Looking for commercial software prgm to see when machines are taken off network. Best answer on the web

Posted in: darrelrussell.com edit
07 Jan 2009
  • I am looking for a commercial software program that will ascertain when computers or other network devices are physically removed from a network. My environment is 1500+ network devices with 100+ routers, switches and hubs. I suspect the feature I'm interested in may be part of a larger network administration tool that some company offers. Price is not a concern at this point. Thinking through how a program would do what I want, one way is for it to maintain a list of MAC addresses to compare against. Gathering the addresses from all the devices individually is problematic and even impossible once routers and switches are present. Instead, the program might need to read internal tables from the routers and switches where such tables list the MAC addresses of their attached devices. (But I'm getting ahead of myself here in mapping out a solution. The important thing is having a program to tell me when a device has been removed.) In the answer, I'm looking for the names of one or more programs, and links that describes how the program(s) solve my need. (For the curious, I asked a similar question earlier about the technology involved. As you can see, I've abandoned the approach of doing it myself.)


  • Hi kentmm, Is this what you have in mind? 1) InterMapper "InterMapper shows you the health of your network at a glance. Maps present all routers, switches, servers, LAN and WAN links, and connections between elements.." Maps "Maps provide "big picture" view of your network. Network elements appear in their physical locations and connections and traffic are clearly depicted..." * Devices that are down blink red * Devices that are operating normally are green * Links between devices are shown as lines connecting those devices * High traffic links have yellow or orange backgrounds * Links with lower traffic have "ants" - dotted lines along the link - to show traffic above a certain threshold "Maps provide a constant record of your entire network configuration - which is critical in the case of failure. When routers, switches, hubs, and servers are down, it's impossible to auto-detect their locations or status, or similar details for connected devices. Armed with your network maps, you'll know where to go to swap elements or make fixes. Status Windows display data that underlie network elements and connections depicted on a map. Any device that supports SNMP protocols, such as routers, switches, hubs, or servers reports a variety of identifiers (name, port, type, DNS name, addresses) and performance indicators (utilization, transmit and receive traffic counts, uptime, packet loss, spanning tree information) that are critical for regular maintenance and problem diagnosis..." Status Window for a link showing traffic stats "You'll see the Interface Status window at the left when you click and hold on a link of a SNMP-speaking device. It shows the detailed transmit and receive statistics for that interface, utilization, as well as the device's name, link type, description, status, and IP and MAC address." Device Status Window showing device stats "The Device Status window shown at the right appears when you click and hold on a device on the map. This window displays relevant statistics for the device, including its DNS name and IP address, its uptime, availability, packet loss statistics (if relevant) round trip time, and a history of its recent outages." http://www.intermapper.com/features/index.html Please let me know what you think before I look for more, hummer


  • Kentmm, I'm on my way out the door and will be out most of the day. I'll respond to your reply as soon as possible. hummer


  • Hummer: Yes, this is what I'm looking for. If you can supply a few more products, go ahead and answer the question. -- Kent


