Network/Server monitoring.

[Tom Buskey]

>
> Travis Roy writes:
>
>> Pretty charts and graphs are a big plus :)
>
> I suggest MRTG and RRDtool.
>
> Regards,
>
> --kevin

I second this.  Also Big Brother.  I've been playing with a follow on to
Big Brother called Big Sister that adds graphs.  Hmm, I think it uses
RRDtool to do this.

A minor point: RRDtool is a rewrite of the graphing/database of MRTG.  It
doesn't do the gathering of data like MRTG does so you have to use one of
the *many* addons like Cricket.

Another thing to think of is a central syslog server.  Feed all your
syslogs there (they'll have the machine name on them).  Then scan 'em. 
I've used swatch in the past.  I set it up in a tail -f type mode and
search for events.  When they hit I play a sound.  If you're always logged
in at your desk, have it running in an xterm & you'll know when something
happens.  I used to have a lighting storm for memory errors, dogs barking
when root logs in, etc.  It's very handy for passive monitoring w/o having
to stare at the logs.

Plus, if a system crashes, you'll have all the important logs to sift
through for events.  Of course, you should have heard something from
swatch :-)