> #### Understanding alert options and default values

> Figure 2–1 highlights some of the default values and the override hierarchy available to set up resource monitoring plans. The primary purpose of this diagram is to focus on the alert-related options available at the global, resource type, and individual resource monitor level.

> ##### General and Resource Monitoring options

> The top block in Figure 2–1 identifies the options and defaults you can set globally on the Fathom General Configuration page and the Fathom Resource Monitoring Configuration page. You access these pages by choosing Options Configuration.

> Establishing alert-related options at this level can help to promote consistency within your alert data through the use of default values. However, you can override these default global settings at the resource type or individual resource monitor levels.

> After you have defined your initial configuration settings, you can refine particular global settings by:

> - Changing the alert-related selections.
> - Turning global settings on or off. For example, you can elect to suspend Fathom's alerts generation feature, or enable or disable resource polling for all active resource monitors.

> ##### Resource Monitor Defaults pages

> The middle block in Figure 2–1 focuses on alert-related options available on the Resource Monitor Defaults pages. Among the various defaults values that you can set from each resource-specific default page, you can display and change default polling attributes associated with each resource type.

> A polling interval determines how often a rule is evaluated. Therefore, you can determine a uniform polling interval that Fathom uses as a part of the criteria for determining when a rule violation will cause an alert to be triggered. Resource type default values can also be overridden at the individual resource monitor level.

> ##### Resource Monitoring Plan pages

> The bottom block in Figure 2–1 identifies the lowest level in this hierarchy. This individual resource monitor level inherits values set at the higher global or resource type levels. When you override values on a Resource Monitoring Plan page for an individual resource monitor, your changes only affect the specific resource monitor.

> ##### For additional reference information

> Table 2–1 identifies where you can find additional details about monitoring plan- and alert-related functionality.

> Table 2–1: Additional monitoring plan and alerts information
> For details about... | See the...
> --- | ---
> Selecting an action to be applied to all internal alerts | "Fathom internal alerts" section for details.
> Accessing and changing values associated with resource monitor types | Appropriate sections in the Resource Monitoring Guide.
> Accepting or overriding values at the individual resource level | "Configuring rules for individual resources" section for details.

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