Keeping your IT infrastructure running smoothly often depends on how well your Windows servers are monitored. Managing a small network or overseeing an enterprise system both require proactive server management to avoid downtime and ensure optimal performance.
This guide talks about best practices, key strategies, and essential tools for effective Windows server monitoring.
Why Windows Server Monitoring Matters
Windows Server forms the backbone of many organizations’ IT environments. From hosting databases and running applications to managing web servers, its performance directly impacts business operations. However, even reliable systems can face challenges like:
- Hardware Failures: Hard drives, memory, or power supplies can give up without warning.
- Security Threats: Cyberattacks and malware often target Windows servers.
- Performance Bottlenecks: Overloaded applications, network traffic, or system processes can slow things down.
- Configuration Issues: Incorrect settings or changes can lead to unexpected behavior.
Proper monitoring helps catch these issues early, allowing you to fix them before they escalate into critical problems that disrupt operations.
For a deeper understanding of the differences between observability, telemetry, and monitoring, check out our detailed guide here.
Key Elements of Effective Windows Server Monitoring
Building an effective Windows server monitoring strategy means focusing on several key areas. Here’s what to prioritize:
1. Hardware Health Monitoring
The performance of your server starts with its hardware. A malfunction here can lead to major disruptions. Hardware monitoring tools help track critical components like:
- CPU Usage: High CPU usage might indicate inefficient processes or system overload.
- Memory Usage: Low available RAM can slow down applications or even crash the server.
- Disk Health: Keeping tabs on disk space and I/O operations helps prevent data loss and sluggish performance.
- Temperature: Overheating can cause physical damage over time.
Monitoring these metrics ensures your hardware stays reliable and spots problems before they escalate.
2. Network Monitoring
A reliable network is essential for your Windows servers to perform well. Monitoring key network metrics ensures smooth operations. Focus on:
- Bandwidth Usage: Detect and resolve network bottlenecks.
- Packet Loss: Pinpoint connectivity issues impacting server performance.
- Response Times: Ensure optimal server communication and user experience.
Network monitoring tools can also identify unusual traffic patterns, signaling potential security breaches or unauthorized access.
3. Service and Application Monitoring
Your Windows server likely supports critical applications, from databases to web services. Keeping them running smoothly involves:
- Monitoring Key Services: Check the health of services like IIS, SQL Server, and Active Directory.
- Analyzing Event Logs: Spot warnings or errors before they turn into outages.
- Tracking App Metrics: Measure response times, transaction volumes, or other app-specific metrics.
This proactive approach helps prevent downtime and maintain optimal application performance.
To learn more about how synthetic monitoring can improve your server’s performance, check out our article here.
4. Security Monitoring
Security threats are always evolving, so protecting your servers is a must. A robust security monitoring strategy should include:
- Log Analysis: Review security logs regularly for signs of breaches or anomalies.
- Intrusion Detection: Use IDS tools to catch unauthorized access or suspicious activity.
- Patch Management: Keep systems updated with the latest patches to close security gaps.
Monitoring Windows servers is essential for keeping your infrastructure healthy and secure. There are several tools available, each offering unique features to help you track your server’s performance.
Let’s explore some of the top options available today.
Windows Performance Monitor
Windows Performance Monitor is a built-in tool available with every version of Windows Server. It provides deep insights into your server’s performance, from CPU and memory usage to disk activity and network performance.
Key Features:
- Customizable Tracking: Track various metrics like CPU usage, memory, disk activity, and network performance.
- Alerts: Set up alerts for predefined thresholds to get notified of issues.
- Free: Since it’s built into Windows, there’s no extra cost.
User Perspective:
This tool works well for users familiar with Windows Server tools. While powerful, its interface can be a bit complex for beginners.
Nagios Core
Nagios Core is a widely used open-source solution recognized for its flexibility and scalability. It’s ideal for monitoring Windows servers, applications, and network devices.
