Exchange Server Management and Monitoring Tools

RoboMon 7.6 Exchange Intelligence Solution Set
Tailored to monitor Win2K- and NT-based systems, RoboMon is best known for its ability to manage and monitor complex infrastructures. Heralded as one of the most scalable network-management packages on the market, RoboMon has developed a reputation as a flexible and reliable solution.

RoboMon's installation process is straightforward. Run the setup program and select the system components you want the software to monitor, and the system is ready to go. For this review, I installed only rule sets for Win2K and NT, RoboMon Administration, and Exchange Server monitors. This decision was prudent, considering each rule set consumes about 30MB of RAM—a major consideration if your systems are resource-starved. I also ran RoboMon's SQLLogin utility to give the monitoring tool a system account to use when connecting to my SQL Server system. RoboMon also supports the Jet and Oracle database engines.

After the software installed, I opened the RoboMon Enterprise Manager console to begin configuring the software. Rather than installing as an MMC snap-in, RoboMon uses a self-contained UI. RoboMon's two-pane view interface, which Figure 6, page 72, shows, is intuitive and easy to use. RoboMon also offers a Web-based UI, which lets you access the software from any system on the network.

At first launch, RoboMon automatically queried the systems' services to inventory what was installed on the machines in my network. Before I could add other servers on my domain to RoboMon, I had to manually install the agent software on each system. I have only a handful of servers running in my lab, so this requirement was just a minor inconvenience. But in a large-scale environment, having to manually install an agent on each system is a major hassle. If you're working with multiple domains, you can take advantage of RoboMon's Virtual Domain feature, which lets you group servers logically. For example, you might want to create an Exchange Server virtual domain that contains every Exchange Server system in your organization regardless of the actual domains to which the systems belong. After installing an agent on my Exchange Server system, RoboMon added the system to the domain list, automatically configured the rule list, and began monitoring the server.

RoboMon uses VBScript as the basis for its policies, so creating customized scripts is a fairly simple process if you have some knowledge of the BASIC programming language. For administrators who aren't familiar with BASIC or who prefer not to write code, the software provides Rule Designer. This tool offers a wizard-based UI that lets you create custom rules; however, using Rule Designer to do so can be as complex a process as writing scripts. To use Rule Designer to set up a custom rule, you must select the appropriate event type, specify the polling interval for the rule, and set the conditions. Although this process sounds simple, declaring the conditions for the rule is tricky. To set conditions for a new rule, you must create an expression that defines the rule. For example, to set conditions for even a simple connection-analysis rule, you must select the appropriate statistics and show the relationship between them using variables, operators, and functions. However, if you're willing to invest the necessary time to learn the nuances of RoboMon's scripting syntax, you'll be rewarded with a level of flexibility that surpasses most rule generators.

Fortunately, RoboMon includes a comprehensive set of predefined rules. I used the Database_Disks rule to monitor the amount of free disk space on the Exchange Server system. When I created a large dummy file that filled up the disk space on my Exchange Server system, RoboMon immediately notified me of the low space conditions through a pop-up message. I then created a bottleneck between two systems in the network and used the IMC_Failed_Connections rule to log the connection problems. This rule gave me a bird's-eye view of the problem. Finally, I enabled the Exchange_Service_Not_Running rule and purposely halted the Exchange Server services. RoboMon reported the downed server, but doesn't have the capability to restart the services.

RoboMon truly shines through its reporting and graphing utility. You use the RoboMon Report/Graph Manager to analyze the data that the software collects from Performance Monitor counters, log files, and RoboMon's SQL Server repository. I created a traffic report by selecting a month's worth of traffic for the software to analyze. After I clicked Run, the Report/Graph Manager pulled the relevant data from the SQL Server repository and created a graph that detailed the past month's usage level. To create a list of the amount of disk space each user was using, I selected the appropriate template and modified the criteria. The Report/ Graph Manager created a chart of the users on the server, the size of their mailboxes, and the number of messages in each user's Inbox. You can export and save reports and charts as different file formats. I chose HTML so that I could remotely view my reports from a browser.

RoboMon's monitoring and management features are top-notch, and the software supports many applications and services. Unfortunately, RoboMon is marred by its complexity. The software ships with a plethora of preconfigured rules, but the rule editing system is needlessly complex. RoboMon is an all-in-one network-management solution, as the price suggests: $1195 for RoboMon 7.6 Exchange Intelligence Solution Set, and $3880 for RoboMon 7.6 Exchange Intelligence Solution Set with RoboMon Event Monitor and Management Console. If all you need is a utility to monitor and manage Exchange Server, RoboMon is overkill.

In the End
To select the right Exchange Server management and monitoring utility for your environment, you must consider features such as rule set customization, monitoring capabilities, ease-of-use, and price. Spending more often buys growth potential and might be wise if you'll need to monitor other applications in the future. But if all you need is an Exchange Server focused tool, the expense of many solutions will be hard to justify.

With these considerations in mind, I found Foglight to be the best product of this review. Foglight works the way a network-management product is supposed to work: You install it, tweak the predefined rule set to suit your needs, and don't worry about it again until network problems arise. Foglight is the least expensive product of the pack, but it doesn't scrimp on functionality. If you need to monitor and manage your Exchange Server systems, Foglight will do the job admirably.

However, consider that Quest designed Foglight for Exchange Server. If you anticipate requiring more comprehensive coverage in the future, this product won't grow with your needs. If you foresee adding more server-side tools to your environment, an all-inclusive product will serve you better.

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