Tests

The data source of a rule provides information about some condition on a managed node. After information is received, one or more tests are applied to evaluate it. Each sample of data from the data source is distributed to all tests in the rule. Each test uses the data to compute a true or false value which is used in determining when to trigger actions.

Note	A test is true only when the entire test evaluates to true, not just the test expression.

Evaluation intervals for a test depend on the type of data source used by the rule. Synchronous data sources return results to the agent at regularly scheduled intervals, where an asynchronous data source transmits data whenever it becomes available.

Test transitions, or changes between values of successive tests, can be one of four types: false to true, true to true, true to false, and false to false. By default, tests on synchronous data sources become true whenever the test expression is true, then become false the first time the test is false. Tests on asynchronous data sources, however, become false by default only after 15 minutes have passed since the last true evaluation.