Manual Monitoring Citrix Sharefile

User Manual: Monitoring Citrix Sharefile

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Monitoring Citrix ShareFile
eG Enterprise v6.0
Restricted Rights Legend
The information contained in this document is confidential and subject to change without notice. No part of this
document may be reproduced or disclosed to others without the prior permission of eG Innovations Inc. eG
Innovations Inc. makes no warranty of any kind with regard to the software and documentation, including, but not
limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose.
Trademarks
Microsoft Windows, Windows NT, Windows 2003, and Windows 2000 are either registered trademarks or trademarks
of Microsoft Corporation in United States and/or other countries.
The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
Copyright
©2014 eG Innovations Inc. All rights reserved.
Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................................................................... 1
MONITORING CITRIX SHAREFILE ........................................................................................................................................ 2
2.1 The Control Plane Layer ................................................................................................................................................... 4
2.1.1 Control Plane Connectivity Test ............................................................................................................................... 4
2.2 ShareFile Storage Server Health ....................................................................................................................................... 6
2.2.1 ShareFile Upload/Download Servers Test ................................................................................................................ 7
2.3 The ShareFile Zones Layer ............................................................................................................................................... 8
2.3.1 ShareFile Zones Test ................................................................................................................................................. 8
2.4 The ShareFile Service Layer ........................................................................................................................................... 10
2.4.1 ShareFile Account & Users Test ............................................................................................................................. 10
2.4.2 ShareFile Devices Test ............................................................................................................................................ 14
2.4.3 ShareFile Files and Folders Test ............................................................................................................................. 16
2.4.4 ShareFile Operations Test ....................................................................................................................................... 19
CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................................................................................. 22
Table of Figures
Figure 1: The Citrix XenMobile Architecture ........................................................................................................................................................... 1
Figure 2.1: How Citrix ShareFile works .................................................................................................................................................................... 2
Figure 3.2: The layer model of Citrix Sharefile ......................................................................................................................................................... 3
Figure 2.2: The test mapped to the Control Plane layer ............................................................................................................................................. 4
Figure 2.3: The test mapped to the ShareFile Storage Server Health layer ................................................................................................................ 6
Figure 2.4: The test mapped to the ShareFile Zones layer ......................................................................................................................................... 8
Figure 2.5: The tests mapped to the ShareFile Service layer ................................................................................................................................... 10
Figure 2.6: The detailed diagnosis of the Most active employee users measure ...................................................................................................... 14
Figure 2.7: The detailed diagnosis of the Least active employee users measure ...................................................................................................... 14
Figure 2.8: The detailed diagnosis of the Least active employee users measure ...................................................................................................... 14
Figure 2.9: The detailed diagnosis of the Wiped devices measure .......................................................................................................................... 16
Figure 2.10: The detailed diagnosis of the Most active folders measure ................................................................................................................. 19
Figure 2.11: The detailed diagnosis of the Least active folders measure ................................................................................................................. 19
I n t r o d u c t io n
1
Introduction
Citrix XenMobile is an enterprise mobility management solution that provides administrators with mobile device
management (MDM), mobile application management (MAM) and online file-sharing capabilities. To deliver these
services to end-users, the XenMobile software suite includes a wide range of components – the Citrix Netscaler that
authenticates remote user sessions to the app store and ensures secure access, the XenMobile App Controller that
stores the applications and data sources that can be accessed by users, Citrix ShareFile that enables efficient data
sharing and synchronization across users, and the XenMobile MDM (a.k.a the XenMobile Device Manager) that
protects the corporate network from mobile threats by applying configured mobile usage policies on devices and
detecting non-conformances.
Figure 1: The Citrix XenMobile Architecture
The eG Enterprise Suite provides specialized monitors for each of the core components of the Citrix XenMobile
service.
This document details how eG monitors Citrix ShareFile and what metrics it collects from it.
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Monitoring Citrix ShareFile
Citrix ShareFile is a secure enterprise file sync and sharing service that meets the mobility and collaboration needs of
users and the data security requirements of the enterprise. ShareFile enables users to send large documents by
email, securely handle document transfers to third parties, and access a collaboration space from desktops or mobile
devices. ShareFile provides users with a variety of ways to work, including a web-based interface, mobile clients,
desktop tools, and integration with Microsoft Outlook.
The ShareFile product architecture consists of two key components: the ShareFile Control Plane and Citrix-managed
or customer-managed Storage zones.
Figure 2.1: How Citrix ShareFile works
The Control Plane performs functions such as user authentication, access control, reporting and brokering. The
ShareFile Storage Zones feature in ShareFile Enterprise allows IT administrators to choose where corporate data is
stored.
