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Version: NG-2.16

Notification Management

Introduction​

In today's fast-paced digital landscape, efficient alert and notification management is crucial for maintaining system stability and ensuring timely responses to critical issues. Our Notification Management feature provides a robust framework for applying various policies to manage alert notifications effectively.

By default, all correlated alerts will utilize the notification routing policy, ensuring consistency and efficiency in alert management. For rule-based alerts, users can configure notification channels and recipients directly within the alert rules. Alternatively, they can leverage the established notification routing policies, providing a centralized mechanism to manage notification channels and recipients without needing to adjust individual alert rules.

Key Features​

  • Notification Routing Policy: Users can define comprehensive notification routing policies based on alert type, summary, tag, and other properties. This flexibility ensures that notifications are sent through the appropriate channels to the right recipients, optimizing response times and minimizing disruptions.
  • Maintenance Windows Configuration: This feature allows the configuration of maintenance windows that mute alerts matching specific criteria. This ensures that non-critical alerts do not cause unnecessary interruptions during planned maintenance periods.

Benefits​

  • Centralized Management: Streamline the management of notification channels and recipients, reducing the need for repetitive configuration changes.
  • Enhanced Flexibility: Tailor notification policies to meet the specific needs of your organization, ensuring critical alerts reach the appropriate personnel promptly.
  • Maintenance Optimization: Prevent unnecessary alert disruptions during maintenance windows, maintaining focus on critical tasks.

Accessing Notification Management​

vuSmartMaps Alert Console can be accessed from the left navigation menu (Configure Observability > Notification Management).

Listing Page​

The listing page looks like below.

  • Route Name: The name given to a specific notification route.
  • Route Category: The category under which the route falls, such as Journeys, Devices, etc.
  • Severity: The severity level associated with the route, if applicable.
  • Duration: The duration or condition that triggers the route, such as a time threshold.
  • Recipients: The recipients or channels that will receive notifications for the route.
  • Actions: Options to edit or delete the route configuration.
  • + Button: Click on this button to create a new notification route.
  • Test Route: Click on this to test if the notification route functions as defined.

Filter​

The Notification Routes listing page allows you to filter routes based on various criteria, helping you quickly find and manage specific notification routes. Click on the checkbox to enable a particular filter. Available filters include:

  • Journeys: Filter routes associated with specific journeys. Eg: UPI Journey
  • Applications: Filter routes related to particular applications.
  • Components: Filter routes concerning specific components. Eg: CBS
  • Devices: Filter routes linked to certain devices based on the IP addresses
  • Locations: Filter routes based on geographic or logical locations.
  • Tags: Filter routes by specific tags assigned to alerts.
  • Summary: Filter routes based on the summary content of alerts.
  • Alert Content: Filter routes by the content of the alert.

Additionally, you can click on the Add Filters section and choose one or more criteria from the dropdown such as ‘Route Name’ or ‘Severity’ etc.

Prerequisites​

For a Notification Route to take effect, make sure to include the condition use_notification_routing: true in the Advanced Configuration section of the Alert Controls while configuring the Alert Rules.

Create Notification Route​

Step 1: Click on the ‘+’ button as shown below.

Step 2: Enter the Route Name based on the requirement. Eg: UPI

Step 3: Select Route Category from the dropdown. Eg: Journey for a UPI Journey

Step 4: Enter the Journeys name you would like to create a route for and click on Add as shown below. Example: UPI

Step 5: This is an optional step. Select severities from the dropdown such as Warning or Error etc for which the alert needs to be captured.

Step 6: This is an optional step. You can set up alerts to be sent based on specific conditions like alert duration. Now, any UPI alert that lasts longer than 150 seconds will automatically be sent to the channels you selected.

To Select Duration, choose an operator from the “Select Operator” dropdown and choose the time. E.g.: 150 seconds.

Step 7: ‘Add Script’ is for advanced users. You can enable this option if you want to provide a Python script for the customization of the notification. This is similar to adding the Alert Evaluation Script during the Programmable Alert Configuration.

Step 8: ‘Select Channels’ allows you to manage how notifications are delivered. You can use email, WhatsApp, SMS, Runbook Automation, Slack, and MS Teams for communication. Configure recipients, groups, and message content to tailor alert content to your needs. This is similar to channel configuration in the Alerts.

Step 9: Click on Save. The new notification route is created and It will redirect you to the listing page.

Notifications​

Here are some notifications across multiple channels for different criteria.

Tickets:

Email:

MS Teams:

Slack:

Test Route​

The Test Route button allows you to verify that a notification route is functioning as expected. By clicking this button, you can simulate an alert to ensure that notifications are delivered to the specified channels and recipients according to the defined route configuration.

This feature is essential for validating the effectiveness of your notification routes before they are activated in a live environment.

Step 1: Click on the Test Route button as shown below.

Step 2: Select the Route Category from the drop-down. Example: Journeys or Devices

Step 3: Enter the Notification Route that you have created or you would like to test. And then click Run. It will show all the routes that match your criteria. It will work only in the live environment if it works here.

FAQs​

What is Notification Management in vuSmartMaps, and why is it important?

Notification Management provides a centralized way to configure how alert notifications are delivered across different channels (e.g., email, Slack, MS Teams). Instead of configuring each alert rule individually, you can define notification routing policies that apply broadly based on categories like journeys, devices, or alert severity. This helps reduce repetitive setup, ensures consistent notification delivery, and simplifies large-scale alerting workflows.

What is a Notification Route, and how does it work?

A Notification Route is a policy that determines how and where an alert notification is sent. Each route can be configured with:

  • A route category (e.g., Journey, Device, Application)
  • Matching criteria (e.g., tags, alert summary, severity)
  • Notification conditions (e.g., duration thresholds)
  • Delivery channels (e.g., email, WhatsApp, MS Teams)

Once a matching alert is generated and use_notification_routing: true is enabled in the alert rule, the alert will follow the logic of the matching notification route for delivery.

How do I create a notification route?

To create a notification route:

  • Go to Notification Management from the left menu.
  • Click the + button to create a new route.
  • Provide a route name and select the Route Category (e.g., Journey).
  • Define filters like Journey Name, Severity, or Alert Duration.
  • (Optional) Add custom logic using the Add Script option.
  • Choose delivery channels (Email, WhatsApp, MS Teams, etc.) and configure recipients.
  • Click Save.

The route will now appear in the list and apply to future alerts that meet its criteria.

How can I test whether a notification route is working?

Use the Test Route feature:

  • Click the Test Route button.
  • Select the Route Category (e.g., Journeys or Devices).
  • Enter the name of the Notification Route you want to test.
  • Click Run.

This simulates a test alert based on your configuration to verify if notifications are delivered as expected. It's ideal for validating setup before enabling routes in production.

Can I route alerts based on tags, summary, or locations?

Yes. When creating a Notification Route, you can use filters such as:

  • Tags: Group alerts by business context or teams.
  • Summary: Route based on keywords in alert messages.
  • Locations: Filter alerts based on geographic or logical regions.

These filters help fine-tune delivery so that alerts are only sent to the relevant teams or systems.

What are Maintenance Windows, and how do they affect notifications?

Maintenance Windows allow you to temporarily mute notifications during scheduled downtimes. Alerts that match specific criteria during this window won’t trigger messages, helping prevent unnecessary interruptions. You can define these windows using matching tags, journeys, or alert content to ensure only relevant alerts are muted.