Contents Getting Started Setting Up Your Servers Navigating the UI Dashboard Manage Managing Servers Add Server Groups View Server information Management Function Icons File System Monitor Linux Packages Running Commands Patch/Update Manager  Managing Clouds View Cloud Provider Accounts Adding Cloud Providers Launch/Terminate Servers Install/Reinstall Agent on Existing Servers Library The Script Library Create or Upload Scripts Edit Scripts Run/Automate Scripts Create/Launch Templates Buy Scripts from the App Store Server Templates Creating Templates Launching Templates Operations Checking Job Status Editing Jobs Cancelling or Modifying Automated Jobs Admin

Getting Started

This quick start guide introduces you to ScaleXtreme's basic features so you can immediately begin using ScaleXtreme's powerful functionality to manage your servers across your datacenter and clouds. For more detailed instructions on how to use ScaleXtreme's cloud-based systems management features, and to get the most out of ScaleXtreme, see our Documentation.

This guide assumes that you have already accessed ScaleXtreme at http://www.manage.scalextreme.com, created and signed-in to your free ScaleXtreme Xpress account, and setup your machines by installing the ScaleXtreme agent on the machines you wish to manage. If you have not yet done so, please review our Getting Started documentation.

Setting Up Your Servers

Before you can use ScaleXtreme to manage your systems from the cloud, the ScaleXtreme software agent must be installed on the machines you wish to manage. Once the agent is installed on your machines, you can begin managing your systems through the ScaleXtreme UI. For detailed instructions on linking your servers to your ScaleXtreme account and installing the agent on your servers, see Setting up Your Servers.

Navigating the UI

All functions in ScaleXtreme are accessible via the top navigation bar. Clicking on the name of a function opens a tab for that particular function. Once you have opened a tab, you can proceed with carrying out the management activities available in the window. Only one function tab can be opened at a time.

  

Tabs are generally divided into two main sections: A left-side window where you can select objects (such as a  a server, a cloud provider account, a script, a template, etc.); and a bigger right-side window, where you can view data and/or perform any number of actions on selected object(s). This example shows the Manage tab: A server is selected in the Manage menu (at left), opening a Server Information window, where you can view detailed data about the selected server. Note the row of management function icons above the window which you can use to perform a variety of management tasks on the selected server:

 

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Dashboard

Panels

When you first login to your ScaleXtreme account, the program opens to the Dashboard tab. The Dashboard gives you a birds-eye-view of your entire system in a single location. Multiple panel displays are included that report on the status of your infrastructure and system activities. You can view data on server activies, recent events, and the status of your automated scripted routines (aka "jobs"). 

 

 

Social Functions

The Dashboard also includes special "social" panels that can help admins communicate important information to other admins and system users. This includes a Wall panel for posting and viewing messages; and a Twitter panel that displays updates on recent server events (Note: To receive updates on server events via Twitter you must sign up for a new and private Twitter account. For more information, see www.twitter.com). 

For more information on the ScaleXtreme Dashboard, see our Dashboard documentation.

 

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Manage

The Manage tab gives you full-lifecycle control over all servers (physical and virtual) and clouds (public and private) in your system. You can access your servers and clouds via the Manage menu (at left), which is divided into two parts: The top part displays your servers and is organized into hierarchical groupings called "server groups." The lower part of the Manage menu is dedicated to Clouds. Here you get a federated view of all cloud provider accounts linked to your ScaleXtreme account. You can add unlimited new cloud provider accounts, launch and terminate instances on any cloud, and install the ScaleXtreme agent on new and existing instances.

Managing Servers

Once a server is brought under management by installing the Scalextreme agent, it appears in the Manage menu where you can add it to server groups, view server information, and perform a variety of server management functions including browse filesystem and manage files in real time; monitor server performance; get info on Linux packages; run commands via a browser-based command shell, and automate critical software and security updates.

Adding Server Groups

You can create Server Groups that help you organize your physical and virtual machines into logical sets and hierarchies. Server groups are an invaluable feature for large scale production environments, which may include hundreds or thousands of machines, as they allow admins to quickly identify and access servers and perform complex automated tasks across multiple clouds.

