SQL SSRS Logins Test
All users or applications who request access to report server content or operations must be authenticated before access is allowed. The following authentication types are supported by Reporting Services:
Authentication Type |
Description |
RSWindowsNegotiate |
Attempts to use Kerberos for Windows Integrated authentication first, but falls back to NTLM if Active Directory cannot grant a ticket for the client request to the report server. Negotiate will only fall back to NTLM if the ticket is not available. If the first attempt results in an error rather than a missing ticket, the report server does not make a second attempt. |
RSWindowsNTLM |
Uses NTLM for Windows Integrated authentication. The credentials will not be delegated or impersonated on other requests. Subsequent requests will follow a new challenge-response sequence. Depending on network security settings, a user might be prompted for credentials or the authentication request will be handled transparently. |
RSWindowsKerberos |
Uses Kerberos for Windows Integrated authentication. You must configure Kerberos by setting up setup service principle names (SPNs) for your service accounts, which requires domain administrator privileges. If you set up identity delegation with Kerberos, the token of the user who is requesting a report can also be used on an additional connection to the external data sources that provide data to reports. |
RSWindowsBasic |
Basic authentication is defined in the HTTP protocol and can only be used to authenticate HTTP requests to the report server. Credentials are passed in the HTTP request in base64 encoding. If you use Basic authentication, use Transport Layer Security (TLS), previously known as Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) to encrypt user account information before it is sent across the network. SSL provides an encrypted channel for sending a connection request from the client to the report server over an HTTP TCP/IP connection. |
If the Report Server repeatedly fails to authenticate login requests from users/applications, then these users/applications will not be able to access critical report server content and operations for indefinite periods of time. This can impact user productivity and application performance!
To ensure peak application performance and a high quality user experience at all times, administrators will have to track login attempts to the server using RSWindows authentication, promptly capture authentication failures, and quickly investigate the reasons for the failures. This is where the SQL SSRS Logins test helps!
This test monitors login attempts to the report server via RSWindows authentication, and alerts administrators to failed login attempts (if any).
Target of the test : A Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services server
Agent deploying the test : A remote agent
Outputs of the test : One set of results for the report server being monitored
Parameters | Description |
---|---|
Test period |
How often should the test be executed |
Host |
The host for which the test is to be configured. |
Port |
The port at which the specified Host listens. |
Instance |
The name of a specific SQL Report server instance to be monitored. The default value of this parameter is “default”. However, if the Microsoft SQL Server hosting the SQL Reporting Server database uses named instances, then do the following:
|
Is Passive |
If the value chosen is Yes, then the Microsoft SQL server (hosting the SQL report server database) under consideration is a passive server in a SQL cluster. No alerts will be generated if the server is not running. Measures will be reported as “Not applicable’ by the agent if the server is not up. |
Measurement | Description | Measurement Unit | Interpretation |
---|---|---|---|
Login attempts |
Indicates the number of login attempts made to the SQL Report server that used RSWindows authentication that were . |
Number |
|
Login success |
Indicates the number of login attempts using RSWindows authentication that were successful. |
Number |
|
Login failures |
Indicates the number of login attempts using RSWindows authentication that failed. |
Number |
Ideally, the value of this measure should be 0. A non-zero value implies that one/more login attempts have failed. A login can fail if the RSWindows authentication is not configured correctly on the Report server. |
Active connections |
Indicates the count of user/application connections to the SQL Report server that are currently active. |
Number |
This is a good indicator of the connection load on the SQL Report server. |