SuperAgent spies on application performance

NetQoS last week started shipping a product designed to monitor the performance of enterprise applications.

SuperAgent is a combination of pre-configured hardware and software that allows IT staffers to monitor application performance across a LAN or WAN. Network managers can get a real-time view of response time for any Web-based application.

The software generates multi-layered graphs and reports, providing chief technology officers and IT managers with information about server delays and transaction volume.

The appliance also can be configured to trigger warnings through either a SNMP trap or e-mail, alerting network managers to six types of problems. These include high traffic, connection failures, packet fragments and lost packets.

SuperAgent is one of only a few products of its kind that combines hardware and software into a single, easy-to-deploy appliance with such a sophisticated level of statistical analysis, said Jean-Pierre Garbani, senior industry analyst at Giga Information Group in Cambridge, Mass.

The product analyzes response time over three areas: networks, servers, and an aggregate of both. This allows network managers to differentiate response times by potential problem area, and pinpoint the cause of application problems, "which is the best way to measure performance," said Garbani.

The product was designed for ease of deployment, requiring only one box to monitor an application across a large organization, said Michael Turner, executive vice president for NetQoS. The device plugs into the network on the server side of the operation. Multiple boxes might be needed to monitor more than one application at the same time, depending on bandwidth levels, said Turner.

Garbani also noted that, due to this server-side setup, the product presents a good value for large organizations with several hundred nodes on a network. "It's very cheap compared with having to set up client-side agents on hundreds of machines at about $300 per (machine)," he said.

The product is currently in beta-testing and is being evaluated by customers such as Curt Aubley, CTO at OAO Corp., a managed service provider. Aubley maintains a network with over 5,000 users, and has been impressed by the ability to have a single point of reference for performance information. One drawback has been the lack of a centralized data repository, which he had to assemble on his own, said Aubley.

Aubley initially thought the device would serve as a security monitor, but was drawn to the performance aspects and will deploy the appliance upon its final release.

SuperAgent costs $28,500 and comes on a pre-configured Dell Computer server.

The IDG News Service is a Network World affiliate.