It doesn't take Comdex to prove that people like free stuff.
But try staffing an administrative workstation with a bag full of free T-shirts, and your freebies' value is quickly apparent.
What has a greater return is plugging in no-cost or low-cost tools that will help network administrators better understand what is happening across their Windows NT infrastructures.
There is no doubt that a costly package of know-how from a well-known vendor can make any network perform better, but network administrators also have access to a host of tools that don't cost a thing.
Of course, in most cases the user gives up a well-oiled support and services infrastructure. Then again, these utilities aren't likely to be the backbone of an enterprise tool kit.
With these things in mind, we queried some of the Windows NT faithful and did a little leg work to come up with a handful of tools that are finding popularity across enterprise networks.
Filemon and Regmon
These tools are freeware when used on a single machine, but the enterprise versions ($99, including five-user licenses) can be used across a network.
Filemon monitors and displays all file system activity through a graphical user interface. It can show how applications use files and Dynamic Link Libraries, or track problems in system or application configurations.
Regmon keeps an eye on the Windows Registry and displays real-time data on a systemwide basis each time the Registry is accessed. The tool helps track errors caused by misconfigured Registry settings.
"Filemon and Regmon are musts," says Jeff Goldner, team leader for platform software at Pathlight Technology. "Both are essential for locating why permissions don't work."
VNC
Virtual Network Computing (VNC) is a remote control freeware utility that was developed in AT&T Laboratories, Cambridge, England, by researchers who wanted to view Unix environments from their PCs. VNC distinguishes itself from other remote display packages because no "state" is stored on its viewer. That means a user can remotely access his desktop and find it exactly the way it was left, even with the cursor in the same spot. The Windows NT version allows you to look at an NT desktop from any platform, including Linux.
Exporter and Machines
Several users reported an affinity for Hyena, a management and administration tool that costs about $200 per administrator. But a couple of utilities associated with Hyena are available for free. Exporter is a command-line tool that exports information about users, groups, group members, computers, services and printers to a tab-delimited text file for all server or workstations in any domain. The text file can then be loaded in a spreadsheet or database for evaluation.
Machines is a simple program that reports the number of days that have elapsed since an NT computer has re-established its password with the domain controller for a domain. It can be used to determine accounts that are no longer being used.
FREEping
"We use FREEping to monitor which servers are up or down, or if there are routing issues," says Taed Nelson, network engineer for Vertical Networks. FREEping will flash a pop-up window when a server goes down. Users can set fixed intervals for FREEping to check NT servers or any IP address on a network.
Emergency Undelete
This freeware utility might come in handy in light of the recent virus scares. If you accidentally delete any data from command lines, applications or shared network drives, Emergency Undelete can recover that data from the hard disk. The Windows recycle bin only captures files deleted from Windows Explorer, but this tool fills in the gaps.
NetKeep
With the proliferation of Web servers these days, administrators need an assistant just to keep track of them all. NetKeep provides data on Web servers that are live on a network and what software they are running. This shareware utility also keeps an archive of your server profiles.
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Contact Senior Editor John Fontana
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