Frequently Asqued Questions

Do I need to install anything?

No. eXternalTest does not run on your computer. All administration of your eXternalTest account is done through your Internet browser. You do not install any additional software on your desktop or laptop.

Can I see the history of my site or service's availability?

Yes. eXternalTest application archives the site or service history so you can know exactly when you site was unavailable in the last day, week, month and year.

What if I want to quit?

You can take all the contents on your site with you by exporting them to a suitable format (XML, CVS, PDF, DOC, Excel). There is no extra cost. Firstly you have to log in to your account, then click on Reports -> Exports results data and choose the options you want.

What browser can I use to work with eXternalTest?

You can use our application with any modern Mozilla based browser: Firefox, Mozilla, Camino, etc., and we recommend one of those. Microsoft Internet Explorer is also supported. Of course, the site you create can be viewed with almost any browser (even text based or older ones).

How about the support?

You can get personal help if you send us email.

Where are the test agent nodes located?

We have test agent nodes located in several parts of the world. We have more than ten test stations situated in countries such as USA, Spain, Germany, etc, to monitor your servers or web sites.

What kind of server systems do you monitor?

eXternalTest application accesses the specified web site pages (the Universal Resource Locator (URL)) on your web server by means of process similar to a browser that initiates certain activities when it reaches the specified URL. It also does a precision check on the HTML coding of the web site using specific keywords you've entered. In case of a problem, users of eXternalTest service can also run a Traceroute. The Traceroute report provides detailed information about the monitored Internet path and can be used to pin-point the location of Internet-related problems along that path.

What kind of reporting does the eXternalTest provide?

The eXternalTest report includes web site status and performance indicators, in either a summary or detailed format. Also, you can customize the period included in the report. The summary report is a great tool for reporting on the relative health of the web site for management purposes. The detailed and Traceroute reports are a good tool for troubleshooting downtime and other web site performance issues.

How to check for some specific text on the page. Is this possible?

We can monitor for a keyword for each test HTTP you achieve. If a keyword is not found, an alert will be generated.

Our servers are unavailable several times during a day due to maintenance. Is there a way not to monitor during the expected unavailability times?

You have the option of postponing the monitoring and notifications for the web services you are fixing by clicking the Deactivate option. You can test your fix again by clicking Activate choice.

Why do you run Traceroute?

Traceroute can show you if it was a network related issue, such as packet loss or network latency at one of the hops or was it an actual server problem. If it is a network issue it will identify be the hop where problem occurs. It may or may not be within your organization's control. If traceroute shows no packet loss and average latency, it is probably an issue with the server itself.

How am I notified if there is an incident on my web site?

You choose from several different notification options, including: e-mail, SMS alerts on your mobile, GTalk Alerts (If you use a GMail account, you can receive alerts via GTalk), or a combination of any of these.

I just received an alert and I am unsure what it means, where do I look?

There is a lot of diagnostic information that is a part of the alert or automatically produced by our web monitoring system when an error occurs: -The alert itself contains a status code and text description of the error that will indicate the type of problem encountered. -Our Screenshots and Test results tabs (available in the Reports option) provide a quick and easy view of current and historical events.

How do I know my web site is operating correctly again?

eXternalTest will send notification messages as long as it detects a problem. For example, if you are monitoring every 15 minutes you will receive a notification that your web site is down every 15 minutes until the problem is fixed. Once the problem is resolved, the notifications will stop.

Can more than one person receive alerts?

Multiple people can receive alerts when an error occurs. You can configure this with Contacts List option (in Contacts tab).

How can I change who receives the Monitoring Summary?

All of the email addresses in the Contacts List option for the account administrator will receive a copy of the monitoring summaries. From the control panel select Contacts -> Contacts Lists -> Actions field -> Edit option, to configure features of this contact. If you want to add a new contact, just click on New contact and fill the personal information for the new contact you want to register.

Can I monitor my competitors' sites?

Yes. You can enter any URL for monitoring no matter who is the owner of the site. You can check them for up/downtime or by using keywords, for modifications. In this way you can be notified when your competitor renews his web. Data collected about websites is for your private use only and should not be published.

How can I add another URL to be monitored for me by eXternalTest application?

What are your future plans?

We plan to enhance the current features and also add some bigger features along the way. We hope to grow with our users, and we hope to get feedback from you.

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