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Unfortunately, when I tested WebConsole, it produced several Active Server Page (ASP) errors. It's a single-server-oriented product, so I couldn't manage or view information on multiple servers simultaneously. HiTecSoft needs to add this support before WebConsole can be considered a true enterprise product.

Similarly, WebConsole does not provide security facilities (only a basic login screen), another must for the enterprise. At the very least, you should use SSL (Secure Sockets Layer), and if you plan to run WebConsole over the Internet--a practice we don't recommend--consider installing client digitial certificates for added authentication.

If you're on a tight budget and you're satisifed with Microsoft's resource kit, WebConsole may not justify its cost ($1,995 for three servers). You should test WebConsole extensively before deploying it. It has an easy-to-use interface for managing NT servers, supports NT and NetWare--a plus for mixed networks--and requires Microsoft's Internet Information Server (IIS) 3.x or later.

Easy Access I installed WebConsole on a Dell PowerEdge Pentium Pro with 256 MB of RAM, and the application barely taxed the server's CPU. Performance on the local network was acceptable and similar to native NT tools. I also tested WebConsole remotely, and its performance over a 28.8-Kbps dial-up connection was adequate. Unfortunately, I was unable to compare user administration performance for my 1,000-plus user IDs--WebConsole consistently generated ASP errors when I attempted to list the IDs. HiTecSoft says this is an IIS problem and was awaiting a solution from Microsoft as of press time.

The user administration ASP error was only one of several miscues that I encountered during testing. At one point, I was unable to log into WebConsole, which forced a server reboot. As a side effect of the ASP errors, the test server continued to request data from the PDC (Primary Domain Controller), consuming approximately five percent of our 100-Mbps network. After I rebooted the server, the problem disappeared. HiTecSoft attributes this problem to IIS, too. Regardless, it severely impacts WebConsole's functionality and stability. The company should consider adding support for other HTTP servers, such as Netscape Communications Corp.'s Navigator; it did not have any such plans at press time.

Once WebConsole ran smoothly, it gave me easy-to-use access to approximately 80 percent of standard NT administrator functions. I was able to view the event log of our three test servers--one PDC, one BDC (Backup Domain Controller) and one server--without any difficulty. I also used the WebConsole's Java-based performance-monitoring tool to view memory usage and CPU utilization. I liked having the ability to change the refresh rate, but was frustrated by the limited selection of monitoring parameters. HiTechSoft says it will be adding other parameters in a future version.

As an alternative to WebConsole's HTML interface, this package includes a remote-control utility that's an OEM version of Stac's ReachOut. In the lab, this program was just as fast as Symantec Corp.'s pcANYWHERE, and I didn't encounter any problems managing my NT 4.0 server. The utility also supports Windows95/98.

WebConsole provides a reporting mechanism, but it is not interactive and a few of our reports did not function properly. According to HiTecSoft, a future version of WebConsole will incorporate enhanced reporting and interactive capabilities.

Other plans include an alerting feature, which will display a pop-up window when a particular event occurs or a monitored threshold, such as CPU utilization or memory usage, is reached. By enabling alerts, WebConsole would extend its functionality beyond an information pull-based application.

Much To Be Desired While WebConsole enables access to information about the NT machines on your network, it lacks some key functionality. I would have liked to have had the ability to view network configuration, including IP addresses of individual network adapters and a list of installed protocols, as well as the ability to modify network settings. WebConsole also lacks remote diagnostic facilities; I missed having the ability to run nbtstat, view or ping utilities from the program.

HiTecSoft also should add a mechanism that lets you view failed login attempts and suspend a user's account if it reaches a preset number of them.

One of NT's major holes is its lack of granular administration, which WebConsole does not address. You'll have to look into other third-party products for this capability.

Send your comments on this article to Jay Milne at jmilne@nwc.com.