A monitoring tool for more reliable and cost-effective control over the public transport system (Madrid, Spain)
Area: urban
Relation between efforts undertaken and benefits achieved: good
What was done and how: In sum: the public transportation system in Madrid became so complex that a sophisticated and innovative monitoring system had to be (and was) put in place.
Over the past few year, EMT (the public transport company owned and managed by Madrid City Council) has changed from central host-based system, SNA networks and Novell, to using a distributed process system, TCP/IP communications, web servers, etc. Because of the growing number of machines and users, their main goal is to have reliable control over hardware status, process and systems. Control systems must also be adaptable, to accomodate growth and diversity. Throughout its headquarters and six operation centers, there are over 100 servers in total, 70 WiFi access points, switches, etc. In addition to these machines, there are more than 500 internal users and a few hundred-thousand customers who use the service availability system through client applications. Because high service availability is mandatory, both for internal and for end-user systems, a monitoring system had become paramount.
The implementation of this innovation resulted in:
* a unified and universal interface to manage information
* monitoring unified in one tool
* information in real time by e-mail or SMS
* performance inventory obtaining status information
* set different access profiles, allowing all users to benefit from the information they need
* cost savings
Why it worked to 'fast track' the innovation/measure: A system like the adopted Pandora FMS allowed the monitoring of multiple parameters, in real time, through one web console. Furthermore, it permitted the system to be left unattended by setting the agent into watchdog mode, a task that, prior to Pandora FMS, would have been executed by the system administrators, involving scheduled revisions of the system, and a hurried response following a problem detection.
Lessons learnt: Many! Consolidation in this way reduces traffic volumes, emissions, etc.
Sources or links:
Relation between efforts undertaken and benefits achieved: good
What was done and how: In sum: the public transportation system in Madrid became so complex that a sophisticated and innovative monitoring system had to be (and was) put in place.
Over the past few year, EMT (the public transport company owned and managed by Madrid City Council) has changed from central host-based system, SNA networks and Novell, to using a distributed process system, TCP/IP communications, web servers, etc. Because of the growing number of machines and users, their main goal is to have reliable control over hardware status, process and systems. Control systems must also be adaptable, to accomodate growth and diversity. Throughout its headquarters and six operation centers, there are over 100 servers in total, 70 WiFi access points, switches, etc. In addition to these machines, there are more than 500 internal users and a few hundred-thousand customers who use the service availability system through client applications. Because high service availability is mandatory, both for internal and for end-user systems, a monitoring system had become paramount.
The implementation of this innovation resulted in: * a unified and universal interface to manage information
* monitoring unified in one tool
* information in real time by e-mail or SMS
* performance inventory obtaining status information
* set different access profiles, allowing all users to benefit from the information they need
* cost savings
Why it worked to 'fast track' the innovation/measure: A system like the adopted Pandora FMS allowed the monitoring of multiple parameters, in real time, through one web console. Furthermore, it permitted the system to be left unattended by setting the agent into watchdog mode, a task that, prior to Pandora FMS, would have been executed by the system administrators, involving scheduled revisions of the system, and a hurried response following a problem detection.
Lessons learnt: Many! Consolidation in this way reduces traffic volumes, emissions, etc.
Sources or links:
