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SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor: Deployment and Administration
SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor: Deployment and Administration

SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor: Deployment and Administration: Ensuring high availability for your IT services can be problematic, but with this tutorial on SolarWinds SAM it suddenly becomes a lot more feasible. It's the perfect primer for one of the most intuitive, enterprise-level monitors around.

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SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor: Deployment and Administration

Chapter 1. Deployment Strategy

A deployment strategy is the most comprehensive approach before introducing a network monitoring service to your environment. The deployment strategy for SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor (SAM) should identify what should be monitored, then prepare servers, devices, and applications (nodes) to be imported into SolarWinds SAM.

Procedures in this chapter are not required pre-deployment, as it is possible after deployment to populate SolarWinds SAM with nodes; however, it is recommended. Even after deployment, you should still enable and configure advanced monitoring services on your vital nodes.

SolarWinds SAM uses three types of protocols to poll management data:

  • Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP): This is the most common network management service protocol. To utilize it, SNMP must be enabled and an SNMP community string must be assigned on the server, device, or application. The community string is essentially a password that is sent between a node and SolarWinds SAM. Once the community string is set and assigned, the node is permitted to expose management data to SolarWinds SAM, in the form of variables. Currently, there are three versions of SNMP: v1, v2c, and v3.

    Note

    SolarWinds SAM uses SNMPv2c by default. To poll using SNMPv1, you must disable SNMPv2c on the device. Similarly, to poll using SNMPv3, you must configure your devices and SolarWinds SAM accordingly. We will be using SNMPv2c in all procedures referenced in this book.

  • Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI): This has added functionality by incorporating Windows specific communications and security features. WMI comes preinstalled on Windows by default but is not automatically enabled and configured. WMI is not exclusive to Windows server platforms; it comes installed on all modern Microsoft operating systems, and can also be used to poll desktop operating systems, such as Windows 7.

  • Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP): This is the most basic of the three; it simply sends echo requests (pings) to a server or device for status, response time, and packet loss. SolarWinds SAM uses ICMP in conjunction with SNMP and WMI. Nodes can be configured to poll with ICMP exclusively, but you miss out on CPU, memory, and volume data. Some devices can only be polled with ICMP, although in most instances you will rarely use ICMP exclusively.

    Tip

    Trying to decide between SNMP and WMI?

    SNMP is more standardized and provides data that you may not be able to poll with WMI, such as interface information. In addition, polling a single WMI-enabled node uses roughly five times the resources required to poll the same node with SNMP.

This chapter will explain how to prepare for SolarWinds SAM deployment, by enabling and configuring network management services and protocols on:

  • Windows servers

  • VMware hosts

  • Common network devices

Note

In this chapter and throughout the book we will reference service accounts. A service account is an account created to handoff credentials to SolarWinds SAM. Service accounts are a best practice primarily for security reasons, but also to ensure that user accounts do not become locked out.

Enabling and configuring SNMP on Windows


Procedures listed in this section will explain how to enable SNMP and then assign a community string, on Windows Server 2008 R2.

Note

All Windows server-related procedures in this book are performed on Windows Server 2008 R2. Procedures vary slightly in other supported versions.

Installing an SNMP service on Windows

This procedure explains how to install the SNMP service on Windows Server 2008 R2.

  1. Log in to a Windows server.

  2. Navigate to Start Menu | Control Panel | Administrative Tools | Server Manager.

    Tip

    In order to see Administrative Tools in the Control Panel, you may need to select View by: Small Icons or Large Icons.

  3. Select Features and click on Add Features.

  4. Check SNMP Services, then click on Next and Install.

  5. Click on Close.

Assigning an SNMP community string on Windows

This procedure explains how to assign a community string on Windows 2008 R2, and ensure that the SNMP service is configured to run automatically on start up.

  1. Log in to a Windows server.

  2. Navigate to Start Menu | Control Panel | Administrative Tools | Services.

  3. Double-click on SNMP Service.

  4. On the General tab, select Automatic under Startup type.

  5. Select the Agent tab and ensure Physical, Applications, Internet, and End-to-end are all checked under the Service area.

