Help for Foxhound 4.0.4740a

Table of Contents     [RisingRoad]


Foxhound 4 

7. The Monitor Options Page

The Monitor Options page lets you set the default Alerts criteria as well as the Alerts criteria for individual target databases. It also allows you to force the default Alerts criteria onto all target databases, and to manage multiple Monitor sessions (define, start, stop and delete) using a tab-delimited file of connection strings.

The Monitor Options Menu

Global Settings

1. Global Overrides

2. Manage Multiple Monitor Sessions

Target-Specific Settings

4. Save And Restore Monitor Options

5. Sample Schedule

6. Connection Sample Schedule

7. Email Setup

8. Alert Email Schedule

9. Alert Criteria

      Alerts 1 - 10

      Alerts 11 - 20

      Alerts 21 - 35

11. AutoDrop Schedule

12. AutoDrop Criteria

13. Do-Not-AutoDrop Lists

14. Change Target Settings

15. Monitor Connection Settings

16. Ping Settings


Foxhound 4 » 7. The Monitor Options Page 
The Monitor Options Menu
The title shows [Default Settings] or the name of the DSN or Connection String of the target database to which various options apply.

The New Menu link opens the Foxhound Menu page in a new browser window or tab.

The Foxhound Options link opens the Foxhound Options page in a new browser window or tab, where you can fill in the email server settings for sending Alert emails.

The button is a context-sensitive link to this Help topic. This button appears in many locations, each of them a link to a different Help topic in this frame.

Tip: To hide the Help for every new page, see the Show Help section on the Foxhound Options page.

The About link opens the About Foxhound page in a new browser window or tab.


Foxhound 4 » 7. The Monitor Options Page 
1. Global Overrides
This section lets you quickly (and temporarily) turn off certain features without changing (or affecting) the dozens of other settings that otherwise control how those features work.

The Enable Emails checkbox lets you turn off the Alert email facility for all target databases being monitored by Foxhound.

This checkbox does not change any other email settings, but it does override their effect when you uncheck this checkbox.

When you check this checkbox again, all the other email settings take effect again.

The Enable Schedules checkbox lets you turn off all the Schedule facilities for all target databases being monitored by Foxhound.

This checkbox does not change any other schedule settings, but it does override their effect when you uncheck this checkbox.

When you check this checkbox again, all the other schedule settings take effect again.

The Enable AutoDrop checkbox lets you turn off the AutoDrop facility for all target databases being monitored by Foxhound.

This checkbox does not change any other AutoDrop settings, but it does override their effect when you uncheck this checkbox.

When you check this checkbox again, all the other AutoDrop settings take effect again.

You must click if you want your changes saved. Any one the Save buttons will save all the changes you have made anywhere on this page.


Foxhound 4 » 7. The Monitor Options Page 
2. Manage Multiple Monitor Sessions
Performance Tip: This section makes it easier to manage the Monitor Options for dozens of target databases.
Here's another tip: If you're new to Foxhound, get familiar using the other sections for one or two target databases before using this section to manage more databases.

The Connection Strings file: field lets you provide the file specification for a text file containing connection strings for multiple target databases.

The file contains one line per target database, with each line terminated by a carriage return - line feed pair ('\x0d\x0a'). Each line contains two fields, separated by a single tab character ('\x09'). The first field contains a unique name for the connection string, and the second is the connection string itself. Here is and example:
ddd001	ENG=benchmark; DBN=ddd001; UID=dba; PWD=sql; DRIVER=SQL Anywhere 16;
ddd002	ENG=benchmark; DBN=ddd002; UID=dba; PWD=sql; DRIVER=SQL Anywhere 16;
ddd003	ENG=benchmark; DBN=ddd003; UID=dba; PWD=sql; DRIVER=SQL Anywhere 16;
ddd004	ENG=benchmark; DBN=ddd004; UID=dba; PWD=sql; DRIVER=SQL Anywhere 16;

The button will save all the changes you have made anywhere on this page, including the Connection Strings file.

The Connection Strings file is used when you press each of the following four buttons. You can create different files for different purposes; e.g., for starting and stopping a large number of Monitor sessions in smaller batches.

Note: If you enter a new value in the Connection Strings file field, and then press one of the other buttons Create Connection Strings, etc., the new Connection Strings file value will be saved in the Foxhound database even though you didn't press Save. In this case, only that value will be saved, not any of the changes you might have made elsewhere on this page.

The button uses the data in the Connection Strings file to create or replace Connection Strings in the Foxhound database.

After pressing this button, the individual connection strings will be visible in the String tab of the Foxhound Menu page. However, the target databases won't be visible in the Monitor tab of the Foxhound Menu page unless the connection strings had previously existed and monitoring had been started at some point in the past.

The button reads the connection string names from the Connections Strings file and starts a Monitor session for each corresponding target database if that session is not already running or in the process of starting.

After pressing this button, the target databases will be visible in the Monitor tab of the Foxhound Menu page.

The button reads the connection string names from the Connections Strings file and stops the Monitor session for each corresponding target database if it is running or cancels that session if it is in the process of starting.

After pressing this button, the target databases will still be visible in the Monitor tab of the Foxhound Menu page.

The button reads the connection string names from the Connections Strings file and deletes the Monitor session for each corresponding target database if that session is not already running or in the process of starting.

After pressing this button, the target databases will no longer be visible in the Monitor tab of the Foxhound Menu page. However, the connection strings will still be visible in the String tab of the Foxhound Menu page.


Foxhound 4 » 7. The Monitor Options Page 
3. [ removed ]
No, you're not missing anything... this section became obsolete and was removed :)


Foxhound 4 » 7. The Monitor Options Page 
4. Save And Restore Monitor Options
The buttons in this section let you manipulate entire sets of Monitor Options in different ways.

Performance Tip: Like section 2. Manage Multiple Monitor Sessions, this section makes it easier to manage the Monitor Options for multiple target databases.

...and again: If you're new to Foxhound, get familiar using the other sections for one or two target databases before using this section to manage more databases.

The lets you pick which set of Monitor Options to work on.

The button does two things:

The button does two things:

The button does two things:

The button does two things:

The button does two things:


Foxhound 4 » 7. The Monitor Options Page 
5. Sample Schedule

The Enforce the Sample Schedule checkbox lets you enable the automated Sample Schedule feature for this target database, which in turn lets you turn sampling off and on at different times of the day.

While a Sample Schedule is in effect for a particular target database, Foxhound does not allow sampling to be manually started or stopped via the "Start Sampling" or "Stop Sampling" buttons on the Monitor or Foxhound Menu pages.

Instead, a link to the Monitor Options page is displayed: "...Sample Schedule in effect" on those pages.

Each Sample Schedule consists of 7 strings of 96 characters...

     AM                                              PM     Y,y for yes, P,p for ping, other for no          
     12  1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10  11  12  1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10  11                                
Mon  YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYyYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY
Tue  YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYyYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY  
Wed  ...............................................^................................................ 
Thu  YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYyYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY  
Fri  YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYyYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY
Sat  YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYyYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY
Sun  YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYyYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

Here's how it works:

You must click if you want your changes saved. Any one the Save buttons will save all the changes you have made anywhere on this page.


Foxhound 4 » 7. The Monitor Options Page 
6. Connection Sample Schedule

The Enforce the Connection Sample Schedule lets you enable the automated Connection Sample Schedule feature for this target database, which in turn lets you turn the collection of connection-level sample data off and on at different times of the day.

The Connection Sample Schedule has no effect for periods where the Sample Schedule has turned sampling off, or if sampling has been manually stopped.

The Connection Sample Schedule has no effect when the Foxhound Options - Connection Sample Threshold has suppressed the collection of connection-level data because the threshold connection count is exceeded.

Each Connection Sample Schedule consists of 7 strings of 96 characters...

     AM                                              PM           
     12  1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10  11  12  1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10  11                                
Mon  YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYyYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY
Tue  YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYyYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY  
Wed  ...............................................^................................................ 
Thu  YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYyYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY  
Fri  YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYyYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY
Sat  YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYyYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY
Sun  YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYyYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

Here's how it works:

You must click if you want your changes saved. Any one the Save buttons will save all the changes you have made anywhere on this page.


Foxhound 4 » 7. The Monitor Options Page 
7. Email Setup
(For other fields required to complete the setup for Alert and AutoDrop Notice emails, see Foxhound Options - 2. Global Email Settings.)

The Use HTML in all emails: checkbox specifies whether or not you want Foxhound to include HTML-formatted text in Alert and AutoDrop Notice emails.

The Host[:port] for URLs in all emails: field may be used to specify where the Foxhound web server is located relative to the computer receiving Alert and AutoDrop Notice emails, so that HTML links pointing to Foxhound History pages from inside the emails can find the right web pages.

The default is localhost which works if the emails are being received on the same computer that's running Foxhound.

If you start Foxhound on some port other than 80, you can specify a value like localhost:12345.

If Foxhound is running on a different computer you'll have to change localhost to that computer's domain name or IP address; e.g., xyz.com:12345.

Note: The two fields above apply to both Alert and AutoDrop Notice emails.

The Send Alert emails: checkbox specifies whether or not you want Alert, All Clear and Cancelled emails to be sent.

Use the Email address(es) for Alerts: field to specify one or more email addresses, separated by semicolons, that will receive Alert, All Clear and Cancelled emails if they are sent.

Tip: If an Alert email doesn't look right in your browser it may be the fault of the email service (e.g., Gmail) rather than Foxhound or your browser.

For example, as of March 2016 Alert emails containing formatted HTML showing recent Foxhound samples would appear misaligned when sent via Gmail but looked OK when sent via Ymail. The results were the same when viewed in Chrome and Internet Explorer. The problem was caused by bogus HTML table-formatting tags inserted by Gmail.

The button may be used to check that the Alert email settings are correct.

The Test result: field will display OK if the test Alert email was sent ok, or an error message if there was a problem.

You should also check that the email was received at the other end; just because a message was sent doesn't mean it will actually arrive.

Here's a list of return codes:

0   Success 
1   An invalid parameter was supplied 
2   Out of memory 
3   xp_startmail or xp_startsmtp was not called 
4   Bad host name, or no internet connection
5   Connect error
6   Secure connection error
7   MAPI functions are not available
100 Socket error. 
    Antivirus software may have blocked the outbound connection to the SMTP server.  
    Check the "SMTP Server:" field.
101 Socket timeout. 
102 Unable to resolve the SMTP server hostname. 
103 Unable to connect to the SMTP server. 
104 Server error; response not understood.  
    Check the "SMTP Server:" field.
105 A TLS error occurred.   
    Check the "SMTP Authorization User Name:", "SMTP Authorization Password:" and 
    "SMTP Certificate Filespec:" fields.
421 Domain service not available, closing transmission channel. 
450 Requested mail action not taken: mailbox unavailable. 
451 Requested action not taken: local error in processing. Message may have 
    been rejected as spam.  
452 Requested action not taken: insufficient system storage. 
500 Syntax error, command unrecognized. (This may include errors such as 
    a command that is too long). 
501 Syntax error in parameters or arguments. 
502 Command not implemented. 
503 Bad sequence of commands. 
504 Command parameter not implemented. 
511 Bad email address.
550 Requested action not taken: mailbox unavailable. For example, the mailbox is 
    not found, there is no access, or no relay is allowed. 
551 User not local; please try forward-path. 
552 Request mail action aborted: exceeded storage allocation. 
553 Requested action not taken: mailbox name not allowed. For example, the 
    mailbox syntax is incorrect. 
554 Transaction failed. 
    The message may have been rejected as spam.

