under “All Programs”->”dbWatch Control Center”->”Monitor ” in the start menu on Windows.
When you start your new dbWatch installation, you will be prompted with the “Add database” wizard. For information about how to add a new database, see the “Add or Remove Database” chapter in this guide.

Special setup steps

Instructions for setting up dbWatch on a multihomed system.
If you have problems during or after the installation, please look at our [[Fault-finding-guide|fault finding guide]]

After installation

After installation you might like to have a look at [[Initial configuration of dbWatch|initial configuration]] of dbWatch for furter details.

Quick Fixes

If you’re encountering services problems that relates to credential errors, here’s a quick way to deal with that. Open “Services” in your computer. You can type “Services” in the search bar.
Start running the service. Highlight the equivalent of “Dbwatch Control Center”. This was defined earlier in your installation process.
Right click and click “Start.
If this error above appears, the credentials you inputted were incorrect. To fix this, right click on the highlighted services again and select properties. A window of properties will show up. Select tab “Log On” then select Log on as: Local System account. This only works if CC is installed in your local.
Click “Apply” and re-run the services. You should be able to start your Dbwatch services without a problem.

Learn how to add database instances on Control Center

In this section we will learn the basics such as adding database instances and basic configuration to get started with dbWatch.

PROMPT SCREEN FOR ADDING INSTANCE

There are two methods in opening the prompt.

First Method:

To add a SQLServer instance, click on the “Plus (+)” sign on the bottom left of the dbWatch dashboard.
This will bring up the “Add Instance” wizard, which will guide you through the following steps.

Second Method:

On the top left corner, hover to “Monitor” then click “Add Instance”

Select Instance Type and Input Connection Details

Specify the host and port number. Click “Detect” to identify the database platform of this instance.
Choose an authentication type whether Password Authentication or OS Authentication.
You need to specify a login with a sysadmin role that will be used during the installation.
Pro Tip:
OS Authentication Detects locally running instances in your server or computer. When “OS Authentication” is selected, it grays out LOGIN and PASSWORD, since it is using the current credentials you are using.
Password Authentication Authentication meant to connect to an existing SQL database engine. You need to provide the LOGIN and Password for that instance.
Click “Next”.

Define Monitoring

Next specify the group and connection details for this instance.
Next specify the group and connection details for this instance.
Specify the group this instance will belong under, the default groups are DevelopmentTest and Production
You can easily create and customize your own groups based on your requirements. 
Choose the service level depending on how you would like to monitor an instance depending on your dbWatch license. The following options are:
Here’s guide to help you with each section:
Specify the database which you want to install the dbWatch schema/objects in, the installed packages will be used to monitor different performance counters within your instance.
Tick the jobs which you wish to install in this monitored instance.
Click “Next”.

Define Module authentications

Within this window you have an option to choose which credential to use for each module within dbWatch. You can use the existing user or select a new user whether password or OS authentication.
Here’s guide to help you with each module:
If you’ve finished specifying a credential for each module. Click Next.

Instance Installation

Specify a display name for this instance.
Click Finish to start installing.
Underneath you will see the status of various jobs being installed.
We’ve now successfully added the SQL Server instance in our dbWatch monitor.

PROMPT SCREEN FOR ADDING INSTANCE

There are two methods in opening the prompt.

First Method:

To add an Oracle instance, click on the “Plus (+)” sign on the bottom left of the dbWatch dashboard.
This will bring up the “Add Instance” wizard, which will guide you through the following steps.

Second Method:

On the top left corner, hover to “Monitor” then click “Add Instance”

Select Instance Type and Input Connection Details

The Host info is the hostname or ip address of the database instance.
The Port is the port number where the listener process is listening on.
Click “Detect” to identify the database platform of this instance.
In the SID / Service name field allows you to specify the SID or Service name for the Oracle instance you are about to add.
*A good feature added in Control Center: When a default port is detected for Oracle, Postgres, MySQL or MSSQL, it automatically detects the instance type without the need of selecting it a specified Instance Type. Since the default authentication type will be Password Authentication, it sets the default LOGIN credential to system administrator.Click here for more information in Auto discover ports.
!This feature is only applicable once. If you decided to change the default port, you need to configure it manually or restart the installation wizard by clicking “Cancel”.
Choose an authentication type whether password or OS Authentication.
You need to specify a login with a sysadmin role that will be used during the installation.
Pro Tip:
OS Authentication Detects locally running instances in your server or computer. When “OS Authentication” is selected, it grays out LOGIN and PASSWORD, since it is using the current credentials you are using.
Password Authentication Authentication meant to connect to an existing SQL database engine. You need to provide the LOGIN and Password for that instance.
Click “Next”.

Select Instance Type and Connection Details

Specify the group and connection details for this instance. By
default there are three groups to add instances into defined in dbWatch. They are:
The Group selector lets you choose which group you want this instance to be added into.
You can easily create and customize your own groups based on your requirements.
Choose the service level depending on how you would like to monitor an instance depending on your dbWatch license. The following options are:
Here’s guide to help you with each section:
Specify the database which you want to install the dbWatch schema/objects in, the installed packages will be used to monitor different performance counters within your instance.
*You can settle with the default settings or customize the jobs that you will be needing. However, it’s not recommended to untick the Local Database Schema since it will limit the availability of the number of jobs to be installed.
Tick the jobs which you wish to install in this monitored instance.
Click “Next”.

Define Module authentications

Within this window you have an option to choose which credential to use for each module within dbWatch.
You can use the existing user or select a new user whether password or OS authentication.
Here’s guide to help you with each module:
If you’ve finished specifying a credential for each module. Click Next.

Instance Installation

Specify a display name for this instance.
Click Finish to start installing.
Underneath you will see the status of various jobs being installed.
We’ve now successfully added the SQL Server instance in our dbWatch monitor.

Control Center Installation and Configuration

In this tutorial you will learn how to install and configure Control Center on your windows database server.