  6. Optionally, enter a Contact person and system Location.

  7. Select the Security tab and click on the Add button under Accepted community names.

  8. Enter a Community Name and click on the Add button. For example, we used S4MS3rv3r. We recommend using something secure, as this is a password.

    Note

    Community String and Community Name mean the same thing.

    Tip

    READ ONLY community rights will normally suffice. A detailed explanation of community rights can be found on the author's blog: http://justinmbrant.blogspot.com/

  9. Next, tick the Accept SNMP packets from these hosts radio button.

  10. Click on the Add button underneath the radio buttons and add the IP of the server you have designated as the SolarWinds SAM host.

  11. Once you complete these steps, the SNMP Service Properties Security tab should look something like the following screenshot. Notice that we used 192.168.1.3, as that is the IP of the server where we plan to deploy SolarWinds SAM.

Enabling and configuring WMI on Windows


Procedures in this section will ensure accessibility to WMI information by first enabling the service, followed by an outline of the creation process for a WMI service account.

Enabling a WMI service on Windows

The following steps will ensure that the WMI service is always running:

  1. Log in to a Windows server or desktop.

  2. Navigate to Start Menu | Control Panel | Administrative Tools | Services.

  3. Check to see if the Windows Management Instrumentation service is running.

  4. If it is not running, right-click on the Windows Management Instrumentation service and select Properties.

  5. On the General tab, select Automatic under Startup type.

  6. If necessary, click on the Start button, to start the service.

  7. Click on OK.

Creating an Active Directory service account for WMI

This procedure explains how to create an Active Directory (AD) user account, to act as a service account; used for SolarWinds SAM to poll your devices via WMI. These credentials will be used during and after SolarWinds SAM deployment.

  1. Log in to a Domain Controller (DC) and launch AD.

  2. Navigate to Start Menu | Control Panel | Administrative Tools | Active Directory Users and Computers.

  3. Click on the Users container, or a container of your choice.

    Tip

    To enhance our control and visibility over service accounts, we chose to use a container named Managed Service Accounts. This is optional.

  4. Navigate to Actions | New | User.

  5. Choose a User logon name. For example, we used SAMWMI.

  6. Click on Next.

  7. Choose a secure password.

    • It is convenient to select Password never expires.

      Tip

      It can be troublesome if a service account's password expires. If you choose for the password to expire, then we recommend setting up a calendar reminder to notify you when the service account password is nearing expiration, and then make the necessary adjustments to the account and to SolarWinds SAM.

    • This service account will have domain administrator privileges; make sure the password is very secure.

  8. Click on Finish.

  9. Double-click on the new user.

  10. Select the Member Of tab.

  11. Click on the Add button.

  12. Type Domain Admins and click on the Check Names button. As shown in the following screenshot, if successful, Domain Admins will now be underlined.

  13. Click on OK to save and close the Select Groups window.

  14. Click on OK to save and close the Properties window.

    Tip

    We do not recommend using your own domain admin account, or any user account, for WMI authentication. Security is the primary reason. Your account may also become locked out due to failed password attempts, or your password may need to be changed, consequently breaking the SolarWinds WMI polling functionality.

This procedure is the easiest approach to quickly begin utilizing WMI for polling purposes.

Once you have worked your way through this book, and have SolarWinds SAM configured to your liking, we recommend that you research and implement one of the more complex (secure) methods.

Note

Procedures for creating an unprivileged WMI service account are referenced on the author's blog: http://justinmbrant.blogspot.com/

VMware host monitoring prerequisites


This section discusses configuring your Virtual Machine Hosts (VMHost) for SolarWinds SAM integration. Procedures will outline how to enable Secure Shell (SSH) and SNMP on a VMHost, and then walk through the creation process of a VMware service account.

Tip

Ideally, you should also monitor each virtual server within a VMHost via SNMP or WMI. VMware Tools should be installed on all virtual servers. Note that the free version of VMware ESXi does not support SNMP.

Enabling and configuring SNMP

There are a variety of ways to enable and configure SNMP on a VMHost. We will explain two methods, which should cover most VMHost types and versions. The first method only applies to VMware ESXi 5.1 and explains how to remotely enable SNMP via SSH. The second method involves logging in to the VMHost console itself, and should translate well to most versions.

