Mission Critical loads NT management into one package

Scalability, reliability and availability are all on the minds of IT executives using more and more Windows-based servers. Mission Critical Software is trying to ease these concerns with a one-stop tool to manage Windows applications and infrastructures.

Mission Critical's OnePoint Operations Manager recently began shipping as the newest edition to the company's OnePoint suite of administrative software. The Operations Manager replaces the suite's Events Manager, which only supported monitoring of servers.

The Operations Manager, which runs on Windows NT 4.0 and the upcoming Windows 2000, is intended to give Windows administrators a single console to monitor the health of servers and the applications running on them.

A key to Operations Manager is a set of ActiveAgents, which run on each server. On the application side, the agents follow a set of rules to monitor critical components of applications to ensure their integrity. The agents also can monitor application performance, such as the time it takes two Exchange servers to swap mail, to ensure service levels. On the server side, the agents can assess the health of server hardware, and monitor event logs, flat files and the Windows Management Interface to look for problems such as jammed print queues.

The ActiveAgents are supported by a set of 4,500 monitoring rules for hardware, software and applications, including NT, Windows 2000, Active Directory, Windows System Security, SQL and Exchange. Also, custom rules can be constructed based on unique application or server problems.

Monitoring Windows-based systems is key as corporations deploy more and more of Windows devices in their network infrastructure. Companies such as Net IQ, BMC Software, and Heroix also are trying to fill the management needs for NT.

"Enterprises are becoming more dependent on NT apps like Exchange and they want it up at all times," says Phillip Mendoza, an analyst with International Data Corp., in Framingham, Mass. "The key selling point with Mission Critical is quickness since monitoring can eat up CPU speed. The way Operations Manager monitors is more database oriented than script oriented and that is more efficient. But this tool is for pure NT deployments, in a mixed environment you may need another tool."

Operations Manager has three different console interfaces, including a Web interface that can be customized based on the duties and authority level of individual administrators. The tool also can be snapped into the Microsoft Management Console or run from its own Reporting Console client.

"We think Operations Manger ensures security, availability and performance by monitoring everything that goes on," says Kent Erickson, director of product management.

Operations Manager is available now and is priced at $1,495 per managed Windows NT or 2000 server.

Mission Critical: www.missioncritical.com.

Contact Senior Editor John Fontana

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