Postgres Enterprise Manager(PEM): A quick overview.

Introduction

Server monitoring is done to gain insight on activities of users of a platform. One of such tools used in achieving this is the Postgres Enterprise Manager. Postgres Enterprise Manager(PEM) is used in monitoring instances of PostgreSQL and EDB Postgres Advanced server. EDB Advanced server was built on Postgres but with extended features such as enhanced SQL capabilities and database administration. When I talk of Postgres in subsequent paragraphs, I technically refer to these two.

PEM can monitor the following.

• A Host which is a server (physical or virtual) running an instance of Postgres or, in my case, my local machine with Postgres installed inside.
• Database server, an instance of Postgres running on a host or several Hosts, again in my case my downloaded Postgres.
• Databases created inside the Postgres installed in my machine or in the Postgres Instance running on a Physical or Virtual server. PEM have support for different operating systems and can be installed in a different number of ways.

PEM COMPONENTS AND ARCHITECTURE.

PEM Server: This is made up of an instance of Postgres, a database (known as PEM) which is used for storing monitored data and then an instance of Apache web server(HTTPD) that enables us to view everything on a browser.

PEM Agent: The PEM Agent executes tasks and is responsible for gathering information from the host (Virtual server or, in my case, my operating system) and the instances of Postgres being monitored. An agent can monitor numerous Postgres instances and their bound host, whether the PEM Agent was installed in the same server as the host was or a remote host. The agent can also be installed in a different location from the PEM Server. The agent collects different information from the monitored server and transmits it to the PEM server to be stored.

PEM Web Client: This is a browser based console that connects to the PEM Server. It provides a user interface for managing a server. It makes it easier to access the robust features of PEM such as the REST API integration, dashboard and log manager.

SQL Profiler: This is an optional feature which is quite useful for recording monitored data and query plans for PEM.

In my next blog post, I will write in detail how to install the PEM server and PEM agent on Windows operating system.
Noticed any mistake in this blog post? Please contact me @[e-mail].

References
https://www.enterprisedb.com/docs/pem/latest/pem_architecture/