If a user is unable to access the control plane’s web interface or finds that sufficient storage space is not available for
storing documents in storage zones or experiences significant delays when uploading documents using Sharefile,
user productivity will be seriously hit; as a result, users wil end up being disillusioned with the Sharefile technology
and with the Citrix XenMobile service as a whole!
To avoid this, administrators should be able to detect Sharefile-related problems proactively and fix them well before
users notice and complain. For this purpose, eG Enterprise provides a dedicated
Citrix Sharefile
monitoring model.
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Figure 3.1: The layer model of Citrix Sharefile
Each layer of this model is mapped to a tests that uses the Sharefile REST API to pull out a wide range of
performance statistics related to the health of the ShareFile service. To access the API, the eG agent has to be
configured with the email ID and password of a ShareFile user who is vested with ‘Admin’ privileges.
Using the metrics collected from the API, administrators can ascertain the following:
Is the Citrix ShareFile account accessible over the network?
Is the Control Plane online? If so, how long does it take to connect to the Control Plane?
Is the Control Plane able to authenticate the login? If so, how quickly?
Is any storage zone unavailable currently? If so, which one is it?
Which storage zone takes the longest to access?
How many public and private zones have been configured in the ShareFile account? Which are they?
Does the ShareFile account have adequate user licenses? If not, which type of licenses is the account
running short of - employee? or client?
Which are the users who seldom use ShareFile?
Which are the devices who have not connected to ShareFile in a long time?
Has ShareFile locked or wiped any devices? If so, which ones are these?
Is sufficient storage space available for the ShareFile account?
Are folders and files growing at an abnormal rate? Are there any inactive folders that can be deleted
to conserve space?
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The sections that follow will take you on a layer-by-layer tour of the
Citrix ShareFile
monitoring model. However,
since the tests associated with the Network layer have been already dealt with in detail in the
Monitoring Unix and
Windows Servers
document, this chapter will focus on the other layers only.
2.1 The Control Plane Layer
The test mapped to this layer reports the availability and responsiveness of the Control Plane.
Figure 2.2: The test mapped to the Control Plane layer
2.1.1 Control Plane Connectivity Test
As stated earlier, the Control Plane performs functions such as user authentication, access control, reporting and
brokering. The Control Plane is hosted in Citrix datacenters and managed by Citrix as a service.
Following are the components of the Control Plane:
SSL web application servers for ShareFile web interface/web portal access
SSL web API servers for client devices, including all native ShareFile apps and tools
A clustered database that stores user account information, access rights information for file and folder
metadata and user login information. The database in the Control Plane does not contain any user
files or user/corporate data. The database is also securely replicated to a secondary, failover
datacenter location for backup and recovery.
Citrix NetScaler appliances load balance all client requests across the web servers. The NetScaler
appliances and web servers run in the demilitarized zone (DMZ) and the database cluster runs in the
production network behind the firewall.
All traffic from a client device, the web interface or a native tool connects to the Control Plane using 256-bit SSL
encryption. The NetScaler appliances then load balance traffic/requests across the various web servers. Once the
connection with the web servers is made, they communicate with the clustered database for retrieval of requested .
Delays information.
If the Control Plane is unavailable, then device users will not be able to connect to Sharefile. Latencies in Control
Plane connectivity will not only delay access, but adversely impact a user’s experience with Sharefile. Likewise, if
Control Plane fails to authenticate device/client requests to it or takes too long a time to validate such requests, then
again user productivity will suffer. To avoid this, administrators will have to periodically run availability,
authentication, and response time checks on the Control Plane and rapidly detect snags in the connectivity to the
Control Plane. This is exactly what the Control Plane Connectivity test does. This test emulates a user accessing the
ShareFile account via HTTP/HTTPS and in the process, reports whether/not the Control Plane is available. If it is
available, the test also reports the connection time and how long the Control Plane took to authenticate that user
access. This way, the test also promptly captures authentication failures and delays, well before the user registers a
complaint with help desk.
Purpose
Emulates a user accessing Control Plane via HTTP/HTTPS and in the process, reports
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whether/not the Control Plane is available. If it is available, the test also reports the connection
time and how long the Control Plane took to authenticate that user access. This way, the test
also promptly captures authentication failures and delays, well before the user registers a
complaint with help desk.
Target of the
test
Citrix ShareFile
Agent
deploying the
test
A remote agent
Configurable
parameters for
the test
1. TEST PERIOD - How often should the test be executed
2. HOST - The host for which the test is to be configured.
3. PORT – The port at which the HOST listens. By default, this is
NULL
.
