Apex Essentials 18.1.0.0Getting Started Guide21 Jan 2021

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Learn about Apex........................................................................................3Apex vs. Apex Lite........................................................................................................................... 3Understanding dashboards........................................................................................................... 5Understanding widgets..................................................................................................................6Understanding data sources.........................................................................................................8Understanding business groups.................................................................................................. 8Understanding thresholds............................................................................................................. 8Ports used by v17 and later.......................................................................................................... 9Apex technical specifications....................................................................................................... 9

Chapter 2: Start using Apex........................................................................................ 11How to begin using Apex.............................................................................................................11How to add a data source........................................................................................................... 12How to create a business group................................................................................................ 12How to assign a data source...................................................................................................... 13How to create a dashboard.........................................................................................................13How to configure thresholds...................................................................................................... 14How to create a user.....................................................................................................................15

Index.............................................................................................................................. 16

1

Learn about Apex - 3

Chapter 1: Learn about Apex

Apex helps your organization create reports, called dashboards, from thedata collected by products. These reports can assist your organization withtroubleshooting, planning, performance, compliance, and more. 

Figure 1: Welcome to Apex

 

Apex vs. Apex LiteApex is a full-featured reporting engine for combining information from manyassets while Apex Lite has limited functionality and can only be used for reportsof the local asset.

Apex vs. Apex Lite4 Learn about Apex (21 Jan 2021) — Archive/Non-authoritative version

Table 1. Apex vs. Apex LiteFeature Apex Enterprise Apex

WorkgroupApex Lite

System and userdashboards (page5)

X X X

Import dashboards X X XFiltering X X XEvent logging /notifications

X X X

Tables X X XGraphs X X XCharts X X XObserver GigaStortrace extraction

X X X1

Threshold graphs X X

Site dashboards(page 5)

X X

Multiple datasources (page12)

X X

Business groups(page 12)

X X

Status widgets X X

Applicationdependency maps(ADM)

X X

Failover /Redundancy

X X

Multiple user(page 15)configuration

X X

Thresholds (page8)

X X

Alarms X X

Scheduled reports X X

Probe instancelimitations

Unlimited numberof any probeinstances acting asdata sources

Limited to any 10probe instancesacting as datasources

Limited to localprobe instances /no remote probes

Works with Observer Analyzer(Expert and Suite)GigaStor

Observer (Expertand Suite)GigaStor

Observer (Expertand Suite)GigaStor

User experiencescore

X X

GigaFlowIntegration

X X

1.  Apex Lite can perform a GigaStor trace extraction against its local system only.

Understanding dashboardsChapter 1: Learn about Apex 5

 

 

Understanding dashboardsA dashboard is a report populated with widgets, and these widgets show theinformation collected by your data sources.

Dashboards are reports populated with widgets. Your reports—yourdashboards—are populated with one or many widgets (page 6). The datashown by widgets in your dashboards belongs to Observer. To make use ofdashboards, Observer must be collecting network trending data and be a datasource to Apex. Without trending data, Apex will not have any data for thewidgets in a dashboard. 

Figure 3: An Apex dashboard populated with five widgets

 

Understanding widgets6 Learn about Apex (21 Jan 2021) — Archive/Non-authoritative version

System dashboards are available "out-of-the-box" for you and cannotbe modified. Dashboards that are pre-made by are available to you assystem dashboards. System dashboards are identical in function to dashboardsyou create on your own, but they cannot be modified. Additionally, systemdashboards provide broad information and are useful for high-level analytics. Atemporary filter can be used while viewing system dashboards, but a permanentfilter cannot be added.

Dashboards can be filtered. Any dashboard can have an always-on filterwritten into its properties. Dashboard filters force every widget in a dashboardto display only information that meets the filter. For example, you can filtera dashboard so that its widgets show statistics from a specific subnet only.Or you can filter a dashboard to search for a telephone number used in a VoIPconversation.

A dashboard filter can be applied to the design of the dashboard itself (always-filtered), applied during viewing of the dashboard (temporary), or applied as acombination of the two.

User dashboards are only viewable by you. Each newly created dashboard isconsidered a user dashboard. User dashboards are unique to the user that loggedin to Apex and created it, and it can only be viewed and modified by that user.To share a user dashboard with other Apex users, the creator must promote thedashboard. A promoted dashboard becomes a site dashboard that is viewable byother users. A promoted dashboard cannot be demoted.

Promoting a dashboard does not simultaneously promote user widgets.This means you can promote a user dashboard to a site dashboard withoutpromoting the underlying user widgets—if any exist. This protects your personaluser widgets from being altered and changed by others. If you want to share adashboard with others (by promotion) and also allow changes to those widgets,the widgets must be promoted to site widgets.

