Thursday, August 16, 2012

Monitoring the Network

I have been deploying PRTG at my new job this week and thought I would write a quick post about the subject. Basically PRTG is an all encompassing solution for monitoring local and remote IT infrastructure. We have a central office with four remote offices that are staffed, and systems in an additional three datacenters. I need to know instantly when the internet goes down at either of two remote sites that have particularly bad DSL service so I can call the staff and have them power cycle the DSL modem as an attempt to restore service. I have PRTG configured to e-mail me if anything goes wrong, day or night, as well as the Android app on my phone and tablet if I happen to be at home and not watching my company inbox. The solution is fast and reliable, with remote probes at each site to continue logging performance and uptime on servers in spite of poor internet reliability. In short, it tells me exactly what is wrong before users call and complain. For more info, take a look at http://www.paessler.com/prtg. Enjoy!

Change: The Only Constant

It has been a while since I have written any updates, mainly because so much has been changing lately, I have not had any time to sit and type. I got laid off from Computronix USA Inc due to downsizing, found a new job at almost double the pay managing the entire network/server infrastructure including the main office, four remote offices around the mid-west, and three remote datacenters. Things are growing so fast, that I'm working a ton to keep up with fixes and deploying new equipment, but the work is good, and I enjoy it.

Summer is still growing like a weed, and is learning more sign language and is trying to talk a little. She runs to the door to greet me every day when I get home. She is a wonderful child!