Undoubtedly, your enterprise network is a mix of dispersed subnets and users. Keeping track of everyone's network access performance is nearly impossible. However, with Network Associates' Sniffer Service Desk Suite (SSDS), you can monitor your network's performance and troubleshoot it from a Web browser--no matter how far-flung and distributed your users are. For example, after weeks of running the SSDS beta software and collecting data in Network Computing's University of Wisconsin Real-World Lab®, I found that some of our routers needed more memory, while some switched segments required additional segmentation.

Network Associates' SSDS ships as a bundle of various network monitoring packages that you can purchase separately and tailor to your specific needs. In our lab, I tested some of SSDS' components, including RouterPM (Performance Management), FramePM, SwitchPM, Service Level Manager (SLM), Vital.Analysis (bundled from VitalSigns Software) and the SniffMaster browser.

SLM monitors general network and server health, and the PM products monitor individual devices or networks. Vital.Analysis tracks end-client performance and the SniffMaster browser implements packet capture and other RMON (Remote Monitoring) functionality. Using the software, I was able to monitor, manage and troubleshoot our routers, switches, frame relay servers and end workstations. Helpdesk software also is integrated into the full suite, but was not included in the beta I tested.

Getting started is as simple as installing SLM on a Microsoft Corp. Windows NT server. This component offers the basic monitoring and reporting capabilities that let you know how the network devices and servers are behaving.

The Vital.Analysis server adds client performance to the reports. For more in-depth information on network devices, you should install the appropriate PM packages.

I installed each of the packages on a couple of Windows NT machines. In cases where the software wasn't installed on the main SSDS server, I configured SSDS to locate data and information on the other server. I installed the SLM and Vital.Analysis packages on the same Compaq Computer Corp. ProLiant 2500 server.

However, I installed the SniffMaster browser and PM products on a Micron Millenia Pro server because I didn't want to overload the ProLiant. server Both servers were equipped with 128 MB of RAM, a Pentium Pro processor and plenty of hard disk space. Overall, they performed extremely well when collecting data about our network.

One Interface for All Network Associates has worked diligently to integrate its entire suite with a universal interface via a standard Web browser. I browsed health and exception reports and performed routine network troubleshooting from varying locations on the Internet using Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) 4.0 for Windows. Text reports are available on any browser, but some graphics use the PNG (Portable Network Graphics) format, which is only properly supported by IE 4.0. Some of the reports and troubleshooting tools, including SniffMaster Browser and trend analysis under the PM products, require Java, and they generate usable user interfaces to devices such as RMON probes.

Network Associates offers pricing by number of nodes (client desktops) or by number of managed devices. In our University of Wisconsin College of Engineering network, we have 100 routers, switches and hubs and 3,500 nodes. Node pricing brings our total to over $50,000, with device pricing at about $30,000. The more you collapse your backbone and consolidate your servers, the less likely you will consider using the per-node pricing structure.