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Building the Perfect Monitoring Solution (by Dirk Paessler)

Creating software that is powerful AND easy to use is the Holy Grail for any developer. But, sometimes achieving that perfection is tougher than it sounds. Why? Users want software that does a lot of things, giving them broad, powerful feature sets that are also simple and easy to use.

Developers must be careful not to overwhelm the user with too many options at the main UI, but provide just-right features right at your fingertips, plus the ability to drill down into the level of detail that is appropriate and desired for the end-user. And, by all means, the best software should be fun to use—so much so that the UI itself almost disappears into a seamless user experience.

In some cases, a difficult UI can even be a limiting factor in the software itself. The lack of flexibility to enable innovation and feature expansion can bring a software solution to its knees and hinder further development. When the UI is maxed out, developers have few options but to make it more complex to achieve the necessary feature expansion, which runs the risk of creating an overwhelming user experience.

Network Monitoring to Avoid Delay in Patient Care (by Dirk Paessler)

The leading-edge treatment practices of modern healthcare providers are supported by a state-of-the-art information technology network that includes fully-electronic patient medical records. It also features a group-wide practice management system relying on several interoperable systems and third party services - maybe delivered as a Software as a Service solution - in order to work efficiently.

Information such as patient medical records and practice management systems require both intensive amounts of data and also the utmost in security to protect sensitive information and remain in compliance. Any network or IT problem needs to be proactively identified because delays in accessing patient medical information can result in slower care and potential medical issues for the patient. Larger scale network monitoring solutions are required for healthcare companies that need to monitor connections between different locations. Only by that method can it be ensured that data transmissions and connectivity are functioning properly.

Between the critical, heavily Internet-dependent applications, the healthcare providers also need standard business communication. To successfully leverage the power of instantaneous data transfer to facilitate the most efficient treatment for its patients is very important for every healthcare provider, because for its patients time is an exceptionally precious commodity. A delay in the receipt of critical test results or in the transmission of prescriptions due to an IT failure can have a direct impact on patients' care and comfort.

Monitoring of Private Clouds (by Dirk Paessler and Dorte Winkler)

Cloud Computing  - What Do You Say, it can be monitored?

Get the complete Technical White Paper on "Monitoring of the Private Cloud" , Free!

Contrary to the public’s perception, the concept of cloud computing isn’t nearly as new as most believe, but even today, it’s rare that you find two people who completely agree on what exactly cloud computing means. Previous approaches have been called ‘outsourcing’ and ‘server hosting,’ however, obstacles such as insufficient processor performance, enormous hardware costs and slow Internet connections made everyday use difficult for widespread implementation.

 

Now, cloud computing has finally come into its own, thanks to technology like broadband Internet connections and fast, inexpensive servers that provide the opportunity to access only the services and storage space that are actually necessary, and the ability to adjust these to meet a businesses’ specific needs. Using a virtual server, which is provided by a service provider, introduces a wide range of possibilities for cost savings, improved performance and higher data security. The goal of such cloud solutions is a consolidated IT environment that effectively absorbs fluctuation in demand and capitalizes on available resources.

In the whitepaper “Monitoring of Private Clouds” by Dirk Paessler and Dorte Winkler, both of Germany-based network monitoring solutions provider, Paessler AG, Paessler and Winkler discuss the concept of the private cloud and how it differentiates from the public cloud.

 

IPv6 Question and Answers (by Dirk Paessler)

 What is the BIG DEAL with IPv6 - Real Answers from an Expert!

 
 

What exactly is IPv6?

IPv6 stands for Internet Protocol version 6 and has been designed to succeed Internet Protocol version 4. Essentially, the Internet operates by transferring data in small packets that are independently routed across networks – and this is all specified by an international communications protocol, known as the Internet Protocol (IP).  IPv6 is simply the latest, greatest incarnation.

(Editor’s Note) – Everything before IPv6 is IP-Before and as you read parts of IPv6 are changing!

 Why is this new version important, and what does it do?

The huge growth of the Internet means that we need more addresses than IPv4 can provide.  IPv6 has a much larger address space. It supports a total of 2¹²⁸ (about 3.4×10³⁸) addresses—which means approximately 5×10²⁸ (roughly 2⁹⁵) addresses for each of the roughly 6.8 billion (6.8×10⁹) population in 2010.  On top of that, IPv6 offers the ability to have longer IP addresses, which will prove beneficial for various web applications and provides an almost endless availability of addresses.

 Can you explain the jump from IPv4 to IPv6? What happened to IPv5?

Actually there was an IPv5, but it was never implemented. A Requests For Comments (RFC) document exists for IPv5, but it was never made an Internet Standard. It was intended as a streaming protocol but it had issues early on, and because of its complexity, the cost-benefit ratio didn’t stack up.  Obviously, the title of version number 5 had already been allocated which is why the new version of IP has been given its own unique identifying number, 6.

Website Performance Monitoring: The Top-10 Things to Watch For (by Dirk Paessler)

Top ten considerations for proactive monitoring in Website Management!

Effectively monitoring a website enables site owners to detect and solve issues proactively, which vastly improves site performance and the visitor experience.

There are dozens of performance indicators to watch in order to ensure peak performance, so much so that site owners often become flooded with alerts that can distract them from catching major problems. As such, it’s important that website owners know the key indicators to monitor.

