How to monitor your Windows servers and desktops using Site24x7 server monitor?

When you run a small business or if you have branch offices having 10—25 servers/desktops, you need a reliable and cost effective solution to ensure server availability. Employing a 'dedicated team' or installing costly software that require another 'dedicated team' to handle that software are certainly not the 'cost-effective' solutions you are looking for. What you need is a simple and easy-to-deploy monitoring software that can keep track of your 'behind-the-scenes' infrastructure.

Server monitoring service from Site24x7 provides an agent-based monitoring solution that lets you track the availability and performance counters like CPU, disk and memory of your Windows servers/desktops. A simple and reliable solution, server monitoring is offered from a hosted platform, thus instantly relieving you from the maintenance and upgrade worries of costly installed software. Its a install once and forget about it kind of agent. It update Site24x7.com with the performance metrics and can update itself.

Sign-up, install & configure. Ready to go in 5 simple steps.

Unlike other installed monitoring software, you don’t require an 'expert team' to handle this service. Follow 5 simple steps and you are ready to manage your Windows servers/desktops.

• Sign-up for Site24x7 trial account. (if you not have one already)

• Add a new server monitor.

• Download and install the Windows Agent software in your Windows servers/desktops.

• Set the usage thresholds for critical server counters like CPU, memory and disk.

• Leave the rest to Site24x7.

How does the server monitor work?

The Windows Agent software uses WMI (Windows Management Instrumentation) protocol to collect metrics related the counters CPU, memory and disk and pushes this data to the Site24x7 server. Alerts (SMS/Email/RSS/Twitter) will be sent immediately when your server/desktop is detected unavailable or crosses your set threshold limits. This enables you to take corrective actions should anything go wrong, before your end-users/business is affected.

There are proper mechanisms in place to check if the installed Windows agent is working properly in the machine. The agent heart-beat check is continuously done at the Site24x7 central server and notifications will be sent if data is not received from the agent after a particular time. Similarly, the agent will notify the central server in case of a proper shut down at the installed site. This allows you to verify if the Windows agent itself is working properly or not.

Historical data which is collected and shown using exhaustive reporting features gives you a detailed insight into the availability and performance of your server/desktop. This data can come handy while doing capacity planning or other related business decisions.
You can monitor your websites from a global point of present using Site24x7 and now even monitor the underlying Windows servers that serve it !

Evaluation users can try it without restrictions. Sign up / Sign in now. Existing customers too can try it for free. If you suspend the server monitoring within 10 days, you will not be billed for the trial monitors that you setup.

FAQs

1. Do I have to open up firewall ports to use server monitor?
      No. The agent listens through port 443 which is open by default. If at all the port 443 is not open in your machine, the same must be opened to facilitate server monitoring.

2. Do you need passwords of my machine?
      You need not share any passwords with Site24x7. However the person who installs the Windows Agent software needs to have administrator privileges to do so in a machine.

3. Can you monitor a process on my Windows machine?
      Our development team is currently working on monitoring process, services and network statistics in Windows machines. You can expect this enhancement to be released soon.

4. I am an existing customer. How can I try the Server monitoring?
      Existing customers can try the server monitoring by adding a "Server Monitor" as usual. You will not be billed if you delete the server monitors within 10 days. However if you need any clarifications, please get in touch with Site24x7 support.

Server monitor is the latest release from Site24x7. Read more about it under server monitor or Sign up Now for our 15 days free trial.

Have you tried it out already ? Let us know in comments.