How we did it

Also: Right on schedule Scorecard and NetResults (graphic)

We installed OpalisRobot Version 3.6 on two Windows 2000 workstations, a Dell dual-CPU Pentium III running Windows NT Server Version 4.0 and a Windows 95 laptop. We connected the workstations to our campus network via switched 10/100M bit/sec ports. We built several Monitor Internet applications and watched the log file entries after we removed the monitoring station from the network. OpalisRobot quickly notified us of the loss of connectivity. We spent several days monitoring off-site Internet hosts, looking for periods of unreachability - which OpalisRobot duly noted - and scheduled recurring tests of POP3 e-mail using our Mindspring account.

Currier is director of data communications at Duke University in Durham, N.C., and the 1998 Grand Prize winner in the Excellence in Campus Networking competition sponsored by CAUSE, a user group for computer professionals in higher education. He can be reached at robert.currier@duke.edu.

Global Test Alliance

Currier is also a member of the Network World Global Test Alliance, a cooperative of the premier reviewers in the network industry, each bringing to bear years of practical experience on every review. For more Test Alliance information, including what it takes to become a member, go to www.nwfusion.com/alliance.