4. EMAIL ID – Provide the email ID of the Sharefile user with ‘Admin’ access to Sharefile. The
credentials of this user are necessary for connecting to the Sharefile REST API, running API
commands, and pulling out metrics.
5. PASSWORD – Specify the password associated with the configured EMAIL ID.
6. CONFIRM PASSWORD – Confirm the PASSWORD by retyping it here.
7. SSL – Indicate whether/not Sharefile is SSL-enabled. By default, this flag is set to Yes.
Outputs of the
test
One set of results for the ShareFile account monitored
Measurements
made by the
test
Measurement
Measurement
Unit
Interpretation
Availability:
The values that this measure reports and
their corresponding numeric values are listed
in the table below:
Measure Value
Numeric Value
Online
1
Offline
0
Note:
By default, this measure reports the Measure
Values discussed in the table above.
However, in the graph of this measure, the
status of the Control Plane is indicated using
the numeric equivalents only.
Connection time:
Secs
A high value indicates connection latencies.
This can be caused by a flaky network
connection, excessive bandwidth usage by
traffic over the connection, and poor network
configuration. If Netscaler takes time to load-
balance and route the request to a particular
web server, connection time will increase.
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Authentication status:
The values that this measure reports and
their corresponding numeric values are listed
in the table below:
Measure Value
Numeric Value
Success
1
Failure
0
Note:
By default, this measure reports the Measure
Values discussed in the table above.
However, in the graph of this measure, the
authentication status is indicated using the
numeric equivalents only.
Authentication time:
Days
An unusually high value for this measure
indicates an authentication delay. This can
occur if the web server hosting the Control
Plane’s web interface is slow. Another
common reason for this is the non-
availability/poor responsiveness of the
clustered database where the user
credentials are stored.
2.2 ShareFile Storage Server Health
Using the test mapped to this layer, administrators can determine the availability and responsiveness of the ShareFile
storage zones.
Figure 2.3: The test mapped to the ShareFile Storage Server Health layer
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2.2.1 ShareFile Upload/Download Servers Test
ShareFile allows administrators to choose in which storage zone they prefer to store corporate data. Administrators
can choose Citrix-managed (public) secure cloud storage options and/or customer-managed (private) storage zones.
With Citrix-managed storage zones, customers can place their data in a choice of worldwide locations managed by
Citrix. They can choose between Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services enterprise-class datacenters.
With customer-managed StorageZones, IT can place data in the organization’s own datacenter to help meet unique
data sovereignty and compliance requirements or leverage Microsoft Azure cloud storage.
The true test of the efficiency of a storage zone lies in its easy, uninterrupted, and rapid access. Therefore, to
understand which storage zone is most efficient and is best suited for their storage requirements, administrators
should periodically check the accessibility of every storage zone, measure the time it takes to connect to each zone,
and compare these parameters across all zones. This is where the ShareFile Upload/Download test helps. This test
auto-discovers the storage zones configured on ShareFile and reports the availability and access time of each storage
zone. By comparing the metrics reported by this test across storage zones, administrators can accurately pinpoint the
following:
Available and unavailable storage zones;
The storage zone that can be accessed quickly;
The storage zone that takes a long time to be accessed.
Purpose
Auto-discovers the storage zones configured on ShareFile and reports the availability and access
time of each storage zone
Target of the
test
Citrix ShareFile
Agent
deploying the
test
A remote agent
Configurable
parameters for
the test
1. TEST PERIOD - How often should the test be executed
2. HOST - The host for which the test is to be configured.
3. PORT – The port at which the HOST listens. By default, this is
NULL
.
4. EMAIL ID – Provide the email ID of the Sharefile user with ‘Admin’ access to Sharefile. The
credentials of this user are necessary for enabling this test to connect to the Sharefile REST
API, running API commands, and pulling out metrics.
5. PASSWORD – Specify the password associated with the configured EMAIL ID.
6. CONFIRM PASSWORD – Confirm the PASSWORD by retyping it here.
7. SSL – Indicate whether/not Sharefile is SSL-enabled. By default, this flag is set to Yes.
Outputs of the
test
One set of results for each storage zone monitored
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Measurements
made by the
test
Measurement
Measurement
Unit
Interpretation
Availability:
The values that this measure reports and
their corresponding numeric values are listed
in the table below:
Measure Value
Numeric Value
Online
1
Offline
0
Note:
By default, this measure reports the Measure
Values discussed in the table above.