Method 1 – enabling and configuring SNMP via Secure Shell

There are two parts to this method; first we will enable SSH on the VMHost, and then use PuTTY to connect to the host and edit its snmp.xml file.

Note

PuTTY is a free open source terminal emulator that supports network protocols, such as SSH, SCP, Telnet, and rlogin. We will be using SSH in this procedure. Download PuTTY from the following URL: http://www.putty.org/

Part 1 of 2 – enabling SSH on ESXi 5.1 using vSphere

The following steps explain how to enable SSH and open the firewall to allow SSH connections.

Tip

We recommend only temporarily enabling SSH access, for security reasons.

  1. Launch the vSphere Client and log in with administrator credentials, such as root.

  2. Click on the Inventory icon in the Inventory panel.

  3. In the left panel, select the host.

  4. Click on the Configuration tab.

  5. Click on Security Profile in the Software panel.

  6. Click on Properties in the Services section.

  7. Select SSH in the Service Properties window.

  8. Click on the Options button and select one of the following:

    • Start and stop manually: This enables temporary SSH access.

    • Start and stop with host: This enables SSH indefinitely. There are security implications to consider when enabling this feature.

  9. Click on Start to enable the service.

  10. Click on OK at the SSH Options window and the Service Properties window.

  11. While still on the Configuration tab, select Properties in the Firewall section.

  12. Check the box under Required Services | Secure Shell | SSH Server.

  13. With SSH Server still selected, click on the Firewall button.

  14. Select Allow connections from any IP address radio button and click on OK.

  15. Click on OK at the Firewall Properties window.

Part 2 of 2 – enabling and configuring SNMP using PuTTY

The following steps explains how to use PuTTY to connect to the host and edit its snmp.xml file.

  1. Run putty.exe.

    Note

    The author assumes that the reader is familiar with PuTTY. A detailed tutorial for its use is beyond the scope of this book. For a PuTTY tutorial, visit the author's blog at http://justinmbrant.blogspot.com/.

  2. Connect to your VMHost. A command line window will appear.

  3. Enter your root login credentials.

  4. Click on Yes if you see a PuTTY Security Alert.

  5. Navigate to the VMware folder:

    ~ # cd /etc/vmware
    /etc/vmware #
    
  6. List folder contents to ensure snmp.xml is available:

    /etc/VMware/ # ls
    
  7. Edit snmp.xml using vi editor:

    /etc/VMware # vi snmp.xml
    
  8. You will see a single line; press I to enter the edit mode and use the arrow keys to navigate.

  9. Enable SNMP by changing false to true between <enable> and </enable>.

  10. Assign the community string by entering one between <communities> and </communities>. For example, we used S4MVMH0st!

  11. Press Esc and type :wq to save and quit. If you made a mistake, type :q! to quit without saving, and repeat steps 6 through 12.

  12. Restart the host daemon:

    /etc /VMware/ # cd
    ~ # /etc/init.d/hostd restart
    watchdog-hostd: Terminating watchdog process with PID 201623
    hostd stopped.
    hostd started.
    

    Tip

    After successfully enabling and configuring SNMP on a VMHost, you should go back and disable SSH, then close the firewall to disallow SSH access.

Method 2 – enabling SNMP on ESXi 5.1 or prior via the console

This method explains how to enable SNMP via the VMware ESXi console, by directly logging in to the VMHost server.

  1. Go to the ESXi console on the server itself, that is, not remote.

  2. Press Alt + F1 to access the hidden console.

  3. If using ESXi 5.1, then skip to step 6.

  4. If using versions prior to ESXi 5.1 then type unsupported in the hidden console and press Enter.

    Note

    You will not see any text you as you type the password.

  5. You will see Tech Support Mode warning.

  6. Type the root Login Credentials.

  7. Now follow steps 6 to 12 outlined in the Part 2 of 2 – enabling and configuring SNMP using PuTTY section.

Creating a service account for VMHost

Before SolarWinds SAM can start polling a VMHost, a service account should be created for it to use, opposed to using the root credentials. The following procedure will explain how to create a VMware service account, to pass along to SolarWinds SAM.

