Getting Started with the Guardium GUI

Portal Overview

Users access the Guardium appliance over a secure (HTTPS) connection, using a Web browser. All users are defined to the system by the Guardium access manager. Your access manager will provide you with your user name and initial password. In a default installation, you will need to change your password the first time that you log in.

Within your browser window, Guardium displays information on a set of tabbed panes. By selecting a tab or menu option, you can overlay panes on the same screen area. Each pane may contain one or more portlets. A portlet can be a report, application, or tool. Each pane may contain any number of report portlets, and a single application or tool portlet.

When you log in for the first time, your portal displays with a layout determined by the Guardium roles that the access manager has assigned to your user account. Although the access manager controls the initial layout, you can customize your layout easily, changing the panes displayed and the placement of portlets on each pane.

Check Microsoft Internet Explorer Settings

If you use Microsoft Internet Explorer as your Web browser, please check the setting of the Show friendly HTTP error messages option, as described in the procedure below.

Microsoft Internet Explorer is typically configured by default to show “friendly HTTP error messages.” This means that instead of seeing any explanatory error messages produced by the Guardium software, you will receive “friendly” (but not very informative) messages output by Microsoft Internet Explorer.

To check or modify this setting, follow the procedure outlined below:

  1. Open Microsoft Internet Explorer.

  2. Select Tools > Internet Options to open the Internet Options panel.

  3. Click the Advanced tab in the Internet Options panel.

  4. Scroll down in the Settings box to the Show friendly HTTP error messages setting.

  5. Clear the Show friendly HTTP error messages checkbox if it is marked.

  6. If you cleared the checkbox, click the Apply button to save the settings.

  7. Click the OK button to close the Internet Options panel.

Upgrade Note

Following a Guardium upgrade, the color pattern or other attributes of your Guardium portal may appear strange, because your browser may be fetching some items from your local PC cache. If this happens, clear the cache (from the Internet Explorer Tools menu).

Log in to the Guardium Appliance

  1. Open the Guardium Login Page in your browser. If you have not saved the page location, type its address in the Address box of the browser window, in the following format:

  2. After typing the address, press Enter to open the Guardium Login Page.

  3. Enter your Guardium user name in the Username box.

  4. Enter your Guardium password in the Password box.

  5. Click the Login button. This opens your Guardium portal, which displays the tabs and panes you are authorized to use.

Login Notes

Your Guardium access manager and Guardium administrator will determine which login and password options are enabled for your system. Depending on your configuration:

Standard Portal Controls

The top of the Guardium portal contains the controls illustrated and explained below:

...

Control

Description

You have...

If there are items on your Audit To-Do List, this message displays in the upper-left portion of the window. Click the "You have..." link to open your To-Do List in a separate window.

Edit Account...

Click the Edit Account... link to edit your Guardium user account (to change your password or email address, for example).

Customize

Click the Customize link to add a tab to the outermost row of tabs on your portal.

Logout

Click the Logout link to log out.

(Portal Search)

Opens a search window. Enter the report or application name, or part of the name in the text box, and click the Search button. Then click on any of the displayed portlets to navigate to that portlet in the main window.

Hint: This search operation searches for each word that you enter, separately. To limit the list of portlets returned, enter only the most important word or words from the name of the portlet you are looking for.

(Portal Map)

Opens a graphical map of your portal. Navigate the tabs and menu entries as you would with a directory listing.

(Help System)

Opens the Guardium Help System in a separate browser window.

G2000 - Standalone Unit

The model number (G2000 in the example) and unit type (Standalone Unit) display in the upper right portion of the panel.

Navigate the Portal

Regardless of how your portal is defined, you navigate using the same types of components: tabs, menus and portlets.

Navigate Tabs

Each tab completely defines the entire area below the row of tabs on which it is defined. The tabs thus overlay one another, with only the active tab layout visible. The active tab title on each row of tabs is highlighted. On each row of tabs, only the active tab has a (Customize) button:

Click the Customize button to customize the layout of the tab. See Portal Customization for detailed instructions on how to customize your layout.

If a tab layout contains one or more reports, clicking the tab title refreshes all reports on that tab.

Navigate Menus

Some tabs contain menus. Each item on a menu completely defines the area to the right of the menu. The menu items thus overlay one another and only the active menu item can be seen. The active menu item is highlighted. The menu also contains a (Customize) button, which you can click to customize the menu. (See Portal Customization for detailed instructions on how to customize your layout.)

Portlet Layouts

The area to the right of a menu, or the area or below a tab if the tab has no menu or nested tabs, contains portlets. A portlet can be an application or a report, and there can be multiple portlets on a pane, arranged in rows or columns.

Each portlet pane (whether an application or report) contains the buttons illustrated and described below:

Button

Description

Customize - On a report portlet, click the Customize button to set the run-time or presentation parameters. To change the menu, tab, or overall layout, use the Customize button on a menu or tab, or use the Customize link in the upper right portion of the portal.

Print-Friendly Format - Click to display the panel contents in a printer-friendly format (which minimizes the use of curved lines).

Information - Click to display information about the portlet.

Close - Click to close the portlet. This removes the portlet from your layout. (It does not delete the definition of the underlying component - an application or report, for example.) If you remove a portlet by mistake, you can re-add it easily (see Portal Customization).

Minimize - Click to minimize the portlet. When minimized, the Minimize and Maximize buttons are replaced by the Restore button, as illustrated below:

Click the (Restore) button to return the portlet to its normal size.

Maximize - Click to expand this portlet to fill the Guardium work area. When maximized, the Close, Minimize, and Maximize buttons are replaced by the Restore button:

Click the (Restore) button to return the portlet to its normal size and location.

Report Portlet Toolbar Controls

Each report contains a toolbar at the bottom, with the controls described below.

Button

Description

Go to the first or previous page, respectively.

Records:

Enter a record number to jump to (they are numbered from top to bottom).

Go to the next or last page, respectively.

Re-run the query to refresh the report data.

Download the data currently displayed on the portlet, in CSV format.

Download the entire report, in CSV format.

Open the complete report in a separate window, formatted for printing.

Download a PDF file version of the report.

Display the report in tree map format. See Display a Tree Map in the Reports topic for an explanation.

Edit the query this report is based upon. (You must be authorized to edit that query.

 

Overview Tab

The default user layout contains an Overview Tab, containing many predefined reports. See the Predefined Reports appendix.