When you first create your account, a default set of server groups appears in the Manage menu, including a root level group called "All Servers" and two subgroups called "Linux" and "Windows." By default your servers are initially placed in one of these groups. You can then create your own root-level server groups (or subgroups inside groups), and add servers to those groups (by selecting "static servers" or "dynamic servers") via the Add Server Group wizard.

About Static and Dynamic server selection

Each time you create a new group, whether a Root Server Group or regular Server Group, you will be prompted to select machines. You can do this one at a time by selecting a server from the list, or use a “wildcard” that is dynamic.

• Static Selection: Just pick the servers from the list one at a time. Note that if you add more servers you will have to manually edit the Server Group to add in these new machines.

• Dynamic Selection: You get to type in an expression that dynamically selects servers and places them into the group. The tags are built off of machine attributes. Note that we use JavaScript syntax to define our expression queries.A sample expression is (osn==”linux”&osv==”centos”). The built-in tags that we automatically generate for each system are:

• osn: OS Name
• osv: OS Version
• ip: IP Address
• ifname: Network interface name
• mac: MAC address
• oscat: OS Category
• oshw: Hardware
• netmask: Network netmask

To add a Server Group: 

1. Click  the green (+) icon at the top of the Manage menu. Select Add Server Group. The Add Server Group wizard appears.

   

    

2. Enter a name and description for the group. Click Next.

3. Select the servers you wish to add to the group. Add "static servers" by selecting each server from the server lists; or add "dynamic servers" to the group by entering a query. For Example, entering a query for "OS Name" searches and brings up a list of all available server OS Names (e.g. Linux and Windows).

   

    

4. Click Finish. The new server group is added to the Mange menu server hierarchy. 

Viewing Server Information

To view detailed information about a server, click on the name of the server in the Manage menu. This brings up a Server Information window with details on that particular machine, including OS name and version, IP Address, Mac Address, system architecture (e.g., x86_64) and more.

 

Management Function Icons

When you click  on the name of a server in the Manage menu a set of icons appears directly above the Server Information window. These icons -- File System, Monitor, Linux Packages, System Information, Command Shell, Custom Commands, Update Manager -- let you perform a variety of system management activities on your servers, as discussed in the following sections.

 

File System

The File System icon gives you access to your server filesystem, which you can browse and interact with in real time. You can view directories and perform file management activities, including copying, deleting, and viewing files. You can also run "diff" operations to compare attributes (e.g., owner, file size, etc.) and contents of a file on one server with similar files on other servers -- this is useful for comparing versioned documents or identifying discrepancies between detailed application configuration files.

To browse filesystem and manage files:

1. In the Manage menu, click on the name of the server you wish to access. The management function icons appear. Click on the File System icon. 

   

    

2. The File Explorer window opens showing all directories of the server's root level filesystem. Click on the name of the specific directory containing the file(s) you wish to access. A list of all files contained by the directory appears. Click on the red "more" button to access information about a file and perform management functions, including copy, delete, diff, and view file.

 

 

 

Monitor

Monitor lets you keep an eye on important system metrics with colorful interactive graphs that display data on the status of CPU, Memory, Disk, and Network over time -- daily, monthly, and yearly (similar to Amazon EC2's system stats). The easy-to-see monitor graphs let you evaluate the efficiency of your system and identify anomalies that may point to issues with system components.

To monitor system performance:

1. Click on the name of the server you wish to monitor. Click on the Monitor icon.

   

    

2. The Monitor window opens showing multiple graphs of system performance over time. Click on a graph to view an expanded image; or drag your mouse across the graph to zoom in on a particular section:

 

 

Linux Packages

The Linux Packages icon gives you a list of all Linux packages installed on your system. Clicking on the "more" button for a specific package gives you access to additional information about the package, including a detailed description, pre-requisites, dependencies, and a list of files contained in the package.

To get info on Linux Packages:

1. In the Manage menu, click on the name of the server you wish to access. The management function icons appear. Click on the Linux Packages icon. 