However, in the graph of this measure, the
status of a storage zone is indicated using the
numeric equivalents only.
Response time:
Secs
A high value indicates slowness in connecting
to the storage zone. Compare the value of
this measure across storage zones to know
which storage zone is the quickest and which
is the slowest to access. Once the slow
storage zones are identifies, you may want to
investigate the reasons for the slowness.
2.3 The ShareFile Zones Layer
With the help of the test mapped to this layer, administrators can determine the number and types of storage zones
configured on the monitored ShareFile account.
Figure 2.4: The test mapped to the ShareFile Zones layer
2.3.1 ShareFile Zones Test
To know the number, names, and types of storage zones that have been configured on ShareFile, administrators can
use the ShareFile Zones test.
Purpose
To know the number, names, and types of storage zones that have been configured on
ShareFile
Target of the
test
Citrix ShareFile
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Agent
deploying the
test
A remote agent
Configurable
parameters for
the test
1. TEST PERIOD - How often should the test be executed
2. HOST - The host for which the test is to be configured.
3. PORT – The port at which the HOST listens. By default, this is
NULL
.
4. EMAIL ID – Provide the email ID of the Sharefile user with ‘Admin’ access to Sharefile. The
credentials of this user are necessary for enabling this test to connect to the Sharefile REST
API, running API commands, and pulling out metrics.
5. PASSWORD – Specify the password associated with the configured EMAIL ID.
6. CONFIRM PASSWORD – Confirm the PASSWORD by retyping it here.
7. SSL – Indicate whether/not Sharefile is SSL-enabled. By default, this flag is set to Yes.
8. DETAILED DIAGNOSIS - To make diagnosis more efficient and accurate, the eG
Enterprise suite embeds an optional detailed diagnostic capability. With this capability, the
eG agents can be configured to run detailed, more elaborate tests as and when specific
problems are detected. To enable the detailed diagnosis capability of this test for a
particular server, choose the On option. To disable the capability, click on the Off option.
The option to selectively enable/disable the detailed diagnosis capability will be available
only if the following conditions are fulfilled:
The eG manager license should allow the detailed diagnosis capability
Both the normal and abnormal frequencies configured for the detailed diagnosis
measures should not be 0.
Outputs of the
test
One set of results for the Citrix ShareFile account that is monitored
Measurements
made by the
test
Measurement
Measurement
Unit
Interpretation
Total zones:
Number
Private zones:
Number
With customer-managed or private
StorageZones, IT can place data in the
organization’s own datacenter to help meet
unique data sovereignty and compliance
requirements or leverage Microsoft Azure
cloud storage.
Use the detailed diagnosis of this measure to
identify the private zones that have been
configured.
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Public zones:
Number
Public zones are Citrix-managed zones, which
allow customers to place their data in a
choice of worldwide locations managed by
Citrix. They can choose between Microsoft
Azure and Amazon Web Services enterprise-
class datacenters.
Use the detailed diagnosis of this measure to
identify the public zones that have been
configured.
Storage centers:
Number
ShareFile Storage Center extends the
ShareFile Software as a Service (SaaS) cloud
storage by providing a ShareFile account with
on-premises private storage, referred to as
StorageZones. A ShareFile Storage Center is
a private single-tenant storage system
maintained by a customer and can be used
only by that customer’s ShareFile account.
2.4 The ShareFile Service Layer
This layer indicates the quality of service delivered by ShareFile by reporting:
Storage space usage
License usage
Device activity
File and folder growth
Figure 2.5: The tests mapped to the ShareFile Service layer
2.4.1 ShareFile Account & Users Test
Accounts represent Tenants in ShareFile.com - an isolated area in ShareFile.com. ShareFile Accounts represent a
single customer boundary and are represented by the subdomain names. noteThe metrics reported by the ShareFile
Account & Users test help administrators manage their ShareFile account better and exercise greater control over
ShareFile usage and users. This test reports how the ShareFile account being monitored uses its employee licenses,
and thus proactively alerts administrators to a potential license shortfall. The storage space usage is also tracked, so
that probable space crunches can be pre-emptively detected and mitigated. In addition, the test studies how the
configured employee and client users use ShareFile and points to those users who frequently use Sharefile and those
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who seldom use this service. Based on this, administrators can plan future license requirements effectively and
efficiently.
Purpose
To know the number, names, and types of storage zones that have been configured on
ShareFile
Target of the
test
Citrix ShareFile
Agent
deploying the
test
A remote agent
Configurable
parameters for
the test
1. TEST PERIOD - How often should the test be executed
2. HOST - The host for which the test is to be configured.
3. PORT – The port at which the HOST listens. By default, this is
NULL
.