The Send AutoDrop Notice emails: checkbox specifies whether or not you want AutoDrop Notice emails to be sent.

Use the Email address(es) for AutoDrop Notices: field to specify one or more email addresses, separated by semicolons, that will receive AutoDrop Notice emails if they are sent.

The - or - Same address(es) as for Alerts: checkbox specifies whether or not you want to use the same addresses for AutoDrop Notice emails as are used for Alert emails.

If you check this box, you will notice that any changes you make to Email address(es) for Alerts: are copied to Email address(es) for AutoDrop Notices:

The button may be used to check that the AutoDrop Notice email settings are correct.

The Test result: field will display OK if the test AutoDrop Notice email was sent ok, or an error message if there was a problem.

You should also check that the email was received at the other end; just because a message was sent doesn't mean it will actually arrive.

Here's a list of return codes:

0   Success 
1   An invalid parameter was supplied 
2   Out of memory 
3   xp_startmail or xp_startsmtp was not called 
4   Bad host name, or no internet connection
5   Connect error
6   Secure connection error
7   MAPI functions are not available
100 Socket error. 
    Antivirus software may have blocked the outbound connection to the SMTP server.  
    Check the "SMTP Server:" field.
101 Socket timeout. 
102 Unable to resolve the SMTP server hostname. 
103 Unable to connect to the SMTP server. 
104 Server error; response not understood.  
    Check the "SMTP Server:" field.
105 A TLS error occurred.   
    Check the "SMTP Authorization User Name:", "SMTP Authorization Password:" and 
    "SMTP Certificate Filespec:" fields.
421 Domain service not available, closing transmission channel. 
450 Requested mail action not taken: mailbox unavailable. 
451 Requested action not taken: local error in processing. Message may have 
    been rejected as spam.  
452 Requested action not taken: insufficient system storage. 
500 Syntax error, command unrecognized. (This may include errors such as 
    a command that is too long). 
501 Syntax error in parameters or arguments. 
502 Command not implemented. 
503 Bad sequence of commands. 
504 Command parameter not implemented. 
511 Bad email address.
550 Requested action not taken: mailbox unavailable. For example, the mailbox is 
    not found, there is no access, or no relay is allowed. 
551 User not local; please try forward-path. 
552 Request mail action aborted: exceeded storage allocation. 
553 Requested action not taken: mailbox name not allowed. For example, the 
    mailbox syntax is incorrect. 
554 Transaction failed. 
    The message may have been rejected as spam.

You must click if you want your changes saved. Any one of the Save buttons will save all the changes you have made anywhere on this page.

Note: More information is required to complete the setup for Alert and AutoDrop Notice emails:

                 SMTP Sender: See Foxhound Options - 2. Global Email Settings.

                 SMTP Server: ...ditto

                   SMTP Port: ...ditto

                SMTP Timeout: ...ditto

SMTP Authorization User Name: ...ditto

 SMTP Authorization Password: ...ditto

   SMTP Certificate Filespec: ...ditto

              MAPI User Name: ...ditto

               MAPI Password: ...ditto


Foxhound 4 » 7. The Monitor Options Page 
8. Alert Email Schedule

The Enforce the Alert Email Schedule lets you enable the automated Alert Email Schedule feature for this target database, which in turn lets you turn the sending of Alert emails off and on at different times of the day.

Each Alert Email Schedule consists of 7 strings of 96 characters...

     AM                                              PM           
     12  1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10  11  12  1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10  11
Mon  YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYyYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY
Tue  YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYyYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY  
Wed  ...............................................^................................................ 
Thu  YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYyYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY  
Fri  YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYyYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY
Sat  YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYyYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY
Sun  YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYyYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

Here's how it works:

You must click if you want your changes saved. Any one the Save buttons will save all the changes you have made anywhere on this page.


Foxhound 4 » 7. The Monitor Options Page 
9. Alert Criteria
Alerts 1 - 10
Alert #1 - Database unresponsive

Alert #2 - Long heartbeat

Alert #3 - Long sample time

Alert #4 - CPU usage

Alert #5 - Database disk space

Alert #6 - Temp disk space

Alert #7 - Log disk space

Alert #8 - Other disk space

Alert #9 - Arbiter unreachable

Alert #10 - Partner unreachable

Alerts 11 - 20

Alert #11 - ServerName change

Alert #13 - File fragmentation

Alert #14 - Unscheduled requests

Alert #15 - Incomplete I/Os

Alert #16 - I/O operations

Alert #17 - Checkpoint urgency

Alert #18 - Recovery urgency

Alert #19 - Cache size

Alert #20 - Cache satisfaction

Alerts 21 - 35

Alert #21 - Temp file usage

Alert #22 - Conn temp file usage

Alert #23 - Blocked connections

Alert #24 - Conn blocking others

Alert #25 - Locks

Alert #26 - Connections

Alert #27 - Connection CPU

Alert #28 - Long transaction

Alert #29 - Cache panics

Alert #30 - Database read-only

Alert #31 - Database updatable

Alert #32 - Rollback log usage

Alert #33 - Uncommitted operations

Alert #34 - Long uncommitted

Alert #35 - Separate ping failed

An alert is a message automatically displayed and/or sent via email whenever one or more target database conditions match user-defined criteria.

The Monitor Options page lets you specify these criteria for a particular target database. Individual criteria may include a threshold amount and/or a duration or waiting period.

The button checks the "Alert enabled" boxes #1 through #34.

The button unchecks the "Alert enabled" boxes #1 through #34.

The button restores the "Alert enabled" boxes #1 through #34 to their previously saved settings.

You must click if you want your changes saved, including those made by Enable All and Disable All. Any one the Save buttons will save all the changes you have made anywhere on this page.


Foxhound 4 » 7. The Monitor Options Page » 9. Alert Criteria 
9a. Alerts 1 - 10
Alert #1 - Database unresponsive

Alert #2 - Long heartbeat

Alert #3 - Long sample time

Alert #4 - CPU usage

Alert #5 - Database disk space

Alert #6 - Temp disk space

Alert #7 - Log disk space

Alert #8 - Other disk space

Alert #9 - Arbiter unreachable

Alert #10 - Partner unreachable


Foxhound 4 » 7. The Monitor Options Page » 9. Alert Criteria » Alerts 1 - 10 

Alert #1 - Database unresponsive - Foxhound has been unable to gather samples for [1m] or longer.

The term "unresponsive" means that from at least one client's point of view (Foxhound's) the target database server is not responding at all.

The Alert #1 enabled checkbox specifies whether or not you want Foxhound to check for this condition.

The "for xxx or longer" text box specifies an elapsed time duration of 10s or more, using the "d h m s ms" input format; e.g., 10s for 10 seconds, 3d for 3 days, 1h 30m for 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Performance Tip: This Alert may mean the target database is down or catatonic; it definitely means at least one client connection (Foxhound itself) can't get any work done.

See also Monitor - Interval.

If the target database is a High Availability secondary database and that database fails, this Alert will draw your attention to that fact because Foxhound can't reconnect; it's not a failover situation.

This Alert is issued if

That means no Alert #1 will be produced for a brand-new sampling session that hasn't recorded any successful samples yet no matter how much time has passed, but checking for Alert #1 starts as soon as a successful sample is recorded or sampling is stopped and started.

The definition of "successful sample" depends on whether Ping-Only Sampling is in effect:

A subsequent All Clear #1 is issued when a subsequent successful sample is recorded; there is no waiting period for this.

Alert #1 - Database unresponsive is supported for target databases running on all versions of SQL Anywhere that are supported by Foxhound, and is based on Foxhound's ability to gather a sample or execute the ping process.

You must click if you want your changes saved. Any one of the Save buttons will save all the changes you have made anywhere on this page.

Performance Tip: When Ping-Only Sampling is in effect, Alert #1 - Database unavailable will let you know when Foxhound is unable to connect to the target database.

However, if Ping-Only Sampling is not in effect, Alert #35 - Separate ping failed may be used to let you know when the target database is not accepting new connections even though Foxhound remains connected and is successfully gathering sample data; see Include Separate Ping with each successful sample below.


Foxhound 4 » 7. The Monitor Options Page » 9. Alert Criteria » Alerts 1 - 10 

Alert #2 - Long heartbeat - The heartbeat time has been [1.0s] or longer for [10] or more recent samples.

The heartbeat time is how long it took for Foxhound to execute the SELECT * FROM DUMMY heartbeat or "canarian" query.

The Alert #2 enabled checkbox specifies whether or not you want Foxhound to check for this condition.

The "has been xxx or longer" text box specifies an elapsed heartbeat response time duration of 0.1s or more, using the "d h m s ms" input format; e.g., 10s for 10 seconds, 3d for 3 days, 1h 30m for 1 hour and 30 minutes.

The "for xxx or more recent samples" text box specifies a count of 1 or more samples taken by the Foxhound Database Monitor.

Performance Tip: This Alert may mean response time (latency) is severely degraded: the target database can't respond to simple SELECT * FROM DUMMY queries in a timely fashion.

See also Monitor - Response... Heartbeat, Sample, Ping.

This Alert is issued when the heartbeat time has met or exceeded the threshold duration for the specified number of recent samples.

A subsequent All Clear #2 is issued when the heartbeat time has remained below the threshold duration for approximately one-half the specified number of recent samples.

Alert #2 - Long heartbeat is supported for target databases running on all versions of SQL Anywhere that are supported by Foxhound, and is based on Foxhound's measurement of the heartbeat query response time.

You must click if you want your changes saved. Any one of the Save buttons will save all the changes you have made anywhere on this page.


Foxhound 4 » 7. The Monitor Options Page » 9. Alert Criteria » Alerts 1 - 10 

Alert #3 - Long sample time - The sample time has been [10.0s] or longer for [10] or more recent samples.

The sample time is how long it took for Foxhound to gather all the performance data for one sample.

The Alert #3 enabled checkbox specifies whether or not you want Foxhound to check for this condition.

The "has been xxx or longer" text box specifies an elapsed sample collection duration of 0.1s or more, using the "d h m s ms" input format; e.g., 10s for 10 seconds, 3d for 3 days, 1h 30m for 1 hour and 30 minutes.

