Lab – Research Network Monitoring Software (Instructor Version)
Objectives
- Part 1: Survey Your Understanding of Network Monitoring
- Part 2: Research Network Monitoring Tools
- Part 3: Select a Network Monitoring Tool
Background / Scenario
Network monitoring is needed for any sized network. Proactively monitoring the network infrastructure can assist network administrators with their day-to-day duties. The wide variety of networking tools available vary in cost, depending on the features, number of network locations and number of nodes supported.
In this lab, you will conduct research on available network monitoring software. You will gather information on software products and features of those products. You will investigate one product in greater detail and list some of the key features available.
Required Resources
- PC with internet access
Instructions
Part 1: Survey Your Understanding of Network Monitoring
Instructor Note: In Part 1, the instructor may wish to lead a discussion with students on their understanding of network monitoring and how network administrators use it. This lab may be assigned as homework.
Describe network monitoring as you understand it. Give an example of how it might be used in a production network.
Part 2: Research Network Monitoring Tools
Step 1: Research and find three network monitoring tools.
List the three tools that you found.
Step 2: Complete the following form for the network monitoring tools selected.
| Vendor | Product Name | Features |
|---|---|---|
| Solar Winds: www.solarwinds.com | Network Performance Monitor | Performance monitoring, automated network device discovery, network alerting, multi-vendor device support |
| Paessler: www.paessler.com | PRTG | Logging, bandwidth monitoring, packet sniffing, support for NetFlow
Offers both a free version which is limited to 100 monitored interfaces and a paid version which is sold in increments of 500 monitored |
| Nagios: www.nagios.org | Nagios XI | Real-time event monitoring, performance and capacity planning, configuration wizards, user-specific notification preferences |
| Cacti: www.cacti.net | Cacti | Open Source product that maintains many of the same features and adds a database to store the logs as opposed to the text logs used by the popular predecessor, MRTG. |
| ManageEngine: https://www.manageengine.com/network-monitoring/ | OpManager | Paid product based on the number of sensors. OpManage touts the ability to monitor both physical and virtual environments including VMWare, Xen, Hyper-V among others. |
Part 3: Select a Network Monitoring Tool
Step 1: Select one or more monitoring tools from your research.
From your research, identify one or more tools you would choose for monitoring your network. List the tools and explain your reasons for choosing them, including specific features that you consider important.
Step 2: Investigate the PRTG network monitoring tool.
Search the internet for the terms Paessler and PRTG, and look for a feature list. Give examples of some of the features that you found for PRTG in the space provided below.
Reflection Question
Based on your research, what conclusions have you reached regarding network monitoring software?
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