Features of IPCheck Server Monitor

We have integrated the functionality of IPCheck Server Monitor into its successor product PRTG Network Monitor. The upgrade is free for customers with an active maintenance plan (please download the new installer in our updates center).

Monitoring

  • Reliable server uptime/downtime monitoring using Paessler's proven and constantly refined IPCheck™ technology which has been used for network management by many companies - from SOHOs to Fortune 500 companies worldwide - since 1997
  • Sensor types include PING, PORT, HTTP, HTTPS, HTTP Advanced, HTTP Transaction, DNS, SMTP, POP3, FTP, SNMP, as well as various native Windows system sensors and native SQL sensors for MS SQL, MySQL and Oracle.
  • For fully customized network connection monitoring, the user can create his own sensor types using scripting and programming languages (list of all sensor types)
  • Can monitor devices and servers located in the Internet, in Intranets and in VPN networks
  • With the installation of optional "Remote Probes" multiple location monitoring can be achieved
  • Automatic Network Discovery searches for servers/devices in your network and automatically creates sensors for the most common protocols
  • Monitoring can be scheduled based on the time of day and the day of week

Notifications

  • Network management notifications can be triggered by server uptimes, downtimes, changed webpages, or slow responses
  • Messages can be sent by email, network broadcast (net send), ICQ, via SMS and to pagers
  • Also, an external program, batch file or HTTP URL can be triggered or a sound file can be played
  • Notifications can be scheduled based on the time of day and the day of week

User Interface

  • The IPCheck server can be locally and remotely managed through
    • a web browser based interface (without installing additional software on the client) and
    • a Windows client software (for all Windows versions)
    • a mobile user interface for Pocket PCs (read only)
    • All three interfaces can be used simultaneously
  • Current monitoring status can be published (optionally, e.g. to show current network status in Intranets)

Reporting and Analysis

  • Detailed up/downtime monitoring reports and graphs can be viewed online
  • Calculates uptime/downtime percentages as well as downtimes
  • Various reporting options enable the user to perform in-depth trend analysis
  • Report emails can be sent to user's mailbox (automatically daily, weekly, monthly, or on-demand)

System/Installation

  • Fast and easy installation - Start monitoring network connections within 5 minutes after downloading
  • Includes a stand alone web server for local and remote access to the monitoring data
  • Web user interface can be skinned to fit into corporate network's look&feel
  • Runs as an "NT service" on Windows NT/2000/XP/2003 for best reliability
  • Includes free SQL server for fast, reliable data storage
  • offers optional export of monitoring data into CSVs or the Firebird SQL server for custom analysis
  • "Administrator Control Panel" offers complete application configuration.
    • Edit templates for email messages
    • Modify sensor monitoring intervals
    • Set up local and remote probes
    • Administer the webserver and database

Available Sensor Types

Since each network device (or "server") typically has several parameters and services that should be monitored, you can set up various sensors to monitor each and every aspect of a server (e.g. CPU load, webserver responsiveness, SMTP responsiveness, PING time, etc.). 

The sensors of this network management tool not only check whether the server actually responds at all but also offer means of testing the replies from the server for validity.

List of Available Sensor Types
PING Sends standard PING to the server/device
PORT Checks whether the server accepts connection at the specified port number
HTTP Simple HTTP/HTTPS request
HTTP Advanced Advanced HTTP Sensor (features content check, proxy, and authentication settings).
HTTP transaction Checks several pages in sequence (e.g. shopping cart)
DNS Checks DNS server
SMTP Checks SMTP server with various protocol options
POP3 Checks POP3 server with various protocol options
FTP Checks FTP server with various protocol options
SNMP Supports SNMP Version 1, 2c and 3 to read SNMP values from a device or server (supports custom OIDs, Paessler's extensive OID library as well as SNMP Helper)
SNMP traffic Monitors bandwidth usage of servers, routers, switches etc. via SNMP (Version 1, 2c and 3)
FILE Monitors a file on a local disk drive or a network share. It checks if the file exists, the file size is in a given range or if the file has been changed
NT Service Sensor Any NT service on the local machine or a computer in the network can be monitored for downtimes. Can optionally restart the service upon failure
EVENT LOG Monitors the event logs of Windows systems for incoming events (configurable)
DISKSPACE Monitors the free disk space of a local disk drive or a remote network share
SQL Native monitoring for MS SQL, Oracle SQL and MySQL servers
CUSTOM Makes it easy to create your own custom sensors
WMI CPU Load Monitors CPU loads of Windows systems using WMI
WMI Disk Space Uses WMI to monitor the available disk space
WMI Service Monitors a Windows service using WMI
WMI Memory Enables monitoring of available memory through WMI
WMI Query Runs custom WMI scripts to monitor any value that is accessible by WMI

Using the CUSTOM Sensors of IPCheck Server Monitor a wealth of monitoring tasks can be performed that go far beyond the standard sensor set built into the software. There is a section in our knowledgebase with various samples and ready-to-run code for custom sensors.



Selected Features in Detail

Sensor Alert Notification and Messaging

At the heart of this network connection monitor is the ability to notify the user(s) of sensor alerts. For example, if you are monitoring a server for HTTP and IPCheck Server Monitor is unable to connect with that server on HTTP, a notification will be emailed to the administrator, who can then take immediate action. Additionally, IPCheck Server Monitor Server can be configured to send messages via SMS/Pager, network broadcast, or ICQ, play a sound file, request a HTTP URL, or execute an external program or batch file. When using the Windows GUI you additionally have the option to be notified using popup windows, sounds, and even text-to-speech.
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Built-in Webserver and SQL Database

The software installs with its own integrated webserver and SQL database (Firebird SQL Server). The close integration of webserver, database, and monitoring application provides seamless installation and management to the user. There are no software requirements to install IPCheck on a computer, it can be installed on all Windows NT/2000/XP/2003 operating systems, regardless of workstation or server edition.

Multi User Management

IPCheck Server Monitor is a credential-based system and can be run for just one single user or in multi user mode. Starting with the Multi User Edition the administrator can create multiple user accounts. Each user can create his own groups of servers and sensors. For example a single, centralized copy of IPCheck Server Monitor can be used by multiple departments, each having their own view of their sensors and reports.

Offering Monitoring Services with the ISP Edition

The ISP Edition adds advanced user management options for ISPs who want to offer customized monitoring services to their customers. The admin can choose the sensor and notification types that are available for new users by default and can also edit these settings for each user individually. Also the minimum monitoring interval, maximum number of sensors and an expiry date can be set for each user.

Skinning of Web Interface and Emails

IPCheck Server Monitor provides the ability to edit the templates for the Web interface (e.g. to show your company logo or to fit the Web GUI into the Look&Feel of your Intranet) as well as the email templates whichthat are used to create the emails sent to the users for various activities, such as notifying the administrator of a new sensor, mailing a new password to a user, etc.