# Monitor your Simple AD directory
You can get the most out of your Simple AD by learning more about the different Simple AD statuses and what they mean for your Simple AD. You can also use AWS services like Amazon Simple Notification Service to monitor your Simple AD. Amazon Simple Notification Service can send you notifications of your Simple AD directory status.
**Topics**
+ [Understanding your Simple AD directory status](simple_ad_directory_status.md)
+ [Enabling Simple AD directory status notifications with Amazon Simple Notification Service](simple_ad_enable_notifications.md)
# Understanding your Simple AD directory status
The following are the various statuses for a directory.
**Active**
The directory is operating normally. No issues have been detected by the Directory Service for your directory.
**Creating**
The directory is currently being created. Directory creation typically takes between 20 to 45 minutes but may vary depending on the system load.
**Deleted**
The directory has been deleted. All resources for the directory have been released. Once a directory enters this state, it cannot be recovered.
**Deleting**
The directory is currently being deleted. The directory will remain in this state until it has been completely deleted. Once a directory enters this state, the delete operation cannot be cancelled, and the directory cannot be recovered.
**Failed**
The directory could not be created. Please delete this directory. If this problem persists, please contact the [AWS Support Center](https://console.aws.amazon.com/support/home#/).
**Impaired**
The directory is running in a degraded state. One or more issues have been detected, and not all directory operations may be working at full operational capacity. There are many potential reasons for the directory being in this state. These include normal operational maintenance activity such as patching or EC2 instance rotation, temporary hot spotting by an application on one of your domain controllers, or changes you made to your network that inadvertently disrupt directory communications. Your directory can have an impaired status if you alter the settings outlined in [Simple AD prerequisites](simple_ad_getting_started.md#prereq_simple). For more information, see either [Troubleshooting AWS Managed Microsoft AD](ms_ad_troubleshooting.md), [Troubleshooting AD Connector](ad_connector_troubleshooting.md), [Troubleshooting Simple AD](simple_ad_troubleshooting.md). For normal maintenance related issues, AWS resolves these issues within 40 minutes. If after reviewing the troubleshooting topic, your directory is in an Impaired state longer than 40 minutes, we recommend that you contact the [AWS Support Center](https://console.aws.amazon.com/support/home#/).
Do not restore a snapshot while a directory is in an Impaired state. It is rare that snapshot restore is necessary to resolve impairments. For more information, see [Restoring your AWS Managed Microsoft AD with snapshots](ms_ad_snapshots.md).
**Inoperable**
The directory is not functional. All directory endpoints have reported issues.
**Requested**
A request to create your directory is currently pending.
**RestoreFailed**
Restoring the directory from a snapshot failed. Please retry the restore operation. If this continues, try a different snapshot, or contact the [AWS Support Center](https://console.aws.amazon.com/support/home#/).
**Restoring**
The directory is currently being restored from an automatic or manual snapshot. Restoring from a snapshot typically takes several minutes, depending on the size of the directory data in the snapshot.
For more information, see [Troubleshooting Simple AD directory status messages](simple_ad_troubleshooting_reasons.md).
# Enabling Simple AD directory status notifications with Amazon Simple Notification Service
Using Amazon Simple Notification Service (Amazon SNS), you can receive email or text (SMS) messages when the status of your directory changes. You get notified if your directory goes from an Active status to an [Impaired or Inoperable status](simple_ad_directory_status.md). You also receive a notification when the directory returns to an Active status.
## How it works
Amazon SNS uses “topics” to collect and distribute messages. Each topic has one or more subscribers who receive the messages that have been published to that topic. Using the steps below you can add Directory Service as publisher to an Amazon SNS topic. When Directory Service detects a change in your directory’s status, it publishes a message to that topic, which is then sent to the topic's subscribers.
You can associate multiple directories as publishers to a single topic. You can also add directory status messages to topics that you’ve previously created in Amazon SNS. You have detailed control over who can publish to and subscribe to a topic. For complete information about Amazon SNS, see [What is Amazon SNS?](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/sns/latest/dg/welcome.html).
**To enable SNS messaging for your directory**
1. Sign in to the AWS Management Console and open the [Directory Service console](https://console.aws.amazon.com/directoryservicev2/).
1. On the **Directories** page, choose your directory ID.
1. Select the **Maintenance** tab.
1. In the **Directory monitoring** section, choose **Actions**, and then select **Create notification**.
1. On the **Create notification** page, select **Choose a notification type**, and then choose **Create a new notification**. Alternatively, if you already have an existing SNS topic, you can choose **Associate existing SNS topic** to send status messages from this directory to that topic.
**Note**
If you choose **Create a new notification** but then use the same topic name for an SNS topic that already exists, Amazon SNS does not create a new topic, but just adds the new subscription information to the existing topic.
If you choose **Associate existing SNS topic**, you will only be able to choose an SNS topic that is in the same Region as the directory.
1. Choose the **Recipient type** and enter the **Recipient** contact information. If you enter a phone number for SMS, use numbers only. Do not include dashes, spaces, or parentheses.
1. (Optional) Provide a name for your topic and an SNS display name. The display name is a short name up to 10 characters that is included in all SMS messages from this topic. When using the SMS option, the display name is required.
**Note**
If you are logged in using an IAM user or role that has only the [DirectoryServiceFullAccess](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/directoryservice/latest/admin-guide/role_ds_full_access.html) managed policy, your topic name must start with “DirectoryMonitoring”. If you’d like to further customize your topic name you’ll need additional privileges for SNS.
1. Choose **Create**.
If you want to designate additional SNS subscribers, such as an additional email address, Amazon SQS queues or AWS Lambda, you can do this from the [Amazon SNS console](https://console.aws.amazon.com//sns/v3/home.).
**To remove directory status messages from a topic**
1. Sign in to the AWS Management Console and open the [Directory Service console](https://console.aws.amazon.com/directoryservicev2/).
1. On the **Directories** page, choose your directory ID.
1. Select the **Maintenance** tab.
1. In the **Directory monitoring** section, select an SNS topic name in the list, choose **Actions**, and then select **Remove**.
1. Choose **Remove**.
This removes your directory as a publisher to the selected SNS topic. If you want to delete the entire topic, you can do this from the [Amazon SNS console](https://console.aws.amazon.com/sns/v3/home.).
**Note**
Before deleting an Amazon SNS topic using the SNS console, you should ensure that a directory is not sending status messages to that topic.
If you delete an Amazon SNS topic using the SNS console, this change will not immediately be reflected within the Directory Services console. You would only be notified the next time a directory publishes a notification to the deleted topic, in which case you would see an updated status on the directory’s **Monitoring** tab indicating the topic could not be found.
Therefore, to avoid missing important directory status messages, before deleting any topic that receives messages from Directory Service, associate your directory with a different Amazon SNS topic.