The "for xxx or more recent samples" text box specifies a count of 1 or more samples taken by the Foxhound Database Monitor.

Performance Tip: This Alert may mean response time (latency) is severely degraded: the target database can't respond to simple queries for SQL Anywhere performance statistics in a timely fashion.

See also Monitor - Response... Heartbeat, Sample, Ping.

This Alert is issued when the sample time has met or exceeded the threshold duration for the specified number of recent samples.

A subsequent All Clear #3 is issued when the sample time has remained below the threshold duration for approximately one-half the specified number of recent samples.

Alert #3 - Long sample time is supported for target databases running on all versions of SQL Anywhere that are supported by Foxhound, and is based on Foxhound's measurement of the time required to gather all the performance data for one sample.

You must click if you want your changes saved. Any one of the Save buttons will save all the changes you have made anywhere on this page.


Foxhound 4 » 7. The Monitor Options Page » 9. Alert Criteria » Alerts 1 - 10 

Alert #4 - CPU usage - The CPU time has been [90] % or higher for [10] or more recent samples.

The total available CPU time is measured for the SQL Anywhere database server as a whole, across all processors that are being used by the server.

The Alert #4 enabled checkbox specifies whether or not you want Foxhound to check for this condition.

The "has been xxx %" text box specifies a percentage of total available CPU time 1 to 100.

The "for xxx or more recent samples" text box specifies a count of 1 or more samples taken by the Foxhound Database Monitor.

Performance Tip: This Alert may indicate that high CPU usage is a performance bottleneck.

See also Monitor - CPU.

This Alert is issued when the percentage of available CPU time used has met or exceeded the threshold percentage for the specified number of recent samples.

A subsequent All Clear #4 is issued when the percentage of available CPU time used has remained below the threshold percentage for approximately one-half the specified number of recent samples.

Alert #4 - CPU usage is supported for target databases running on SQL Anywhere version 7 and later, and is based on the server-level NumLogicalProcessorsUsed, NumProcessorsAvail, NumProcessorsMax and ProcessCPU properties.

You must click if you want your changes saved. Any one of the Save buttons will save all the changes you have made anywhere on this page.


Foxhound 4 » 7. The Monitor Options Page » 9. Alert Criteria » Alerts 1 - 10 

Alert #5 - Database disk space - The free disk space on the drive holding the main database file has fallen below [1GB].

The free disk space exists outside the file, and does not include free space inside the main database file.

The Alert #5 enabled checkbox specifies whether or not you want Foxhound to check for this condition.

The "has fallen below xxx" text box specifies the amount of free disk space in bytes (minimum 1024), k, M, G or T; e.g., 1000000, 100k, 200M, 5G, 1T.

Performance Tip: This Alert may indicate the main (SYSTEM dbspace) file will soon run out of disk space.

See also Monitor - DB DBSpace - Size, Used, Frags, Avail, File.

This Alert is issued when the free space on the disk drive holding the main (SYSTEM dbspace) file has fallen below the threshold amount.

A subsequent All Clear #5 is issued as soon as the free space on the disk drive holding the main (SYSTEM dbspace) file has risen above or equal to the threshold amount; there is no waiting period as with some other alerts.

Alert #5 - Database disk space is supported for target databases running on SQL Anywhere version 8 and later, and is based on the properties returned by the sa_disk_free_space() procedure.

For target databases running on SQL Anywhere version 12 and earlier, a user id with DBA authority is necessary for Foxhound to call the sa_disk_free_space() procedure.

For target databases running on SQL Anywhere version 16 and later, the MANAGE ANY DBSPACE privilege is required.

You must click if you want your changes saved. Any one of the Save buttons will save all the changes you have made anywhere on this page.


Foxhound 4 » 7. The Monitor Options Page » 9. Alert Criteria » Alerts 1 - 10 

Alert #6 - Temp disk space - The free disk space on the drive holding the temporary file has fallen below [1GB].

The free disk space exists outside the file, and does not include free space inside the temporary file.

The Alert #6 enabled checkbox specifies whether or not you want Foxhound to check for this condition.

The "has fallen below xxx" text box specifies the amount of free disk space in bytes (minimum 1024), k, M, G or T; e.g., 1000000, 100k, 200M, 5G, 1T.

Performance Tip: This Alert may indicate the temporary file will soon run out of disk space.

See also Monitor - Temp DBSpace - Size, Used, Frags, Avail, File.

This Alert is issued when the free space on the disk drive holding the temporary file has fallen below the threshold amount.

A subsequent All Clear #6 is issued as soon as the free space on the disk drive holding the temporary file has risen above or equal to the threshold amount; there is no waiting period as with some other alerts.

Alert #6 - Temp disk space is supported for target databases running on SQL Anywhere version 8 and later, and is based on the properties returned by the sa_disk_free_space() procedure.

For target databases running on SQL Anywhere version 12 and earlier, a user id with DBA authority is necessary for Foxhound to call the sa_disk_free_space() procedure.

For target databases running on SQL Anywhere version 16 and later, the MANAGE ANY DBSPACE privilege is required.

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Foxhound 4 » 7. The Monitor Options Page » 9. Alert Criteria » Alerts 1 - 10 

Alert #7 - Log disk space - The free disk space on the drive holding the transaction log file has fallen below [1GB].

The free disk space exists outside the file, and does not include free space inside the log file (although there probably won't be much or any free space inside the log file due to it's sequential-write-only nature).

The Alert #7 enabled checkbox specifies whether or not you want Foxhound to check for this condition.

The "has fallen below xxx" text box specifies the amount of free disk space in bytes (minimum 1024), k, M, G or T; e.g., 1000000, 100k, 200M, 5G, 1T.

Performance Tip: This Alert may indicate the transaction log file will soon run out of disk space.

See also Monitor - Log DBSpace - Size, Used, Frags, Avail, File.

This Alert is issued when the free space on the disk drive holding the transaction log file has fallen below the threshold amount.

A subsequent All Clear #7 is issued as soon as the free space on the disk drive holding the transaction log file has risen above or equal to the threshold amount; there is no waiting period as with some other alerts.

Alert #7 - Log disk space is supported for target databases running on SQL Anywhere version 8 and later, and is based on the properties returned by the sa_disk_free_space() procedure.

For target databases running on SQL Anywhere version 12 and earlier, a user id with DBA authority is necessary for Foxhound to call the sa_disk_free_space() procedure.

For target databases running on SQL Anywhere version 16 and later, the MANAGE ANY DBSPACE privilege is required.

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Foxhound 4 » 7. The Monitor Options Page » 9. Alert Criteria » Alerts 1 - 10 

Alert #8 - Other disk space - The free disk space on one or more drives holding other database files has fallen below [1GB].

The term "other database files" means secondary dbspace files other than the SYSTEM dbspace, transaction log and temporary file.

The free disk space exists outside the files, and does not include free space inside the secondary dbspace files.

The Alert #8 enabled checkbox specifies whether or not you want Foxhound to check for this condition.

The "has fallen below xxx" text box specifies the amount of free disk space in bytes (minimum 1024), k, M, G or T; e.g., 1000000, 100k, 200M, 5G, 1T.

Performance Tip: This Alert may indicate one or more other database files will soon run out of disk space.

This Alert is issued when the free space on the disk drives holding the other database files has fallen below the threshold amount.

A subsequent All Clear #8 is issued as soon as the free space on the disk drives holding the other database files has risen above or equal to the threshold amount; there is no waiting period as with some other alerts.

Alert #8 - Other disk space is supported for target databases running on SQL Anywhere version 8 and later, and is based on the properties returned by the sa_disk_free_space() procedure.

For target databases running on SQL Anywhere version 12 and earlier, a user id with DBA authority is necessary for Foxhound to call the sa_disk_free_space() procedure.

For target databases running on SQL Anywhere version 16 and later, the MANAGE ANY DBSPACE privilege is required.

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Foxhound 4 » 7. The Monitor Options Page » 9. Alert Criteria » Alerts 1 - 10 

Alert #9 - Arbiter unreachable - The high availability target database has become disconnected from the arbiter server.

The "high availability target database" is the primary or secondary (mirror) database to which Foxhound is connected; Foxhound cannot connect directly to the arbiter server.

The Alert #9 enabled checkbox specifies whether or not you want Foxhound to check for this condition.

Performance Tip: This Alert tells you when a High Availability setup has become vulnerable to complete failure because the arbiter has become unreachable.

See also Monitor - Database Disposition.

This Alert is issued when the ArbiterState property becomes not 'connected'.

In particular, this Alert is issued when MirrorState <> '' AND ArbiterState <> 'connected' AND ArbiterState <> ''.

A subsequent All Clear #9 is issued when the ArbiterState property becomes 'connected' again.

In particular, a subsequent All Clear #9 is issued when MirrorState = '' OR ArbiterState = 'connected' OR ArbiterState = ''.

Alert #9 - Arbiter unreachable is supported for target databases running on SQL Anywhere version 11 and later, and is based on the database-level properties ArbiterState and MirrorState.

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Foxhound 4 » 7. The Monitor Options Page » 9. Alert Criteria » Alerts 1 - 10 

Alert #10 - Partner unreachable - The high availability target database has become disconnected from the partner database.

The "high availability target database" is the primary or secondary (mirror) database to which Foxhound is connected, and the "partner database" is the other one; i.e., the secondary or primary.

The Alert #10 enabled checkbox specifies whether or not you want Foxhound to check for this condition.

Performance Tip: This Alert tells you when a High Availability setup has become vulnerable to complete failure because one of the two partners has become unreachable.

See also Monitor - Database Disposition.

This Alert is issued when the PartnerState property becomes not 'connected'.

In particular, this Alert is issued when PartnerState <> 'connected' AND PartnerState <> ''.

A subsequent All Clear #10 is issued when the PartnerState property becomes 'connected' again.

Alert #10 - Partner unreachable is supported for target databases running on SQL Anywhere version 11 and later, and is based on the database-level PartnerState property.

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Foxhound 4 » 7. The Monitor Options Page » 9. Alert Criteria 
9b. Alerts 11 - 20
Alert #11 - ServerName change

Alert #13 - File fragmentation

Alert #14 - Unscheduled requests

Alert #15 - Incomplete I/Os

Alert #16 - I/O operations

Alert #17 - Checkpoint urgency

Alert #18 - Recovery urgency

Alert #19 - Cache size

Alert #20 - Cache satisfaction


Foxhound 4 » 7. The Monitor Options Page » 9. Alert Criteria » Alerts 11 - 20 

Alert #11 - ServerName change - The real server name has changed to [server2], possibly because of an HA failover or OnDemand move.

The "real server name" is the SQL Anywhere server name created by the instance of the SQL Anywhere server executable when it starts; e.g., dbsrv16.exe -n partner1_demo
This real server name does not change while the server is running... but in an HA failover Foxhound will (re)connect to a different instance of the SQL Anywhere server executable that has a different "real server name", hence the Alert.