  • Hi Kent, Thank you for getting back to me and for giving me the opportunity to post my answer, I'm glad to hear InterMapper is suitable. Here are a few more, plus a link where you can find even more possibilities if needed. 1) InterMapper "InterMapper shows you the health of your network at a glance. Maps present all routers, switches, servers, LAN and WAN links, and connections between elements.." http://www.intermapper.com/features/index.html 2) OpManager "When you choose OpManager as your network monitoring software, you are buying a powerful networking tool that can auto-discover your entire network, group your devices into intuitive maps, monitor devices in real-time, alert instantaneously on failure and provide comprehensive reports and graphs. ManageEngine OpManager is a complete network monitoring software that offers combined WAN, Server, Applications monitoring with integrated help desk, asset management & WAN traffic analysis functionality. OpManager automates several network monitoring tasks and removes the complexity associated with network management." http://manageengine.adventnet.com/products/opmanager/ OpManager Features WAN Monitoring Server Monitoring Switch Monitoring Printer Monitoring Windows Event Log Monitoring URL Monitoring Services Monitoring Application Monitoring Windows Services Monitoring CPU, Memory & Disk Monitoring APC UPS Monitoring Fault monitoring Performance Monitoring Downtime Scheduler ServiceDesk Plus Integration Networking Tools http://manageengine.adventnet.com/products/opmanager/features-overview.html 3) Argent SNMP Monitor "The Argent SNMP Monitor is the world's leading solution for monitoring hubs, switches, routers, and printers. In fact, any SNMP-compliant device can be monitored using the Argent SNMP Monitor. If any issues are detected, email, pager or other alerts are triggered via the Argent Console so that customers can react quickly to network issues before end users complain. Argent SNMP Monitor can even monitor environmental devices like motion and smoke detectors, security systems, temperature and humidity gauges, and water sensors. So, if the AC unit in your server room fails, Argent SNMP Monitor triggers alerts before servers start overheating and failing. With Argent's unique agent-optional architecture, the Argent SNMP Monitor is completely scalable, extremely robust, and provides a universal solution for monitoring all SNMP devices worldwide -- the Argent SNMP Monitor can concurrently monitor up to 100,000 SNMP devices." http://www.argent.com/p/snmp/snmp.html 4) MonitorMagic "What is MonitorMagic? Answer: MonitorMagic is a proactive monitoring and alerting tool for Windows 2003, 2000 and NT servers, workstations and SNMP devices. What makes MonitorMagic unique is its flexibility to quickly manage various components of an enterprise level or single server network. " http://www.advtoolware.com/software/server-monitor/server-monitor.asp MonitorMagic Technology Zone "MonitorMagic has many unique features, such as Event Log Archiving and Server Monitoring. The best way to learn about these features is to visit our Demo Center or by selecting each feature from the left navigation bar." * Demo Center * Custom Monitors * Report Options * Alarm Options * Document Center http://www.advtoolware.com/software/server-monitor/server-monitor-technology-zone.asp 5) Big Brother Professional Edition "Big Brother Professional Edition (BBPE) is a low cost, Web-based system and network availability monitor. It provides a highly scalable, customizable and easy to maintain system with a small footprint for monitoring the near real-time availability of network devices, servers (Windows, Unix, Linux) and all network delivered services in any IT infrastructure. BBPE displays your system and network status on a color-coded Web page that proactively notifies you of problems immediately via e-mail, pager or text message." * Monitor Servers * Monitor Networks * Monitor Network Devices * Monitor Applications * Monitor Databases * Monitor Storage http://bb4.com/ 6) Easy Network Service Monitor "Easy Network Service Monitor is a network management tool that continuously monitors network devices and services availability and performance locally or remotely. In the event of network or application errors, Easy Network Service Monitor can alert the network administrator by email, phone or pager BEFORE problems get seriously out of hand. A comprehensive log file will record every event of the monitored devices and services for your review anytime at your convenience, or for you to make a graphic report to pass to others. You can also configure Easy Network Service Monitor so that when something goes wrong, a set of actions, such as executing a program, rebooting a server or update a web page, will be triggered, which will help you address the problem immediately." http://www.javvin.com/easy.html 7) GFI Network Server Monitor "Automated server and network monitoring made easy! GFI Network Server Monitor is a network monitor that enables administrators to scan the network for failures or irregularities automatically. With GFI Network Server Monitor, you can identify issues and fix unexpected conditions before your users (or managers) report them to you! Maximize network and server uptime GFI Network Server Monitor maximizes network availability by monitoring all aspects of your Windows and Linux servers, workstations and devices (routers, etc). When a failure is detected, GFI's network monitor can alert you by email, pager or SMS, as well as taking corrective action by, for example, rebooting the machine, restarting the service or running a script." http://www.gfi.com/nsm/?adv=172&loc=4&adclickid=8552228 8) IsItUp "Is your network up? IsItUp is a network device monitor, email server monitor, server monitor, port monitor and website monitor - all in one inexpensive package. IsItUp runs under Windows 2000 and XP. Network Administrators use IsItUp to monitor whether network devices are 'up' or 'down'. IsItUp continuously monitors multiple "pingable" devices using TCP/IP's Ping utility. Do you need to know if those servers are working? IsItUp server monitor makes network monitoring easy. What's more, it has a unique features to test email servers by bouncing messages off auto-reply accounts. Web servers and websites are tested using HTTP with content checking built right in. All devices are monitored at specified intervals, notifying you, by email alert, pager alert or phone, when they go down - or come back up." http://www.tarosoft.com/ 9) Device Reachability Monitoring: DeviceMonitorEP v1.5 "DeviceMonitorEP is a Windows NT/2000 service that will query the reachability status of network devices, and provides a graphical map of your network deployment so you can manage a large network from a map interface." http://www.netlatency.com/solutions/device_reachability_monitoring.asp 10) Monitor One "Monitor one allows you to easily build and run a monitoring station for SNMP enabled networks that helps you manage and control every aspect of your network. You can monitor Uptime, bandwidth, performance, utilization and network traffic of leased lines, routers, firewalls, servers, managed switches, printers, and other network components with just a few basic steps." http://www.fineconnection.com/ 11) CueVision Server Monitor "Monitor network servers, devices and websites with Cuevision Server Monitor Software Cuevision Server Monitor keeps you one step ahead of problems." http://www.cuevision.com/products.html?P=MT 12) BMC Performance Manager Express "BMC Performance Manager Express monitors the performance and availability of servers, applications and storage and network devices. Monitoring is accomplished remotely (agentless) with no software residing on the elements being monitored. BMC Performance Manager Express also monitors the performance and availability of simple Web transactions. Monitoring both infrastructure and transactions enables IT to quickly determine how infrastructure problems affect the end-user experience. Key Features & Benefits * Drives down operating costs by remotely monitoring availability of storage and network devices, systems and application infrastructure * Improves service levels by reporting service problems and notifying the appropriate contact after pinpointing the problem * Determines whether backend infrastructure and Web sites meet SLAs by measuring their performance and availability against defined objectives * Offers centralized access to reports, event status, configuration and administration via a Web portal * Available as a licensed product or a subscription-based service" http://www.bmc.com/products/proddocview/0,2832,19052_19429_2064403_9548,00.html 13) NetMon "Netmon Inc is a provider of comprehensive network and environmental monitoring solutions which give you a complete perspective of your networks, services and devices from a variety of vantage points. Built-in email and pager alert systems in all of our products are designed to keep you informed of situations that are important to you as a network administrator. " * Network traffic and activity monitoring * Bandwidth monitoring * Service monitoring * Protocol activity monitoring * Device monitoring and device management * Web activity monitoring * SYSLOG monitoring and event log monitoring * Performance monitoring and reporting * Cisco Netflow analysis and reporting * Email and pager notification / alerts * Environmental monitoring http://www.netmon.ca/ 14) IpMonitor "Secure network monitoring software you can rely on to proactively Monitor, Alert and Recover your critical applications and network infrastructure equipment." http://www.ipmonitor.com/default.aspx Additional Link of Interest: Network Monitoring Tools http://www.monitortools.com/enterprise/ Thanks again, hummer Some Google search terms used: network monitors monitoring monitor devices