ISPPlanet Cache Review Series - InfoLibria DynaCache 220i

Keeping Tabs On The DynaCache
The DynaCache offers a number of monitoring methods: DynaLink LEDs, configurable reachability checks, Telnet access to status information, stored log file retrieval, and SNMP traps.

DynaLink LEDs, ping, trace route, and port stats are available to help diagnose connectivity problems. The most important LED is the bypass light. The DynaLink continuously monitors reachability with a "watchdog" and invokes bypass when the DynaCache appears unresponsive. During our evaluation, this happened nightly at 1:54 am when the cache briefly busied itself during logfile roll-over. Tech support disabled our watchdog to avoid bypass while investigating the problem; we suspect timer adjustment might do the trick.

Squidlog
Problem detection and diagnosis were facilitated by logfiles: "squidlogs" that detail client requests, syslogs that identify OS-related events, and errorlogs that identify cache-related events. The CLI doesn't include hooks to disable logging or limit file size, but can list, view, or delete logfiles.

You can peek at the squidlog with the "show cache squidlog" command; this produces semi-real-time results since the file is buffered. Most admins will prefer to FTP these files from /var/log and perform off-line analysis, such as converting UNIX time_t values.

Log list

Introduction	Configuration & Script Files
Installation & Setup	DynaCaching Services <
Adding DynaCache to Your Network	>Advanced Management Features
Command-Line Administration	Product Support/Final Thoughts