.. _intro_opsc-help:

Introduction to OpsCenter 
===========================

At the top of every functional area of OpsCenter, you can access these functions:

* :ref:`Create Cluster <cluster-create>`: create a cluster. 

* :ref:`Add a cluster <cluster-add>`: add clusters to OpsCenter to monitor. Available in OpsCenter Enterprise Edition only.

* Feedback: an online form that sends your evaluation of OpsCenter or any comments to us. 

* :ref:`Report <opsc-pdf-report>`: information about clusters that OpsCenter manages in PDF format.

OpsCenter is divided into these main functional areas:

* Overview - Survey each cluster's Dashboard in this condensed view. Displayed when multiple clusters are present.

* Dashboard - View graphs of the most commonly watched Cassandra performance metrics.

* Software update notification - be notified when an upgrade to OpsCenter or Cassandra or DSE on any of your clusters is available. The actual upgrade processes will be manual. When a new version is available a link at the top of the Dashboard appears. Clicking on it displays a dialog with a link to the new version of the software.

* :ref:`Cluster <node_actions>`: see your cluster from different perspectives and perform certain maintenance operations on cluster nodes.

* :ref:`Cluster administration <cluster-admin>`: add, modify, or remove a cluster from OpsCenter. Available in OpsCenter Enterprise Edition only.

* :ref:`Performance <cluster_metrics>`: monitor a number of Cassandra cluster
  performance metrics. Real-time and historical performance metrics are available 
  at different granularities: cluster-wide, per node, or per column family.

* :ref:`Alerts <alerts_metrics>`: configure alert thresholds for a number of Cassandra cluster-wide, column family, and  operating system metrics. Available in OpsCenter Enterprise Edition only.

* :ref:`Scehma <keyspace-ops>`: create and manage keyspaces and the column families within them.

* :ref:`Data backups <data_backups>` - visually take, schedule, and manage backups across all registered clusters. Restore to clusters from backups. Available in OpsCenter Enterprise Edition only.

* :ref:`Data Explorer <data-explorer>`: browse through column family data. 

* Event Log: view the most recent OpsCenter log events, such as OpsCenter startup and shutdown.