4. EMAIL ID – Provide the email ID of the Sharefile user with ‘Admin’ access to Sharefile. The
credentials of this user are necessary for enabling this test to connect to the Sharefile REST
API, running API commands, and pulling out metrics.
5. PASSWORD – Specify the password associated with the configured EMAIL ID.
6. CONFIRM PASSWORD – Confirm the PASSWORD by retyping it here.
7. SSL – Indicate whether/not Sharefile is SSL-enabled. By default, this flag is set to Yes.
8. REPORT BY EMPLOYEE – Set this flag to Yes if you want the test to report detailed
diagnostics for the
Most active employee users
and
Least active employee users
measures.
Turn off this flag, if you do not want detailed diagnostics for these measures.
9. REPORT BY CLIENT – Set this flag to Yes if you want the test to report detailed
diagnostics for the
Most active client users
and
Least active client users
measures. Turn off
this flag, if you do not want detailed diagnostics for these measures.
10. DAYS – Specify the number of days of inactivity beyond which a user will be counted as
inactive
or
least active
. For instance, if the number 30 is specified against DAYS, then this
test will include all users who have not logged into ShareFile for the last 30 days (or more)
in the
Least active users
count. Likewise, this test will count all users who logged into
ShareFile at least once during the last 30 days as
Most active users
.
11. DETAILED DIAGNOSIS - To make diagnosis more efficient and accurate, the eG
Enterprise suite embeds an optional detailed diagnostic capability. With this capability, the
eG agents can be configured to run detailed, more elaborate tests as and when specific
problems are detected. To enable the detailed diagnosis capability of this test for a
particular server, choose the On option. To disable the capability, click on the Off option.
The option to selectively enable/disable the detailed diagnosis capability will be available
only if the following conditions are fulfilled:
The eG manager license should allow the detailed diagnosis capability
Both the normal and abnormal frequencies configured for the detailed diagnosis
measures should not be 0.
Outputs of the
test
One set of results for the Citrix ShareFile account that is monitored
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Measurements
made by the
test
Measurement
Measurement
Unit
Interpretation
Plan type:
ShareFile offers several plans to fit every
company size and budget. The plans differ in
the number of employees, included features,
and amount of bandwidth and storage. All
plans provide unlimited accounts for the
clients and partners, custom branding, and
telephone customer support. Depending upon
the type of plan chosen, the value of this
measure can be one of the following:
Basic
Professional
Corporate
Enterprise
The numeric values that correspond to each
of the measure values above are as follows:
Measure Value
Numeric Value
Basic
1
Professional
2
Corporate
3
Enterprise
4
Note:
By default, this test reports one of the
Measure Values listed in the table above to
indicate the plan. In the graph of this
measure, the plan type is represented using
the numeric equivalents only.
Base employee licenses:
Number
Used employee licenses:
Number
Employee licenses usage:
Percent
A value close to 100% is a cause for concern,
as it indicates that employee licenses are
about to be exhausted. To ensure that more
employees use ShareFile, you will have to
purchase additional employee licenses.
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Base disk space:
MB
Used disk space:
MB
Storage usage:
Percent
A value close to 100% indicates a potential
contention for disk space. You may have to
allocate more space to your storage zones or
configure more storage zones to provide for
additional space.
Employee users:
Number
Use the detailed diagnosis of this measure to
know who are the employee users.
Client users:
Number
Use the detailed diagnosis of this measure to
know who are the client users.
Most active employee
users:
Number
Use the detailed diagnosis of this measure to
know the names of the most active employee
users.
Least active employee
users:
Number
This measure reports the number of
employee users who have not logged into
ShareFile beyond the duration specified
against the DAYS parameter.
Use the detailed diagnosis of this measure to
know the names of the least active employee
users.
Most active client users:
Number
Use the detailed diagnosis of this measure to
know the names of the most active client
users.
Least active client users:
Number
This measure reports the number of client
users who have not logged into ShareFile
beyond the duration specified against the
DAYS parameter.
Use the detailed diagnosis of this measure to
know the names of the least active client
users.
Total users:
Number
The value of this measure is the sum of the
value of the
Employee users
and
Client users
measures.
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Use the detailed diagnosis of the
Most active employee users
measure to know the names of the most active
employee users and when they logged in last.
Figure 2.6: The detailed diagnosis of the Most active employee users measure
Use the detailed diagnosis of the
Least active employee users
measure to know the names of the least active
employee users and when they logged in last.