  1. Launch the vSphere Client and log in with administrator credentials, such as root.

  2. Click on Ignore if you are prompted with an untrusted SSL certificate warning.

  3. In the left panel select the host.

  4. Select the Local Users & Groups tab in the right panel

  5. Click on the Users button under view.

  6. Right-click within the right panel, and then select Add.

  7. On the Add New User window:

    • Enter both a Login and a User Name. For example, we used SAMVMHOST.

    • Enter and confirm a Password.

    • Click on OK.

  8. Select the Permissions tab.

  9. Right-click within the right panel, and then select Add Permission.

  10. On the Assign Permissions window, click on Add.

  11. Click on the Add button.

  12. Select the user you just created and click on Add, then click on OK on the Select Users and Groups window.

  13. Under the Assigned Role area, select Read-only and then click on OK on the Assign Permissions window.

Enabling and configuring SNMP on Cisco devices


Switches, routers, and firewalls should also be monitored, as they are crucial to the uptime of a network. This section covers command line procedures to enable and configure SNMP on some common Cisco devices.

Due to a wide range of manufactures and models, with varying configurations, your organization may use devices that are not listed in procedures referenced in this section. If that is the case, you should consult the manufacturer's website or user's manual.

Tip

Most vendors (including Cisco) ship equipment with these default SNMP community strings:

  • public for read-only

  • private for read-write

  • secret for read-write-all

It is important to change these defaults due to security implications.

Enabling and configuring SNMP on a Cisco switch

This procedure explains how to enable and configure SNMP on a Cisco 3550 switch running IOS version 12.1(20)EA1a.

  1. Telnet to the switch (replace 192.168.1.230 with your switch IP):

    C:\>telnet 192.168.1.230
    

    Tip

    You can Telnet with PuTTY, explained in above referenced procedures; or if Telnet is installed, you can use Windows' Command Prompt method explained in step 1 of this procedure.

  2. The Password field will appear. Enter the switch administrator password.

  3. Type enable at the prompt and enter the enable password:

    3550>enable
    Password:
    3550#
    
  4. Enter the configuration terminal:

    3550#configure terminal
    Enter configuration commands, one per line. End with CTRL/Z.
    3550(config)#
    
  5. Enable the read-only community string:

    3550(config)#snmp-server community S4MCisco3550SW1 RO
    
    • In this example, S4MCisco3550SW1 is the SNMP community string. You should choose your own community string.

    • To assign read-write rights, simply change RO to RW.

  6. Designate SolarWinds SAM as the host network monitoring service:

    3550(config)#snmp-server host 192.168.1.3 version 2c S4MCisco3550SW1
    

    Note

    In this command, host 192.168.1.3 is the IP of our SolarWinds SAM server, version 2c designates SNMPv2C and S4MCisco3550S1 references the new SNMP community string.

  7. Exit the configuration terminal to save, and then verify the new SNMP community string:

    3550(config)#exit
    3550#show running-configuration
    

    Note

    To remove an SNMP community string, or host network monitoring service, insert no in front of the commands listed in step 4 or 5. This is necessary if you made a typo.

Enabling and configuring SNMP on a Cisco router

This procedure explains how to enable and configure SNMP on Cisco router; it is also applicable to a Cisco IOS software-based XL Catalyst Switch.

  1. Telnet to the router (replace 192.168.1.1 with your router IP):

    prompt#telnet 192.168.1.1
    
  2. Type enable at the prompt and enter the router administrator password:

    Router>enable
    Password:
    Router#
    
  3. Display the running configuration to review the current SNMP information:

    Router#show running-config
    Building configuration...
    ....
    ....
    
  4. Enable the configuration mode:

    Router#configure terminal
    Enter configuration commands, one per line. End
    with CNTL/Z.
    Router(config)#
    
  5. Enable the read-only community string:

    Router(config)#snmp-server community public RO
    
    • In this example, public is the SNMP community string. You should change it to something more secure.

    • In this example, RO specifies read-only rights. To assign read-write rights, simply replace RO with RW.

  6. Type exit to return to the main prompt:

    Router(config)#exit 
    Router#
    
  7. Type write memory, to save the settings:

    Router#write memory 
    Building configuration... 
    [OK] 
    Router#
    

Summary


You have prepared your environment for a network monitoring service. Next, we will utilize these services and protocols by deploying and configuring SolarWinds SAM.

