For internal use, we enhanced our existing monitoring of FileMaker servers, which previously checked only basic parameters such as running databases, availability of the Web Publishing Engine, and functionality via a simple “heartbeat” signal. Our goal was to add detailed insights into system resource usage, including CPU utilization, disk capacity status, number of connected users, as well as information about backups and system versions.
We implemented a two-part system for data collection and processing. On each monitored server, a system script collects advanced system information — from CPU usage and disk status to the number of connected users. This script saves the output in a structured text file.
A FileMaker script then reads the contents of this file and, together with the heartbeat data, sends it to a central FileMaker database called Maintenance Check, which aggregates and evaluates data from all monitored servers. This database includes logic for parsing the text outputs, checking against predefined thresholds (for example, triggering a warning if disk usage exceeds 90%), and generating notifications if any limits are exceeded.
The solution also includes the ability to remotely update the shell script from the central database — a new version of the script is pushed to the target server, and the updated version is automatically used during the next execution. The entire system is designed as modular, making it easy to quickly add new monitored metrics.
