server monitor

Definition of server monitor in The Network Encyclopedia.

What is Server Monitor?

A component of Microsoft Exchange Server that you can use to verify that specific Microsoft Windows NT or Windows 2000 services are running on an Exchange server and to resynchronize clock times on the servers. If a server monitor detects a problem with a Windows NT or Windows 2000 service, it can send an alert, send an e-mail notification, or attempt to restart the service or reboot the server. One server monitor can monitor multiple servers, and you can define an escalation sequence of multiple actions when problems occur.

Typical problems that trigger a server monitor to generate an alert include the following:

  • A downed server or one that rebooted for some reason
  • A service stopping unexpectedly on the Exchange server
  • A server whose network connectivity has failed
  • A server whose clock is off by a certain threshold amount

Graphic S-6. Server monitor.

TIP

Once you create a new server monitor, you must start it using the Start Monitor command on the Tools menu of the Exchange Administrator program. You can also run it from the command prompt and configure it to start when the monitoring machine is rebooted.