In this chapter, we successfully:

  • Enabled and configured SNMP and WMI on Windows Servers

  • Created a WMI service account

  • Enabled and configured SNMP and credentials on VMware ESXi

  • Created a VMware service account

  • Enabled and configured SNMP on common Cisco devices

Left arrow icon Right arrow icon

Key benefits

  • Configure network monitoring services on servers and devices
  • Populate SolarWinds SAM with network nodes and tailor it to your environment
  • Design a live network map with the Orion Network Atlas

Description

As a network or system administrator, your primary responsibility is to ensure high availability of all managed IT services. There are a number of monitoring tools available; but these can be complicated and expensive, and may only monitor certain areas of your network. SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor is an intuitive, all-encompassing, yet cost effective, enterprise-level network monitoring service. A concise and practical, hands-on guide that will teach you how utilize SolarWinds SAM. It provides step-by-step tutorials to walk you through every feature, while teaching you how to tailor the product to your own network environment. This book will guide you through equipping your network devices and servers for SolarWinds SAM utilization. It will provide a sequential, hands-on overview of the product, and is suited for networks of all sizes, ranging from small businesses to larger enterprises. You will learn how to populate SolarWinds SAM with nodes, then classify and group nodes to tailor the product to your network environment. By doing so, you will benefit from key features such as automated alerts, traps, and reports. Each feature is explained in a practical and useful manner via tutorials and real-world examples to help you start monitoring your network quickly and efficiently, while keeping security implications in mind by applying enterprise-level best practices.

Who is this book for?

If you are an IT professional ranging from an entry-level technician to a more advanced network or system administrator who is new to network monitoring services and/or SolarWinds SAM, this book is ideal for you.

What you will learn

  • Enable and configure network monitoring services and protocols on servers, virtual hosts, and network devices
  • Walk through the installation and initial configuration of SolarWinds
  • Manually add, remove, promote, and demote nodes
  • Classify and group nodes
  • Define child and parent node dependencies
  • Run reports, create custom reports, and schedule automated report forwarding to an email system
  • Troubleshoot common issues with the network monitoring service and SolarWinds SAM
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Table of Contents

5 Chapters
Deployment Strategy Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Installing and Configuring SolarWinds SAM Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Customizing SolarWinds SAM Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Events, Traps, and Alerts Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Syslog, Reporting, and Network Atlas Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

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Deano Jun 20, 2016
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Should really come with access to an online lab.. But does what it says it does.
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Denny Jun 16, 2016
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The Kindle version of this title works perfect. This title was exactly what I was looking for to get an overview of SolarWinds commands and server monitoring. I appreciate the effort the author and editor spent to make this book so readable and easy to read. The screenshots were also a great addition too the text and helped since I did not have the prerequisites of a Windows Server or SolarWinds install disk. Just needed to know enough to converse with SolarWinds Administrators at work and this book is basic enough for that and advanced enough to install and configure, and more importantly the Appendix covers some troubleshooting steps for post-install.
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Squirrel Bait '68 Jan 28, 2014
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I recently transitioned from eight years as a Network Engineer, working almost exclusively with Cisco images via CLI, to a broader spectrum of Network Administration in another company. The new position has been my first exposure to SolarWinds network performance monitoring. I ordered SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor: Deployment and Administration by Justin M. Brant, to see whether it would be easy to comprehend and apply. The book arrived this past Saturday. I was a bit surprised at how small it is (97 pages of instruction, approximately 1/4 inch thick), so I was very skeptical as to how useful it might be. Well, I've read the book from cover to cover, and I must say I am very impressed! I'd discovered that I had already learned approximately two-thirds to maybe three-quarters of the material through on-the-job trial and error, and online Thwack and Google searches. Rather than being disappointed with what I could have regarded as a wasted purchase, I am instead very pleased to have confirmation of the knowledge I'd manage to acquire on my own, as well as a few of the "missing pieces" that online searches have failed to resolve. An added bonus (for me) is that it relates the SolarWinds setup with Microsoft Server 2008 R2, which is the database platform my employer's SolarWinds monitoring software is tied into. And there's a little bit more: two quick segments to show the inexperienced in Cisco the basics of configuring SNMP via IOS CLI, so that your Cisco devices may send data to SolarWinds. So, If you have absolutely no experience at all with SolarWinds, Cisco or MS Windows Server 2008 R2, or you have not configured it in a long time and your skills are rusty, this is most definitely the book for you! Extremely simple, to the point, very well laid out step-by-step, and well illustrated with screen shots for those like me who are much more visually oriented when it comes to learning. If you are looking for an intense, in-depth study of SolarWinds and why it relates with other systems the way that it does, or if you are looking for the solid "meat and potatoes" of definitions and terms related to networking, servers, databases, and network monitoring, then this book is not for you. Manufacturer's .pdf manuals will serve you much better in that regard. This Deployment and Administration guide is bare-bones basic, much like the setup instructions for a Blu-Ray or DVR or other simple device. But if that's what you need, then this book will most definitely get you started! Highly recommended for the beginner or for the experienced but "rusty!"
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Charged more for this book
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Maniwar Aug 18, 2015
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I am so impressed by this book and the author. The book teaches you the basics. The author has also made himself available to answer questions after reading his book. That's pretty unique if you ask me. Don't believe me? Check it out. https://www.facebook.com/jbrantsolarwinds
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Delivery time is up to 15 business days for remote areas of WA, NT & QLD.

