Two useful progs: 1. NetInfo When you install a network or start to work in the Internet or your intranet, it becomes clear to find monitoring and management software ASAP. Why? Because of possible delays or bottlenecks of Internet traffic. The number of applications is a blessing, given the fact that every company and every sysadmin have different needs, which would make a one-size-fits-all approach difficult to implement. Most network software comes with some level of monitoring and management capability, but often IT departments appreciate being able to choose different features. Here is a rescue wand – NetInfo. This multifunctional application analyzes your connection and various aspects of the Internet in order to isolate potential pitfalls. Once it determines where the problem lies, NetInfo provides you with a whole slew of tools that help you solve it. If the problem lies beyond your realm of control and you don't know whom to contact about it, NetInfo will give you a name, e-mail address and phone number. Instead of gathering the information about a host and the Internet route to it manually, you just enter a hostname and click Start. NetInfo does the rest for you. By the way, it allows finding spammers, tracing hackers, hunting mailers and porno promoters. 2. IPMonitor IPMonitor is a sophisticated network monitoring solution that can run as a system-tray application that is loaded on start-up, support customized alerts for each monitored resource, raise audible alarms, send e-mail alerts and run other applications when server outages are detected. It also provides real-time reporting and status logging and allows network administrators, webmasters, and Internet service providers to monitor any networked device on the Internet, corporate intranet, or TCP/IP LAN and receive alerts immediately via audible alarm, message, e-mail, or third-party software when a connection fails. An essential addition to any network administrator’s personal toolkit, IPMonitor allows users to tailor it to their particular area of responsibility, from a single server to a small-office LAN to hundreds of devices within a large corporate network. Corporate network managers can use IPMonitor to distribute responsibility among IS staffers and complement existing network management systems. Small businesses can afford to employ IPMonitor for monitoring critical e-mail and Web servers. To download: www.tsarfin.com