Key Features:
- Comprehensive Monitoring: Tracks system health, services, and applications.
- Extensive Plugin Support: Allows monitoring of additional metrics with plugins.
- Customizable Alerts: Sends notifications when thresholds are exceeded.
User Perspective:
People with technical expertise value Nagios Core’s adaptability, but the setup process may be overwhelming for newcomers.
SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor
SolarWinds SAM is a user-friendly solution designed for Windows server monitoring. It delivers comprehensive tracking of server health and application performance.
Key Features:
- Easy-to-Use Interface: Provides a clean, intuitive dashboard.
- Detailed Reporting: Generates customizable reports to identify trends.
- Real-Time Alerts: Instantly notify you when thresholds are crossed.
User Perspective:
Businesses looking for simplicity and reliable support often choose SolarWinds, despite its cost.
PRTG Network Monitor
PRTG Network Monitor offers robust Windows server monitoring through sensors, providing real-time insights into server health and network performance.
Key Features:
- Comprehensive Sensors: Monitors metrics like CPU load, disk space, and bandwidth.
- Real-Time Alerts: Sends notifications when metrics exceed thresholds.
- User-Friendly Dashboard: Quickly highlights issues with a clean interface.
User Perspective:
Organizations with complex infrastructures appreciate PRTG’s ease of use, but its cost can increase based on the number of sensors required.
ManageEngine OpManager
ManageEngine OpManager provides versatile monitoring for Windows servers. It delivers a centralized view of performance, network status, and server health.
Key Features:
- Real-Time Monitoring: Tracks server health, performance, and network status.
- Alert System: Notifies you of issues affecting performance.
- Centralized Dashboard: Offers a clear overview of key metrics.
User Perspective:
OpManager is favored for its robust features and centralized visibility, though its pricing may require careful evaluation.
Best Practices for Windows Server Monitoring
Using the right tools is only part of the puzzle. To truly keep things running smoothly, it’s also important to follow some best practices.
Here are a few simple guidelines to help you stay on top of your server monitoring:
1. Set Clear Monitoring Objectives
Before you dive into the world of monitoring, take a moment to figure out what you’re trying to achieve.
- Are you focused on preventing server crashes?
- Boosting security?
- Maybe just keeping an eye on performance?
Having clear goals helps you choose the right metrics to track and avoid getting lost in a sea of unnecessary data.
2. Automate Alerts and Notifications
Why spend your day constantly staring at dashboards? Set up automated alerts that will notify you when things go haywire—whether it’s high CPU usage, low disk space, or a service going down.
This way, you can rest easy knowing you’ll be notified instantly, and you can jump into action without having to monitor things manually all day.
3. Regularly Review Logs and Metrics
Reviewing your system logs and performance metrics regularly helps you spot potential issues before they turn into bigger problems. Set a schedule to go through your logs, and ensure they’re stored in a way that’s easy to access when needed.
4. Maintain Backup Systems
No system is perfect, and monitoring tools can miss things. That’s why it’s crucial to have a solid backup plan in place.
Make sure you’re regularly backing up your data and testing your disaster recovery procedures. It’s better to be prepared than to be scrambling when things go wrong!
For insights into taking a proactive approach to monitoring, check out our blog on Proactive Monitoring.
5. Stay Current with Updates
Just like your server software, your monitoring tools need regular updates too. These updates often come with new features, bug fixes, and security improvements that make sure you’re always ahead of the game. So, don’t let your tools fall behind—keep them updated to stay on top of things.
How to Set Up a Monitoring System
Monitoring your servers is crucial to ensure they stay healthy and perform well. This guide walks you through the essential steps to set up an effective server monitoring system, so you can catch potential issues before they become costly problems.
1. Assess Your Monitoring Needs
The first step is understanding what you need to monitor. This depends on the scale and complexity of your infrastructure.
- Infrastructure Type: Are you monitoring one server or a whole data center?
- Key Metrics: CPU usage, memory consumption, disk space, and network traffic are common ones.
