Network Monitoring Solutions

Introduction

If your users’ have ever had to report to you that they could no longer browse the internet because your internet link was down, or could no longer send emails because your mail server was down, or could not log-in because their account was locked out, or could no longer print because the network printer was down, then your network is reactive! On the other hand, if the IT Department was already aware of the problem before it was reported then the network is proactive!

A network is reactive, if the IT department discovers problems only when they are reported, but proactive, if it is aware as soon as they arise and even before they are reported.

Case study in proactive network management: MTN Nigeria

MTN Nigeria provides a good case study of network management. It’s Nigeria's Network Management Centre (NMC) at Ojota, Lagos has deployed state-of-the-art software surveillance system to collect, filter and correlate alarms from all areas of its network.

The NMCs features include:

• 24/7 monitoring and surveillance which enables the company to have 360 degree visibility of all events on its network nationwide from once central point
•  identify, diagnose and resolve faults in record time
• manage an average of 100,000 network alarms a day, meeting a network availability target of 99%

Courtesy of the NMC, MTN Nigeria is able to constantly monitor and coordinate all network elements such as Transmission, Core Switching and Value Added Services in order to ensure better network quality, improve response time to fault resolution and thereby ensure speedier airtime loads, improve voice quality and minimize delays in SMS delivery.

Like MTN your network can be proactive not reactive. To turn your network into a proactive one you need a tool that can :

• Automatically monitor your network and servers for failures and allow administrators to identify and fix issues before users (or Directors) report them
• Alert administrators by email, pager, SMS and network message when it detects a failure
• Automatically correcting the problem by restarting service or multiple service, rebooting a server, or launching an executable batch job of VBscript
• Allow your administrator to view network status from any where in the world via his mobile phone/handheld (Blackberry or palmtop) or any internet-connected computer at anytime and respond to problems and crises on the spot without having to scurry back to the office
• Create detailed network resource availability report
• Monitor all devices that support SNMP, such as routers, switches and wireless access points
• Perform directory size and disk space monitoring, check physical hard disk status and authenticate file size and file existence

GFI Network Server Monitor is the wizard for the magic!

With GFI Network Server Monitor, the IT department can:

• Check the status of an Exchange Server by monitoring critical Exchange services and performance counters (Information Store, mailboxes, SMTP service, queues, etc)
• check the availability of all leading database applications, including Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle and others via OBDC
• Check for availability and ensure that HTTP, FTP, SMTP, POP3, IMAP servers are responding correctly
• Monitors Windows, UNIX/Linux and Novell servers
• Check critical processes, services and CPU usage on local and remote computers
• Monitor Active Directory information such as group membership of the domain administrator group, and the addition of new members; also check user accounts (locked out, disabled, etc), computer accounts and so on
• Scan Windows event logs on local or remote computers and look for specific event sources, categories and IDs, as well as for patterns in the event description
• Create reports that alert you to the availability of your network resources, or the ability to use Crystal Reports to access the database and create your own reports
• Accommodates employee shifts so that it notifies different people depending on the time at which the event occurs or is triggered.

In addition to all the above, it is also extensible/customizable because administrators can create custom checks by writing a VBscript (Windows) or a RSH shell script (UNIX). Apart from VBscript, WMI and ADSI functions can be used.

In view of all the above and in the light of recent happenings GFI Network Server Monitor is one tool you would not want to do without!