Quality Network Monitoring Software Enhances Network Performance

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• The principle job of network monitoring software is to oversee the functioning of servers, workstations, and other devices connected to a network. This software is used to ensure availability and overall performance of network services, as well as to help find correlation when an event does happen.

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1. Important Features of Network Management Tools

• Networking tools continuously scan devices and connections on a computer network and immediately notify a network administrator about latency or irresponsive or failing devices failures that may lead to a slowdown or complete shutdown of the system.

• In simpler words, network monitoring is spying for a good cause. You want at least one system to keep an eye on other devices to ensure that everything is moving smoothly..

• The software primarily measures the central processing unit (CPU) utilization rate along with the network bandwidth utilization rate. Bandwidth refers to the data carrying capacity of the connection.

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• Usually expressed in bits per second (bps), it is the data transfer rate supported by a network connection or interface. The greater the bandwidth, the higher will be the data rate supported by the device.

• This software sends messages called watchdog messages over the network to ensure that everything is working smoothly and according to the plan. If the message fails to elicit the desired response, it sends an alert to system administrators through mobile, phone, e-mail, etc.

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2. Tools Involved in Network Monitoring

• The most important and widely prevalent network monitoring tool is a program called Ping. Ping is a software program that is commonly used to test computers making use of Internet Protocol (IP) to exchange messages between themselves.

• This test is most commonly used to determine internet accessibility. This tool sends a message over a packet switching network to the specified address and waits for a response.

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• Anyone on the computer network can make use of the ping request to verify if the internet connection is working and also to measure the current connection performance.

• Ping though a useful testing tool for internet connection is unsuitable for adequate monitoring of larger computer networks. Sophisticated networking tools like LANDesk are used by professional administrators of larger networks to monitor the availability of net connection .

• You could mention SNMP as well.

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3. Server Monitoring Tools and Software

• Server monitoring software is used for monitoring performance metrics like CPU usage rate, network utilization rate, memory usage, data processing, and so forth.

• The analysis of these critical metrics in real time prevents downtime and keep mission critical applications running smoothly, without a hitch.

• Some of the important functions performed by this server monitoring tools are as following:

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4. Monitoring of Memory Utilization

• This aspect relates to the monitoring of critical memory usage metrics along with gaining the knowledge of the memory used and the free memory of the device connected in the network.

• Quality server software provides color graphs for easy understanding of memory usage and pattern. This enables the server administrators to easily deal with capacity planning and other issues related to memory usage.

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5. Disk Usage Monitoring

• Logic Monitor’s disk monitoring tool captures and analyzes disk usage metrics like disk utilization, individual disk utilization, disk input/output, and others to assist administrators in maximum effective utilization of disk capacity.

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