Must-have data centre utilities: Picks by IT pro
Not everything is handed to data centre managers on a silver platter. Sure, a few administrative tools arrive on freshly produced discs right from the server vendor. But there are some indispensable tools you can get from third parties, open-source providers or even IT colleagues with some extra time to develop apps.
Here's a wide assortment of tools to choose from, and the reasons why data centre managers recommend them.
1. Cacti
What is it? The most recommended tool on our list, Cacti , provides real-time graphing and visual cues about the health of a data centre. Cacti's front end ties into the open-source monitoring tool RRDtool, which in turn collects data from SQL servers and other components. All the data collected via Cacti is stored in a MySQL database. This setup helps managers monitor performance, server load, temperature and other variables. Its tree structure lets you build reports for specific users.
Who needs it? Data centre managers can use Cacti to check server load levels and network performance. For example, IT staffers might use the tool to check the metrics of a specific network switch.