10 Server Monitoring Tools

1. Pingdom

Pingdom, which is also available as an iPhone application, makes sure that your website is reachable and responding properly at all times, providing you with email and SMS alerts if it’s not. It monitors uptime and overall performance, creating charts and tables that are easy to understand, enabling you to spot trends and accurately pinpoint problems.

2. Dotcom-Monitor

Dotcom-Monitor is an advanced website monitoring service which maximises your uptime so that you can increase sales and provide a continuous service to customers worldwide, protecting the reputation of your business. It provides real-time and email reports and charts, and sends alerts to exactly the right people when problems arise. It even lets you create multiple logins for numerous users, each of which have permission to access different parts of the tool.

3. McAfee Secure

McAfee Secure monitors your servers for potential security breaches, protecting end-users of your website from identity theft, credit card fraud, spyware, spam, viruses and online scams. Your site is tested and certified daily, and awarded the “live” McAfee Secure mark to show that it has passed its daily test, which greatly increases shopper confidence. McAfee currently certify over 80,000 websites, all of which are listed on the McAfee Secure database.

4. Webmetrics GlobalWatch

GlobalWatch monitors a diverse range of websites, internet applications and services. It identifies and diagnoses downtime, errors and poorly performing transactions, providing performance measurements, detailed reports and flexible alerts. This powerful tool, which supports Web 2.0, AJAX and plugin-based applications like Flash and Java, gives you a truly global perspective on how end-users see your site with monitoring agents stationed in the USA, Asia, Africa and Europe.

5. Nimsoft Monitoring Solutions (NMS)

NMS monitors your servers and their configured server applications. All core server resources, from CPU to memory, event logs, print jobs and queues are accounted for. NMS is not only quick and easy to install, but lightweight (you only install the bits that you really need) and scalable (you can monitor hundreds and even thousands of servers at a time). The NMS dashboard is simple and clear with views showing all your servers interconnected, colour-coded status indicators and server-to-server response times.

6. Solarwinds Orion Network Performance Monitor (NPM)

Orion NPM makes sure that every one of your servers is working 100% efficiently, but it doesn’t stop there: it monitors all routers, switches and wireless access points in your network too. It’s quick to set up, very attractive (a rarity in server monitoring) and supported by hundreds of expert network engineers. What’s more, you don’t have to be an expert yourself to use it: anyone can get it up and running in under an hour, straight out of the box.

7. Nagios

Nagios is a comprehensive IT infrastructure monitoring system that provides a snapshot of your entire operations network while keeping tabs on the health and status of all your applications, services, operating systems, network protocols and system metrics. Instant alerts are sent to your IT staff by email and SMS as soon as problems arise and failed servers, applications and devices can be restarted automatically. Nagios is highly compatible with almost all in-house and third party applications.

8. ENVIROMUX Server Environment Monitoring System

This powerful tool, which is perfect for use in data centers, web hosting facilities, telecom switching sites and server closets, monitors temperature, humidity, liquid presence, motion, intrusion and vibration, to ensure that your server’s operating in ideal physical conditions. You can integrate up to eight video cameras into the system to get a live view from anywhere in the world. Nagio’s users get 5% off the list price.

9. Jacarta interSeptor Pro

The interSeptor Pro records and charts temperature and humidity conditions surrounding your server. It alerts you (via email or SMS) when air conditioning settings should be adjusted to maximise energy savings. Three different models are available: the big 8-port (8 different temperature and humidity sensors), the huge 16-port and the massive 24-port. Additional alarm sensors can be added to detect water leaks, smoke and power failures.

10. Simple Server Monitor

Simple Server Monitor provides a substantial monitoring service for those on a tight budget. It costs just $69.95, following a 30-day free trial. Despite its tiny price tag, it’s packed full of useful features including up-to-the-minute monitoring of uptime and accessible performance charts. It uses popup messages, desktop alarms, email and SMS to alert you to any network uptime losses.

Enjoy ubuntu... ;)

"Unable to start debugging on the web server. Debugging failed because integrated Windows authentication is not enabled."

On local IIS server, you need to enable Integrated Windows Authentication on the local IIS.

1. Open IIS Manager (Internbet Information Services)
2. Right-click the web site (in case you run it locally you only have Default web site) and pick "Properties".
3. Choose "Directory Security" tab and click Edit on "Anonymous access and authentication control"
4. In the opening window, uncheck "Allow Anonymous access" and check "Integrated Windows Authentication" (allowing anonymous can make that you don't have enough permissions to debug)

After that you also need to make sure your NT Debugger user is on Debugger users group (and in practise to attach to the aspnet_wp.exe process it also needs to be admin unless you change local security policies)

Enjoy ubuntu... ;)

10 Excellent Open Source and Free Alternatives to Photoshop

Adobe Photoshop is a given in any designer’s wish list, and it comes with a host of features that allow for excellent and professional photo editing. The biggest obstacle to any designer who wants Photoshop is the price, which can be prohibitive. Fortunately there are a number of open source (and completely free) programs out there that do much of what Photoshop can, and sometimes more.