The Alert #11 enabled checkbox specifies whether or not you want Foxhound to check for this condition.

Performance Tip: This Alert may indicate that a failover of the High Availability primary database from one partner to the other has occurred.

See also Monitor - Server Name.

This Alert is issued when the ServerName property changes between one sample to the next.

A subsequent All Clear #11 is issued when the ServerName property remains the same from one sample to the next, and the ArbiterState and PartnerState properties are both 'connected' or both empty.

Alert #11 - ServerName change is supported for target databases running on SQL Anywhere version 10 and later, and is based on the server-level ServerName property; e.g., dbsrv16.exe -n partner1_demo

Performance Tip: The "server-level ServerName property" is not at all the same thing as the "ServerName connection parameter". One is a property, the other a parameter; one is at the server level, the other pertains to a connection. One is real, the other is [cough] "logical" :)

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Foxhound 4 » 7. The Monitor Options Page » 9. Alert Criteria » Alerts 11 - 20 

Alert #12 - [ removed ]

No, you're not missing anything... this alert was [cough] poorly implemented and was removed :)


Foxhound 4 » 7. The Monitor Options Page » 9. Alert Criteria » Alerts 11 - 20 

Alert #13 - File fragmentation - There are [1000] or more fragments in the main database file.

File fragmentation pertains to the external structure of the physical disk file, not the internal structure of the SQL Anywhere table and index data.

The Alert #13 enabled checkbox specifies whether or not you want Foxhound to check for this condition.

The "xxx or more fragments" text box specifies a count of 2 or more physical file fragments in the SYSTEM dbspace file.

Performance Tip: This Alert may indicate that disk I/O is adversely affected... but maybe not, in the case of RAID and SSD drives; internal table and index fragmentation may be more important.

See also Monitor - DB DBSpace - Size, Used, Frags, Avail, File.

This Alert is issued when the number of fragments has reached or exceeded the threshold amount.

A subsequent All Clear #13 is issued as soon as the number of fragments as fallen below the threshold amount; there is no waiting period as with some other alerts.

Alert #13 - File fragmentation is supported for target databases running on SQL Anywhere version 8 and later, and is based on the database-level DBFileFragments property.

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Foxhound 4 » 7. The Monitor Options Page » 9. Alert Criteria » Alerts 11 - 20 

Alert #14 - Unscheduled requests - The number of requests waiting to be processed has reached [5] or more for [10] or more recent samples.

A "request" is an atomic internal unit of work processed by the server for a connection, not a client-server communication request from a client application to the SQL Anywhere server.

The Alert #14 enabled checkbox specifies whether or not you want Foxhound to check for this condition.

The "has reached xxx or more" text box specifies a count of 1 or more unscheduled requests.

The "for xxx or more recent samples" text box specifies a count of 1 or more samples taken by the Foxhound Database Monitor.

Performance Tip: This Alert may indicate that some performance bottleneck is preventing the database from processing its workload.

The bottleneck may simply be a Max Req value that is too low (solution: increase the server -gn option), but the problem may be harder than that; for example, if the application design results in excessive blocking and/or too many long-running requests.

See also Monitor - Active Req, Max Req, Unsch Req.

This Alert is issued when the number of unscheduled requests has reached or exceeded the threshold amount for the specified number of recent samples.

A subsequent All Clear #14 is issued when the number of unscheduled requests has remained below the threshold amount for approximately one-half the specified number of recent samples.

Alert #14 - Unscheduled requests is supported for target databases running on all versions of SQL Anywhere that are supported by Foxhound, and is based on the server-level UnschReq property.

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Foxhound 4 » 7. The Monitor Options Page » 9. Alert Criteria » Alerts 11 - 20 

Alert #15 - Incomplete I/Os - The current number of incomplete file reads and/or writes has reached [2] or more for [10] or more recent samples.

An incomplete I/O is a file read or write that has been started but not completed.

The Alert #15 enabled checkbox specifies whether or not you want Foxhound to check for this condition.

The "has reached xxx or more" text box specifies a count of 1 or more incomplete database data file operations.

The "for xxx or more recent samples" text box specifies a count of 1 or more samples taken by the Foxhound Database Monitor.

Performance Tip: This Alert may indicate that there is a performance bottleneck caused by the inability of the disk system to keep up with database activity.

See also Monitor - Incomplete Reads, Writes.

This Alert is issued when the number of incomplete file reads and/or writes has reached or exceeded the threshold amount for the specified number of recent samples.

A subsequent All Clear #15 is issued when the number of incomplete file reads and/or writes has remained below the threshold amount for approximately one-half the specified number of recent samples.

Alert #15 - Incomplete I/Os is supported for target databases running on SQL Anywhere 17, and is based on the database-level CurrRead and CurrWrite properties.

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Foxhound 4 » 7. The Monitor Options Page » 9. Alert Criteria » Alerts 11 - 20 

Alert #16 - I/O operations - There have been [1000] or more disk and log I/O operations per second for [10] or more recent samples.

Disk and log I/O includes page-level input and output operations on the SYSTEM, temporary and secondary dbspace files, plus pages written to the transaction log file. Other files are excluded; e.g., non-dbspace files used by LOAD and UNLOAD statements and by xp_read_file() and xp_write_file() procedure calls.

The Alert #16 enabled checkbox specifies whether or not you want Foxhound to check for this condition.

The "have been xxx or more" text box specifies a count of 1 or more I/O operations per second performed on the database data and transaction log files.

The "for xxx or more recent samples" text box specifies a count of 1 or more samples taken by the Foxhound Database Monitor.

Performance Tip: This Alert may indicate that heavy disk I/O is a performance bottleneck.

See also Monitor - Disk Reads, Disk Writes, Log Writes.

This Alert is issued when the number of I/O operations per second has reached or exceeded the threshold amount for the specified number of recent samples.

A subsequent All Clear #16 is issued when the number of I/O operations per second has remained below the threshold amount for approximately one-half the specified number of recent samples.

Alert #16 - I/O operations is supported for target databases running on all versions of SQL Anywhere that are supported by Foxhound, and is based on the server-level DiskRead, DiskWrite and LogWrite properties for target databases running on SQL Anywhere versions 5 and 6, and on the database-level DiskRead, DiskWrite and LogWrite properties for versions 7 and later.

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Foxhound 4 » 7. The Monitor Options Page » 9. Alert Criteria » Alerts 11 - 20 

Alert #17 - Checkpoint urgency - The Checkpoint Urgency has been [100] % or more for [10] or more recent samples.

Checkpoint Urgency is the percentage of the SET OPTION PUBLIC.CHECKPOINT_TIME value that has elapsed since the previous checkpoint.

The Alert #17 enabled checkbox specifies whether or not you want Foxhound to check for this condition.

The "has been xxx % or more" text box specifies a checkpoint urgency percentage 1 or more, which can exceed 100.

The "for xxx or more recent samples" text box specifies a count of 1 or more samples taken by the Foxhound Database Monitor.

Performance Tip: This Alert may indicate that SQL Anywhere is taking too long between checkpoints, or (more likely) that the CHECKPOINT_TIME option has been set to an unreasonably small value.

Before changing how often SQL Anywhere takes checkpoints, think twice! SQL Anywhere almost always does an excellent job of picking the right time to perform a checkpoint without your help.

See also Monitor - Checkpoints, Checkpoint Urgency, Recovery Urgency.

This Alert is issued when the checkpoint urgency has reached or exceeded the threshold percentage for the specified number of recent samples.

A subsequent All Clear #17 is issued when the checkpoint urgency has remained below the threshold percentage for approximately one-half the specified number of recent samples.

Alert #17 - Checkpoint urgency is supported for target databases running on SQL Anywhere version 7 and later, and is based on the database-level CheckpointUrgency property.

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Foxhound 4 » 7. The Monitor Options Page » 9. Alert Criteria » Alerts 11 - 20 

Alert #18 - Recovery urgency - The Recovery Urgency has been [1000] % or more for [10] or more recent samples.

Recovery Urgency is SQL Anywhere's estimate of the percentage of the SET OPTION PUBLIC.RECOVERY_TIME value that would be required to perform a recovery if the database was suddenly stopped and restarted without a checkpoint; in some cases it can rise far beyond 100%.

The Alert #18 enabled checkbox specifies whether or not you want Foxhound to check for this condition.

The "has been xxx % or more" text box specifies a recovery urgency percentage 1 or more, which can exceed 100.

The "for xxx or more recent samples" text box specifies a count of 1 or more samples taken by the Foxhound Database Monitor.

Performance Tip: This Alert may indicate that SQL Anywhere is taking too long between checkpoints, or (more likely) that the CHECKPOINT_TIME and/or RECOVERY_TIME options have been set to unreasonable values.

Before changing how often SQL Anywhere takes checkpoints, think twice! SQL Anywhere almost always does an excellent job of picking the right time to perform a checkpoint without your help.

See also Monitor - Checkpoints, Checkpoint Urgency, Recovery Urgency.

This Alert is issued when the recovery urgency has reached or exceeded the threshold percentage for the specified number of recent samples.

A subsequent All Clear #18 is issued when the recovery urgency has remained below the threshold percentage for approximately one-half the specified number of recent samples.

Alert #18 - Recovery urgency is supported for target databases running on SQL Anywhere version 7 and later, and is based on the database-level RecoveryUrgency property.

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Foxhound 4 » 7. The Monitor Options Page » 9. Alert Criteria » Alerts 11 - 20 

Alert #19 - Cache size - The cache has reached [100] % of its maximum size for [10] or more recent samples.

The "cache percentage of maximum" is based on the SQL Anywhere server's understanding of the maximum amount of RAM it can use.

The Alert #19 enabled checkbox specifies whether or not you want Foxhound to check for this condition.

The "cache has reached xxx % " text box specifies a percentage of the maximum cache size 1 to 100.

The "for xxx or more recent samples" text box specifies a count of 1 or more samples taken by the Foxhound Database Monitor.

Performance Tip: This Alert may indicate that insufficient memory in the database cache is a performance bottleneck.

However, you may want to disable this alert for target databases running on a dedicated server where the cache size is always set to the maximum, or in a stable environment where the cache size always grows to the maximum and remains there.

See also Monitor - Cache.

This Alert is issued when the cache percentage of maximum has reached or exceeded the threshold percentage for the specified number of recent samples.

A subsequent All Clear #19 is issued when the cache percentage of maximum has remained below the threshold percentage for approximately one-half the specified number of recent samples.

Alert #19 - Cache size< is supported for target databases running on SQL Anywhere version 7 and later, and is based on the server-level CurrentCacheSize and MaxCacheSize properties.

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Foxhound 4 » 7. The Monitor Options Page » 9. Alert Criteria » Alerts 11 - 20 

Alert #20 - Cache satisfaction - The cache satisfaction (hits/reads) has fallen to [90] % or lower for [10] or more recent samples.