 

 

While these indicators may be dependent on the network business requirements, there are ten of the higher priority performance indicators that every site owner should watch closely.

Here they are:

1. Uptime

Monitoring the availability of your website is singlehandedly the most important part of website monitoring. Website owners should constantly check the uptime of key pages from different locations. If your website is down, you’re losing business.

The Need for, and Capabilities of, Mobile Network Monitoring Technology (by Ken Sanofsky)

 The need for, and capabilities of, mobile network monitoring technology 

Errors in the corporate network often occur just at the moment when the responsible IT administrators are away from their desks and cannot intervene on site. It’s for this exact reason there is a growing need for mobile monitoring technologies so IT admins can prevent network downtime and resolve bottlenecks from any place at any time.

 

Today we’re seeing more network monitoring vendors providing mobile monitoring apps for devices like the iPhone and iPad, BlackBerry, Droid and others. Via mobile devices, with the use of a network monitoring app, IT administrators have on-the-go access to real-time information about the current status of the monitored network. Data is compiled clearly in lists, tables and graphs to quickly provide an overview of information such as network status overviews, reports on highest/lowest bandwidth usage, total uptime/downtime stats, maps to reveal network schematics and more.

We’re also seeing more vendors optimizing their web-based interfaces for mobile browsers. These are being designed specifically for display on small-size screens and for use over low-bandwidth connections. The interface provides the administrator with real-time information about the current status of the monitored network on-the-go.

The Uses and Benefits of Remote Probes in Network Monitoring Solutions (by Dirk Paessler)

Companies with multiple locations rely on a highly efficient IT infrastructure. Key factors for this include smoothly running IT processes and reliable communication between different company locations, as well as with customers and partners. Steady monitoring plays a significant role in maintaining these operational “musts,” so as to always keep an eye on locally distributed networks regarding their availability and bandwidth utilization. For businesses with multiple locations, network monitoring can easily be distributed across various locations with the use of, what we at Paessler call, remote probes.

The remote probe architecture is highly valuable for a number of special technical solutions including:

• For simple load distribution of the monitoring tasks on several individual computers; this is recommended, for example, for extensive use of the slow WMI protocol in large networks
• To establish a generally secure connection for transmitting monitoring data between two secured sites over the open internet
• For monitoring of completely encapsulated services, such as mail or web server
• The probe technology allows the administrator to measure the Quality of Service (QoS) of a network without any additional tools

And some benefits of remote probes include, but are not limited to:

Introduction to WMI Testing - Five Steps to Success (by Dirk Paessler)

Author Profile - Dirk Paessler, CEO of Paessler AG, is an engineer, entrepreneur, computer networking professional and software guru. In addition to founding Paessler AG, provider of the award winning PRTG network monitoring solution, Dirk has a long track record of co-founding successful internet platforms such as hotel.de, anwalt.de and more. To learn more about Dirk and his expertise in network monitoring, visit his blog at http://www.paessler.com/blog.

Introduction to  WMI testing:

 

Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) is a powerful Microsoft standard that allows system administrators to monitor and manage a whole Windows network from one central point. WMI technology is a key component of most network monitoring tools, as it provides vital and detailed information on devices and applications running on the Microsoft operating system such as CPU usage and temperature, or usage of RAM.

However, administrators are not always able to exploit the full potential of WMI. According to Dirk Paessler, CEO of global network monitoring solutions provider, Paessler, "For three quarters of our customers, Windows based operating systems represent more than 90% of their network; however this isn't without its challenges. Indeed, countless calls to our support team are from customers experiencing problems with WMI." Here are some of Dirk’s tips for troubleshooting WMI -  

 

Five Steps for Troubleshooting WMI

1.     Simplify user credentials: For each WMI query, Windows asks for user identification. To simplify complex rights management, make each user a member of the Domain Administrators group in the same Active Directory section as the target computer. Alternatively, set up a local system administrator account on the target computer to be used for login. Each user must also have remote access rights to use WMI and the appropriate Windows login data can be easily be entered individually into PRTG for each target computer.

2.     Enable WMI on the local firewall: To ensure that all inquiries reach the target computer, it is essential to ensure that the firewall of the target computer allows incoming WMI requests.

3.     Configure firewall and group policies: If the firewall is enabled on the basis of certain group policies, the setting "Allow Remote Administration Exception" must be activated for this policy.

4.     Open the port: The RPC server for the target computer using WMI should be running in port 135 by default (unless configured otherwise). Ensure that this port is not blocked by another (hardware) firewall on the route to the remote computer.

5.     Check the security software: Double-check to ensure that some local security software isn’t blocking the WMI connections. Locate the specific software setting for these parameters and make sure that the connection is explicitly “allowed.”

 

 

 

 

Paessler AG leads the industry in providing the most powerful, affordable and easy-to-use network monitoring and testing solutions. The company’s suite of just-right software products deliver peace of mind, confidence and convenience for businesses of all sizes – from Small Office/Home Office (SOHO) to large enterprises, including more than 70% of the Fortune 100 companies. Based in Nuremberg, Bavaria/Germany, Paessler’s global reach includes more than 50,000 licenses sold and more than 150,000 active installations, including its robust freeware products, through its worldwide locations in Canada, Great Britain, Japan, the U.S., and others. Founded in 1997, Paessler AG remains a privately held company and is recognized as both a Cisco Technology Developer Partner and a VMware Technology Alliance Partner. For more information, visit www.paessler.com