In this collection, you will find 10 excellent examples of open source and free alternatives to Adobe Photoshop.

This guest post for Six Revisions was written by Daniel Shain from LaptopLogic.com. At LaptopLogic you can have a look at the best gaming laptops and go through the latest laptop reviews.

1. GIMP

GIMP stands for “GNU image manipulation program”, and it is one of the oldest and most well known alternatives to Photoshop in existence. Although it doesn’t quite have all of them, you’ll find most of the features included in Photoshop somewhere in GIMP. GIMP is cross platform and supported by a large community.

If just having the feature set isn’t enough for you, there is an alternative based on GIMP known as GIMPShop. It’s the same as GIMP, except the layout has been structured as close to Photoshop as possible, so anyone making the transition should still feel right at home.

2. Krita

Krita has been lauded for ease of use and won the Akademy Award for Best Application in 2006. Part of the Koffice suite for Linux, Krita is slightly less powerful than both Photoshop and GIMP, but does contain some unique features.

3. Paint.NET

Paint.NET has grown out of a simple replacement for the well known MSPaint into a fully featured open source image editor with a wide support base. You’ll need Windows to run Paint.NET.

4. ChocoFlop

ChocoFlop is a design application designed exclusively for Mac, optimized for Mac architecture. It’s quick and fairly well featured. This program won’t always be free, but until a stable version is released (it’s currently in beta) they are allowing free use. The program works pretty well as is, and if you’re the type who doesn’t mind an occasional bug it’s certainly worth a look.

5. Cinepaint

Cinepaint is designed primarily for video often used to make animated feature films by major studios, but it is also a great image editor capable of high fidelity 32 bit color. Currently there is no stable version for Windows.

6. Pixia

Pixia was originally designed in Japanese but English versions now exist for this rich editor. Although the original focus was on anime/manga, it is a very capable editor in general. Some of the features are a little counter intuitive, but there are plenty of English tutorials available now if you want to give it a shot. The website seems to have changed recently, so be sure to use our link if you don’t want a Japanese error message. Pixia works for Windows.

7. Pixen

Pixen is designed as a pixel artist’s dream, but has expanded into a smooth and well featured overall editor. It’s definitely best at animation though, if that’s your style. Pixen is Mac (10.4x or later) only.

8. Picnik

Picnik is a web based photo editor that has recently taken off due to a partnership with Flickr. It has all the basic features plus a few advanced ones like layers and special effects. It is cross platform since you only need a browser.

9. Splashup

Another web based application, Splashup has a strong set of features (including those layers) and will remind you somewhat of Photoshop. It integrates easily with photo sharing websites and just like the above, is cross platform.

10. Adobe Photoshop Express

Adobe actually has a free web based photo editor of their own. It has all the basic functionality you’d expect as well as a few advanced features (sadly though, no layers), and interfaces well with a number of photo sharing websites. Again, completely cross platform.

Tq http://sixrevisions.com/

Enjoy ubuntu... ;)

Five Free Tools for Multi-Monitor Computer Set-Ups

As a developer or designer, it is often helpful to have multiple monitors to increase the amount of screen real estate you have, which in turn can lead to higher productivity. For instance, you may have one screen as your primary monitor where you perform your work, and another one that has your email client, Skype, IM client, Twitter client, and other communication apps that you can easily monitor and switch to.

We’d like to share several freeware and open source tools available for download to help you harness the power of multi-display set ups and get you up and running quickly. We hope that you might find the perfect application for you!

Synergy

Synergy is an open source software application that lets users of multi-monitor workstations share a mouse and keyboard between several displays. All you have to do is move the mouse cursor off the edge of one display to have it on another adjacent display. It also creates a single virtual clipboard to allow the copy and pasting across the many displays. With Synergy comes a handy module for synchronizing your screensavers across multiple displays so that they run in tandem. If there is a password required after screensaver mode, you only have to type in the password into one monitor to activate all the others. There is also a fork of Synergy called Synergy+ that you can check out on Google Code.

Input Director

Input Director grants you the ability to use a single keyboard and mouse on a multi-computer set up, making it the ideal solution for networked computers, a common situation where professionals have more than one computer (such as a desktop and laptop). All you have to do is move the pointer off the edge of the display and it appears on the adjacent monitor on that side, making it the active monitor.

UltraMon

UltraMon is a great tool for multi-display computer configurations that can support up to 10 monitors. It allows you to set custom features for each monitor such as resolution, wallpaper, and taskbar settings. UltraMon allows for the moving of running programs from the primary display to the secondary (and vice versa). Each of the monitors will have their own taskbar showing you the applications running on them. You can predefine and save monitor settings, as well as position where a program opens from the shortcut menu to help speed up your workflow. It also has a feature for easily turning off secondary monitors to conserve electricity consumption when you don’t need them and to reduce distraction when they’re not in use.