Your view of a dashboard can be shared with other users. As long as you areviewing a site or system dashboard—user dashboards are not applicable—yourcurrent view of the dashboard can be summarized into a shareable URL. Whoeverclicks the URL you share can see the dashboard how it appeared to you. Choicesyou have made like the reporting period and any temporary dashboard filters areretained by the URL. You can use this sharing feature in your instant messages,emails, or other documents.

Understanding widgetsWidgets are tables, graphs, pie charts, and more, made to display informationcollected by products. For widgets to have any effect, they must be put intodashboards.

Widgets are the building blocks of your dashboards. Every widget type isdesigned to help you better understand the traffic of your network. For example,the graph widget type could help you visualize traffic over time, while a chartwidget type could display which protocols contributed most of the traffic duringthe report period.

Understanding widgetsChapter 1: Learn about Apex 7

 

Figure 4: The Widget Properties tab

 

Widgets show the data collected by other products. Widgets show the datacollected by data sources. Data sources are your other products. This retrieveddata, from data sources, is parsed by Apex and displayed in dashboards thatinclude the widget. Without dashboards to operate inside, widgets will not showany data.

System widgets are available "out-of-the-box" and cannot be modified.Widgets that were created by are available to you as system widgets. Systemwidgets are identical in function to widgets you create on your own, but systemwidgets cannot be modified. As your teams become comfortable with creatingtheir own widgets, you might develop less reliance on these. We recommendusing system widgets as needed, and even exploring how the system widgetswere created can aid your learning about Apex!

Widgets can be filtered. The purpose of widget filtering is to narrow thescope of reported criteria, so the end result, like a graph, is specific and easilyunderstood by viewers. Any widget can have a filter written directly into itsdesign. Widget filters force the widget to display only information that meetsthe filter.

For example, you can filter a widget so that it shows statistics from only specificapplications or ports. The filter can be applied to the design of the widget itself,which creates always-filtered results when viewing that widget. You can combinea widget filter with other filtering techniques, such as filtering the dashboardor business group, to further filter your results. The widget retains its filterregardless of the dashboards it is placed into. Finally, filtering a widget will notdisplace or modify your underlying data.

The same widget can be put into different dashboards. Widgets can bereused by any number of dashboards. For example, if a widget is placed inone dashboard, the widget can also be put into a different dashboard. Each"instance" of a widget behaves exactly the same regardless of the dashboard, ordashboards, it was placed into. There are some exceptions, however. One exampleis if a dashboard or business group is being filtered, the information shown by

Understanding data sources8 Learn about Apex (21 Jan 2021) — Archive/Non-authoritative version

the widget is influenced by the filter. Under these circumstances, it is possible forthe same widget to display different information based on the filter of its parentdashboard or business group.

Understanding data sourcesA data source is any product that feeds data into Apex. Data sources areconfigured in Apex, by you, and assigned to one or more business groups.

Data sources must be configured. Apex must be connected to data sourcesfor the application's core features to operate. Adding a new data source tellsApex about a new product from which you want to get data. For example, oneObserver analyzer can be an aggregation point that gets data from severalprobes like a GigaStor or Observer Suite.

Data sources must be added to business groups. It is not enough to justconfigure a data source and have Apex automatically connect to it. To transferthe data collected by data sources to Apex, your chosen data sources must beadded to a business group.

Understanding business groupsBusiness groups are collections of data sources. By assembling multiple datasources into a logical grouping, you are creating a business group for thatgrouping.

Business groups are a collection of data sources. Imagine you have 14web servers across your network that are monitored by three different probeinstances. You can create a business group that views the statistical datafrom those data sources—the three probes instances. This allows you to viewdashboards that combine the metrics from those web servers.

Data sources only transfer trending data after being placed into a businessgroup. It is not enough to add a data source to Apex and have Apex connect toit. To actually transfer data from your data sources, the data sources must beassigned to one or more business groups. This must be done for widgets anddashboards to show any data.

Business groups can contain these data sources:

♦ Probe instances from Observer Suite analyzer, GigaStor, and other probes.

Business groups can include other business groups. Business groups can benested. This allows you the option of making smaller, more manageable businessgroups and still have them act as one large business group.

Understanding thresholdsThresholds are defined values that determine if a statistic is above, below, orwithin a normal range on your network.

Thresholds are also used when displaying colors in dashboards. Anything belowthe marginal threshold is blue, anything between the marginal and criticalthreshold is yellow, and anything above the critical threshold is red. Thresholdscan also be used as part of status widgets that are based on either performanceor a baseline.

Ports used by v17 and laterChapter 1: Learn about Apex 9

Ports used by v17 and laterOpen inbound and outbound TCP 80, 443, and 25901 on your firewalls forproducts version 17 and later.

