Operating systems and applications used:
| Server O/S | Windows 2008 R2 SP1 |
| VM Version | VMware hardware version 8 |
| VM host | VMware ESXi 5.0 |
| Solarwinds modules | NPM 10.4.2, SAM 5.5.0 |
| Alerting software | PageGate v.6 |
| SMS gateway | Multitech MTCBA-G2-EN2 |
This guide assumes Solarwinds and PageGate are already installed and working.
Installation and configuration
Multitech SMS gateway
Insert a working GPRS data-capable SIM in the Multitech router.
Power on the device and wait for the Status light to flash.
Configure a PC to use the following IP address settings:
| IP | 192.168.2.101 |
| Subnet Mask | 255.255.255.0 |
| Default Gateway | 192.168.2.1 |
Connect a LAN cable directly between the PC and the Multitech device.
Open a browser session to http://192.168.2.1
Logon with username: admin and password: admin.
Navigate to IP Setup.
Configure an IP on (ideally) the same LAN segment as your Solarwinds server.
Don't forget to click Submit, then Save and Restart to save your settings.
Change the default password to something more secure!
Navigate to the IP Setup menu and amend Auto Dialout Configuration as follows:
| Autodialout | Enable |
| Autodialout login | Disable |
| Autodialout Port | 5000 |
Click Submit, then Save and Restart.
Navigate to the PPP menu and configure the following settings
| NAT | Disable |
| PPP | Disable |
To test that the device is ready to send messages:
Open a command prompt and type:
telnet <device ip> 5000
Type AT+CSQ.
The router responds with the received signal strength (rssi) and the channel bit error rate (ber).
RSSI ranges from 0 to 31. BER ranges from 0 to 7 (7 is the highest error rate).
| Signal Strength - RSSI | |
|---|---|
| 10 – 31 | Sufficient |
| 0 – 9 | Weak or Insufficient |
| 99 | Insufficient |
Type AT+CREG?
The router will respond in one of the following ways:
Network Registration Verification
| Value | Network Registration Status |
|---|---|
| +CREG: 0,0 | The router is not registered on any network |
| +CREG: 0,1 | The router is registered on the home network |
| +CREG: 0,5 | The router is registered on a network and it is roaming |
Exiting Modem Mode
1. After the last AT Command is entered, press:
CTRL + ] (the right bracket).
2. The following prompt displays:
telnet>
Type quit and press Enter.
3. Then the following prompt displays:
c:>
Type exit and press Enter.
Instructions here: http://www.multitech.com/setup.mvc/product/87456
Virtual Serial Port
There are various options for using a virtual serial port. You can install a 3rd party one inside the OS or attach one to the VM from vCenter. NOTE: I have found the latter very flaky to set up and get working.
1) 3rd party Virtual Serial Port
Download HW VSP from http://www.hw-group.com/products/hw_vsp/index_en.html#download.
Open the application and log in, then create the connection to the SMS gateway.
Install as COM3 pointing to the device IP and port 5000.
2) VMware Virtual Serial Port
Switch off the Solarwinds VM.
From vCenter, edit the settings of the VM.
Add a new Serial Port device.
Under Connection, select Use network> Client.
Set Port URI to telnet://<MultitechDeviceIP>:5000.
Make sure the Device Status is Connected and Connect at Power On
The serial port will be installed on COM1
Log on to the VM and go to Device Manager.
Edit the properties of COM1 and set parameters as follows (under Port Settings):
| Bits per second | 115200 |
| Data bits | 8 |
| Parity | None |
| Stop bits | 1 |
| Flow Control | None |
PageGate
Make sure the GetASCII module is installed and enabled, to allow Solarwinds to communicate with PageGate.
Create a new Carrier. Settings as follows:
| Carrier | <Carrier name> |
| Protocol | GSM-AT |
| Baud Rate | 115200 |
| Parity | None |
| Data Bits | 8 |
| Stop Bits | 1 |
| Init String | <blank> |
| Max Chars | 160 |
Configure Connection 1 as follows:
| Dialer | Connector 1 |
| Init String | AT+CSQ |
| Dialing Prefix | <blank> |
| Dedicated Carrier | <Carrier name> |
| Serial Port | 3 for 3rd party VSP, 1 for VMware VSP |
| Direct Connect | Not ticked |
Verify all the necessary PageGate services are running.
In this example, we're going to create an on-call group called ukit_on-call.
Make sure GetAscii and On-Call Group is ticked.
Configure your Recipients as follows:
| Enabled Services | GetAscii |
| Type | Normal |
| Carrier | <Carrier name> |
| Failover | <optional> |
| ID/PIN | Recipient's mobile number |
| Max Chars | 160 |
| Groups | ukit_on-call |
Go back to the Group and create an on-call schedule for your recipients.
Finally, we configure Solarwinds...
Advanced Alert Manager
Edit a working Alert.
Under Trigger Actions, select Add New Action: Dial Paging or SMS service.
The PageGate ukit_on-call group should now be visible under Page Recipient.
Duplicate the Action to Reset Actions.
Generate a test alert to verify all is working.