Manage Your Cron Monitors

All Sentry plans include one cron monitor. To activate additional monitors, you need to add a pay-as-you-go (PAYG) budget.

Key Terms

• Reserved Quota: The number of cron monitors included in your plan.
• Pay-As-You-Go (PAYG) Budget: A budget you set to pay for additional monitors beyond your reserved quota.
• Reusable Quota: Quota freed up by deactivating or deleting monitors within the same billing period, which can be reused for new or reactivated monitors at no additional cost.

Viewing and Adjusting Your PAYG Budget

To check or adjust your monthly PAYG budget for cron monitors:

1. Go to Organization Settings > Subscription.
2. Review your current PAYG budget.
3. To change your budget, adjust the amount as needed.

Activating or Reactivating Monitors

When you add a new monitor or reactivate a previously deactivated one, Sentry will attempt to activate it based on your available quota and budget.

Activation Process:

1. Check for Reusable Quota

   • Sentry first checks if there's any reusable quota from monitors deactivated or deleted within the same billing period.
   • If available, the monitor is activated using this quota at no additional cost.

2. Use PAYG Budget or Reserved Quota

   • If no reusable quota is available, Sentry uses your reserved quota or PAYG budget to activate the monitor.
   • The cost is deducted from your PAYG budget.

Activation Across Billing Periods

At the start of each new billing period:

• Quota Reset: All quotas reset, and any reusable quota from the previous period is no longer available.

• Re-evaluation of Monitors:

  • If you have sufficient reserved quota or PAYG budget, monitors that were previously active will remain active.
  • If there isn't enough budget, monitors may be automatically deactivated.

• Manual Deactivations or Deletions: Monitors that were manually deactivated or deleted will remain in that state.

Deactivating or Deleting Monitors

You can manually deactivate or delete monitors at any time from the Crons page.

Effects of Deactivation or Deletion:

• Quota Becomes Reusable: The quota from the deactivated or deleted monitor becomes available for reuse within the same billing period.
• Billing Impact: Deactivated or deleted monitors will count towards your billing quota if they were previously active in the current billing period. Otherwise, they don't count towards your billing quota.

Example Scenario

Let's illustrate how this works with an example:

1. Starting Situation:

   • You have a reserved quota of 1 monitor.
   • You have a PAYG budget that allows for 5 monitors.
   • You currently have 6 active monitors.

2. Deactivating or Deleting a Monitor:

   • You deactivate or delete Monitor A.
   • The quota from Monitor A becomes reusable within the same billing period.

3. Activating a New Monitor:

   • You add a new Monitor B.
   • Sentry checks for reusable quota and finds it from Monitor A.
   • Monitor B is activated at no additional cost.

4. End of Billing Period:

   • All quotas reset.
   • You need to ensure you have enough PAYG budget to cover all active monitors for the new period.
   • You have 6 active monitors and a PAYG budget for 5 monitors.
   • You have 1 deactivated or deleted monitor.
   • You only pay for the PAYG budget of the additional 5 monitors.

Tips for Managing Your Monitors

• Monitor Your Usage: Regularly check your active monitors and PAYG budget to avoid unexpected deactivations.
• Adjust Budget as Needed: If you plan to add more monitors, consider increasing your PAYG budget beforehand.
• Plan for Renewal: Remember that quotas reset each billing period. Ensure you have sufficient budget to keep monitors active.

By understanding how monitor activation and billing work, you can effectively manage your cron monitors and avoid interruptions in your monitoring.