FAQ
From AlertFox Website Monitoring
Our most frequently asked questions (FAQs) are listed on the AlertFox website.
Web Monitoring Questions
Q: How can I monitor Flash applets?
Please see http://www.alertfox.com/Help. Also, please note that all PRO accounts include our free iMacros macro creation service. You just need to send us a series of screenshots that describe the web transactions you need to monitor, and we create the transaction monitoring macros for you within one or two business days. Of course, this service is available for all iMacros macros - not just those that monitor Flash applets. We add the completed macro(s) directly to your AlertFox account, where you can test it yourself and modify it as needed.
If you want to create or change Flash monitoring scripts yourself, please:
- Download the iMacros PRO Edition (free license included with the PRO2 and PRO3 account types), and
- Use the iMacros Browser or iMacros for Internet Explorer for Flash monitoring. These versions support the DirectScreen and computer vision-based image search commands.
Q: How can I monitor HTTP Basic Authentication protected websites?
The best way to monitor such sites is to create an iMacros sensor to log into the website. You can simply record the login process with an iMacros Browser add-on or use this pre-made macro:
SET !ENCRYPTION NO ONLOGIN USER=<your user name> PASSWORD=<your password> URL GOTO=http://www.yourURL.com/
Q: How can I monitor HTTPS (SSL)-encrypted websites?
Currently the HTTP Sensor does not suppport https website URLs. But typically, SSL-protected sites contain important features such as logins and shopping carts, and/or they are complex web applications. Thus best way to monitor such sites is to monitor not only their uptime, but also their functionality => Create an iMacros sensor for the website. This will monitor the performance of the site accurately in a real browser and also check the certificate validity and expiration, making sure all important features really work.
Note: If you want to monitor test or staging servers that use self-signed certificates, we can install your certificates on our monitoring servers (PRO3 or PRO3+ accounts).
Q: How can I search for a specific keyword on a web page with iMacros?
This question is answered in the iMacros FAQ: How can I search for a specific keyword on a web page?.
Q: How can I verify that a downloaded file is correct?
AlertFox can not only test the download of a file, but also use the iMacros ONDOWNLOAD...CHECKSUM feature to verify the integrity of a downloaded file.
Q: How can I monitor a payment gateway?
There are some test credit card numbers available that can be used to test credit card handling software. But none of these numbers will work when trying to buy something (if you hadn't guessed).
As we can see from our customers, the only way to completely (end to end) test a payment gateway like Paypal is to use a real credit card. Banks do not supply test credit cards. Some customers use specific real credit cards for their web testing so they can monitor the charges easily. Our customer area is SSL protected, so you can securely enter macros with credit card information in our website. Just make sure that you do not trigger a real shipment with such a test order, e. g. by ordering a test product or a service.
Reporting and Alerting Questions
Q: Is an email sent when a monitored server fails?
A: Yes, you will receive an email alert immediately whenever a sensor detects a problem (e.g., the site is down or the response time is too slow (timeout)).
You will receive another notification when the site is up again.
Q: Do you offer SMS alerts?
A: Not yet, but this is planned for early 2010. It will be a free service for all PRO accounts. In the meantime, please note that most mobile carriers offer free email-to-SMS gateways which can be used to forward simple text emails to a mobile phone. Our notification emails are formatted to be clear as SMS.
Q: In the report, what does Average, OK and NOK means?
Average = average response time
OK = server ok (up and responding quickly)
NOK = server not ok (down or very slow)
Q: Can AlertFox follow website redirections?
Yes, the HTTP Sensor follows redirections (e.g., HTTP/1.1 302 Found) and monitors the real website - not only the redirecting server. By contrast, simple ping-based uptime monitoring services cannot do that and, consequenty, would monitor the wrong server.
Another option is to use an iMacros Sensor. It runs in a real browser, so it follows any kind of redirections, even tricky ones based on Javascript or Flash (just like the IE or Firefox web browser does).
A simple Firefox test macro looks like this:
URL GOTO=http://www.yoursite.com TAG POS=1 TYPE=* ATTR=TXT:"*test for some text on your site*"
AlertFox Web Interface and Backend Questions
Q: What browsers do you run on the backend?
A: Please see the backend monitoring server page for details.
Q: How can I disable/enable monitoring for many sensors at once?
The fastest method for doing this is to navigate to your sensor page and then run this iMacros macro via the "LOOP" button. You can adjust the start and end values to match the range of sensors you want to disable/enable.
VERSION BUILD=6301104 RECORDER=FX
URL GOTO=http://www.alertfox.com/EditAccountSensors
TAG POS={{!LOOP}} TYPE=A ATTR=TXT:Edit
'This lines DISables monitoring
TAG POS=1 TYPE=INPUT:CHECKBOX FORM=NAME:form1 ATTR=ID:ctl03_ctl00_dvDetail_cbMonitoringEnabled CONTENT=NO
'This line enables monitoring again
'TAG POS=1 TYPE=INPUT:CHECKBOX FORM=NAME:form1 ATTR=ID:ctl03_ctl00_dvDetail_cbMonitoringEnabled CONTENT=YES
TAG POS=1 TYPE=INPUT:SUBMIT FORM=ID:form1 ATTR=ID:ctl03_ctl00_dvDetail_btUpdate
Of course, the same approach can be used for any other mass changes in your AlertFox account.
Billing Questions
Q: How can I update my credit card information?
Please log into the subscription control panel (which is for security reasons not the same as your regular AlertFox account). Once logged in, select the "Manage Cards" link.
Q: How can I view and print my invoices?
Please log into the subscription control panel. Once logged in, select the "Charges" menu.
