- ManageEngine OpManager (FREE TRIAL) Network monitor that can monitor SNMP devices, switches, servers, and virtualized network services.
- Paessler PRTG Network Monitor Free network monitoring software that uses SNMP, packet sniffing and WMI to monitor your network.
- Atera Cloud-based RMM system includes a large range of monitors – server, network device, and application – suitable for all sized businesses.
- Site24x7 Network management platform tools that can monitor network devices, websites, servers, applications, and more.
- Nagios Core – One of the top open-source network monitoring tools. Includes a dashboard view, alerts system, community plugins, and more.
- Zabbix – Open source network monitoring software with SNMP and IPMP monitoring. Includes an alerts system and community plugins.
- Icinga – Open source network monitoring system with a DSL. Includes extensions.
- Spiceworks Connectivity Dashboard – Free network monitoring software with a high-quality dashboard and simple alert system.
Network Management and Infrastructure
Wednesday, August 5, 2020
Week 10 - FINAL ENTRY: Network Monitoring Tools/Blog Lessons Learned
Tuesday, July 28, 2020
Week 9 - Hardening A Network
Tuesday, July 21, 2020
Week 8 - Basics of Virtualization
What is Virtualization?
Virtualization is the process of creating a virtual version of something, such as an operating system, a server, a storage device or other network resources.
Virtualization describes a technology in which an application, guest operating system or data storage is eliminated from the true underlying hardware or software. A key use of virtualization technology is server virtualization, which uses a software layer called a Hypervisor to act as the underlying hardware. This often includes the CPU's memory, input/output, and network traffic. Hypervisors take the physical resources and separate them so they can be utilized by the virtual environment. They are able to sit on top of an OS or they can be directly installed onto the hardware. The latter is how most enterprises virtualize their systems.
Below are the basic steps of virtualization:
- Hypervisors detach the physical resources from their physical environments.
- Resources are taken and divided, as needed, from the physical environment to the various virtual environments.
- System users work with and perform computations within the virtual environment.
- Once the virtual environment is running, a user or program can send an instruction that requires extra resources form the physical environment. In response, the hypervisor relays the message to the physical system and stores the changes.
The virtual environment is often referred to as a guest machine or virtual machine (VM). The VM acts like a single data file that can be transferred from one computer to another and opened in both; it is expected to perform the same way on every computer.
Reference: https://searchservervirtualization.techtarget.com/definition/virtualization
Tuesday, July 14, 2020
Week 7 - Wireless Internet
Monday, July 6, 2020
Week 6 - IPv6
Thursday, July 2, 2020
Week 5 - TCP/IP Applications
TCP/IP, or Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol, is a group of communication protocols used to connect network devices on the internet. The entire Internet Protocol set -- a set of rules and procedures -- is commonly referred to as TCP/IP. TCP and IP are the two main protocols. These protocols work between internet applications and the routing/switching fabric.
What do people use their computers for? There are several applications that run on the TCP/IP protocol. Checking email, searching for a website, downloading and saving files... computers are used for many different functions, and it’s the applications that run on TCP/IP that allow people to use these functions and ultimately make your computer useful. Below is a list of common applications and what they are used for. Which ones are you familiar with?
Monday, June 22, 2020
Week 4 - TCP/IP Routing
TCP/IP is a series of protocols used to transmit data over the internet. What is a protocol you ask? Well, a protocol is a set of rules that computers use to talk to each other. This communication happens on the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and Internet Protocol (IP). TCP prepares data by breaking it down into packets, and IP makes sure these packets get sent and delivered from one computer to another.
IPv4 vs IPv6
When data packets arrive at the router, the router needs to
know where the data came from and where to send the data. This is what the IP
address is for. An IP address is a 32-bit label that is unique to that device,
so in transmitting data, there is a source IP and a destination IP. Internet Protocol
version 4 (IPv4) is the 32-bit number that was created back in 1983. There are
over 4 trillion unique addresses available, but that still wasn’t enough. In
the 2000s, developers started to create Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6).
This version is still in the process of replacing IPv4 and officially became
an Internet Standard in 2017. With the rapid growth of the internet and its
users, developers had to develop a 128-bit identifier. The problem with this is
that IPv4 and IPv6 were not designed to be interoperable, so the switch has
been more complicated than developers would have liked.
When it comes to routing, IPv6’s larger address space makes
room for address allocation
hierarchy which allows route aggregation and the expansion of routing tables.
There is also device mobility and security that was considered when developing
IPv6.
Here is a more detailed blog about why IPv6 adoption has been
so slow at being implemented:
https://www.auvik.com/franklymsp/blog/ipv6-network-design/
Also, here is a report card on the state of deployment of IPv6 and who is currently using it:
https://www.internetsociety.org/resources/2018/state-of-ipv6-deployment-2018/
Personally, I don't have any experience with IPv6 yet, but hopefully soon!
What experience have you had? What are some of the pros/cons you have heard about IPv6?
References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IP_address
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPv6
https://www.sangoma.com/how-ip-routing-works/