Monitor your network the thrifty way-2004-01-01-A buyer's guide to cheap and free network management software.-Michael Patterson

For those with abundant IT resources and an acceptable budget, the big-vendor network-management packages such as HP OpenView (HPOV) or Tivoli may be the right choice. However, many buy these pricey management suites based on their many bells and whistles, much like buying an expensive car because of its sunroof, CD player, speakers, and cup holders. According to a recent survey by Coleman Consulting of New York City, most organizations only use about 30 percent of a product's feature set. Once installed, few tinker with advanced features.

You want to keep costs down when adding network management software, and we want to help. We'll focus on two areas: what to look for during the purchasing process; and a selection of open-source/inexpensive tools you can deploy rapidly on a limited budget.

Purchasing prudence

When you are buying software, especially management software, filter out those parts of the sales presentation that are not specific to your needs. If all you need is mapping, red/green icons, and notification of failures, don't let a salesperson sell you on advanced trap filtering or event correlation features.

Another good way to trim costs is to choose out-of-the-box products whenever possible. But beware of being told during sales presentations that the system can do it via an API. Too much scripting or customization can lead to the deployment of unwieldy tools that respond poorly to changes within the network.

When it comes to reporting, too, focus on the basics. Pay most attention to reports that cover: utilization of resources such as bandwidth, CPUs, memory, hard drives, etc.; response time of resources such as servers, applications, and network devices; uptime of resources such as servers, applications, and network devices.

If a database is required for your management software, request the schema and make sure data is easily exportable. Two years after the purchasing decision, you might be changing systems again, and you might need to export the data to a new system.

Similarly, keep an eye out for the little things. For example, if an IP address is added or removed, you want to be certain that updates will cascade throughout the application. If you don't, you could be in for a lot of extra work.

Integration is another important area. Can your management suite integrate well with other tools? Does the ticketing system, for example, open and close tickets based on HPOV or WhatsUp Gold events? Is the back-end open and well documented so that reports can be generated with Crystal, Perl, Access, or Visual Basic? Can the reporting software be fed IP addresses from HPOV, WhatsUp Gold, or Unicenter? And even in a suite of tools from the one company, watch out for integration woes. You'd be surprised how often individual tools within one suite integrate poorly.

Exaggerated claims, of course, should be taken with a pinch of salt. Some tools claim to isolate the exact situation right down to a specific link, application or user. Rarely does this ever work out. A good rule of thumb is that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Or else you will have to recruit and train a team of ten to make the package do what the sales person said it would.

Tools to keep costs down

A wealth of free and very inexpensive management tools exists to use in maintaining system performance and uptime. Here are a few examples:

-- MySQL: An excellent freeware SQL database backend.

-- Multi Router Traffic Grapher (MRTG): An open-source tool written in Perl and C that generates HTML pages containing GIF images to provide a live visual presentation of network traffic.

-- RRDTool: This freeware tool created by Tobi Oetiker is the next generation of MRTG. It is more powerful and scales better. RRDTool collects data fast, as it is not labored with building the same graphics as MRTG.

-- OStivity: This tool is offered free for a site up to 50 users by Somix Technologies Inc. It identifies and inventories hardware/software components from workstations and servers through Web-based reporting.

-- VNC (Virtual Network Computing): A freeware program from AT&T Research Labs UK that works with 30 different operating systems. It is used for desktop remote control for help desk calls.

-- Cricket: A free, more scalable version of MRTG for monitoring network traffic loads.

-- WhatsUp Gold: For less than $1,000, Ipswitch Inc.'s WhatsUp Gold is an excellent network monitoring and alarm system that works very well in the small and mid-sized market. It includes realistic network renditions, a good SNMP viewer and a comprehensive performance management reporting module. You can easily filter through events and locate the log data for any type of network event by searching on event type, IP address, or device name. You can also use it to track variables associated with any port on a network device. For instance, you can track bandwidth or CPU utilization on any device.

-- TCPNetView: This freeware product created by Alexander P. Gorlach determines the IP and MAC addresses of computers and devices on a LAN.

-- NetSaint: Monitors hosts and services, such as SMTP, Post Office Protocol 3, HTTP, Network News Transport Protocol, and ping, on a network. It can send an email or a page when problems arise.

