More management on the cheap

Eight network and systems mgmt. tools that are free (or close to it).

By Jeff Caruso
Network World, 06/07/99

Many network managers remain unaware of the range of free tools available to help them do their jobs.

It's easy to see why. Net managers are bombarded with marketing messages from powerful management software companies that want to sell expensive and complex management systems, while the makers of free tools rely mainly on word of mouth.

The downsides of using public-domain tools are that support may be thin, and because the source code is out in the open, the software could be vulnerable to hacker attacks, says Steven Maxwell, a development manager at Federal Express and author of Unix Network Management Tools.

Some folks with public-domain backgrounds are realizing there's money to be made, but the prices of their products are still low. Such is the case with Tripwire, a public-domain security product that's being commercialized by Tripwire Security Systems. The product costs $495."But I think that's not a big issue, compared to the benefits you get," Maxwell says.

When Network World ran its first story on inexpensive management software last month, we knew we were only scratching the surface. We received a lot of encouraging feedback from our readers. It would be a shame to keep this information to ourselves, so here are eight more free or very inexpensive management tools, recommended by your peers.

Big Brother

Big Brother is a systems monitoring tool. Using scripts on remote servers, it looks at disk space, CPU usage and services (such as e-mail). The scripts send information about the status of their systems and services to a central location, where the status is displayed with a color code. Managers can access the display through a Web interface and click on the colored dots to get more detailed information on a particular system. Big Brother's Web site has several links that demonstrate how organizations are using the software.

Cheops

Cheops is described on its Web site as "the network equivalent of a Swiss army knife." It maps a network and shows what operating systems and services are running on hosts. Cheops draws on techniques used in tools mentioned in our last article. For instance, it uses QueSO for detecting operating systems and trace-route-like methods for mapping out the network. Future versions are expected to include monitoring, as well.

EPAN

EPAN is a protocol analyzer that can generate traffic statistics. Gathering data from probes, it can show utilization rates or which protocols are generating the most traffic. EPAN can also capture Ethernet frames like a traditional protocol analyzer. It runs on several versions of Unix, and it supports TCP/IP, IPX, NetBIOS, DECnet, Banyan VINES and other protocols.

Ethereal

Ethereal is a protocol analyzer that runs on Unix. It captures data from a network connection or reads data from a file created by tcpdump. Managers can use the software to filter out packets and look for specific transactions. The software is still new, and its Web site notes: "Ethereal has enough functionality to be useful, but it's far from complete."

Netperf

Netperf is a tool for benchmarking. The software can measure throughput in one direction and end-to-end latency. It can also measure performance for TCP, UDP and other protocols.

Originally developed by Hewlett-Packard, Netperf is now distributed free.

Ntop

Ntop shows network usage. It displays what hosts are connected to the network and which are the top talkers. It can sort traffic based on protocol type, source, destination and other criteria. Unix and Win32 versions are available.

SolarWinds IP Network Browser

The IP Network Browser discovers and maps a network. It sees which devices are responding and queries them using SNMP. It gathers information from routers and servers about their network interfaces, routes, services and other data. This tool isn't free, but the license is only $75 per machine. SolarWinds also sells other network management tools.

Tripwire

Tripwire, acting as an intrusion detector, determines if any protected files have been altered. Administrators tell the software what kinds of activity to watch for. Tripwire reports on unauthorized changes and can send an e-mail message to an administrator when certain violations occur. The tool is available on Unix and Windows NT. o

Download free tools:

Big Brother
netperf
Ethereal
Cheops
Epan
SolarWinds IP Network Browser
Ntop
Tripwire
Ping
Traceroute
MRTG
Scotty
Queso
Nmap
TCPdump
Mon
Swatch
Whats Up Gold

Downloads
Links to score more free tools and eval apps.