Figure 2.7: The detailed diagnosis of the Least active employee users measure
Use the detailed diagnosis of the
Least active client users
measure to know the names of the least active client users
and then they logged in last.
Figure 2.8: The detailed diagnosis of the Least active employee users measure
2.4.2 ShareFile Devices Test
Administrators should keep an eye on the devices that are actively using the ShareFile account, so that
sudden/unexpected spikes in the count of active devices can be detected and the reasons investigated. This load-
focus also helps administrators understand how effectively their device licenses have been utilized, so that they can
precisely tell when more licenses will have to be purchased. The status of these devices should also be tracked at
regular intervals, so that administrators know which devices continue to be a threat to the Sharefile environment and
for which ones the ban can be lifted.
To perform all the aforesaid checks, the ShareFile Devices test can be used! This test keeps tabs on the devices that
are active on the ShareFile account at any given point in time, and thus points to the current device load on
ShareFile. Moreover, the test reveals the number and names of devices that have been locked, wiped, or waiting to
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be wiped, so that administrators can accurately identify those devices (if any) for which such restrictions can be
revoked and those on which they need to be maintained.
Purpose
Keeps tabs on the devices that are active on the ShareFile account at any given point in time,
and thus points to the current device load on ShareFile. Moreover, the test reveals the number
and names of devices that have been locked, wiped, or waiting to be wiped, so that
administrators can accurately identify those devices (if any) for which such restrictions can be
revoked and those on which they need to be maintained
Target of the
test
Citrix ShareFile
Agent
deploying the
test
A remote agent
Configurable
parameters for
the test
1. TEST PERIOD - How often should the test be executed
2. HOST - The host for which the test is to be configured.
3. PORT – The port at which the HOST listens. By default, this is
NULL
.
4. EMAIL ID – Provide the email ID of the Sharefile user with ‘Admin’ access to Sharefile. The
credentials of this user are necessary for enabling this test to connect to the Sharefile REST
API, running API commands, and pulling out metrics.
5. PASSWORD – Specify the password associated with the configured EMAIL ID.
6. CONFIRM PASSWORD – Confirm the PASSWORD by retyping it here.
7. SSL – Indicate whether/not Sharefile is SSL-enabled. By default, this flag is set to Yes.
8. DAYS – Here, specify how frequently a device should have accessed ShareFile for it to be
counted as an
Active/Connected
device. For instance, if the number 30 is specified against
DAYS, then this test will include all devices that have accessed ShareFile at least once in
the last 30 days (or more) in the
Active/Connected Devices
count.
9. DETAILED DIAGNOSIS - To make diagnosis more efficient and accurate, the eG
Enterprise suite embeds an optional detailed diagnostic capability. With this capability, the
eG agents can be configured to run detailed, more elaborate tests as and when specific
problems are detected. To enable the detailed diagnosis capability of this test for a
particular server, choose the On option. To disable the capability, click on the Off option.
The option to selectively enable/disable the detailed diagnosis capability will be available
only if the following conditions are fulfilled:
The eG manager license should allow the detailed diagnosis capability
Both the normal and abnormal frequencies configured for the detailed diagnosis
measures should not be 0.
Outputs of the
test
One set of results for the Citrix ShareFile account that is monitored
Measurements
made by the
Measurement
Measurement
Unit
Interpretation
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test
Active/Connected
Devices:
Number
This measure reports the count of devices
that have connected to ShareFile at least
once in the configured number of DAYS.
To know which are the active devices, use
the detailed diagnosis of this measure.
Recently registered
devices:
Number
Locked devices:
Number
If the device is lost, but administrators are
not sure it was stolen, they can remotely
"lock" the device.
Use the detailed diagnosis of this measure to
know which devices have been locked.
Devices in wipe requested
state:
Number
If a device is stolen or lost, administrators
can send a request to have all data on that
device erased. To know the devices for which
such wipe requests have been sent, use the
detailed diagnosis of this measure.
Wiped devices:
Number
Use the detailed diagnosis of this measure to
know from which devices data has been
wiped.
Total devices:
Number
Use the detailed diagnosis of the
Wiped devices
measure to know from which devices data has been wiped, the user
using that device, the email ID of that user, and when the device last logged in.
