The best practices to monitor your server

You can setup these to watch if your server is functioning as it should. The result of monitoring emails will make it very easy for you to find the source of the problem and fix it.

Monitors to setup for each (skip item if not applies to you):

• If you are hosting a web site, create a monitor with HTTP(s) ping protocol for your domain name and make sure you check SSL certificate as well on advanced options. If your server has no webserver skip this item.

• Create a monitor with Ping (ICMP) protocol to the IP of your server. This will tell you if your server is alive. Combined with #1, you can find out if both are not working (server or internet problem) OR if one is working, can be domain registry, DNS, etc… problem.

• If you are running Crontabs on your server, create Heartbeat.
• Create a monitor to check Host / Port – 443 for HTTPS. This will tell you if your web server service is down if #1 is false and #2 is true. You may also check Port 80 if you are using for HTTP additionally.
• If you are running FTP, create a monitor for Port 20 or 21 depending your FTP server service.
• If you are running TELNET, create a monitor for Port 23.
• If you are running a mail server, create monitors for these ports for mail services. At least depending on result you can pinpoint problem and how urgent it is. Like your users may not be getting emails on IMAP port but your server may still be accepting emails so you have time to finish that coffee peacefully.

• If you are using RDP, create a monitor for port 3389.
• If you are using SSH, create a monitor for port 22.
• If you are running DHCP, create two monitors for ports 67 and 68.
• If you have DNS server, create a monitor for port 53.
• If you want to extend your monitoring to learn if your web site is hacked or not, create a monitor with  ‘Custom Response” for your web site and put something that your website has in body.
• If you want to check forms on your website use ‘Custom Request” to post data. You can use these on many forms. Also check if logins to your website is working or not.

Have a safe monitoring!