   

2. The Application Explorer window opens displaying a complete listing of all Linux Packages installed on the server. Click on the specific Linux package you wish to view. An information panel opens showing the package name, version, app type, and description. Use the function icons at the bottom of the panel to access more information about the package, including Pre-requisites, Dependencies, Obsoletes, Files, and Cross References.

 

Running Commands

The Manage tab provides three management function icons for running commands directly on each server, as follows:

• System Information: The System information icon gives you access to pre-selected commands that you can use to query the system for basic information about machine performance and ongoing processes.

• Command Shell: The Command Shell icon opens a fully-functional browser-based command shell where you can run commands directly on the server. Think of it as a convenient terminal inside ScaleXtreme.

  

   

• Custom Commands

  The Custom Command icon gives you access to a list of customized Unix commands that have been provided for users by the admin. Admins can add new custom commands via the Admin tab. Custom commands can be tailored to the needs of your organization and can help users evaluate and manage ongoing server processes. 

Patch/Update Manager 

Scalextreme provides automated patch management for both Windows and Linux servers. Our Patch Manager scans your physical, virtual, and cloud-based servers to identify critical software and security updates your servers require. Clicking on the Patch Manager (Windows) or Update Manager (Linux) icon gives you access to ScaleXtreme's patch management features, including a Patch/Update Info graph, showing a day-by-day history of your server updates; and the Patch/Update alert box, which tells you the number of updates available -- and provides features for installing the updates. Note that by convention we use the term "patch" for Windows and "update" for Linux, though the terms are essentially interchangeable.

To access patch management features:

1. Click on the name of the server you wish to update. Click on the Patch Manager (Windows) or Update Manager icon:

   

    

2. The Update Manager window opens, showing the Patch/Update Info graph and Patch/Update alert box:

   

    

To install patches/updates on a server:

1. In the Patch/Updates alert box, click on View Details. 

   

    

2. The Missing Patches/Updates list appears, showing the specific updates available for installation on the server. Select the Updates you wish to install. Click Install Selected Updates.

   

   
   

3. Enter a name for the job and schedule installation of the updates. Then select the target machine where you wish to install the update(s). Click Finish.

   

    

   A message appears to confirm that you have successfully scheduled the update. Click View Results.

4.  The Operations tab opens. Here you can check the status of your update. Here, as an example, we see the results of a job that installed updates for dhclient and perl. The Status column indicates that both primary updates and dependencies have been updated successfully.

   

    

For more information, see our Patch Management documentation. For more information on managing your servers with ScaleXtreme, see Managing Servers.

 

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Managing Clouds

The Manage tab lets you add multiple public and private cloud accounts into a single federated management framework, where you can extend full-lifecycle control over resources on those accounts. You can add new public cloud providers (EC2, Rackspace, Bluelock VDC) and private cloud APIs (VMware vCloud, Citrix CloudStack, OpenStack, and more);  launch and terminate instances; install the ScaleXtreme agent to bring new and existing servers under management; and manage cloud provider expenses with our Cloud Cost reporting.

Viewing Cloud Provider Accounts 

You can access and view information about all of your public and private cloud provider accounts via Clouds.

To view information about a cloud provider account:

1. In the Manage menu at left, click on the plus (+) sign next to the Clouds icon. This opens a list of all cloud providers linked to your ScaleXtreme account.

    

    

2. Click on the name of the specific cloud provider account you wish to view. A summary page opens showing information about the machines currently running on the account, including the total number of servers; the number of servers currently being managed by ScaleXtreme; and the number of machines that are not under management - and thus require installation of the agent to be brought under ScaleXtreme management. 

   In addition, if you have activated Cloud Cost Reporting for the account, your current charges are displayed in the right margin. Cloud costs depend on many factors -- types of instances, location of providers, duration of instances, special features -- and charges can pile up quickly. Cloud Cost reporting helps you monitor these costs and avoid unnecessary expense. Cloud Cost reporting is currently supported for public cloud providers (Amazon EC2 and Rackspace) with support for private cloud APIs (and additional account management features) coming soon.

   

 

Adding Cloud Providers

You can add a broad range of cloud providers and APIs, including existing public cloud provider accounts at Amazon, Rackspace, and Bluelock. Note that you must have appropriate credentials (received when you created your account) to interact with the cloud provider account. In addition, you can add private clouds built on the OpenStack API or VMware's vCloud API (as well as other providers exposing these APIs). 