- Security & Compliance: Consider if you need to track security threats or comply with industry regulations.
2. Select the Right Tools
Choose monitoring tools that match your needs and can scale with your infrastructure.
Key factors to consider:
- Scalability: Can the tool handle growth?
- Ease of Use: It should be intuitive so your team can spot issues quickly.
- Real-Time Monitoring: Tools that provide instant alerts are essential.
- Customization: Look for tools that let you adjust thresholds and track the right metrics.
Popular tools include:
- Nagios: Great for flexibility and open-source options.
- PRTG: Offers a user-friendly interface.
- SolarWinds: Comprehensive tool for monitoring server health.
3. Define Metrics and Set Thresholds
Now that you have your tools, it’s time to set what to monitor.
Common metrics to track:
- CPU & Memory Usage: Monitor system performance and prevent bottlenecks.
- Disk Space & Network Traffic: Keep an eye on storage health and network efficiency.
- Service Status: Ensure essential services like your web server or database are running.
Here’s an example for monitoring CPU with Nagios:
define command{
command_name check_cpu
command_line $USER1$/check_cpu -w 80 -c 90
}4. Set Up Alerts and Notifications
Alerts notify you of potential issues before they cause downtime. Set alerts for:
- Thresholds Exceeded: For example, CPU usage is over 90%.
- Service Failures: If key services stop unexpectedly.
- Security Threats: For unauthorized logins or malware activity.
Make sure to send alerts via email, SMS, or Slack to ensure your team gets them instantly.
5. Implement Logging and Reporting
In addition to alerts, logs are crucial for troubleshooting and performance analysis.
Types of logs to keep:
- Event Logs: Track system start, shutdown, and error events.
- Performance Logs: Monitor system metrics over time.
- Security Logs: Keep tabs on security-related activities like login attempts.
Generate regular performance reports to spot recurring issues and areas for improvement.
6. Test and Optimize the System
Once everything is set up, test the system by simulating issues like high CPU usage or service failure. This helps ensure the system works as expected.
Areas to test:
- Alert Sensitivity: Make sure alerts trigger when needed and don’t overwhelm you with false positives.
- Notification Delivery: Verify alerts are reaching the right channels.
- Logging Accuracy: Ensure logs capture relevant data.
Adjust settings based on the test results to fine-tune the system.
7. Ongoing Maintenance
Keep your monitoring system up to date and continually review your metrics and thresholds as your infrastructure evolves.
Regular tasks:
- Update Tools: Keep your monitoring tools and server software up to date.
- Review Metrics: Adjust monitoring metrics as your infrastructure changes.
- Refine Alerts: Tweak thresholds to avoid alert fatigue and improve response accuracy.
Why Integration and Security Matter for Server Monitoring
When setting up server monitoring tools, it’s not just about performance; integration with your cloud services and ensuring security are just as important.
Here’s why these two elements should be top of mind:
Integration with Cloud Services
Today, most businesses rely on cloud platforms like AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud for hosting applications and infrastructure. For your server monitoring system to be effective, it needs to integrate smoothly with these platforms.
Key Things to Keep in Mind:
- Multi-Cloud Monitoring: If you’re using more than one cloud platform, make sure your monitoring tool can pull data from all of them. A unified dashboard makes it easy to keep track of everything.
- API Integration: Cloud services offer APIs that your monitoring tool can use to pull metrics and performance data. Make sure your tools can connect to these APIs for real-time insights.
- Cloud-Specific Metrics: Every cloud provider offers unique metrics (like CPU usage or network traffic). Your monitoring tool should be able to capture these to give you an accurate view of your entire system.
- Scalability: As your cloud environment grows, your monitoring system should grow with it. Ensure the tools you choose can handle more data and scale as needed.
For insights on ensuring optimal performance of your APIs, check out our blog on API Monitoring.