Multi Monitor Mouse (M³)

This app saves you from the hassle of having to drag your mouse off the desk as you try to get to the farthest monitor in a multi monitor environment. It immediately warps your cursor across the borders of the display on demand and runs in the background to avoid taxing the systems resources. It is accessible from the system tray where you can change the settings at will. It also speeds up mouse targeting by an estimated 30%.

MultiMon Taskbar

MultiMon Taskbar lets you have unique taskbars for each monitor, helping you to easily organize your applications across multiple computer screens. It has a move-to-monitorbutton accessible from all Windows programs for convenience and ease of movement from one monitor to another. In addition, MultiMon has a clipboard extender module for synchronizing your clipboards across multiple displays, making copy and pasting between networked computers a breeze.

Tq http://sixrevisions.com/

Enjoy ubuntu... ;)

10 Free Server & Network Monitoring Tools

Top 10 server/network monitoring tools. You will see a variety of server applications here so that you might find the tool (or tools) for your needs.

1. Monit

Monit not only monitors your server, but also attempts to remedy problems by taking predefined actions for certain situations. For example, if your database server crashes, Monit can automatically restart the service if this is the action that you want to take (hint: it usually is).

If you have more than one server that you need to monitor, then you can useM/Monit- an extended version of Monit that provides a simple way to monitor multiple machines.

There’s also an iPhone app available for M/Monit to help you conveniently check on your network without lugging around a laptop around.

2. Ganglia

When you have a cluster of machines, it’s difficult to see how the whole cluster is doing all at once. Ganglia, instead, presents an overview of the whole cluster. This is a great tool to have set up when you’re working with a server cluster; with that said, it may be overkill for single-machine set-ups.

3. Munin

Munin monitors and graphs system performance metrics. It can automatically produce daily/weekly/monthly/yearly performance graphs and reports of many important metrics. It comes with the ability to monitor core system resources, such as memory, disk space, CPU usage, server applications such as MySQL, Apache, and Squid.

One of Munin’s greatest strengths is how simple it is to extend. With just a few lines of code, you can write a plugin to monitor almost anything. Being so easy to extend means that Munin is also a good choice for graphing things unrelated to server performance, such as the number of user signups or website popularity.

4. Cacti

Cacti is similar to Munin in many ways. What is makes Cacti different though–and where it stands out in relation to Munin–is that it allows you to resize your graphs and view data for an arbitrary range. Whereas Munin has fixed daily, weekly, monthly and yearly graphs (unless you write a custom extension), Cacti lets you view your data however you want to: last 2 hours, last 4 days, last 6 months, out of the box. You can even visually select and zoom into regions on your graphs.

5. Nagios

Nagios is "the industry standard in IT infrastructure monitoring,"–well, at least that’s what it says on their website. Nagios can be complicated to install and configure, but its wealth of features are unmatched by any tool out in the market and is geared for the experienced IT network administrator. Nagios supports monitoring of multiple hosts and can send out alerts via email, pager (if you still use this ancient technology) or SMS/text messaging. Like Monit, it can also be configured to automatically respond to problems.

6. Zabbix

Zabbix is a feature-packed monitoring tool. It has great visualization support including user-defined views, zooming, and mapping. It can send out alerts via email, SMS or instant message. It also provides audible alerts, which can be useful when you’re physically near the monitoring machine.

7. ObserverNMS

ObserverNMS is geared towards Linux, BSD and Cisco networks. It supports auto discovery of your network infrastructure, finding the networks that you’re likely interested in monitoring; this feature can be compared to how your Wi-Fi software automatically finds signals in range that you can jack into. ObserverNMS provides detailed graphs, and can be set up alongside Nagios to provide alerts. It also integrates well with Collectd (featured below) for a more robust interface.

8. Zenoss

Zenoss is an open source version of the commercial server monitoring tool Zenoss Enterprise, written entirely in Python. It supports the Nagios plugin format, so many existing Nagios plugins can be used in Zenoss. One of the main highlights of Zenoss is its powerful yet simple to use user interface.

9. Collectd

Collectd is similar to Munin and Cacti in that it focuses on graphing system metrics. Where it excels in is that it is designed specifically for performance and portability; this ultimately means it’s great on rugged systems, low-end systems, and embedded systems. Being designed for performance and low-system resource use means that Collectd can gather data every 10 seconds without interfering with your server processes, providing extremely high-resolution statistics. You can write extensions for it in C, Perl or Java.

10. Argus

Argus focuses on the monitoring of network services, and supports IPv4 and IPv6. It has a nice alert escalation procedure: after sending out an alert and the problem still isn’t resolved within a fixed amount of time (because the systems admin is at home enjoying his sleep), another alert will be sent out to someone else.

Tq http://sixrevisions.com/

Enjoy ubuntu... ;)