(Note that because ScaleXtreme is a hosted service available over the public Internet it cannot access private clouds behind a firewall. Thus, it is necessary to instruct the private cloud admin to open inbound ports so that ScaleXtreme can access the API.) For detailed information on requirements for adding public and private clouds, see our Clouds documentation. 

Here we introduce you to the basic process of adding a cloud provider to ScaleXtreme:

To add a Cloud:

1. In the Manage tab, click on the plus icon at the top of the Manage column at left. A list of available Cloud Providers and Cloud APIs appears.

2. Click on “Add Provider” to select one of the listed Cloud Providers or Cloud APIs.

    

    

    

3. Input the requested information. For public cloud provider accounts, you will need to enter the unique credentials provided by the cloud provider when you opened the account. (If you are linking to a private cloud or other provider via a Cloud API over http (such as the OpenStack API ), you must input the URL of the API). This example shows you how to add an Amazon EC2 account:

    

     

   Note that ScaleXtreme Xpress edition lets you add a single cloud provider (public or private) only; while ScaleXtreme Xpert edition lets you add unlimited numbers of public and private clouds. For instructions on upgrading to ScaleXtreme Xpert edition, see Upgrading from ScaleXtreme Xpress to Xpert. 

Launch/Terminate Servers

Once you have added a cloud provider to your management framework, you can launch new servers from the cloud provider's image catalog via ScaleXtreme. Note that when you launch a new instance, the ScaleXtreme agent is automatically installed and the machine will be under ScaleXtreme management. You can also terminate any server on a cloud provider account. 

To Launch an instance:

1. In the Manage menu, click on the plus sign next to the Clouds icon. Click the name of the cloud provider account where you want to launch the instance. The summary list opens. 

2.  Beneath the Summary, is a list of actions you can perform on each cloud. Click "Launch a new server." 

   

    

3. Each cloud provider account has its own steps for launching instances (though the steps are similar for each). Follow the steps to launch an instance for your specific cloud provider account. For example on EC2, first, select the region where you wish to launch the instance; then, choose the AMI (Amazon Machine Image) you wish to run from the AMI image catalog:

    

   

    

4. Complete the steps to launch the instance: Select the instance details (i.e., number of instances, instance type, and availability zone), input your account credentials (Key Pair), configure the firewall. Finally review the information, and launch the instance. Your instance is launched on your Amazon EC2 account. In addition, the ScaleXtreme agent is automatically installed and your new server is now ready to be managed via ScaleXtreme in the Amazon cloud.
5. To terminate a server, click  "Terminate a Server." The Manage instances page appears. Select the server(s) you wish to terminate. Click Delete Server. The selected server is terminated on the cloud provider account. 

For additional information and detailed instructions on using the Clouds tab, see our Clouds documentation.

Installing the agent on existing servers

To manage your machines using ScaleXtreme, our software agent must be installed on the machines you wish to manage. You can use the Clouds feature in the Manage tab to install, uninstall, and reinstall the agent on new and existing machines on any cloud provider account. 

To install the agent on an existing server:

You may have existing machines running on cloud provider accounts that do not yet have the ScaleXtreme software agent installed. You can auto-install the agent on any existing machine,  as follows:

1. Click on the cloud provider account under the Clouds icon. The Summary page appears. Click on "Install Agent on existing servers." 

   

    

2. Select the instance(s) on which you wish to install the agent. Click Install Agent. The Install ScaleXtreme agent script auto-installs the agent on the selected server. 

   

    

Installing the agent on new servers 

When you launch a new instance on any cloud provider via the Manage tab, the agent is automatically installed on the new machine. A green check mark appears next to the name of the instance indicating that the software agent has been installed and the machine is being managed.