Security Risks in Server Monitoring
While server monitoring is essential for system health, it can also expose you to security risks. If not set up correctly, monitoring tools can be a potential gateway for cyber threats.
Common Risks to Watch For:
- Exposure of Sensitive Data: Monitoring tools collect a lot of data, from system logs to performance metrics. If this data isn’t encrypted or properly protected, it’s vulnerable to attacks.
- Unauthorized Access: Since monitoring tools have access to critical systems, they’re prime targets for hackers. Use strong authentication and limit access to only those who need it.
- Insecure Integration: Integrating with external services (cloud platforms, APIs) can create weak points if not done securely. Always use secure protocols and encrypt data when integrating with third-party tools.
- Denial of Service (DoS) Attacks: Monitoring systems can be vulnerable to DoS attacks, especially if they’re exposed publicly. Keep your monitoring system behind a firewall or VPN.
- Misconfigured Alerts: Monitoring tools are only useful if they alert you to the right issues. Regularly check your alert configurations to avoid missing critical events or being flooded with false alarms.
Encryption
Always encrypt both data in transit and at rest to ensure attackers can’t access or misuse sensitive information.
Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)
Implement RBAC to restrict access to sensitive data. Only authorized users should have access to critical monitoring data, reducing the risk of insider threats or accidental exposure.
Regular Audits
Conduct regular audits to identify vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, or potential threats in your monitoring system. These audits ensure your security practices remain current and effective.
Network Segmentation
Isolate your monitoring tools from the rest of your network. This limits exposure in case of a breach and helps minimize the impact of potential attacks.
Patch Management
Regularly update your monitoring tools to protect against known vulnerabilities. Apply security patches as soon as they become available to keep your system secure.
Conclusion
Choosing the right monitoring tools and sticking to best practices is key to keeping your Windows servers running smoothly. With the right approach, you’ll be able to address issues before they become problems and maintain a reliable IT environment.
If you’re looking for a simpler way to manage observability, Last9 has you covered. We make Cloud Native monitoring easier and more affordable for companies like Disney+ Hotstar, CleverTap, Replit, and Axio.
Our platform integrates with Prometheus and OpenTelemetry to bring together your metrics, logs, and traces, all while handling complex data seamlessly—so your teams get the insights they need when they need them.
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Introduction to Windows Server Monitoring
Today’s organizations are deeply dependent on their IT infrastructure, so system downtime translates directly to costly business disruptions. Accordingly, it’s critical to have server monitoring tools that provide the insight into your on-premises and cloud systems you need to prevent and detect operational and security issues. Due to the heavy reliance of many organizations on Windows servers and infrastructure, monitoring Windows Server performance has become an essential task.
Definition of Windows Server Monitoring
Windows Server Monitoring is a continuous process that tracks and analyzes the performance, health, and operational status of Windows operating systems servers. It involves collecting real-time data on various metrics, analyzing server performance, monitoring services and applications, and examining event logs. Automated alerts are configured to notify IT teams about specific events that may indicate potential problems. These alerts help identify issues that could disrupt operations or reduce the performance of systems to a suboptimal state, allowing for prompt intervention and maintenance of optimal functionality. The ROI of a modernized monitoring system comes in the form of optimal performance, minimal downtime, enhanced security, and efficient IT operations.
This article will look at some of the performance monitoring tools available to monitor Windows server environments.
Importance of Monitoring Windows Servers
Proper monitoring gives you visibility into what is happening within your IT environment. By implementing modern Windows Server monitoring software, you can:
- Ensure uptime and availability by detecting and addressing issues before they cause downtime and enable quick response to any outages or performance degradation.
- Prevent performance issues and downtime by tracking key metrics that can identify bottlenecks or provide early warnings of resource constraints or overutilization.
- Enhance security and compliance by monitoring for unusual activity or potential security breaches, tracking user access and authentication attempts, and maintaining compliance through monitoring relevant metrics and generating reports.