-- Qcheck: A free utility that runs at a user's desktop and identifies performance problems, such as response time, throughput, availability, and lost packets.

-- Sysmon: This public domain tool created by Jared Mauch monitors host-based services and devices, such as mail and news servers.

-- Denika: A Web-based capacity and resource trending tool that integrates with WhatsUp Gold. Denika automates and provides up to 500 indicator reports on bandwidth consumption/availability, disk space usage, CPU/memory utilization, email servers, custom applications, etc. Available from Somix for $795.

-- Ping Scanner: Where ping sends an echo request to let you know if one device can reach another over a network, Ping Scanner shareware sends requests to one address many times or many addresses one time.

-- Sam Spade: A tool set for testing different Windows utilities. Includes ping, lookup, whois, and other query-oriented tools.

-- Loriot: A free network node manager for Windows.

-- Net-snmp: A free set of software tools that deal specifically with the SNMP protocol and managing SNMP devices. This agent allows MRTG and Denika users to graph CPU, memory, hard drive space, etc., on various operating systems (e.g., UNIX, NT, etc.)

-- Sec: A free event correlater.

-- SHAMAN: A free tool, Spreadsheet-based Hierarchical Architecture for Management (SHAMAN) is software designed to provide network management by distributing management functions based on the nature and urgency of the task.

Small apps for small companies

On the surface, you might expect that the arrival of all these cheap or free tools would mean that everyone would deploy them and the sales of the larger network management packages would crash.

This has not happened for two reasons: One, large network management packages such as CA Unicenter are probably the only products that scale well enough to monitor massive government and Fortune 100 networks that span the globe. Two, as many of these tools lack integration and support, many organizations are reluctant to deploy them.

Fortunately, this appears to be changing due to the emergence of commercial vendors building network management platforms that support open-source tools. Companies like NetBotz, MySQL, Somix, Random Minds, and Red Hat are harnessing these free tools to provide robust and low cost network management.

WebNM, for example, is a suite of software products for managing and controlling network assets. It utilizes a MySQL database, RRDTool, WhatsUp Gold and VNC in order to give IT managers the proactive tools they need to adequately manage the network.

Michael Patterson has a Master's Degree in Computer Information Systems and is president of Somix Technologies, based in Sanford, Maine >www.somix.com