Reinstalling the Agent 

In some cases, the ScaleXtreme agent may have been previously installed and appears to be managed, but the machine itself is not reachable over http and does not appear under Manage. This can occur if the agent file is corrupted or inadvertently changed by the system administrator. In such cases we recommend reinstalling the agent via the Manage Instances page, as follows:

1. On the cloud provider’s Overview page, click Managing Instances. The Manage Instances page  appears.
2. Select the instance on which you wish to reinstall the agent.
3. Check “Reinstall if agent already present.” Click Install Agent. The software agent is reinstalled on the selected instance. 

Note that for individual machines, or machines running in a private cloud behind the firewall, it may be necessary to download and manually run the Install ScaleXtreme agent script on the server to bring the server under ScaleXtreme management. To do so, go to Admin > Software Download. For more information, see the Software Downloads section of our Admin documentation. 

 

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Library

Library is a powerful script management environment where you can create, edit, share, purchase, and schedule time-saving scripts that automate routine tasks across your systems. Library features Dynamic Server Assembly (DSA) -- our template-based server modeling technology that lets you rapidly deploy pre-configured instances on cloud provider accounts with pre-selected application stacks already rolled in. Use Library to create new scripts; share scripts with colleagues; schedule automated recurring jobs; download apps from our App Store (LAMP, Java, JBoss, and more); and create your own library of deployment ready server templates.

The Script Library

The Script Library is at the center of ScaleXtreme's script management functionality. Here you can access, view, and perform actions (edit, run, publish, delete, etc.) on any script available for use across your system. The Script Library consists of several folders containing your scripts and categorized as follows:

• My Scripts: The My Scripts folder contains scripts that you have created inside the Library or uploaded to the system. It also contains identical copies of all scripts downloaded from the Scalextreme App Store, which are also stored in the Purchased Scripts folder.
• Org Scripts: The Org Scripts folder contains scripts uploaded by other members of the same "organization" (i.e., users who have permission to access and manage servers through the same account).
• Shared Scripts: The Shared Scripts folder contains scripts that have been shared by other ScaleXtreme users.
• Purchased Scripts: The Purchased folder contains scripts downloaded from the ScaleXtreme App Store.
• My Templates: The My Templates folder contains templates you have created that launch pre-configured instances on cloud provider accounts with scripts included that execute on the instance when it is launched.
• App Store: The ScaleXtreme App Store contains a wide variety of scripts that you can purchase for popular open source applications, stacks, and libraries. Scripts are available for both Linux and Windows platforms. Scripts downloaded from the App Store appear in both the Purchased Scripts folder and My Scripts folder.

 

 

Viewing Script Details

To view script details, click on the script in the Script Library. This opens the Script Details window, which displays the script's code, along with information about the script, including name, type, tags, and a description.

 

Performing Actions on Scripts

The Script Details window also includes a set of function buttons in the upper right corner which you can use to perform various actions on your scripts, including Edit, Run Script, Publish, and Delete, as follows: 

• Edit: The Edit button brings up the Edit Script window, where you can modify and save new version of your scripts. Note that ScaleXtreme has full versioning support, thus, when you edit and save a script, a new version of the script is created. You can access all previous versions of a script via the Version pull-down menu.
• Run Script: The Run Script button brings up the Run Script wizard, where you can select target machines and automate your scripts to run on a recurring basis at regular intervals.
• Publish: The Publish button lets you publish you scripts to the App Store. When you publish a script, ScaleXtreme prompts you for a category (i.e., Linux or Windows) for you script. Note that currently all scripts published to the App Store are available for free download. 
• Delete: The Delete button permanently deletes a script from your system. Deleting a script deletes any and all saved versions of the script as well. Note however that anyone who has purchased a deleted script from the App Store will retain a valid copy of the script.

Creating scripts

You can create new scripts directly inside the Library and share them with other account users, and/or upload pre-existing scripts from your own repository on your local machine. 

To create (or upload) a script: 

Click on the green plus icon at the top of the Script Library. This opens a Create Script dialog box. Enter the script in the space provided, along with the script's name, type, description, and any tags you wish to use. Or, alternately, click the Upload Script button and upload a pre-existing script from your local machine.

Editing scripts

Clicking on any script in the Script Library opens a Script Details window. This displays the script itself, along with info about the script. A drop-down menu tells you which version of the script you are viewing -- click on it to access alternate versions of the script. In addition, a set of buttons is provided for performing operations on the script, including Edit, Run Script, Email a Friend (Share), Publish and Delete.