Figure 2.9: The detailed diagnosis of the Wiped devices measure
2.4.3 ShareFile Files and Folders Test
Files within ShareFile can be grouped into folders in order to organize the files and manage permissions. If these files
and folders are allowed to grow uncontrollably, then at some point in time, ShareFile will have no storage space for
new files. Such an eventuality, may not only impact user productivity but may beat the very purpose of ShareFile. To
M o n i t o r i n g C i t r i x S h a r e F i l e
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avoid this, administrators should closely monitor the rate at which the number of files and the size of folders in a
ShareFile account are growing, proactive detect alarming growth patterns, and promptly take action to curb the
growth, so as to conserve storage space. This is exactly what the ShareFile Files and Folders test does! This test
tracks the growth in the number and size of files and folders (respectively) and sends out email/SMS alerts to users if
unusual/disturbing growth patterns are noticed. In addition, detailed diagnostics provided by the test also points
administrators to those folders that are used the least. This information helps administrators know which folders are
ideal candidates for deletion when efforts are taken to reduce space consumption in a ShareFile account.
Purpose
Tracks the growth in the number and size of files and folders (respectively) and sends out
email/SMS alerts to users if unusual/disturbing growth patterns are noticed. In addition, detailed
diagnostics provided by the test also points administrators to those folders that are used the
least. This information helps administrators know which folders are ideal candidates for deletion
when efforts are taken to reduce space consumption in a ShareFile account.
Target of the
test
Citrix ShareFile
Agent
deploying the
test
A remote agent
Configurable
parameters for
the test
1. TEST PERIOD - How often should the test be executed
2. HOST - The host for which the test is to be configured.
3. PORT – The port at which the HOST listens. By default, this is
NULL
.
4. EMAIL ID – Provide the email ID of the Sharefile user with ‘Admin’ access to Sharefile. The
credentials of this user are necessary for enabling this test to connect to the Sharefile REST
API, running API commands, and pulling out metrics.
5. PASSWORD – Specify the password associated with the configured EMAIL ID.
6. CONFIRM PASSWORD – Confirm the PASSWORD by retyping it here.
7. SSL – Indicate whether/not Sharefile is SSL-enabled. By default, this flag is set to Yes.
8. DAYS – Here, specify the period of inactivity beyond which a folder is counted as a
Least
used folder
by this test. For instance, if the number 30 is specified against DAYS, then this
test will include all folders that have not been accessed even once in the last 30 days (or
more) in the
Least used folders
count. Similarly, all folders that have been used at least
once in the last 30 days will be counted as
Most used folders
.
9. DETAILED DIAGNOSIS - To make diagnosis more efficient and accurate, the eG
Enterprise suite embeds an optional detailed diagnostic capability. With this capability, the
eG agents can be configured to run detailed, more elaborate tests as and when specific
problems are detected. To enable the detailed diagnosis capability of this test for a
particular server, choose the On option. To disable the capability, click on the Off option.
The option to selectively enable/disable the detailed diagnosis capability will be available
only if the following conditions are fulfilled:
The eG manager license should allow the detailed diagnosis capability
Both the normal and abnormal frequencies configured for the detailed diagnosis
measures should not be 0.
Outputs of the
test
One set of results for the Citrix ShareFile account that is monitored
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Measurements
made by the
test
Measurement
Measurement
Unit
Interpretation
Folders:
Number
Folders size:
MB
Growth rate of folder size:
Percent
A very high value for this measure is a cause
for concern as it indicates that folder size is
growing rapidly. To curb the growth, you
may want to remove unused/seldom used
folders from the storage zone.
Asynchronous operations:
Number
Most active folders:
Number
This measure reports the count of folders
that have been accessed at least once in the
number of DAYS configured for this test.
Use the detailed diagnosis of this measure to
know which folders have been actively used.
Least used folders:
Number
This measure reports the count of folders
that have not been accessed even once in
the number of DAYS configured for this test.
Use the detailed diagnosis of this measure to
know which folders have been seldom
accessed.
Files:
Number
Growth rate of files count:
Percent
A very high value for this measure is a cause
for concern as it indicates that file count is
growing rapidly. To curb the growth, you
may want to remove unused/seldom used
folders from the storage zone.
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Use the detailed diagnosis of this measure to know which folders have been actively used, when they were created,
and when they were last modified.
Figure 2.10: The detailed diagnosis of the Most active folders measure
Use the detailed diagnosis of this measure to know which folders have been not been actively used, when they were
created, and when they were last modified.
