NetScaler Sessions Test

By tracking the user activity performed on the ADC appliance through different connections (such as ICA, DLTS ICA and VPN and AAA), administrators will be able to determine the session load imposed by such connections to the appliance at any given point in time. Moreover, by observing user logins through different connections over time, administrators will be able to easily figure out if user logins are happening consistently or sporadically. The latter could hint at a connection issue, requiring immediate attention. Also, when monitoring user sessions, administrators will also be able to capture unexpected logouts or abrupt session terminations and investigate the reason for the same. Such useful session-based insights are provided by the NetScaler Sessions test.

This test tracks user logins to the ADC appliance through different connections, and measures the current session load imposed by each connection to the appliance. For each connection, the test additionally reports the count and percentage of new logins, and also captures inexplicable session logouts. The detailed diagnostics provided by the test also point administrators to the users who logged in newly and the users whose sessions logged out.

Target of the test : An ADC VPX/MPX

Agent deploying the test : A remote agent

Outputs of the test : One set of results for each connection through which the sessions are established to the ADC appliance that is being monitored.

Configurable parameters for the test
Parameter	Description
Test Period	How often should the test be executed.
Host	The IP address of the host for which the test is being configured.
NetScaler Username and NetScaler Password	To monitor a ADC device, the eG agent should be configured with the credentials of a user with read-only privileges to the target ADC device. Specify the credentials of such a user in the NetScaler Username and NetScaler Password text boxes.
Confirm Password	Confirm the ADC Password by retyping it here.
SSL	The eG agent collects performance metrics by invoking NITRO (ADC Interface Through Restful interfaces and Objects) APIs on the target ADC device. Typically, the NITRO APIs can be invoked through the HTTP or the HTTPS mode. By default, the eG agent invokes the NITRO APIs using the HTTPS mode. This is why, the SSL flag is set to Yes by default. If the target ADC device is not SSL-enabled, then the NITRO APIs can be accessed through the HTTP mode only. In this case, set the SSL flag to No.
Show RDP Session	By default, this flag is set to No indicating that this test will not collect the statistics of the users logged into the target NetScaler appliance using RDP sessions. If you wish to track the information of the users who have logged in using RDP sessions, then, set this flag to Yes. Upon setting this flag to Yes, the eG agent will track the RDP connections made to the target NetScaler appliance and report RDP as a descriptor of the test.
DD Frequency	Refers to the frequency with which detailed diagnosis measures are to be generated for this test. The default is 1:1. This indicates that, by default, detailed measures will be generated every time this test runs, and also every time the test detects a problem. You can modify this frequency, if you so desire. Also, if you intend to disable the detailed diagnosis capability for this test, you can do so by specifying none against DD Frequency.
Detailed Diagnosis	To make diagnosis more efficient and accurate, the eG Enterprise 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.

Measurements made by the test
Measurement	Description	Measurement Unit	Interpretation
Current sessions	Indicates the current number of sessions established through this connection on the ADC appliance.	Number	This is a good indicator of the current session load on the appliance. Comparing the value of this measure across the connections will reveal the connetion through which maximum number sessions are established.
New logins	Indicates the number of new logins to the ADC through this connection in the last measurement period.	Number	A consistent zero value could indicate a connection issue. You can use the detailed diagnosis of this test to know which users logged in recently.
Percent new logins	Indicates the percentage of current sessions that logged in through this connection during the last measurement period.	Percent
Sessions logging out	Indicates the number of sessions that logged out.	Percent	If all the current sessions suddenly log out, it indicates a problem condition that requires investigation. The detailed diagnosis of this measure lists the sessions that logged out.