 

To edit a script:

In the Script Details window for the particular script, click the Edit button. This opens an Edit Script window:

 

Make changes to the script as desired. Click Save. The new version of the script is saved to the Script Library. Note that scripts are versioned in numerical order, thus to view the most recent version that contains your edits, click on the version drop-down menu and select the highest numbered version.

 

Automating Scripts

ScaleXtreme provides powerful automation capability that lets you run scripts on a recurring basis across multiple machines. You can schedule a job to start running at a specific date and time, then repeat according to the schedule you create, and finally to end at a specific pre-set date and time of your choice (or after a set number of occurrences).

Automating your jobs helps you simplify tasks, and can help you increase the efficiency and productivity of your IT organization. For example, you may have machines with critical data that require frequent backups. Automating these jobs with ScaleXtreme can help assure that these critical tasks get done as expected -- and that your data is appropriately protected -- while freeing you and your team to focus on other productive activities.

To automate a script:

In the Script Details window for the specific script your wish to run, click Run Script. This brings up the Run Script Wizard. First, select the target machines on which you wish the script to run. Click Save.

 

 

Next, click on the Schedule tab, and choose Schedule type "Recurring." Then, enter the Start Time" and, in the Repeat Every drop-down menu, choose how frequently you wish the job to repeat.  Finally, enter an "End by" date and time, or, alternately, select the number of occurrences after which the job is to be terminated. 

 

 

Note that once you have launched a job via the Library tab, all further oversight and administration of that job, (including checking job status, editing automation schedules, or canceling jobs) is performed via the Manage tab.

The ScaleXtreme App Store

The ScaleXtreme Appstore is a marketplace for publishing and purchasing scripts. You can choose from a wide variety of frequently used scripts and libraries provided by our community, including LAMP, Java JDK, JBoss, Wordpress, and many more. For more information on the ScaleXtreme App Store, see Buying Scripts from the App Store. 

For detailed information on the Library tab, see our Library documentation.

 

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Server Templates

Server Templates let you rapidly deploy pre-configured instances on cloud provider accounts, with pre-selected scripts already rolled in. You can create a template to launch any available type of Linux or Windows machine in a cloud provider's catalog, then add scripts for the applications you need from the ScaleXtreme Script Library. Use templates to rapidly scale up resources on demand. Create your own library of ScaleXtreme Templates, and launch unlimited numbers of virtual machines with the applications you need already on board. 

Creating Templates

You can create templates that launch pre-configured instances on cloud provider accounts, with scripts rolled in that execute on the instance when it is launched; or, create templates with scripts added that launch on existing virtual or physical machines. 

To create a template:

1. In the Script Library, click on the green (+) icon and choose Add Template. The Create Template window opens.
2. Enter a name and description for the template. Click Next.
3. Choose a cloud provider from the Provider pull-down menu, for example EC2, Rackspace, Bluelock, etc. (Note that you can also choose from the pull-down to launch templates on "Existing Servers" -- a quick way to launch a sets of scripts on multiple virtual or physical machines.)

 

The Configure Instance Details window opens. Follow the steps to configure an instance for the particular cloud provider. Here we see the Configure Instance Details window for EC2:

 

4. Click Add Scripts. The Add Scripts window opens. Choose the scripts you wish to include with the template. Click Add Selected. The selected scripts appear in the Create Template window.

   

5. Click Finish. The View Template window appears. The newly created template appears in the My Templates folder of the Script Library.

For more information on creating templates, see our Getting Started Using Templates guide.

Launching Templates

To Launch a Template:

1. In the My Templates folder, click on the template you wish to launch. The view Template window opens. Click the Launch Template button. The Launch  Template window opens showing the template Description.

   

    

2. Click Next. The System (Resources) page opens, displaying the cloud provider (EC2) and instance details. If you wish to make changes to the instance, click Edit Instance. (Note: If you have chosen to launch a template on "Existing Servers," the name(s) of the machines where the template is launched are displayed.)