Table 2. Supported Operating SystemsPort FunctionalityTCP 80TCP 443TCP 8008TCP 25901

Requests from product toVIAVI to see if a new version orupdate exists.Secure web server traffic,including UnderstandingGigaStor trace extractionbetween Apex and GigaStor.Default port for transfer ofsoftware upgrades.All intra-Observer Platformcommunication.

Apex technical specifications  

System -

Deployment -

Base storage 32 TB

Max storage 32 TB

Lights Out Management (LOM) Yes

Redundant OS drive Yes

OS drive hot swappable Yes

OS drive size 1 TB

RAID drive hot swappable Yes

RAID version 5

Rail kit (Model 22113260) Yes

Operating system Windows 2012 R2

Physical -

Height 2U

Width 19 in

Depth 26 in

Weight (mounted) 1 71 lbs

Weight (handling) 64 lbs

Media -

Monitoring interfaces -

Speed -

Accepted transceivers 2 -

Performance -

Apex technical specifications10 Learn about Apex (21 Jan 2021) — Archive/Non-authoritative version

Aggregate performance -

Power -

Redundant power supply Yes

Input frequency 50/60Hz

Input voltage 100V-240V Auto Select

Operational current (amps) 3.30A

BTU 1262 BTU/hr

Operational voltage 120V

Power dissipation (watts) 370W

Relative humidity (non-condensing) 20-80%

Temperature (operating) 50°F - 95°F / 10°C - 35°C

Temperature (storage) -4°F - 149°F / -20°C - 65°C1.  If applicable, mounted weight includes any rail kits.2.  SFP may be any of Copper 10/100/1000, 1Gb SX/LX. SFP+ may be any of 10Gb SR/LR. QSPF+ maybe any 40Gb SR/LR/BiDi/Universal.

2

Chapter 2: Start using Apex

Apex allows you to accurately assess the impact of mission-critical applicationson your business through extensive dashboards. Apex also provides auto-baselining capabilities for establishing benchmarks, understanding typicalperformance levels, and running day-to-day comparisons.

How to begin using ApexAfter Apex is properly installed, all interactions with Apex will occur through aweb browser. To begin using Apex, log in to Apex.

Prerequisite(s):  

A compatible web browser is required.

♦ Internet Explorer 10.0 or later♦ Microsoft Edge♦ Mozilla Firefox♦ Google Chrome

 

Tip! Do you need to license and activate Apex? See the instructions at Howto license Apex.

1. Open a compatible web browser, and type the following URL into the locationbar: https://ApexHost/oa replacing "ApexHost" with the host name or IPaddress of the system where Apex is installed and running.

You may notice a security certificate warning; this is normal for a self-signedcertificate.

2. Log in to Apex using a user name and password managed by Apex orObserver Management Server (OMS) (sold separately).

How to add a data source12 Learn about Apex (21 Jan 2021) — Archive/Non-authoritative version

Tip! The default user name is admin, and the default password is admin,and it is case-sensitive.

You successfully logged in to Apex. All of your interactions with Apex will occur inthis web interface.

How to add a data sourceAdding a new data source tells Apex about the product you want to get datafrom. At least one data source is needed for Apex to fully operate.

To add a data source:

1. In the web interface, click Configuration > Data.2. Click Data Sources.3. Click the new icon .4. In the Edit pane, provide information about the data source and credentials

to connect to it.

You can add multiple Observers and Gigaflows.

In order to use the Threat Map or GigaFlow Analysis capabilities, you musthave at least one Oberser or one GigaGlow connected. The GigaFlow datasource must to set as the Primary Gigaflow. If you do not have one of thesedata sources connected, then Threat Map and GigaFlow Analysis are grayedout (not functional).

5. Click the accept icon .

The data source is added to Apex, and Apex attempts to communicate with thedata source. The Connection State indicator shows the connection status in realtime; it is not necessary to refresh the web page.

Note: No network trending data is transferred during this process.

You must assign at least one data source to a business group to complete yourconfiguration. This is because network trending data is only transferred to Apexafter a data source is assigned to a business group. For details, see How to assigndata sources.

How to create a business groupBusiness groups can be created to organize your data sources by department,location, multi-tiered application, or for other reasons. A business group withdata sources is required for widgets and dashboards to display data.

To create a business group:

1. In the web interface, click Configuration > Data.2. In the Data pane, click Business Groups.3. Click the new icon .4. Type a name for your business group.5. (Optional) If you want to combine other business groups into this business

group, use a drag-and-drop operation in the Included Business Groups tab.

How to assign a data sourceChapter 2: Start using Apex 13

6. (Optional) If you want to immediately add data sources, complete thefollowing:a. In the Edit pane, click the Data Sources tab.b. Move a probe instance from Available Data Sources to Selected Data

Sources using a drag-and-drop operation.

(Optional) You can repeat the drag-and-drop operation to assign more datasources to the business group.

