Software utility monitors network switches

Specifically, this Microsoft Windows-based utility offers monitoring via the simple network management protocol (SNMP) to query switches and deliver information useful for identifying issues such as duplex mismatches, bad cabling, defective NICs and ports, device connectivity problems and highly utilised ports.

As a free download, the Switch Port Monitor is easy to access and helps engineers be more productive and proactive by revealing the cause of many common network problems and making monitoring and documentation of switch statistics simple.

'The Switch Port Monitor is an entry-level network monitoring solution offered by Fluke Networks,' said Eric Anderson, product manager, Fluke Networks.

'As a free tool, engineers can immediately begin to take advantage of its detailed monitoring and reporting capabilities, all while getting a feel for the network visibility they would experience with our other more advanced products,' he added.

For the majority of enterprises, the switch is the key network device, so visibility into the switch is necessary to thoroughly understand what's actually happening on the network.

The Switch Port Monitor provides detailed information by port such as interface name, speed, status, packet activity, number of errors, current and peak utilisation, as well as user-defined alerts that are delivered in real time.

This allows engineers to solve problems faster and be more proactive, as they can tunnel into the switch on a port-by-port basis and effectively monitor the statistics to isolate potential problems.

Additionally, the information captured by the Switch Port Monitor is delivered to the user via a simple interface that may then be transformed into documentation for reporting.

Historically, reporting has been tedious and time consuming, but with this software utility, engineers can generate reports by simply copying the information they need and pasting it into a spreadsheet.