Dashboard gadgets

Each Plixer Scrutinizer dashboard can be tailored to a specific task, workflow, or user through its gadget configuration. When selecting gadgets, they are divided into the following categories:

  • Custom

  • Flow Analytics

  • Flow Reports

  • Maps

  • Plixer

  • Top n

  • Vendor Reports

  • Vitals

All gadgets automatically refresh to display the most up-to-date information and can also be clicked to access more detailed views.

Hint

Gadgets can be manually updated outside of their automatic refresh times (displayed in the gadget header) by clicking the refresh button.

Gadget types

Gadgets are divided into several types that can be added to dashboards in any combination:

Core gadgets

Plixer Scrutinizer ships with a core library of general-purpose gadgets that can be added when creating or editing a dashboard. These include gadgets for monitoring system health and performance, in addition to those for tracking important network information.

For new installs, the Welcome dashboard is displayed by default with the following gadgets:

  • Configuration Checklist - Displays the configuration status (in percentage) of the Plixer Scrutinizer environment.

  • Quick Start - Provides helpful links for understanding the basic functions of the Dashboards page.

  • Enabled Exporters - Displays the total percentage of exporters enabled in the Plixer Scrutinizer environment.

  • Alarm Monitor - Displays a graphic summary of alarms generated within the last 24 hours, categorized by severity.

  • Contact Us - Provides Plixer’s contact information for additional support.

Report gadgets

Any Plixer Scrutinizer report can be added to dashboards after it has been exported as a gadget from the output/results view. This enables the creation of dashboards that are uniquely customized to monitor any aspect of network performance or behavior.

After a report has been exported, it will be added to the list of available gadgets when creating or editing a dashboard. The report gadget can be edited from the Monitor > Dashboards view. Enter the dashboard edit mode, and then click the pencil icon by the right hand side of the report gadget.

To learn more about creating and configuring reports, see the Reports section.

Network maps

After a spatial or geographical map is created, it is automatically made available as a dashboard gadget. If the network map is reconfigured at a later time, the gadget will also be updated to reflect any changes made.

When creating or editing a dashboard, all existing network maps will be included in the list of gadgets that can be added.

To learn more about creating and configuring network maps, see the network maps section of this documentation.

Custom gadgets

There are two types of custom/external gadgets that can be added to any dashboard:

  • iframe: Gadgets that display another webpage on the dashboard, including external sites.

  • interfaces: Allow users to add a custom-configured display showing interface speeds and traffic to the dashboard.

To add a custom gadget, do the following:

  1. Enter dashboard edit mode, and then click Create New Gadget.

  2. Select the type of gadget.

  3. Depending on the type of gadget selected, provide the following details:

    • Name/label for the gadget

    • Gadget URL

    • Refresh interval for the gadget (in minutes)

    • Display options

    • Exporters

    • Interfaces

  4. Click Save To Dashboard.

Once a gadget has been added, it becomes available for use in other dashboards.

Note

URLs for external gadgets must include the http(s):// prefix to avoid a 404 error. Additionally, certain gadgets may not load if you specify HTTP content when Plixer Scrutinizer is using HTTPS.

Feature-based gadgets

Certain gadgets bundled with Plixer Scrutinizer provide additional visibility when specific features are enabled/configured. These include gadgets that complement optional integrations, such as Plixer FlowPro, or leverage additional flow data forwarded by specific devices.

Editing a gadget

  1. Click the Edit Dashboard icon (pencil icon).

  2. In the Gadgets section, click the pencil icon beside the gadget you wish to edit to open the gadget tray.

  3. Configure the necessary gadget settings.

  4. Click Save.

Managing gadget access via user groups

Access to gadgets can be managed via user group permissions.

  1. Navigate to Admin > Users & Groups > User Groups.

  2. Click the three-dot menu beside the user group name.

  3. Click Edit User Group.

  4. In the user group tray, click the pencil icon for Dashboard Gadgets.

  5. Then, either select All Gadgets to grant the user group access to all dashboard gadgets or select only the specific gadgets that the user group can access.

Changes are automatically saved upon selecting the gadget.