PowerSchool Monitor

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PowerSchool Monitor is a stand-along application that resides on the host server. Using PowerSchool Monitor, you can monitor the state of PowerSchool services with the information provided by the various logs and address items that require attention.

Startup Errors

PowerSchool startup may be aborted under certain conditions, such as if a schema update requires a re-start on upgrade or an error is encountered. To identify the condition which caused the startup to abort, refer to the PSJ Runtime Log and Lifecycle Log.

Launch PowerSchool Monitor

When installing PowerSchool, you have the option to indicate whether or not you want PowerSchool Monitor to automatically launch when logging into Windows. This is done by creating a shortcut to the application in the Windows\Startup folder. In addition, a shortcut is also created in the Program Files\PowerSchool\ folder, which can be double-clicked to manually start PowerSchool Monitor.

Note: The shortcut in the PowerSchool folder is created regardless of whether or not PowerSchool Monitor is set to automatically launch when logging into Windows.

The Action Menu appears in the toolbar and includes the following functions:

Configure PowerSchool Monitor

Use the Config tab to configure PowerSchool Monitor run-time properties on a per-session basis.

Note: The next time PowerSchool Monitor is launched, all modified settings are replaced by the default settings.

1. Launch PowerSchool Monitor.
2. Click the Config tab.

3. Use the following table to enter information in the fields:

   Field	Description
   Find Log Pause	Enter the number of seconds the system should wait between checking to see if a log exists. By default, this value is set to 5.
   Read Log Pause	Enter the number of seconds the system should wait between checking to see if a new log entry exists. By default, this value is set to 5.
   Max List Size	Enter the maximum number of log lines to display. By default, this value is set to 1000.
   Retained List Size	Enter the number of log lines of context you want retained in log window after maximum is exceeded. By default, this value is set to 10.
   Throttle Window	Some error conditions, such as loss of database connectivity, result in a tremendous number of log messages. The PowerSchool Monitor is responsible for reading each message, and if it meets the filter criteria, display it. In certain situations the PowerSchool Monitor could consume all the available CPU capacity trying to keep up with reading the log, making it very difficult to take corrective action. Throttling is what the PowerSchool Monitor uses to prevent this condition – it limits the amount of CPU it will consume. Every time throttling suspends or resumes log monitoring, lifecycle events will be written thus alerting you of the high volume of log activity. Enter the window of time (in seconds) within which the maximum number of log lines can be read (throttle threshold). By default, this value is set to 1. The window of time resets when the maximum number of log lines are read or if the interval of time has expired since the last log message.
   Throttle Threshold	Enter the maximum number of log lines that can be read in Throttling Window seconds before throttling. By default, this value is set to 2500.
   Throttle Pause	Enter the period of time (in seconds) that the PowerSchool Monitor will pause monitoring the log file if throttling is required. By default, this value is set to 10.

4. Click Apply to Current Session.

Monitor the Status Log

The Status tab shows the health of any monitored Tomcat container. The container is considered up if it can serve pages, down if it can't make network contact, and transitional if it is somewhere in between.

1. Launch PowerSchool Monitor.

2. Click the Status tab. 

   Field

   Description

   [Tomcat Container]

   If this checkbox is selected, the Tomcat container is being monitored. If this checkbox is not selected, the Tomcat container is not being monitored. The dot indicates the status of the connection and indicates the last date and time the health of the system was checked: Green: Indicates the system is up and serving pages. Yellow: Indicates that the system is either coming up or going down. Red: Indicates that the system is down and cannot make network contact. Gray: Indicates that the system is not being monitored.

View the PSJ Runtime Log

Use the PSJ tab to monitor the PSJ runtime log. Monitoring can be toggled on or off using the Play and Pause buttons. Entries which were historically written to data/log<date>pslog.txt_ are now mirrored in the psj-runtime log, and identified as such.

1. Launch PowerSchool Monitor.
2. Click the PSJ tab. 

3. Use the following table to enter information in the fields:

   Action	Description
   Filter	From the toolbar click and select the filter you would like to apply to narrow or widen the log messages that appear: All PSLog Fatal Error Warn Info
   [Pause Button]	Click to pause the log.
   [Play Button]	If you have paused the log, click to unpause. Note: By default, monitoring is on.

View the LifeCycle Log

Use the LifeCycle tab to monitor lifecycle events. LifeCylce events are considered events that denote a state change or require intervention. When the system transitions from stopped to starting, or vice versa, an entry is made in the LifeCycle log. These events are not deemed to require intervention and are there to provide context. Any other log line that matches one of the LifeCycle events changes, such as schema update which requires a restart, will cause the LifeCycle tab to turn red until the log is viewed by clicking the tab.

1. Launch PowerSchool Monitor.
2. Click the LifeCycle tab.