What is a custom dashboard in NCache Monitor?

A custom dashboard in NCache Monitor is a user-defined view that you can create by selecting specific server-side and client-side performance counters to monitor.

How do I create a custom dashboard in NCache Monitor?

To create a custom dashboard, open the NCache Management Center, select a running cache, click Monitor Cluster, then click the + button, enter a dashboard name and view type, and click Create.

Which performance counters can I add to a custom dashboard?

You can add server-side and client-side counters such as performance metrics available in the Counter Panel, for example, CPU usage, memory usage, read/write operations, and other counters listed under server and client categories.

Can I monitor ASP.NET session counters in a custom dashboard?

Yes. NCache Monitor supports ASP.NET session counters such as Request/sec, Pending Queue/sec, and Total Sessions, which can be added to a custom dashboard.

Monitor Cache Using the NCache Monitor Custom Dashboard

You can add a custom dashboard to configure and monitor cache performance counters based on your specific requirements. Using the NCache Monitor, you can create personalized dashboards by selecting server-side and client-side Counters, for both local and clustered caches. These custom dashboards are accessible through the NCache Management Center and support focused monitoring and targeted troubleshooting beyond the default dashboards.

Prerequisites

Please ensure that the time on your server machine and the machine where the NCache Management Center runs are synchronized with the World Clock Time.
Ensure the NCache Service is started. If not, proceed with the following:

Windows Environment
Linux Environment

In the command line tool of your choice, enter the following command (run as admin):

Start-Service -Name NCacheSvc

For .NET Core, make sure that you run the NCache Service as an administrator. Here are the steps to do so:

Open the Services window and look for NCache in the list.
Right-click on NCacheSvc from the list and choose Properties.
Go to the Log On tab and click on the Browse button.
In the object name field, type Administrator and click on the Check Names button.
It will pick the appropriate Administrator, then click OK.
Now, set a Password and click OK.
Right-click on the NCacheSvc and choose the Restart option. Now your service will start running as an administrator.

In a terminal of your choice, type the following command:

> sudo systemctl start ncached

Using the NCache Management Center

In order to create a custom dashboard and monitor its counters, follow the steps below:

Note

You can create a custom dashboard for different store types by following the same steps.

Launch the NCache Management Center by browsing to http://localhost:8251 or <server-ip>:8251.
From the left navigation bar, click on the Clustered Caches or Local Caches based on your requirement.

NCache Management Center showing the list of clustered caches with cache status and available actions.

Click on the "..." button on the right corner against the cache name and click on Monitor Cluster. Make sure that the cache is already running.

Context menu for a NCache cache highlighting the Monitor Cluster option in the Management Center.

In the new tab, you will see a "+" button in the top bar.
On pressing the "+" button, a text box for the dashboard name and view will be provided.

Dialog in NCache Monitor for entering the name and view type while creating a new custom dashboard.

Provide the dashboard name and view (e.g., Graphical). Then click Create.
You will get a success message displayed on the screen at the creation of the dashboard.

Monitor Cache Counters

After the creation of the dashboard, open the Counter Panel by clicking on the arrowhead on the right corner of the page.

Counter panel in NCache Monitor displaying available server-side counters for selection in a custom dashboard.

From the list that will open, drag and drop the required counters from the Server or Client category.

Counter panel in NCache Monitor showing client-side counters that can be dragged onto a custom dashboard.

The custom dashboard after dragging the various Client or Server counters will look like this:

NCache custom dashboard displaying multiple server and client performance counter graphs after configuration.

Monitor Client Processes of Clustered Cache

The Client Process control shows the details of running client applications against the current cache. These details include the Client IP, Process ID, Port, and Server IP to which the client application connects, along with the bytes sent and received by each client.

Follow the steps below to monitor the client processes:

In your custom dashboard, open the Counter Panel by clicking on the arrowhead on the right corner of the page.
From the Server category, drag and drop the Client Process under the Cache Health list.
Information on all the currently connected clients will be displayed in the Client Process control for the current cache.

Monitor ASP.NET Sessions

Using the NCache Monitor, you can also monitor the ASP.NET Session Counters. Currently, you can monitor the ASP.NET Request/sec, ASP.NET Pending Queue/sec, and ASP.NET Total Sessions counter in the Cache Monitor.

NCache Monitor showing ASP.NET session counters, including requests per second, pending queue, and total sessions.