Figure 2.11: The detailed diagnosis of the Least active folders measure
2.4.4 ShareFile Operations Test
One of the reasons why users opt for ShareFile is that it enables them to quickly and securely upload, download, and
even delete files from anywhere through any desktop/device. However, at runtime, if ShareFile is unable to deliver
the high-quality experience it promises , IT will be forced to hunt for alternatives. To avoid such an outcome,
administrators should make sure that the guaranteed ShareFile service levels are delivered at all times. For this,
administrators will have to periodically check the time it takes to upload, download, and delete files from ShareFile,
isolate bottlenecks proactively, and plug the holes before users complain. The ShareFile Operations test helps
administrators in this exercise. At configured intervals, this test emulates a file upload, download, and delete using
ShareFile and reports the time it takes to perform each of these operations. This provides administrators with early
indicators of problem conditions, thus enabling them to resolve the problem before any irrepairable damage is done.
This test is disabled by default. To enable the test, go to the ENABLE / DISABLE TESTS page. To access this page,
follow the Tests -> Enable/Disable menu sequence in the Agents tile of the Admin tile menu. In the ENABLE/DISABLE
TESTS page, pick
Citrix ShareFile
as the Component type,
Performance
as the Test type, choose this test from the
DISABLED TESTS list, and click on the < button to move the test to the ENABLED TESTS list. Finally, click the Update
button.
Purpose
At configured intervals, this test emulates a file upload, download, and delete using ShareFile
and reports the time it takes to perform each of these operations
Target of the
test
Citrix ShareFile
Agent
deploying the
test
A remote agent
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20
Configurable
parameters for
the test
1. TEST PERIOD - How often should the test be executed
2. HOST - The host for which the test is to be configured.
3. PORT – The port at which the HOST listens. By default, this is
NULL
.
4. EMAIL ID – Provide the email ID of the Sharefile user with ‘Admin’ access to Sharefile. The
credentials of this user are necessary for enabling this test to connect to the Sharefile REST
API, running API commands, and pulling out metrics.
5. PASSWORD – Specify the password associated with the configured EMAIL ID.
6. CONFIRM PASSWORD – Confirm the PASSWORD by retyping it here.
7. SSL – Indicate whether/not Sharefile is SSL-enabled. By default, this flag is set to Yes.
8. PATH TO UPLOAD – When this test runs for the very first time, it automatically creates the
file to be uploaded on the eG agent host. Against PATH TO UPLOAD, you need to specify
the full path to the folder in which the file has to be created. Once the file becomes available
in the specified folder, the test will try to upload it to ShareFile. Then, the test will try to
download the same file from ShareFile to the path specified against PATH TO UPLOAD.
Next, the eG agent will attempt to delete the file from ShareFile.
Outputs of the
test
One set of results for the Citrix ShareFile account that is monitored
Measurements
made by the
test
Measurement
Measurement
Unit
Interpretation
Upload status:
The values that this measure can report and
their corresponding numeric values are
discussed in the table below:
Measure Value
Numeric Value
Success
1
Failed
0
Note:
By default, this measure reports the Measure
Values discussed in the table above.
However, in the graph of this measure, the
upload status is indicated using the numeric
equivalents only.
Time taken for upload:
Secs
Ideally, the value of this measure should be
low. A high value is indicative of a poor
upload experience with ShareFile. The
reasons for the same should be investigated.
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Download status:
The values that this measure can report and
their corresponding numeric values are
discussed in the table below:
Measure Value
Numeric Value
Success
1
Failed
0
If upload fails, then download and delete will
fail.
Note:
By default, this measure reports the Measure
Values discussed in the table above.
However, in the graph of this measure, the
download status is indicated using the
numeric equivalents only.
Time taken for download:
Secs
Ideally, the value of this measure should be
low. A high value is indicative of a poor
download experience with ShareFile. The
reasons for the same should be investigated.
Delete status:
The values that this measure can report and
their corresponding numeric values are
discussed in the table below:
Measure Value
Numeric Value
Success
1
Failed
0
If upload fails, then download and delete will
fail.
Note:
By default, this measure reports the Measure
Values discussed in the table above.
However, in the graph of this measure, the
delete status is indicated using the numeric
equivalents only.
Time taken for delete:
Secs
Ideally, the value of this measure should be
low. A high value is indicative of a poor file
deletion experience with ShareFile. The
reasons for the same should be investigated.
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Conclusion
This document has described in detail the monitoring paradigm used and the measurement capabilities of the eG
Enterprise suite of products with respect to the Citrix ShareFile. For details of how to administer and use the eG
Enterprise suite of products, refer to the user manuals.
We will be adding new measurement capabilities into the future versions of the eG Enterprise suite. If you can
identify new capabilities that you would like us to incorporate in the eG Enterprise suite of products, please contact
support@eginnovations.com. We look forward to your support and cooperation. Any feedback regarding this manual
or any other aspects of the eG Enterprise suite can be forwarded to feedback@eginnovations.com.

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