Here are the topics we cover computer certification computer careers computer training computer games consulting data recovery data security digital entertainment emerging technology gadget reviews handheld computers hardware reviews home automation home networks home office how-to advice internet linux local companies local news local profiles macintosh mp3 players network security online music online security open-source small-business technology soho software reviews technology books technology dictionary vpn web site reviews wi-fi windows wireless technology tech articles tech news press releases tech dictionary education resources career solutions create your personal blog upload your videos become a writer usergroups special interest group SIG 3com cipts adobe adobe certified expert apc ncpi apple achds acpt acsa actc avaya bea 8.1 certified administrator 8.1 certified architect 8.1 certified developer 9 certified administrator bicsi rcdd checkpoint ccmse ccsa ccsa ngx ccse ccse ng plus with ai ccse ngx cisco access routing and lan switching ccda ccdp ccie ccip ccna ccnp ccnp old ccsp ccvp crmam ip communications optical proctored exams for validating knowledge sales specialist storage networking vpn and security wireless lan citrix cca 3.0 cca 4.0 cca 4.5 cca xp ccea 3.0 ccea 4.0 ccea xp ccia ciw ciw associate ciw certified instructor master ciw admin master ciw designer master ciw enterprise developer security analyst comptia a+ network+ security+ server+ computer associates ca cusa cuse cwna cwna cwsp dell eccouncil cea cep certified ethical hacker chfi e-commerce architect emc emc specialist implemenation technology foundations enterasys ese eta exam express exin exin itil extreme networks ena ens filemaker f7cd f8cd fortinet fortigate foundry cne fujitsu fujitsu guidance software ence hdi css hda hdm hdsa hitachi hitachi certified professional hp ais apc app aps ase certified systems developer csa cse master ase huawei hcne hyperion hcp ibm advanced deployment professional advanced technical expert application developer business process analyst certified administrator certified advanced system administrator certified advanced technical expert certified associate developer certified enterprise developer certified solution designer certified specialist certified systems expert database administrator db2 deployment professional enterprise developer eserver certified specialist ibm on demand business solution advisor solution designer solutions developer solutions expert storage administrator system administator iisfa cifi intel isaca cisa isc cissp sscp iseb itil ism cpm juniper jncia jncis legato lcaa lcea lotus clp lpi lpic level 1 lpic level 2 lpic level 3 macromedia mcafee mcdata csnd microsoft crm mbs mcad .net mcdba mcdst mcitp mcp mcpd mcsa longhorn mcsa 2003 mcsa 2008 mcsd .net mcse mcse 2000 security mcse 2000 to mcse 2003 upgrade mcse 2003 mcse 2003 messaging mcse 2003 security mcse 2008 mcts microsoft business solutions microsoft partner competency mile2 cnsa network appliance nac-na nac-nie naca nace nacp network general sniffer certified professional nokia nokia security administrator nortel ncde ncds ncse ncss ncts novell5 cna 5 cne 6 cna 6 cne 6.5 cne cne upgrade omg ocup oracle 10g dba 10g oca 11i 8i dba 9i dba 9i internet application developer oca ocp8 to ocp8i dba upgrade exam pmi project management professional polycom pcve redhat rhce rhct sair sas institute sas scp saas scp snia snia certified architect snia certified professional snia certified systems engineer snia storage networking certification program administrator professional associate symantec scse scsp scta scts teradata tca v2r5 tcad v2r5 tcda v2r5 tcis v2r5 tcm v2r5 tcp v2r5 tia ccnt ctp tibco tcp trusecure ticsa veritas infraguard chamber of commerce vcp vmware certified professional webex linkedin facebook myspace Professional page layout, image editing, vector illustration, and print production Website design, development, prototyping, and blogging Creation of rich interactive content Industry-standard visual effects and motion graphics Video capture, editing, and production; DVD titling; and digital audio, Adobe Photoshop CS3 extended, Adobe illustrator CS3,Adobe indesign CS3,Adobe Acrobat 8 Professional, Adobe Flash CS3 Professional, Adobe Dreamweaver CS3,Adobe Contribute CS3,Adobe Fireworks CS3,Adobe After Effects CS3 Professional, Adobe Premiere Pro CS3,Adobe Soundbooth CS3,Adobe Encore CS3,Adobe OnLocation,Adobe Bridge CS3,Adobe Version Cue CS3,Adobe Device Central CS3,Adobe Stock Photos, Intel Pentium 4 (1.4GHz processor for DV; 3.4GHz processor for HDV), Intel Centrino, Intel Xeon, (dual 2.8GHz processors for HD), or Intel Core, Duo (or compatible) processor; SSE2-enabled processor required for AMD systems Microsoft Windows XP with Service Pack 2 or Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium, Business, Ultimate, or Enterprise (certified for 32-bit editions) 1GB of RAM for DV; 2GB of RAM for HDV and HD; more RAM recommended when running multiple components 10GB of available hard-disk space (additional free space required during installation) Dedicated 7,200 RPM hard drive for DV and HDV editing; striped disk array storage (RAID 0) for HD; SCSI disk subsystem preferred Microsoft DirectX compatible sound card (multichannel ASIO-compatible sound card recommended),1,280x1,024 monitor resolution with 32-bit color adapter Blu-ray burner required for Blu-ray Disc creation OHCI compatible IEEE 1394 port for DV and HDV capture, export to tape, and transmit to DV device QuickTime 7.1.2 software required to use QuickTime features Broadband Internet connection required for Adobe Stock Photos* and other services