Cache satisfaction is an expression of how often a page lookup in the cache (CacheRead) was satisfied by finding that page in the cache (CacheHits) as opposed to requiring an actual disk read.

The Alert #20 enabled checkbox specifies whether or not you want Foxhound to check for this condition.

The "has fallen to xxx % " text box specifies a percentage cache satisfaction 1 to 99.

The "for xxx or more recent samples" text box specifies a count of 1 or more samples taken by the Foxhound Database Monitor.

Performance Tip: This Alert may indicate that insufficient memory in the database cache is a performance bottleneck.

See also Monitor - Cache Panics, Low Memory, Satisfaction.

This Alert is issued when the cache satisfaction has fallen to or below the threshold percentage for the specified number of recent samples.

A subsequent All Clear #20 is issued when the cache satisfaction has remained above the threshold percentage for approximately one-half the specified number of recent samples.

Alert #20 - Cache satisfaction is supported for target databases running on all versions of SQL Anywhere that are supported by Foxhound, and is based on the server-level CacheHits and CacheRead properties for target databases running on SQL Anywhere versions 5 and 6, and on the database-level CacheHits and CacheRead properties for versions 7 and later.

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Foxhound 4 » 7. The Monitor Options Page » 9. Alert Criteria 
9c. Alerts 21 - 35
Alert #21 - Temp file usage

Alert #22 - Conn temp file usage

Alert #23 - Blocked connections

Alert #24 - Conn blocking others

Alert #25 - Locks

Alert #26 - Connections

Alert #27 - Connection CPU

Alert #28 - Long transaction

Alert #29 - Cache panics

Alert #30 - Database read-only

Alert #31 - Database updatable

Alert #32 - Rollback log usage

Alert #33 - Uncommitted operations

Alert #34 - Long uncommitted

Alert #35 - Separate ping failed


Foxhound 4 » 7. The Monitor Options Page » 9. Alert Criteria » Alerts 21 - 35 

Alert #21 - Temp file usage - The total temporary file space used by all connections has been [1G] or larger for [10] or more recent samples.

Temporary pages are used for many purposes, most often to hold intermediate results during query processing. Even if there is no temporary file, as with an in-memory no write database, temporary space is allocated and used by the engine.

The Alert #21 enabled checkbox specifies whether or not you want Foxhound to check for this condition.

The "has been xxx" text box specifies the amount of temporary file space in bytes (minimum 1024), k, M, G or T; e.g., 1000000, 100k, 200M, 5G, 1T.

The "for xxx or more recent samples" text box specifies a count of 1 or more samples taken by the Foxhound Database Monitor.

Performance Tip: This Alert may indicate that runaway queries are a performance bottleneck.

See also Monitor - Temp Space, Rollback Log, Uncommitted.

This Alert is issued when the total temporary space used has reached or exceeded the threshold amount for the specified number of recent samples.

A subsequent All Clear #21 is issued when the total temporary space used has remained below the threshold amount for approximately one-half the specified number of recent samples.

Performance Tip: The term "temporary file" is misleading and it should be renamed "temporary space" because the data may or may not reside in the actual temporary file (which may not exist at all).

Alert #21 - Temp file usage is supported for target databases running on SQL Anywhere version 8 and later, and is based on the database-level PageSize property and the sum of the connection-level TempFilePages property.

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Foxhound 4 » 7. The Monitor Options Page » 9. Alert Criteria » Alerts 21 - 35 

Alert #22 - Conn temp file usage - At least one single connection has used [500M] or more of temporary file space during [10] or more recent samples.

Temporary pages are used for many purposes, most often to hold intermediate results during query processing. Even if there is no temporary file, as with an in-memory no write database, temporary space is allocated and used by the engine.

The Alert #22 enabled checkbox specifies whether or not you want Foxhound to check for this condition.

The "has been xxx" text box specifies the amount of temporary file space in bytes (minimum 1024), k, M, G or T; e.g., 1000000, 100k, 200M, 5G, 1T.

The "during xxx or more recent samples" text box specifies a count of 1 or more samples taken by the Foxhound Database Monitor.

Performance Tip: This Alert may indicate that runaway queries are a performance bottleneck.

See also Monitor - Connections - Temp Space, Rollback Log, Uncommitted.

This Alert is issued when the maximum temporary space used by an individual connection has reached or exceeded the threshold amount for the specified number of recent samples. Foxhound does not check to see if it's the same connection each time a sample is gathered; it could be different connections.

In other words, at least one connection meets or exceeds the threshold.

A subsequent All Clear #22 is issued when the maximum temporary space used by an individual connection has remained below the threshold amount for approximately one-half the specified number of recent samples.

In other words, no connections meet or exceed the threshold.

Performance Tip: The term "temporary file" is misleading and it should be renamed "temporary" because the data may or may not reside in the actual temporary file (which may not exist at all).

Alert #22 - Conn temp file usage is supported for target databases running on SQL Anywhere version 8 and later, and is based on the database-level PageSize property and the connection-level TempFilePages property.

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Foxhound 4 » 7. The Monitor Options Page » 9. Alert Criteria » Alerts 21 - 35 

Alert #23 - Blocked connections - The number of blocked connections has reached [10] or more during [10] or more recent samples.

A blocked connection is a connection that cannot get any more work done because some other connection has locked something this connection needs.
A blocked connection is not the same as a deadlock. In most cases, blocked connections wait indefinitely whereas deadlocks are instantly resolved when SQL Anywhere cancels one of the transactions involved.

The Alert #23 enabled checkbox specifies whether or not you want Foxhound to check for this condition.

The "reached xxx or more" text box specifies a count of 1 or more blocked connections.

The "during xxx or more recent samples" text box specifies a count of 1 or more samples taken by the Foxhound Database Monitor.

Performance Tip: This Alert may indicate a serious performance bottleneck caused by locks being held too long; the root cause may be an application program design error.

See also:
Monitor - Locks Held, Conns Blocked, Waiting Time
Monitor - Connections - Locks Held, Conns Blocked, Transaction Time
Monitor - Connections - Blocked By:
Monitor - Connections - Block Reason:
Monitor - Connections - Locked Row Query:

This Alert is issued when the number of blocked connections has reached or exceeded the threshold amount for the specified number of recent samples.

A subsequent All Clear #23 is issued when the number of blocked connections has remained below the threshold amount for approximately one-half the specified number of recent samples.

Alert #23 - Blocked connections is supported for target databases running on all versions of SQL Anywhere that are supported by Foxhound, and is based on the connection-level BlockedOn property for target databases running on SQL Anywhere versions 5.5 through 16, and on the connection-level BlockedOn, LockObjectType and LockObjectOID properties version 17.

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Foxhound 4 » 7. The Monitor Options Page » 9. Alert Criteria » Alerts 21 - 35 

Alert #24 - Conn blocking others - At least one single connection has blocked [5] or more other connections during [10] or more recent samples.

A blocked connection is a connection that cannot get any more work done because some other connection has locked something this connection needs.
A blocked connection is not the same as a deadlock. In most cases, blocked connections wait indefinitely whereas deadlocks are instantly resolved when SQL Anywhere cancels one of the transactions involved.

The Alert #24 enabled checkbox specifies whether or not you want Foxhound to check for this condition.

The "blocked xxx or more" text box specifies a count of 1 or more blocked connections.

The "during xxx or more recent samples" text box specifies a count of 1 or more samples taken by the Foxhound Database Monitor.

Performance Tip: This Alert may indicate a serious performance bottleneck caused by locks being held too long; the root cause may be an application program design error.

See also:
Monitor - Locks Held, Conns Blocked, Waiting Time
Monitor - Connections - Locks Held, Conns Blocked, Transaction Time
Monitor - Connections - Blocked By:
Monitor - Connections - Block Reason:
Monitor - Connections - Locked Row Query:

This Alert is issued when the maximum number of connections blocked by another individual connection has reached or exceeded the threshold amount for the specified number of recent samples. Foxhound does not check to see if it's the same connection each time a sample is gathered; it could be different connections.

In other words, at least one connection meets or exceeds the threshold.

A subsequent All Clear #24 is issued when the maximum number of connections blocked by another individual connection has remained below the threshold amount for approximately one-half the specified number of recent samples.

In other words, no connections meet or exceed the threshold.

Alert #24 - Conn blocking others is supported for target databases running on all versions of SQL Anywhere that are supported by Foxhound, and is based on the connection-level BlockedOn property for target databases running on SQL Anywhere versions 5.5 through 16, and on the connection-level BlockedOn, LockObjectType and LockObjectOID properties version 17.

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Foxhound 4 » 7. The Monitor Options Page » 9. Alert Criteria » Alerts 21 - 35 

Alert #25 - Locks - The number of locks has reached [1,000,000] or more during [10] or more recent samples.

Locks are a good thing; they keep data from being corrupted. Too many locks, maybe not so much, but definition of "too many" is delightfully vague. For example, SQL Anywhere can handle millions of locks but a single lock is all it takes to block a connection.

The Alert #25 enabled checkbox specifies whether or not you want Foxhound to check for this condition.

The "has reached xxx or more" text box specifies a count of 1 or more locks.

The "during xxx or more recent samples" text box specifies a count of 1 or more samples taken by the Foxhound Database Monitor.

Performance Tip: This Alert may indicate that too many locks are being held for too long.

See also Monitor - Locks Held, Conns Blocked, Waiting Time and Monitor - Connections - Locks Held, Conns Blocked, Transaction Time.

This Alert is issued when the number of locks has reached or exceeded the threshold amount for the specified number of recent samples.

A subsequent All Clear #25 is issued when the number of locks has remained below the threshold amount for approximately one-half the specified number of recent samples.

Alert #25 - Locks is supported for target databases running on SQL Anywhere 10 and later, and is based on the database-level LockCount property.

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Foxhound 4 » 7. The Monitor Options Page » 9. Alert Criteria » Alerts 21 - 35 

Alert #26 - Connections - The number of connections has reached [1000] or more for [10] or more recent samples.

Simply put, a "connection" is a persistent two-way communication path between a client and a SQL Anywhere database.
In the case of the SQL Anywhere server, the definition of "client" continues to evolve to include (and sometimes exclude) internal processes, and so does the definition of "connection". For the most part, however, connections are what exist between your client applications and the database.

Note that only database connections exist, not server connections. That becomes [cough] interesting when you have two or more databases running on one server. For example, Foxhound displays a variety of database-level properties (when they are available) and server-level properties (when the database-level equivalents are not implemented by SQL Anywhere or not reliable).

The Alert #26 enabled checkbox specifies whether or not you want Foxhound to check for this condition.

The "has reached xxx or more" text box specifies a count of 2 or more connections.

The "for xxx or more recent samples" text box specifies a count of 1 or more samples taken by the Foxhound Database Monitor.

Performance Tip: This Alert may indicate that heavy client load on the database is a performance bottleneck.

