How to create a shared dashboard

Contents

1.0 What is a Shared Dashboard?

Shared Dashboards are comprised of system default and customized views of monitoring data and other content that are visible to all users unless otherwise specified. The Dashboards option is used to view shared dashboards. These dashboards are created using Site Editor > Add New Page and can only be created by the root user. The example video and how to steps below demonstrate how to create a new shared dashboard page.

2.0 How To Steps

1. Log in to GroundWork Monitor as the root user.
2. In preparation of our dashboard go ahead and create two host groups one called San_Francisco and the other Oakland adding a few hosts to each group. Don't forget to commit your configuration change. Also, go to the Views application and obtain the URL to one of the available views, (Views > select a view > right click > This Frame > Open Frame in New Tab) > copy and save the URL somewhere for later use.
3. The image below displays the shared dashboard we'll create as an example.
   
   Figure: Personal dashboard example
   

2.1 Creating a dashboard page

1. Hover over Site Editor and select Add New Page.
   
   Figure: Adding dashboard page
   
2. You should see the Dashboards tree expanded on the left side of the screen (if you don't, select the green up symbol). On the right, enter the Node Name (lowercase no spaces, e.g. northerncalifornia) and the Display Name for the dashboard (e.g. Northern California), click Next.
   
   Figure: Adding a new page
   

2.2 Setting up the layout

1. Select Empty Layout, and Next.
   
   Figure: Page layout
   
2. For our example we choose the Containers tab, MIxed Layout, and drag Two Columns, One Row to the left onto the page layout.
   
   Figure: Select containers
   

2.3 Adding portlets

1. Next, choose the Applications tab.
2. Scroll down and select the GroundWork Portlets category.  Select and drag the Host GroupHealth portlet for both columns, carefully positioning each within each dashed column area.
3. Add, select the Web category. Select and drag over the IFrame portlet onto the dashboard page.
   
   Figure: Selecting portlets
   

2.4 Configuring portlets

Now we'll add specific information about our portlets and web application. Below, we outline how to configure the first portlet and then go ahead and do the same for the other two. In the IFrame portlet you'll need to obtain the URL of the View you capture earlier.

1. Edit the first portlet by hovering over San Francisco Host Group Health and selecting the pencil icon. Enter a Host Group Name (e.g. San_Francisco) and a Custom Portlet Title (e.g. San Francisco Host Group). Click Save Preferences.
   
   Figure: Edit Mode
   
2. Click the Portlet Setting tab, and fill in the fields as shown in our image.
   
   Figure: Portlet Setting
   
3. Next, choose the Select Icon tab and select an icon for this portlet.
   
   Figure: Select Icon
   
4. Lastly, select the Decoration Themes tab and select a theme for the portlet. Click Save and Close.
   
   Figure: Decoration Themes
   
5. For the second portlet Oakland Host Group Health, again select the pencil icon and enter a Host Group Name (e.g. Oakland) and a Custom Portlet Title (e.g. Oakland Host Group) and configure using the other tabs as you did above.
6. For the IFrame portlet, select the pencil icon and enter a Views URL you obtained earlier in place of the existing one.
7. Finally, select the Save icon in the upper right corner within the Page Editor box.
8. You can now view the new Northern California dashboard with the two Host Group Health portlets and one integrated Views portlet. Notice in the image below we are logged in a User. So, the creation of shared dashboards must be completed through the root user but the viewing is for all users unless otherwise specified in permissions.
   
   Figure: Northern California shared dashboard