7. Click the accept icon .

You successfully created a business group. You assigned, or will assign in thefuture, one or more data sources to the business group you created. All selectablebusiness groups appear in a list in the upper-right corner of under Configuration

How to assign a data sourceData sources must be added to business groups before their data can betransferred to Apex.

Prerequisite(s):  

You must have a data source before you can assign it to a business group. If youneed to create a data source before continuing, see How to add a data source(page 12). 

To assign a data source:

1. In the web interface, click Configuration > Data.2. In the Data pane, click the Business Groups tab.3. Begin editing a business group by clicking its name.4. In the Edit pane, click the Data Sources tab.5. Move a probe instance from Available Data Sources to Selected Data

Sources using a drag-and-drop operation.

You can repeat the drag-and-drop operation to assign more data sources tothe business group.

6. Click the accept icon .

Apex contacts the data source to request and retrieve its trending data. Thevalue of Data transfer delay (minutes) at controls the number of minutesto wait after Data transfer period (minutes) finishes before retrieving thetrending data.

For example, if Data transfer delay (minutes) is set to 2 minutes, trending datafrom your assigned data source will begin transferring two minutes after thedata source has finished its statistics collection interval.

How to create a dashboardYou can report on metrics that matter to you and your organization. Do this bycreating a dashboard and populating it with widgets.

To create a dashboard and populate it with widgets:

1. In the web interface, click Configuration > Dashboard Library.

How to configure thresholds14 Learn about Apex (21 Jan 2021) — Archive/Non-authoritative version

2. Click the new icon .

The dashboard designer starts, indicated by the words "Drag and drop awidget here" and the appearance of rightmost tabs.

 

Figure 5: The dashboard designer can be identified by its rightmost tabs

 

3. Click the Widgets tab to show all available widgets.4. (Optional) Add more places to drop widgets using the Add Rows tab.5. From the list, move a widget to the dashboard using a drag-and-drop

operation.6. (Optional) Click Properties to set a name, description, filter, or tag for your

dashboard. 

Figure 6: Dashboard Properties 

If you do not set a name, one is automatically generated for you. Any filter toadd to the dashboard affects all widgets on the dashboard. Tags allow you tolink two or more dashboards together, which you access through drill downselections. Enable Hide Empty Widgets to remove from a dashboard anywidget that does not have any data for the selected time period. This allowsyour dashboard to be more compact and focused. The widget will re-appear ifthere is data in a different time frame.

7. Click the accept icon .

You successfully created a dashboard and populated it with one or more widgets.If data sources are configured and business groups are set, this dashboard willshow data when run in the page.

How to configure thresholdsIn Apex, the default thresholds are pre-configured, so additional setup is rarelyneeded. If necessary, you can change them to better reflect your networkconditions.

To configure a threshold:

1. In the web interface, click Configuration > Thresholds.2. Select one by clicking a table row.

The editing pane appears.3. Edit one or more of the following choices:

Threshold Type Threshold Type sets whether the threshold is crossed above orbelow its marginal and critical values.

Marginal Value Marginal Value determines if a statistic is slightly out-of-rangefor your network. Based on Threshold Type, 'marginal' is either

How to create a userChapter 2: Start using Apex 15

above or below this value, and widgets display a yellow color ifa 'Marginal Value' is crossed.

Performance based thresholds use actual values, whilebaseline thresholds use percentage values.

Critical Value Critical Value determines if a statistic is greatly out-of-rangefor your network. Based on Threshold Type, 'critical' is eitherabove or below this value, and widgets display a red color if a'Critical Value' is crossed.

Performance based thresholds use actual values, whilebaseline thresholds use percentage values.

4. Click the accept icon .

You successfully configured a threshold to better reflect your network conditions.

How to create a userUser accounts allow people to view dashboards and create user widgets.

Note: If you are using OMS, see How to add new users. The user name andpassword must be created there.

Any user created in Apex is local to Apex. It is not connected in any way to adomain user account or local system account. If you want or require that sort ofintegration you must use OMS.

Any local user wanting to log in to view or create dashboards must use the username and password set here.

To create a user:

1. In the web interface, click System > Users.2. Click the new icon .3. Complete the fields using the information in User settings if necessary.4. Click the accept icon .

The new user is created and is available to log in and begin using Apex.

16 Index (21 Jan 2021) — Archive/Non-authoritative version

Index

AApex 9

about  3, 11Apex Enterprise 9

Bbusiness group

about 8adding or creating 12

Ddashboard

about 5adding or creating 13viewing 11widgets, adding 13

data sourceabout 8adding or creating 12assigning 13

differenceslicenses 3

Gget started 11

Llicenses

differences 3

OObserver Apex 9

Pports 9

Rreports 5

Sstarting 11

Ttech specs 9technical specifications 9

Wwidgets 6