Ipswitch WhatsUp Professional 2006 Premium Edition

Whereas Halcyon's NSS comprises multiple components, Ipswitch's WhatsUp Professional 2006 keeps its network-monitoring tools neat and tidy all under one roof. WhatsUp has always provided a solid range of SNMP-monitoring features and the Premium Edition adds application monitoring to the mix. Along with support for WMI, it offers tools for keeping an eye on SQL Server and Exchange installations, plus the ability to restart failed services.

WhatsUp scans your chosen IP subnet and populates a map with discovered devices. A variety of methods are available, but the easiest option is SmartScan, which queries SNMP information and also builds maps to reflect the network's hierarchy. A wizard assists with creating actions and helps set up alerts via email or pop-up window if devices selected from the Discovery window aren't on the Ping radar. Monitors and actions combine to query devices and services, as well as carry out predefined tasks should they fail to respond. You'll need to be savvy with SNMP MIBs, but we found active monitors easy enough to set up from the Device Properties window.

The main interface provides a list of discovered devices and their status. If one goes AWOL, the icon changes colour. A customisable map view with device links can also be created, while a third tab offers a good selection of reports covering areas ranging from CPU and interface utilisation to SNMP trap logs. Just choose something from the map, select the report option and pick which one you want to view. The reports include real-time graphs that can be customised to reflect a specific time period. The system running WhatsUp can also be accessed via a web browser, with all key features available from a slick remote console.

WhatsUp has always been a well-featured product that's keen on value, and the Premium Edition adds some useful database and mail server-monitoring facilities. If you want easy-to-use network-monitoring facilities, Ipswitch is a top choice, as it gathers a lot of raw SNMP data and presents it in a useful way.