Add New Reference Variable

Use this dialog to add a reference variable. Reference variables simplify access to SNMP and WMI mechanisms for use in your script. They allow point-and-click configuration of many common performance values, reducing the overall complexity of the script. Create reference variable names at monitor creation time and access the reference variables by name using the Context method GetReferenceVariable("variable name"). For more information, see Using the context object with performance monitors.

• Variable name. Enter a name for the variable. The name cannot contain spaces or special characters.

  Note: You cannot use the same variable name twice when creating an Active Script performance monitor. You can use a different variable name to call for the same reference variable, but it must use a different name.

• Description. Enter a description for the variable.
• Object type. Select either SNMP, WMI (Raw), or WMI (Formatted).

Important: The option to select WMI (Raw) or WMI (Formatted) is only available when adding a reference variables to a Powershell Scripting Performance Monitor. When adding a reference variable to an Active Script Performance monitor, you can select WMI as an object type but cannot specify Raw or Formatted. For Active Script Performance monitors, when WMI is selected, Raw is implied.

• Timeout. If you select SNMP, you will have the option to enter a value for the timeout, or the amount of seconds WhatsUp Gold will wait for a response to the poll.

  Important: The timeout specified here should not exceed the timeout for the entire monitor as a whole.

• Retries. If you select SNMP, you will have the option to enter a value for the number of times WhatsUp Gold should attempt to retry the poll.
• Performance Counter. For SNMP, it is the OID of the object to poll. For WMI, this and the Instance box are read-only and will display the contents you have selected in the WMI Browser.
• Instance. The instance of the performance counter.