See also Monitor - Conns / Parent, Child Conns.

This Alert is issued when the number of connections has reached or exceeded the threshold amount for the specified number of recent samples.

A subsequent All Clear #26 is issued when the number of connections has remained below the threshold amount for approximately one-half the specified number of recent samples.

Alert #26 - Connections is supported for target databases running on all versions of SQL Anywhere that are supported by Foxhound, and is based on the database-level ConnCount property.

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Foxhound 4 » 7. The Monitor Options Page » 9. Alert Criteria » Alerts 21 - 35 

Alert #27 - Connection CPU - The approximate CPU time has been [25]% or higher or more for at least one connection during [10] or more recent samples.

The total available CPU time is measured for the SQL Anywhere database server as a whole, across all processors that are being used by the server.

The Alert #27 enabled checkbox specifies whether or not you want Foxhound to check for this condition.

The "has been xxx %" text box specifies a percentage of total available CPU time 1 to 100.

The "during xxx or more recent samples" text box specifies a count of 1 or more samples taken by the Foxhound Database Monitor.

Performance Tip: This Alert may indicate that high CPU usage is a performance bottleneck.

See also Monitor - Connections - CPU, Child Conns.

This Alert is issued when the maximum percentage of available CPU time used by an individual connection has reached or exceeded the threshold percentage for the specified number of recent samples. Foxhound does not check to see if it's the same connection each time a sample is gathered; it could be different connections.

In other words, at least one connection meets or exceeds the threshold.

A subsequent All Clear #27 is issued when the maximum percentage of available CPU time used by an individual connection has remained below the threshold percentage for approximately one-half the specified number of recent samples.

In other words, no connections meet or exceed the threshold.

Alert #27 - Connection CPU is supported for target databases running on SQL Anywhere 10 and later, and is based on the connection-level ApproximateCPUTime property and the server-level NumLogicalProcessorsUsed property.

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Foxhound 4 » 7. The Monitor Options Page » 9. Alert Criteria » Alerts 21 - 35 

Alert #28 - Long transaction - The transaction running time has reached [1m] or more for at least one connection during [10] or more recent samples.

The transaction running time is the length of time since the database was first modified by a connection after a COMMIT or ROLLBACK.

While it is possible for a SELECT to acquire locks and thus block other connections (e.g., a shared lock obtained by a SELECT will block an ALTER TABLE), a SELECT does not count as a modification as far as the Transaction Time is concerned.

In other words, a SELECT does not start a transaction.

The Alert #28 enabled checkbox specifies whether or not you want Foxhound to check for this condition.

The "has reached xxx or more" text box specifies a transaction running time duration of 1s or more, using the "d h m s ms" input format; e.g., 10s for 10 seconds, 3d for 3 days, 1h 30m for 1 hour and 30 minutes.

The "for xxx or more recent samples" text box specifies a count of 1 or more samples taken by the Foxhound Database Monitor.

Performance Tip: This Alert may indicate that a long-running transaction is a performance bottleneck.

See also Monitor - Connections - Locks Held, Conns Blocked, Transaction Time.

This Alert is issued when the maximum transaction running time an individual connection has reached or exceeded the threshold percentage for the specified number of recent samples. Foxhound does not check to see if it's the same connection each time a sample is gathered; it could be different connections.

In other words, at least one connection meets or exceeds the threshold.

Note that the AutoDrop and Alert processes are completely independent; i.e., if the Alert #28 Long transaction criteria are met then the Alert will appear; it doesn't matter what the AutoDrop #3 Long transaction criteria are, and vice versa.

A subsequent All Clear #28 is issued when the maximum transaction running time an individual connection has remained below the threshold percentage for approximately one-half the specified number of recent samples.

In other words, no connections meet or exceed the threshold.

Alert #28 - Long transaction is supported for target databases running on SQL Anywhere 8 and later, and is based on the connection-level TransactionStartTime property.

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Foxhound 4 » 7. The Monitor Options Page » 9. Alert Criteria » Alerts 21 - 35 

Alert #29 - Cache panics - There have been [1] or more cache panics in [10] or more recent samples.

A cache panic occurs when SQL Anywhere fails to find a cache page to allocate.

The Alert #29 enabled checkbox specifies whether or not you want Foxhound to check for this condition.

The "have been xxx or more" text box specifies a count of 1 or more cache panics.

The "in xxx or more recent samples" text box specifies a count of 1 or more samples taken by the Foxhound Database Monitor.

Performance Tip: This Alert may indicate that insufficient memory in the database cache is a performance bottleneck.

See also Monitor - Cache Panics, Low Memory, Satisfaction.

This Alert is issued when the number of cache panics has reached or exceeded the threshold amount for the specified number of recent samples.

A subsequent All Clear #29 is issued when the number of cache panics has remained below the threshold amount for approximately one-half the specified number of recent samples.

Alert #29 - Cache panics is supported for target databases running on SQL Anywhere version 9 and later, and is based on the server-level CachePanics property.

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Foxhound 4 » 7. The Monitor Options Page » 9. Alert Criteria » Alerts 21 - 35 

Alert #30 - Database read-only - The target database has changed from accepting updates to read-only processing.

A change in the database-level ReadOnly property (between 'On' for read-only processing and 'Off' for accepting updates) is almost always an indirect indicator that a significant event has occurred in a SQL Anywhere High Availability setup.

The Alert #30 enabled checkbox specifies whether or not you want Foxhound to check for this condition.

Performance Tip: This Alert may not be as useful as Alert #31 Database updatable which warns of the opposite change.

If Alert #30 and #31 are both enabled (the default), one or the other will always be in effect after the first ReadOnly change occurs.

See also Monitor - Database Disposition.

This Alert is issued when the ReadOnly property changes from 'Off' to 'On'.

A subsequent All Clear #30 is issued when the ReadOnly property changes from 'On' to 'Off'.

Alert #30 - Database read-only is supported for target databases running on SQL Anywhere version 8 and later, and is based on the database-level ReadOnly property.

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Foxhound 4 » 7. The Monitor Options Page » 9. Alert Criteria » Alerts 21 - 35 

Alert #31 - Database updatable - The target database has changed from read-only processing to accepting updates.

A change in the database-level ReadOnly property (between 'On' for read-only processing and 'Off' for accepting updates) is almost always an indirect indicator that a significant event has occurred in a SQL Anywhere High Availability setup.

The Alert #31 enabled checkbox specifies whether or not you want Foxhound to check for this condition.

Performance Tip: This Alert is useful if you want to be warned when a read-only secondary database suddenly becomes updatable after a High Availability failover.

If Alert #30 and #31 are both enabled (the default), one or the other will always be in effect after the first ReadOnly change occurs.

See also Monitor - Database Disposition.

This Alert is issued when the ReadOnly property changes from 'On' to 'Off'.

A subsequent All Clear #31 is issued when the ReadOnly property changes from 'Off' to 'On'.

Alert #31 - Database updatable is supported for target databases running on SQL Anywhere version 8 and later, and is based on the database-level ReadOnly property.

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Foxhound 4 » 7. The Monitor Options Page » 9. Alert Criteria » Alerts 21 - 35 

Alert #32 - Rollback log usage - The total rollback log space used by all connections has been [1G] or larger for [10] or more recent samples.

A separate rollback log, also known as an undo log or row level undo log, is maintained for each connection to hold a sequential record of the reverse operations that would undo the logical changes made to the database by this connection since the last COMMIT or ROLLBACK was executed on the connection.
The total rollback log space is similar to but different from the total number of uncommitted operations (see Alert #33); both measure of how much work has been started but not yet finished in this database.

The Alert #32 enabled checkbox specifies whether or not you want Foxhound to check for this condition.

The "has fallen below xxx" text box specifies the amount of rollback log space in bytes (minimum 1024), k, M, G or T; e.g., 1000000, 100k, 200M, 5G, 1T.

The "for xxx or more recent samples" text box specifies a count of 1 or more samples taken by the Foxhound Database Monitor.

Performance Tip: This Alert is useful if you want to be warned when a large amount of work is in progress but not yet committed to the database.

The automatic recovery stage of server startup may take a long time if the server suddenly fails and is then restarted.

If an individual transaction is responsible for a lot of the space usage, that transaction may take a long time to roll back if it fails.

The final checkpoint stage of a normal server shutdown may also take a long time while the changes recorded in a large rollback log are being reversed.

See also Monitor - Temp Space, Rollback Log, Uncommitted.

This Alert is issued when the total rollback log space has met or exceeded the threshold amount for the specified number of recent samples.

A subsequent All Clear #32 is issued when the total rollback log space has remained below the threshold amount for approximately one-half the specified number of recent samples.

Alert #32 - Rollback log usage is supported for target databases running on all versions of SQL Anywhere that are supported by Foxhound, and is based on the database-level PageSize property and the sum of the connection-level RollbackLogPages property.

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Foxhound 4 » 7. The Monitor Options Page » 9. Alert Criteria » Alerts 21 - 35 

Alert #33 - Uncommitted operations - The total number of uncommitted operations for all connections has reached [1,000,000] or more during [10] or more recent samples.

The total number of uncommitted operations is similar to but different from the total rollback log space (see Alert #32); both measure of how much work has been started but not yet finished in this database.

The Alert #33 enabled checkbox specifies whether or not you want Foxhound to check for this condition.

The "reached xxx or more" text box specifies a count of 1 or more uncommitted operations.

The "during xxx or more recent samples" text box specifies a count of 1 or more samples taken by the Foxhound Database Monitor.

Performance Tip: This Alert is useful if you want to be warned when a large amount of work is in progress but not yet committed to the database.

The automatic recovery stage of server startup may take a long time if the server suddenly fails and is then restarted.

If an individual transaction is responsible for a lot of uncommitted operations, that transaction may take a long time to roll back if it fails.

See also Monitor - Temp Space, Rollback Log, Uncommitted.

Performance Tip: The count of Uncommitted operations includes (and may be exactly equal to) the number of uncommitted row-level inserts, updates and deletes.

The count of Uncommitted operations may be larger than the number of INSERT, UPDATE and DELETE statements because one statement can affect many rows.

If a single row is inserted, then updated twice and finally deleted, for example, that counts as four Uncommitted operations.

If a single row matches the WHERE clause of an UPDATE statement but all of the new column values in the SET clause are the same as the current values in the row, that row is not updated and the operation is not counted as an Uncommitted operation.

A table-level schema lock obtained by a SELECT statement is not counted as an Uncommitted operation even though the lock is not cleared until a subsequent commit or rollback (and may thus be regarded as "uncommitted").

This Alert is issued when the total number of uncommitted operations has met or exceeded the threshold number for the specified number of recent samples.

A subsequent All Clear #33 is issued when the total number of uncommitted operations has remained below the threshold number for approximately one-half the specified number of recent samples.

Alert #33 - Uncommitted operations is supported for target databases running on all versions of SQL Anywhere that are supported by Foxhound, and is based on the sum of the connection-level UncommitOp property.

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Foxhound 4 » 7. The Monitor Options Page » 9. Alert Criteria » Alerts 21 - 35 

Alert #34 - Long uncommitted - The number of uncommitted operations has reached [1,000,000] or more while the transaction running time has reached [1m] or more for at least one connection.

This Alert measures both work and time; see also Alert #33 Uncommitted operations and Alert #28 Long transaction.

The Alert #34 enabled checkbox specifies whether or not you want Foxhound to check for this condition.

The "reached xxx or more" text box specifies a count of 1 or more uncommitted operations.

The "has reached xxx or more" text box specifies a transaction running time duration of 1s or more, using the "d h m s ms" input format; e.g., 10s for 10 seconds, 3d for 3 days, 1h 30m for 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Performance Tip: This Alert is useful if you want to be warned when a single connection is sucking all the air out of the room; i.e., when a long-running transaction has a performed a large amount of work that is not yet committed to the database.

See also Monitor - Connections - Locks Held, Conns Blocked, Transaction Time and Monitor - Connections - Temp Space, Rollback Log, Uncommitted.

Performance Tip: The count of Uncommitted operations includes (and may be exactly equal to) the number of uncommitted row-level inserts, updates and deletes.

The count of Uncommitted operations may be larger than the number of INSERT, UPDATE and DELETE statements because one statement can affect many rows.

If a single row is inserted, then updated twice and finally deleted, for example, that counts as four Uncommitted operations.

If a single row matches the WHERE clause of an UPDATE statement but all of the new column values in the SET clause are the same as the current values in the row, that row is not updated and the operation is not counted as an Uncommitted operation.

A table-level schema lock obtained by a SELECT statement is not counted as an Uncommitted operation even though the lock is not cleared until a subsequent commit or rollback (and may thus be regarded as "uncommitted").

This Alert is issued when the following conditions are both met:

  1. The number of uncommitted operations for a single transaction on a single connection has met or exceeded the threshold number, and

  2. the running time of that transaction has met or exceeded the threshold amount.

A subsequent All Clear #34 is issued as soon as one or the other or both of those conditions are no longer met; there is no waiting period as with some other alerts.

The transaction running time is the length of time since the database was first modified by this connection after a COMMIT or ROLLBACK.

Note that while it is possible for a SELECT to acquire locks and thus block other connections (e.g., a shared lock obtained by a SELECT will block an ALTER TABLE), a SELECT does not count as a modification as far as the Transaction Time is concerned. In other words, a SELECT does not start a transaction.

Alert #34 - Long uncommitted is supported for target databases running on SQL Anywhere 8 and later, and is based on the connection-level UncommitOp and TransactionStartTime properties.

Note that the AutoDrop and Alert processes are completely independent; there is no correlation. I.e., if the Alert #34 Long uncommitted criteria are met then the Alert will appear; it doesn't matter what the AutoDrop #3 Long transaction criteria are, and vice versa.

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Foxhound 4 » 7. The Monitor Options Page » 9. Alert Criteria » Alerts 21 - 35 

Alert #35 - Separate ping failed - Foxhound has been unable to make a separate ping connection to the target database for [10] or more recent samples.

Foxhound provides an optional custom "ping" process to test separate connections to the target database; see 16. Ping Settings

Performance Tip: Alert #35 - Separate ping failed may be used to let you know when the target database is not accepting new connections even though Foxhound remains connected and is successfully gathering sample data.

This is different from Alert #1 - Database unavailable which is only issued when Foxhound itself cannot connect to the target database to gather a sample or perform Ping-Only sampling.

See also Monitor - Response... Heartbeat, Sample, Ping.

The Alert #35 enabled checkbox specifies whether or not you want Foxhound to check for this condition.

The "for xxx or more recent samples" text box specifies a count of 1 or more samples taken by the Foxhound Database Monitor.

This Alert is issued if Foxhound is successfully gathering other sample data but has not been able to make a separate ping connection to the target database (see Include Separate Ping with each successful sample).

Note: This Alert is not issued if Ping-Only Sampling is in effect (see Alert #1 - Database unresponsive).

A subsequent All Clear is issued as soon as Foxhound is able to make a separate ping connection to the target database when recording a successful sample; there is no waiting period as with some other alerts.

Alert #35 - Separate ping failed is supported for target databases running on all versions of SQL Anywhere that are supported by Foxhound, and is based on Foxhound's ability to gather a sample and execute the ping process.

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Foxhound 4 » 7. The Monitor Options Page 
10. [ removed ]
No, you're not missing anything... this section became obsolete and was removed :)


Foxhound 4 » 7. The Monitor Options Page 
11. AutoDrop Schedule

The Enforce the AutoDrop Schedule lets you enable the automated AutoDrop Schedule feature for this target database, which in turn lets you turn the AutoDrop process off and on at different times of the day.

Note: There is no separate "AutoDrop Email Schedule" feature.

Each AutoDrop Schedule consists of 7 strings of 96 characters...

     AM                                              PM           
     12  1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10  11  12  1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10  11                                
Mon  YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYyYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY
Tue  YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYyYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY  
Wed  ...............................................^................................................ 
Thu  YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYyYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY  
Fri  YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYyYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY
Sat  YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYyYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY
Sun  YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYyYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

Here's how it works:

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Foxhound 4 » 7. The Monitor Options Page 
12. AutoDrop Criteria

AutoDrop #1 - Blocking others

AutoDrop #2 - Blocked by other

AutoDrop #3 - Long transaction

AutoDrop #4 - Temp file usage

AutoDrop #5 - CPU usage

AutoDrop #6 - Locks

AutoDrop processing differs from Alert processing:

The button checks the "AutoDrop enabled" boxes #1 through #6.

The button unchecks the "AutoDrop enabled" boxes #1 through #6.

The button restores the "AutoDrop enabled" boxes #1 through #6 to their previously saved settings.

A user id with DBA authority is necessary for Foxhound to implement the AutoDrop feature on target databases running on versions 12 and earlier of SQL Anywhere.

For version 16 target databases the DROP CONNECTION privilege is required.

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Foxhound 4 » 7. The Monitor Options Page » 12. AutoDrop Criteria 

AutoDrop #1 - Blocking others

AutoDrop #2 - Blocked by other

AutoDrop #3 - Long transaction

AutoDrop #4 - Temp file usage

AutoDrop #5 - CPU usage

AutoDrop #6 - Locks


Foxhound 4 » 7. The Monitor Options Page » 12. AutoDrop Criteria 

AutoDrop #1 - Blocking others - Automatically drop each connection that has been blocking [5] or more other connections for [10] or more recent samples.

The AutoDrop #1 enabled checkbox specifies whether or not you want Foxhound to check for this condition.

The "blocking xxx or more" text box specifies a count of 1 or more blocked connections.

The "for xxx or more recent samples" text box specifies a count of 1 or more samples taken by the Foxhound Database Monitor.

AutoDrop #1 - Blocking others is supported for target databases running on all versions of SQL Anywhere that are supported by Foxhound, and is based on the connection-level BlockedOn property for target databases running on SQL Anywhere versions 5.5 through 16, and on the connection-level BlockedOn, LockObjectType and LockObjectOID properties version 17.

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Foxhound 4 » 7. The Monitor Options Page » 12. AutoDrop Criteria 

AutoDrop #2 - Blocked by other - Automatically drop each connection that has been blocked by another connection for [10] or more recent samples.

The AutoDrop #2 enabled checkbox specifies whether or not you want Foxhound to check for this condition.

The "for xxx or more recent samples" text box specifies a count of 1 or more samples taken by the Foxhound Database Monitor.

AutoDrop #2 - Blocked by other is supported for target databases running on all versions of SQL Anywhere that are supported by Foxhound, and is based on the connection-level BlockedOn property for target databases running on SQL Anywhere versions 5.5 through 16, and on the connection-level BlockedOn, LockObjectType and LockObjectOID properties version 17.

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Foxhound 4 » 7. The Monitor Options Page » 12. AutoDrop Criteria 

AutoDrop #3 - Long transaction - Automatically drop each connection with a transaction that has been running for [10m] or longer.

The AutoDrop #3 enabled checkbox specifies whether or not you want Foxhound to check for this condition.

The "for xxx or longer" text box specifies a transaction running time duration of 1s or more, using the "d h m s ms" input format; e.g., 10s for 10 seconds, 3d for 3 days, 1h 30m for 1 hour and 30 minutes.

The transaction running time is the length of time since the database was first modified by this connection after a COMMIT or ROLLBACK.

Note that while it is possible for a SELECT to acquire locks and thus block other connections (e.g., a shared lock obtained by a SELECT will block an ALTER TABLE), a SELECT does not count as a modification as far as the Transaction Time is concerned. In other words, a SELECT does not start a transaction.

AutoDrop #3 - Long transaction is supported for target databases running on SQL Anywhere 8 and later, and is based on the connection-level TransactionStartTime property.

Note that the AutoDrop and Alert processes are completely independent; there is no correlation. I.e., if the AutoDrop #3 Long transaction criteria are met that AutoDrop will be processed; it doesn't matter what the Alert #28 Long transaction or Alert #34 Long uncommitted criteria are, and vice versa.

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Foxhound 4 » 7. The Monitor Options Page » 12. AutoDrop Criteria 

AutoDrop #4 - Temp file usage - Automatically drop each connection that uses [512M] or more of temporary file space for [10] or more recent samples.

The AutoDrop #4 enabled checkbox specifies whether or not you want Foxhound to check for this condition.

The "uses xxx or more" text box specifies the amount of temporary space in bytes (minimum 1024), k, M, G or T; e.g., 1000000, 100k, 200M, 5G, 1T.

The "for xxx or more recent samples" text box specifies a count of 1 or more samples taken by the Foxhound Database Monitor.

AutoDrop #4 - Temp file usage is supported for target databases running on SQL Anywhere version 8 and later, and is based on the database-level PageSize property and the connection-level TempFilePages property.

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Foxhound 4 » 7. The Monitor Options Page » 12. AutoDrop Criteria 

AutoDrop #5 - CPU usage - Automatically drop each connection that uses [25] % or more of approximate CPU time for [10] or more recent samples.

The AutoDrop #5 enabled checkbox specifies whether or not you want Foxhound to check for this condition.

The "uses xxx % or more" text box specifies a percentage of total available CPU time 1 to 100.

The "for xxx or more recent samples" text box specifies a count of 1 or more samples taken by the Foxhound Database Monitor.

AutoDrop #5 - CPU usage is supported for target databases running on SQL Anywhere 10 and later, and is based on the connection-level ApproximateCPUTime property and the server-level NumLogicalProcessorsUsed property.

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Foxhound 4 » 7. The Monitor Options Page » 12. AutoDrop Criteria 

AutoDrop #6 - Locks - Automatically drop each connection that has [1,000,000] or more locks for [10] or more recent samples.