3PAR, Accellion, Acronis, Actional, Active Endpoints, ActiveGrid, activePDF, ActiveServers, ActiveState, Actuate, Adaptec, Agile Software, AGiLiENCE, Agilysys, Akorri, AlachiSoft, Alter Logic, Altor Networks, Altova, AMD, AMDAHL, Amentra, Amyuni, anacubis, Apani, APC, Appcelerator, AppSense, AppStream, Array Networks, Ascential, Astaro, Attune Systems, Autodesk, AutoVirt, Availl, Avanade, Azul Systems, Barracuda Networks, BEA Systems, B-hive, Black Duck Software, Blackbaud, Blade Network Technologies, Blue Coat, Blue Lane, BlueArc, BlueNote Networks, BluePheonix Solutions, BMC Software, Borland, Bristol Technology, Brix Networks, BroadVision, Brocade, Burton Group, Business Objects, CA, CalAmp, Cassatt, Cast Iron Systems, Catbird, Cayenne Technologies, Ceedo Technologies, Cenzic, Certeon, CiRBA, Cisco Systems, Cision, Citrix Systems, ClearApp, ClearCube Technology, CollabNet, Compass America, Composite Software, Compugen, Compuware, Configuresoft, Continuity Software, Coraid, Courion, Coyote Point Systems, Crescendo Networks, CSC, DataCore, DataSynapse, Dell, Desktone, Digipede Technologies, Double-Take Software, Ecora Software, EDS, eG Innovations, Egenera, Elastra Corporation, Electric Cloud, Embotics, EMC Corporation, Emulex, Endeavors Technology, Enigmatic Corporation, Enterprise Management Associates, Entuity, EqualLogic, Ericom Software, ESRI, EVault, eXludus Technologies, F5 Networks, FalconStor, FastScale Technology, Foedus, Force10 Networks, Fortisphere, Forum Systems, Fujitsu, GemStone Systems, Getronics, GlassHouse, Green Hills Software, Grid Dynamics, GridGain Systems, GT Software, Hitachi, HP, Hyper9, Hyperic, IBM, ICEsoft, IGEL Technology, Illumita, ILOG, IMEX Research, Information Builders, Ingres, InstallFree, Integrien, Intel, Intellium, International Computerware, iTKO LISA, JBoss, Juniper, KACE, Kidaro, LeftHand Networks, Leostream, Lifeboat Distribution, Liquid Computing Corporation, Liquid Technology, Lynux Works, Mainline, ManageIQ, Managed Methods, ManageSoft, Marathon Technologies, McAfee, Mellanox Technologies, Microsoft, Mid-Atlantic Computers, Mindbridge Software, Mindreef, MKS, MonoSphere, Motorola, MQSoftware, mySoftIT, NASTEL, Ncomputing, NEC, Neocleus, NeoPath Networks, Neoware, NetApp, Netegrity, Neterion, Netuitive, Neverfail, Nexaweb, NextAxiom, Nimbus, Nimsoft, Niyuta, NoMachine, Novell, ONStor, Opalis Software, Open Kernel Labs, OpenSpan, OPNET Technologies, Optaros, OpTier, Oracle, Pano Logic, Parallels, Parasoft, Perforce Software, PHD Technologies, Phoenix Technologies, Phurnace Software, Pillar Data Systems, PlateSpin/Novell, Progress Software, Prolifics, ProSync Technology, Provision Networks, QLogic, Quest Software, Racemi, Raritan, Raxco Software, Red Hat, Reflex Security, Resolution Enterprises, RingCube Technologies, Riverbed Technology, Rogue Wave Software, RSA Security, Sagnet Solutions, SanDisk Corporation, SAP, SAVVIS, ScaleMP, Scalent Systems, Seanodes, Secure Command, Secure Computing, Sentillion, Shavlik Technologies, ServInt Internet Services, Silpion IT Solutions, SIMtone, Skytap, Skyway Software, Software AG, Sonasoft, SourceGear, Splunk, StackSafe, SteelEye Technology, StillSecure, StoneFly, Stonesoft, Stoneware, StoreVault, StrikeIron, STT WebOS, Sun Microsystems, SunGard, Supermicro Computer, Surgient, SWsoft, Sybase, Symantec, Systar, TBD Networks, Tenfold, TheInfoPro, Thinstall, Third Brigade, TIBCO Software, Tidal Software, Tideway Systems, TOA Solutions, TRANGO Virtual Processors, Trend Micro, Tresys Technology, Trigence, Tripwire, Ulteo, Unisys, United Devices, VaST Systems, VDIworks, VeeAm Software, Verari Systems, Verio, VeriSign, Vicom Computer Services, VirtenSys, Virtera, Virtual Iron, VirtualLogix, Virtugo Software, Virtutech, VisionCore, Vizioncore, VKernel, VMLogix, vmSight, VMware, Vordel, vThere-Sentillion, Vyatta, WaveMaker, Web Age Solutions, WSO2, Wyse Technology, XDS, XenoCode, Xiotech, xkoto, Xsigo Systems, Zenith Optemedia, Zeus Technology.