Premium: Delivery to addresses in Australia only
Trackable delivery to most P. O. Boxes and private residences in Australia within 4-5 days based on the distance to a destination following dispatch.

India:

Premium: Delivery to most Indian addresses within 5-6 business days

Rest of the World:

Premium: Countries in the American continent: Trackable delivery to most countries within 4-7 business days

Asia:

Premium: Delivery to most Asian addresses within 5-9 business days

Disclaimer:
All orders received before 5 PM U.K time would start printing from the next business day. So the estimated delivery times start from the next day as well. Orders received after 5 PM U.K time (in our internal systems) on a business day or anytime on the weekend will begin printing the second to next business day. For example, an order placed at 11 AM today will begin printing tomorrow, whereas an order placed at 9 PM tonight will begin printing the day after tomorrow.


Unfortunately, due to several restrictions, we are unable to ship to the following countries:

  1. Afghanistan
  2. American Samoa
  3. Belarus
  4. Brunei Darussalam
  5. Central African Republic
  6. The Democratic Republic of Congo
  7. Eritrea
  8. Guinea-bissau
  9. Iran
  10. Lebanon
  11. Libiya Arab Jamahriya
  12. Somalia
  13. Sudan
  14. Russian Federation
  15. Syrian Arab Republic
  16. Ukraine
  17. Venezuela
What is custom duty/charge? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Customs duty are charges levied on goods when they cross international borders. It is a tax that is imposed on imported goods. These duties are charged by special authorities and bodies created by local governments and are meant to protect local industries, economies, and businesses.

Do I have to pay customs charges for the print book order? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

The orders shipped to the countries that are listed under EU27 will not bear custom charges. They are paid by Packt as part of the order.

List of EU27 countries: www.gov.uk/eu-eea:

A custom duty or localized taxes may be applicable on the shipment and would be charged by the recipient country outside of the EU27 which should be paid by the customer and these duties are not included in the shipping charges been charged on the order.

How do I know my custom duty charges? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

The amount of duty payable varies greatly depending on the imported goods, the country of origin and several other factors like the total invoice amount or dimensions like weight, and other such criteria applicable in your country.

For example:

  • If you live in Mexico, and the declared value of your ordered items is over $ 50, for you to receive a package, you will have to pay additional import tax of 19% which will be $ 9.50 to the courier service.
  • Whereas if you live in Turkey, and the declared value of your ordered items is over € 22, for you to receive a package, you will have to pay additional import tax of 18% which will be € 3.96 to the courier service.
How can I cancel my order? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Cancellation Policy for Published Printed Books:

You can cancel any order within 1 hour of placing the order. Simply contact customercare@packt.com with your order details or payment transaction id. If your order has already started the shipment process, we will do our best to stop it. However, if it is already on the way to you then when you receive it, you can contact us at customercare@packt.com using the returns and refund process.

