Although sometimes ignored, the network hardware is the vital "glue" that ties the servers together.
ServerAssist uses SNMP, which is supported by most network-oriented hardware, to provide in-depth monitoring of routers, switches, UPSs, printers, environmental monitors and more.
Performance
ServerAssist can collect values from any numeric OID on a device, and use these to provide performance monitoring. This allows insights into important operational information that is all too often overlooked.
Event Detection
Many network devices can issue SNMP traps when certain events occur on the device.
Typically, these are events that are difficult to monitor by checking OID values. For example, a network-enabled UPS might issue a trap when it switches from utility power to batteries.
ServerAssist can listen for these traps issued by devices or servers on the network.
Typical Usage Scenarios
The capability to collect any available OID value, coupled with processing to convert increasing values to rates automatically, allows network traffic on a large selection of switches to be monitored without the need for NetFlow support.
The runtime of a UPS can degrade as the batteries age, or as additional load is placed on it as new servers are commissioned. While technically fully operational, the available run-time may no longer be sufficient for full protection in the event of a power outage.
An environmental monitor can provide temperature and humidity information for a server room, not only providing a warning should the temperature be too high, but also ensuring that unnecessary expense is not being incurred by keeping it too low.
Compatiblity With Other Tools
Rather than implementing its own listener, which would "take over" the SNMP port on the computer, ServerAssist uses the Windows SNMP Trap service to listen for SNMP traps.
This is a standard Windows service that allows multiple applications on a single computer to all listen for traps, allowing ServerAssist to function alongside other tools that may also be deployed.
vital information that's often overlooked