Evaluation of Software for Resource Management in Networking Systems

This project investigates and evaluates three software packages—SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor, PRTG Network Monitor from Paessler, and Zabbix—to determine the most appropriate solution for resource management within networking system installations. The project begins by outlining the key features of each software, including their capabilities for network discovery, performance monitoring, and trend prediction. A detailed evaluation matrix is then presented, comparing the software based on cost, reliability, efficiency, and desirability. The evaluation leads to the conclusion that SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor is the most suitable choice for effectively supporting resource management in networking systems. The project highlights the importance of software's ability to provide support to the process of resource management.

Resource Management In
Networking System Installation

AIM
To investigate and determine three accurate networking
system installation software for resource management.
AVAILABLE SOFTWARE
• Solar-winds Network Performance Monitor
• PRTG Network Monitor from Paessler
• Manage Engine Op Manager
• Zabbix
• Incinga
• Datadog

Solar-winds Network Performance Monitor
Solar-winds network performance monitor is highly customizable product and also
the interface is very easy to manage that it changes quickly. It can be customized in web-
based performance dashboards, views and charts. A tailored topology can be designed for
the entire network infrastructure.

CONTINUE…
Key Features:-
• Tool automatically discover network and scanning for Wi-Fi and wired computer and device.
• It supports for wide array of OEM vendor.
• Capacity planning and forecast.
• Pinpoint issues quickly with network performance with Net-Path critical path visualisation feature.
• Performance dashboard is easy to use in order to analyse critical data paths and points across the network.
• There is a robust alerting system with complex and simple triggers.
• Monitor CISCO ASA networks with their New Network Insight™ for CISCO ASA.
• Monitor ACL's, VPN, Interfaces and Monitors on Cisco ASA.

PRTG Network Monitor from Paessler
The system has advanced management capabilities regarding infrastructure that all
devices such as traffic, system and application in the network can be easily viewed in a
hierarchical view in order to summarise performances and alerts. PRTG monitor IT
infrastructure with the help of using technology such as SSH, WMI, SNMP, HTTP request,
SQL, Pings, REST API's and a lot more.

CONTINUE…
PRTG network monitor system is one of the best choices for businesses with low
experience in networking monitoring. In addition to this, the user interface is also very
powerful and easy to use.

Zabbix
The software is very useful and frequently used to monitor server and
network hardware.
One of the most essential feature of Zabbix is that it can easily predict trends
in traffic.
It can forecast future behaviour which is usually based on historical data.

CONTINUE…
It is an open source and also has user community spread around the world for good
documentation. Zabbix provides freedom to use the solution from open sources without
vendor lock-ins. It is a strong tool for SMB network below 1,000 nodes.

SOFTWARE SELECTION
3 packages are selected from the above mentioned for the evaluation in order to determine
the most appropriate to support resource management within networking system installation.
Here are the three software packages selected from the above mentioned available
packages in order to support different procedures of resource management in networking system
installation. These are accurate, cost effective and reliable to support the process of networking
system installation in resource management.
Solar-winds Network Performance Monitor
PRTG Network Monitor from Paessler
Zabbix

Solar-winds Network Performance Monitor.
It is a tool that helps to discover network deploys and devices within an hour and also
customize web based performance charts, dashboards and views.
Solar-winds 12.3 provides a deeper insight into Cisco ASA firewalls, troubleshoot visibility
and VPN tunnels with problems.
It also consists, multi-vendor network monitoring for performance, availability and fault.
Automated capacity reporting, forecasting and alerting.

PRTG Network Monitor from Paessler.
The software is known for its advanced infrastructure management capabilities that traffic,
systems, devices and applications can be easily displayed in a hierarchical view in network
to summarize alerts and performances.
The software is capable of scanning network segments by pinging defined IP ranges.
This will help to determine a wide range of system and devices to create sensor from
predefined templates

Zabbix
The software provides solutions for IT infrastructure, applications, services and cloud
resources.
In addition to this, the software is mainly focused on monitoring and trending functionality.
The software is also used to monitor server and network hardware.

SET CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION
EVALUATION MATRIX
Comparison Solar-winds
Network
Performance
Monitor
PRTG Network
Monitor from
Paessler
Zabbix
Cost 2 3 0
Reliability 2.5 2 1.5
Efficiency 2 2 1.5
Desirability 3 1.5 2.5
Total 9.5 8.5 5.5
Comparison Solar-winds Network
Performance Monitor
PRTG Network
Monitor from
Paessler
Zabbix
Cost Moderate High Low
Reliability High Moderate Moderate
Efficiency Moderate Moderate Low
Desirability High Low Moderate

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Based on the results of evaluating software and critical review, it is conducted that solar-
winds performance monitor is the selected software package which will help towards
process of resource management in order to support networking system effectively.
The critical review and evaluation conducted in this report determines that it is focused on
primarily software ability to provide support to the process of resource management.

THANK-YOU