here - Toshiba

ENTERPRISE
Software
● NETWORK MONITORING
standard SNMP agent provides minimal
information, so Mutiny uses the Unix Net-SNMP
or its own Mutiny-SNMP Windows agent. The
latter is installed as a service and delivers
information about CPU, memory and disk use,
and also provides details on selected processes.
PRICE £9,950 (exc VAT)
SUPPLIER Mutiny 08000 854466
Monitoring must be configured for each
INTERNET www.mutiny.com
BASIC WARRANTY One year on-site and one
individual system, so it can be lengthy, but at
year of software updates
least you can customise it to suit rather than
VERDICT A smart network-monitoring appliance that’s very easy to use. Alerting options are
using a set of global parameters. Each category
extensive and the simple Web interface is well designed and easy to understand.
requires warning and critical thresholds to be
defined, allowing you to decide when alerts
should be sent. For processors and
hen the time comes to implement
memory, this is simply a case of adding
a network management package,
percentage values, whereas disks and
one of the biggest problems
processes must be declared to Mutiny
facing the average SME is the sheer
first. A Test option will remotely scan the
complexity of these types of products.
selected system and return information
All too often, large amounts of cash are
about installed disks and active processes.
spent on a product that never gets used
Mutiny can also monitor
to its full potential. In some cases, it
SNMP-enabled devices such as switches
becomes a hindrance rather than a help
and routers, although the information it
and ends up being dumped.
can gather is limited. For an Intel Express
Mutiny aims to remedy this situation,
510T dual-speed switch on our test
as it’s a complete out-of-the-box networknetwork, it was able to determine the
monitoring and alerting appliance aimed
uptime and gather agent information
at the SME market and designed to be up
such as the system name, description,
and running in hours rather than weeks.
location and contact details. Traffic
The product name is no coincidence –
statistics were more impressive, as
frustration levels with the resident
Mutiny can graph data based on
management software reached critical
Mutiny uses four simple icons to relay the status of each system.
incoming and outgoing octets for each
levels at the University of Manchester a
of the switch’s 24 ports.
The price includes on-site installation by a
few years ago, and support staff decided they
Mutiny is very much an ongoing project –
Mutiny engineer plus a day’s training, but we
could write something better themselves.
the company was in the process of developing
found the system remarkably simple to use. The
Mutiny is designed to monitor any network
agents for SQL Server, IIS and Exchange at the
appliance regularly polls the network, builds up a
node running an SNMP (simple network
time of writing, which it expects to have
list of all discovered devices and assigns each one
management protocol) agent and present this
certified during July. Mutiny will create agents
a recognisable icon. Devices aren’t mapped
information in an easily navigable Web browser
for particular requirements, although capable
according to their physical or logical location, so
interface. Written in Perl and running on Red Hat
programmers can easily write Perl scripts if they
you’ll need to customise the view. Switches are
Linux, the Mutiny package on review centres
want to monitor specific areas on Unix systems.
classed as connectors and appear in a separate
around a Toshiba SG20 – a neat little device that
Compared with many network management
map to which you can add other nodes. Mutiny
Toshiba also offers as an Internet appliance. It
products, Mutiny achieves what it sets out to do.
uses a simple system consisting of four highly
provides wireless connectivity, file sharing, print
Coined a plug-and-ping appliance, it’s extremely
visible status indicators assigned to each system.
services and firewall facilities. Mutiny can be
easy to use and the information it provides is
An unknown device is assigned a blue circle, a
installed on medium to large PC-based
simple to interpret, although you’ll need to look
bright green blob
server systems if required,
elsewhere if you want to monitor workstations.
shows all is well, a
provided they can run Red
Add in the comprehensive alerting tools and you
yellow rotating target
Hat Linux 7.1 or higher.
have a highly focused network-monitoring
indicates a warning has
Inside the SG20’s sleek
package ideally suited to smaller businesses.
been triggered, and a red
exterior lies a modest specification
DAVE MITCHELL
radar-style indicator shows
consisting of a Celeron/566 The Mutiny
package on
a system is critical.
processor supported by
review centres around a
RATINGS
Mutiny scores highly over
256Mb of memory. The
Toshiba SG20.
many other management
Mutiny software and Linux
EASE OF USE
★★★★★★
products with its alerting capabilities. It uses
OS come pre-installed on a 30Gb Toshiba 2.5in
FEATURES
★★★★★★
primary, secondary and default shifts for every
IDE hard disk, and this is partnered by a second
VALUE FOR MONEY
★★★★★★
day of the week, each with a start and end time
30Gb disk acting as a mirror. The disk array isn’t
OVERALL
★★★★★★
that are used to determine in what order
a true mirror, though, as a snapshot of the
SPECIFICATIONS Toshiba SG-20 server, Intel
support staff should be called when a problem is
master disk is only taken every five minutes. An
Celeron/566, 256Mb of memory, two 30Gb
spotted.You could, for example, configure
eight-port switch is located at the rear, but it’s
Toshiba MK3017GAP 2.5in IDE hard disks,
Mutiny to use an SMS or pager alert during an
only used for initial configuration; a separate
internal V.90 modem, two 10/100BaseTX
engineer’s primary shift and an email outside
10/100BaseTX port connects the device to the
Ethernet ports, PC Card slot, internal power
their normal working hours when other support
network. The PC Card slot and parallel port are
supply. Red Hat Linux and Mutiny software
staff are on shift.
also unemployed in the Mutiny configuration,
pre-installed, Mutiny-SNMP agent for
Windows 95, 98 and ME workstations lack
while the internal V.90 modem is used to send
Windows NT, 2000 and XP supplied.
an SNMP agent, but Mutiny comes into its own
SMS and pager warning messages when
with Unix and Windows NT, 2000 and XP. The
problems are detected.
Mutiny
W
Reprinted from PC PRO September 2002 p178
www.pcpro.co.uk