The mantra for many IT organizations in 2009 was 'do more with less,' and that led to many VARs and customer organizations looking for free tools to accomplish the tasks that needed to get done, including network monitoring. Many of the free network monitoring tools available to VARs are either demo versions of commercial software or are distributed under the shareware software model. Channel Insider takes a look at a handful of the best free network monitoring tools.
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Spiceworks
Designed for network administrators working for small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), Spiceworks (www.spiceworks.com) is an adware-based business model, which has kept it available as a free tool since its October 2006 release. The tool is updated regularly, with the most recent 4.7 version release hitting the virtual streets on April 29, 2010.
ntop
Distributed for free under the GNU General Public License v3 (GPLv3), ntop (www.ntop.org) is available for both Windows 32-bit and Unix platforms. As a network traffic probe, ntop provides network administrators with information related to network usage in a similar way that the top Unix command provides information on system processes. The software tool comes equipped with a web interface and is fully user configurable.
Multi Router Traffic Grapher
Also distributed under the GPLv3 license is Multi Router Traffic Grapher (MRTG). Its sole purpose is to monitor traffic between SNMP devices and “draw pretty pictures showing how much traffic has passed through each interface.” MRTG was designed to work on Unix, Linux, Windows and NetWare systems.
Solarwinds Real-Time NetFlow Analyzer
Solarwinds Real-Time NetFlow Analyzer provides network administrators with data on what traffic is running over the network and what is causing bandwidth spikes. The tool captures and analyzes NetFlow data in real time so administrators quickly know what types of traffic are on the network and where it's coming from and going to. Historical traffic data can also be examined based on application, conversation, domain, endpoint and protocol.
Zabbix
Originally released in 2001, Zabbix (www.zabbix.com) is distributed through the GPLv2 license. The software is packed with a variety of features, including distributed and real-time monitoring, auto discovery, aggregate monitoring, agentless monitoring and the ability to scale up to 100,000 devices and servers. Zabbix began life as an internal banking project before taking on a life of its own on the Internet. The current 1.8 version promises advanced monitoring, alerting and visualization features in a free download.
Intel Technology Provider Program
Intel Technology Provider Program (ITP) helps resellers better understand Intel products which power the technology they sell, and enables value-add services such as remote manageability or anti-theft tracking. Learn More
WindowsForDevices.com
WindowsForDevices.com is the comprehensive news site covering Windows embedded technologies. Visitors get news, technical white papers, opinion columns and extensive directories covering the products and companies in the marketplace. Click Here
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