   

    

3. Click Next. The Stack (Scripts) page opens, displaying all scripts attached to the template, along with specified script parameters. If you wish to add Parameters to a script, click Add Parameter, then proceed with specifying parameters as needed. (For detailed information on adding parameters, see our Library documentation.) 

   

    

4. Click Finish. A window appears indicating the template has been successfully launched. (Note that once a template is launched via the Library tab, oversight of the template job status occurs in the Manage tab.

   

    

5. Click the View Template's Job button to check on the status of the launched template. The Manage Overview window (in the Manage tab) appears, showing the status of all jobs launched from the template. Click on the template job name. This opens the Manage Overview page for that specific template job, showing status of each task performed by the template.

   

    

6. To view the output of a template task, click on the specific task name. The Job Run Output window appears. In this example, the Job Run Output shows a successful installation of the instance.

    

For more information on launching templates, see our Getting Started Using Templates guide.

 

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Operations

In ScaleXtreme we refer to automated tasks carried out by the platform as "jobs". Some jobs, such as running scripts or templates are launched from the Library tab, while others, such as installing patches and updates via our Patch/Update Manager are launched from the Manage tab. Once you have launched a job, all further oversight and management of that job is handled in the Operations tab. You can use the Operations tab to check job status, view job run history and output, edit and delete jobs, and to cancel or modify recurring job, and relaunch them with modified run specifications. 

Checking job status

The Operations tab lets you check the status of all jobs executing on your system. It displays a master list of all scripts launched via the Library tab, and gives you access to information about each job running off of a particular script, including job status, schedule, and run history. 

To check the status of job: 

In the My Scripts list (at left), click on the script you wish to check. An Overview windows appears showing information about all jobs running off that script, including a list of job names and the current status of each.  Jobs that have ended are listed as status "complete," while jobs in progress (with runs yet to occur) are listed as status "scheduled." Jobs that have been manually cancelled using the "Cancel Future Runs" feature are listed as status "cancelled."

 

 

 

Editing jobs

The Operations tab lets you edit jobs (via the “Run Script Wizard”) and re-launch them with new run specifications. You can use the wizard to select new target machines; modify job schedules; and/or add parameters to scripted commands. This makes it easy to update existing jobs as your infrastructure management requirements change; and to delete jobs from your system when they are no longer required.

To edit a job:

Click on the Edit button in the overview window for the specific job you wish to edit. The Run Script wizard appears. Choose the target machines on which you wish the job to run, and enter the job schedule as desired. Note that to automate a job to run multiple times, the 'Schedule Type' must be set to "Recurring."

 

 

Cancelling and modifying automated jobs

You may at times encounter circumstances where you must cancel or modify an automated job while it is still in progress. For these situations the Operations tab includes a "Cancel Future Runs" button that lets you stop all further executions of a recurring job across all machines. Note that canceling a job does not delete the job from the system. If desired, you can modify a cancelled job's run specifications (using the Edit function, shown earlier) and relaunch the job as required. 

To cancel a recurring job:

In the overview window of the specific job you wish to cancel, click "Cancel Future Runs." The job ceases and all future runs of the job are cancelled across the system.

 

 

 For more information on using the Manage tab, see our Operations documentation.

 

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Admin

The Admin tab lets properly authorized administrators perform a variety of system control functions, including managing Roles, Users, ACLs (Access Control Lists), Node Groups, and Servers.

To use System Control functions:

1. In the Admin Tools menu at left, click on the (+) symbol next to the Systems Control icon. The full set of System Control functions appears.

   

    

2. Click on the system control function you wish to access. For example, to manage Roles, click on the Roles icon. A Roles window opens listing all roles currently defined for the organization. (At present, ScaleXtreme exposes three roles: Admin, Architect and Operator.)

   

    

3. Click on a particular Role to see more information, including names of users assigned to that role and the specific actions users assigned the role can perform. Click the edit button to make changes to a Role, including adding or removing users and editing actions a Role can perform. 

 

You can also perform a variety of other administration duties via the Admin tab, including inviting new users to join an organization, and creating new customized commands that users can run on any server via the Manage tab. For more information, see our Admin documentation. 

 

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