The AutoDrop #6 enabled checkbox specifies whether or not you want Foxhound to check for this condition.

The "has xxx or more" text box specifies a count of 1 or more locks.

The "for xxx or more recent samples" text box specifies a count of 1 or more samples taken by the Foxhound Database Monitor.

AutoDrop #6 - Locks is supported for target databases running on SQL Anywhere 10 and later, and is based on the connection-level LockCount property.

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Foxhound 4 » 7. The Monitor Options Page 
13. Do-Not-AutoDrop Lists

The Do-Not-AutoDrop lists let you divide connections in two broad categories:

The Do-Not-AutoDrop lists let you protect important connections from being dropped by the AutoDrop process, while leaving you free to specify AutoDrop criteria that apply to ordinary connections.

Do-Not-AutoDrop User Id List

Do-Not-AutoDrop Connection Name List


Foxhound 4 » 7. The Monitor Options Page » 13. Do-Not-AutoDrop Lists 

Do-Not-AutoDrop User Id List: Exclude this semicolon-separated list of user ids from being AutoDropped: [xxx;xxx]

The Do-Not-AutoDrop User Id List enabled checkbox specifies whether or not you want Foxhound to check user ids against this list before dropping any connections.

Use semicolons to separate multiple user ids, and don't include any extra spaces; for example:

g.mikhailov;e.reid;n.simpson;x.wang;c.ryan

Note that Foxhound already excludes the following connections; you don't have to specify them in either Do-Not-AutoDrop list:

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Foxhound 4 » 7. The Monitor Options Page » 13. Do-Not-AutoDrop Lists 

Do-Not-AutoDrop Connection Name List: Exclude this semicolon-separated list of connection names from being AutoDropped: [xxx;xxx]

The Do-Not-AutoDrop Connection Name List enabled checkbox specifies whether or not you want Foxhound to check connection names against this list before dropping any connections.

Use semicolons to separate multiple connection names, and don't include any extra spaces; for example:

app;payroll

Note that Foxhound already excludes the following connections; you don't have to specify them in either Do-Not-AutoDrop list:

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Foxhound 4 » 7. The Monitor Options Page 
14. Change Target Settings

The Change Target Settings section lets you change various settings on the target database servers to be more or less favorable to the recording of data for Foxhound to display on the Monitor, History and Connection History pages.

Performance Tip: Changes to these server options on a High Availability primary database or a Read-Only Scale-Out root database will not be automatically transmitted to a secondary or copy database.

However, since these are server options rather than database options, you can use the Favorable? field on the secondary or copy database to make the same changes even though the Foxhound connections to those databases are read-only.

Favorable Current Setting?

Yes / No Buttons

RememberLastPlan -zp:

RememberLastStatement -zl:

RequestTiming -zt:


Foxhound 4 » 7. The Monitor Options Page » 14. Change Target Settings 

Favorable Current Setting?

The Favorable Current Setting? column is refreshed when the Monitor Options page is displayed and whenever one of the Yes / No buttons is pressed:

Performance Tip: After a High Availability failover, it is possible for the Favorable? field on the Monitor page for the secondary database to show different values from the Change Target Settings section on the Monitor Options page for the "same" database (which isn't actually the same any more).

If the target database is a High Availability secondary database and a failover occurs (primary fails, secondary takes over), the Favorable Current Settings? column may show [not available].

The reason for this is that the Monitor Options - Change Target Settings section attempts to open a new connection to the secondary database, and the database that used to be the secondary is now the primary so there's no secondary database available. The Foxhound sampling session, however, remains connected to the original database (once the secondary, now the primary) so there is an apparent inconsistency between Favorable Current Settings? showing [not available], and the Foxhound Monitor page showing that everything is OK.

But wait, there's more! If the failed database that was the original primary database is restarted, it will become the new secondary database, and the Favorable Current Settings? column will show actual values rather than [not available]... but those values will be coming from a different database than the Foxhound sampling session is showing. That's because the Monitor Options - Change Target Settings section opens a new connection to the secondary database, and the Foxhound Monitor session remains connected to the original database (once the secondary, now the primary).


Foxhound 4 » 7. The Monitor Options Page » 14. Change Target Settings 

Yes / No Buttons

The and buttons let you immediately change the corresponding setting, but they're disabled if the setting is not available.

Performance Tip: Changes to these server options on a High Availability primary database or a Read-Only Scale-Out root database will not be automatically transmitted to a secondary or copy database.

However, since these are server options rather than database options, you can use the Change Target Settings feature to make the same changes to the secondary or copy database even though the Foxhound connections to those databases are read-only.


Foxhound 4 » 7. The Monitor Options Page » 14. Change Target Settings 

RememberLastPlan -zp:

The RememberLastPlan server option controls whether or not anything is displayed in the following connection-level field on the Monitor, History and Connection History pages:

Changes to RememberLastPlan affect both new and existing connections.

You can also enable RememberLastPlan server option as follows:

A user id with DBA authority is necessary for Foxhound to call the sa_server_option() procedure to set the RememberLastPlan option for target databases running on versions 12 and earlier of SQL Anywhere. For version 16 target databases the SERVER OPERATOR privilege is required.

The RememberLastPlan server option is supported by target databases running on SQL Anywhere version 9 and later.


Foxhound 4 » 7. The Monitor Options Page » 14. Change Target Settings 

RememberLastStatement -zl:

The RememberLastStatement server option controls whether or not anything is displayed in the connection-level fields on the Monitor, History and Connection History pages:

You can also enable RememberLastStatement server option as follows:

If that doesn't work, try turning off client statement caching on the target database:
SET TEMPORARY OPTION MAX_CLIENT_STATEMENTS_CACHED = '0'; 

- or -

SET OPTION PUBLIC.MAX_CLIENT_STATEMENTS_CACHED = '0';

Performance Tip: RememberLastStatement is far more useful than RememberLastPlan and RequestTiming.

Changes to RememberLastStatement affect both new and existing connections.

A user id with DBA authority is necessary for Foxhound to call the sa_server_option() procedure to set the RememberLastStatement option for target databases running on versions 12 and earlier of SQL Anywhere. For version 16 target databases the SERVER OPERATOR privilege is required.

The RememberLastStatement server option is supported by target databases running on SQL Anywhere version 8 and later.


Foxhound 4 » 7. The Monitor Options Page » 14. Change Target Settings 

RequestTiming -zt:

The RequestTiming server option controls whether or not anything is displayed in the following connection-level columns on the Monitor, History and Connection History pages:

You can also enable RequestTiming server option as follows:

The RequestTiming setting controls the following SQL Anywhere statistical properties that Foxhound uses in calculations:

Changes to RequestTiming affect new connections, and they may or may not immediately affect existing connections as follows:

A user id with DBA authority is necessary for Foxhound to call the sa_server_option() procedure to set the RequestTiming option for target databases running on versions 12 and earlier of SQL Anywhere. For version 16 target databases the SERVER OPERATOR privilege is required.

The RequestTiming server option is supported by target databases running on SQL Anywhere version 9 and later.


Foxhound 4 » 7. The Monitor Options Page 
15. Monitor Connection Settings

These settings apply to Foxhound's own connections from the Monitor process to the target databases.

Monitor DEDICATED_TASK Option:

Monitor Connection Name:


Foxhound 4 » 7. The Monitor Options Page » 15. Monitor Connection Settings 

Monitor DEDICATED_TASK Option: Instruct the Foxhound Monitor sampling process to set DEDICATED_TASK option ON for the connection to the target database.

When this feature is in effect, Foxhound's own connection from the Monitor process to the target database will be given a dedicated request-handling task by the SQL Anywhere server running the target database.

This means Foxhound will be more likely to be able to gather samples when the target server is extremely busy, but it also means the target server will have one fewer request-handling tasks available to service other connections.

Here's how to turn it on:

Here's how to turn it off:


Foxhound 4 » 7. The Monitor Options Page » 15. Monitor Connection Settings 

Monitor Connection Name: Set the connection name template for the connections from the Foxhound Monitor process to the target database.

This template is used to create the ConnectionName parameter value used by Foxhound's connection from the Monitor process.

If the template contains the substring nnnn (as in the default Foxhound-Monitor-nnnn) the nnnn substring is replaced at runtime by the Windows Process Identifier (PID) of the SQL Anywhere dbsrv16.exe or dbsrv17.exe process that is running the Foxhound database.

This makes it easier to exactly identify where this connection is coming from when there are a large number of target databases and Foxhound processes running.


Foxhound 4 » 7. The Monitor Options Page 
16. Ping Settings

These settings control how Foxhound uses a custom "ping" process to test separate connections to the target database.

Each time the ping process runs it opens a new connection to the target database via the embedded SQL interface, issues a SELECT @@SPID command and then immediately disconnects.

This is different from the Foxhound Monitor process which connects to the target database via ODBC and keeps that connection open while it collects multiple samples.

Note that the Foxhound ping process does not use the dbping.exe utility that ships with SQL Anywhere, nor does it use the ODBC interface that is used to gather sample data.

Also note that the separate ping process "uses up" another SQL Anywhere connection number each time it runs, which is once approximately every 10 seconds for each target database.

Perform Ping-Only Sampling:

Include Separate Ping:

Ping Connection Name:


Foxhound 4 » 7. The Monitor Options Page » 16. Ping Settings 

Perform Ping-Only Sampling: Run the Foxhound Ping process without gathering any other sample data.

The primary purpose of Ping-Only Sampling is to check for Alert #1 Database unavailable without storing a lot of other data.

Performance Tip: You can also switch back-and-forth to Ping-Only Sampling on a scheduled basis using section 5. Sample Schedule.

The Foxhound Monitor connection to the target database is not required for ping-only sampling. If a Foxhound Monitor connection exists when ping-only sampling begins, it becomes idle; it is not automatically dropped by Foxhound but it's OK if you drop it.

Note: The following sections have no effect when Ping-Only Sampling is performed because Foxhound doesn't gather other sample data:


Foxhound 4 » 7. The Monitor Options Page » 16. Ping Settings 

Include Separate Ping: Specify whether (and when) to include the Foxhound Ping process while Foxhound is gathering other sample data:

These Include Separate Ping settings have no effect if Perform Ping-Only Sampling is enabled (see section above).


Foxhound 4 » 7. The Monitor Options Page » 16. Ping Settings 

Ping Connection Name: Set the connection name template for the connections from the Foxhound Ping process to the target database.

This template is used to create the ConnectionName parameter value used by Foxhound's Ping process.

If the template contains the substring nnnn (as in the default Foxhound-ping-nnnn) the nnnn substring is replaced at runtime by the Windows Process Identifier (PID) of the SQL Anywhere 16 dbsrv16.exe process that is running the Foxhound database.

This makes it easier to exactly identify where this connection is coming from when there are a large number of target databases and Foxhound processes running.


Foxhound 4 » 7. The Monitor Options Page » 16. Ping Settings