Please understand that Packt Publishing cannot provide refunds or cancel any order except for the cases described in our Return Policy (i.e. Packt Publishing agrees to replace your printed book because it arrives damaged or material defect in book), Packt Publishing will not accept returns.

What is your returns and refunds policy? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Return Policy:

We want you to be happy with your purchase from Packtpub.com. We will not hassle you with returning print books to us. If the print book you receive from us is incorrect, damaged, doesn't work or is unacceptably late, please contact Customer Relations Team on customercare@packt.com with the order number and issue details as explained below:

  1. If you ordered (eBook, Video or Print Book) incorrectly or accidentally, please contact Customer Relations Team on customercare@packt.com within one hour of placing the order and we will replace/refund you the item cost.
  2. Sadly, if your eBook or Video file is faulty or a fault occurs during the eBook or Video being made available to you, i.e. during download then you should contact Customer Relations Team within 14 days of purchase on customercare@packt.com who will be able to resolve this issue for you.
  3. You will have a choice of replacement or refund of the problem items.(damaged, defective or incorrect)
  4. Once Customer Care Team confirms that you will be refunded, you should receive the refund within 10 to 12 working days.
  5. If you are only requesting a refund of one book from a multiple order, then we will refund you the appropriate single item.
  6. Where the items were shipped under a free shipping offer, there will be no shipping costs to refund.

On the off chance your printed book arrives damaged, with book material defect, contact our Customer Relation Team on customercare@packt.com within 14 days of receipt of the book with appropriate evidence of damage and we will work with you to secure a replacement copy, if necessary. Please note that each printed book you order from us is individually made by Packt's professional book-printing partner which is on a print-on-demand basis.

What tax is charged? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Currently, no tax is charged on the purchase of any print book (subject to change based on the laws and regulations). A localized VAT fee is charged only to our European and UK customers on eBooks, Video and subscriptions that they buy. GST is charged to Indian customers for eBooks and video purchases.

What payment methods can I use? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

You can pay with the following card types:

  1. Visa Debit
  2. Visa Credit
  3. MasterCard
  4. PayPal
What is the delivery time and cost of print books? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Shipping Details

USA:

'

Economy: Delivery to most addresses in the US within 10-15 business days

Premium: Trackable Delivery to most addresses in the US within 3-8 business days

UK:

Economy: Delivery to most addresses in the U.K. within 7-9 business days.
Shipments are not trackable

Premium: Trackable delivery to most addresses in the U.K. within 3-4 business days!
Add one extra business day for deliveries to Northern Ireland and Scottish Highlands and islands

EU:

Premium: Trackable delivery to most EU destinations within 4-9 business days.

Australia:

Economy: Can deliver to P. O. Boxes and private residences.
Trackable service with delivery to addresses in Australia only.
Delivery time ranges from 7-9 business days for VIC and 8-10 business days for Interstate metro
Delivery time is up to 15 business days for remote areas of WA, NT & QLD.

Premium: Delivery to addresses in Australia only
Trackable delivery to most P. O. Boxes and private residences in Australia within 4-5 days based on the distance to a destination following dispatch.

India:

Premium: Delivery to most Indian addresses within 5-6 business days

Rest of the World:

Premium: Countries in the American continent: Trackable delivery to most countries within 4-7 business days

Asia:

Premium: Delivery to most Asian addresses within 5-9 business days

Disclaimer:
All orders received before 5 PM U.K time would start printing from the next business day. So the estimated delivery times start from the next day as well. Orders received after 5 PM U.K time (in our internal systems) on a business day or anytime on the weekend will begin printing the second to next business day. For example, an order placed at 11 AM today will begin printing tomorrow, whereas an order placed at 9 PM tonight will begin printing the day after tomorrow.


Unfortunately, due to several restrictions, we are unable to ship to the following countries:

  1. Afghanistan
  2. American Samoa
  3. Belarus
  4. Brunei Darussalam
  5. Central African Republic
  6. The Democratic Republic of Congo
  7. Eritrea
  8. Guinea-bissau
  9. Iran
  10. Lebanon
  11. Libiya Arab Jamahriya
  12. Somalia
  13. Sudan
  14. Russian Federation
  15. Syrian Arab Republic
  16. Ukraine
  17. Venezuela