About the Author
Jim Montague is the executive editor for Control. Email him at [email protected].
Many older folks remember when doctors used to make house calls and brought their little, oblong leather satchels with their stethoscopes, tongue depressors, etc. Well, network health is aided by an even bigger bag of tricks. Here are some of the most useful cures from A to Z.
SEE ALSO: Caring for Network Caregivers
- The Dude network monitor is a new, free application by MikroTik that can improve network management. It automatically scans all devices within specified subnets, draws and lays out a map of networks, monitors services of devices and alerts users in case of service problems.
- Nessus from Tenable Network Security is a widely deployed network vulnerability and configuration assessment software.
- Netbiter is an M2M remote management solution from HMS Industrial Networks that lets users monitor, control and supervise performance and operation of remote equipment and installations via Ethernet, GSM, GPRS or 3G networks.
- NetDecoder protocol analyzer from Frontline Test Equipment can diagnose and troubleshoot communication problems in industrial networks. NetDecoder can monitor and provide detailed timing, data and messaging information for serial, fieldbus and Ethernet networks.
- ProfiTrace from Procentec is a mobile analyzer for maintenance and troubleshooting of Profibus networks, and it combines all required elements in one device to detect most Profibus faults.
- Snort is a free, open-source network intrusion detection and prevention system (IDS/IPS), developed by Sourcefire.
- Solarwinds offers network, applications, virtualization and storage management software to maintain, monitor and troubleshoot IT networks.
- Tcpdump is free software and a common packet analyzer that runs under the command line and enables users to intercept and display TCP/IP and other packets being transmitted or received over a network to which the computer is attached.
- WhatsUp Gold (WUG) network monitoring and management software was developed by Ipswitch, and it offers network, system, application and log monitoring and management in physical and virtual infrastructures.
- Wireshark is a free, downloadable protocol analyzer that lets users capture and interactively browse traffic running on a computer network.
This article is a part of the Industrial Networking 2014 Q1 cover story "Vital Signs of a Healthy Network."