- Improve operational efficiency by automating routine monitoring tasks to free up IT staff time and facilitate data-driven decision-making for IT infrastructure.
Key Metrics for Windows Server Monitoring
Server Uptime
Server uptime measures how long a server has been continuously running without rebooting. It’s an essential indicator of system stability and reliability. While a high uptime indicates stability, it can also suggest that crucial security patches have not been applied, as these often require reboots.
CPU and Memory Utilization
High CPU utilization that consistently exceeds 80-90% can indicate performance bottlenecks and may suggest the need to upgrade or optimize applications to ensure efficient processing and system performance.
Disk Usage Statistics
Usage is measured by several metrics, including:
- Disk space usage shows how much total disk space is being used.
- Disk I/O (Input/Output) measures the rate of read and write operations, and a high I/O can indicate heavy disk activity, potentially causing bottlenecks.
- Disk queue length measures how many I/O operations are waiting to be processed. A consistently high queue length indicates the disk may struggle to keep up with demands.
Network Statistics
Your Windows Servers share applications and data with your network, so network statistics are an essential indicator of how efficiently they do this. Some key network statistics include:
- Bandwidth Utilization measures how much of the available network capacity is used and helps identify whether the network is over or underutilized.
- Input and Output Traffic refers to the data flowing in and out of a network interface. Input traffic represents data received by the network interface, and output traffic represents data sent out. Monitoring here helps to understand traffic patterns, identify potential bottlenecks, and detect imbalances that may indicate issues such as network congestion or misconfigured routing.
- Network errors indicate problems such as packet loss, collisions, CRC errors, and interface errors. These errors can indicate hardware issues and network congestion. They can assist in troubleshooting connectivity errors and network reliability issues.
Tools and Solutions for Windows Server Monitoring
Built-in Windows Tools
Before exploring third party solutions, let’s examine some of the built-in Windows Server performance monitoring tools included with the Windows Server operating system.
Event Viewer is a built-in Windows tool that provides a comprehensive log of system events. It acts as a centralized console for viewing and managing event logs generated by the Windows operating system, applications, and various system components. In addition to logging and event information, it offers security and performance monitoring.
Windows Performance Monitor provides real-time system and hardware performance monitoring to help identify bottlenecks and performance issues. It also tracks the server’s performance over time. Some of the activities it can monitor include CPU usage, memory utilization, disk activity, and network performance.
Resource Monitor provides real-time data on CPU, memory, disk, and network usage for the Windows server and desktop. For example, it gives a detailed breakdown of physical memory usage, including what processes, the operating system, and what’s available are used. Its disk activity monitoring displays processes with disk activity, disk queue length, and overall disk usage, which can help identify I/O bottlenecks.
Reliability Monitor is a built-in tool that visually represents the system’s stability and reliability over time. It offers a timeline-based view, tracking system events such as software installations, Windows updates, hardware failures, and application crashes. It collects information on crashes, failures, and warnings and records software installations, updates, and uninstalls. By correlating system changes, such as updates or installations, with stability issues, it can be used as a troubleshooting aid.
While these Microsoft server monitoring software tools can provide valuable information about your Windows systems, other vendors offer excellent products that can provide a more complete picture of your environment. The solutions discussed are server monitoring tools for Windows and provide comprehensive monitoring capabilities for various aspects of your network infrastructure.
Third-Party Solutions
Netwrix Auditor for Windows Server
Netwrix Auditor offers complete visibility into your Windows Server environment, focusing on security by monitoring server configuration, user activity, and changes to permissions, tasks, accounts, and services. It stands out by integrating multiple auditing solutions for not only Windows Server but also Active Directory, network devices, VMware, Windows file servers, and more – all managed through a single web interface. With predefined reports and dashboards, Netwrix Auditor allows you to quickly filter, sort, export, and drill down into data, streamlining the management of both on-prem and cloud systems.
Features and Benefits
- Designed to help organizations improve security, pass compliance audits, and optimize IT operations
- Identifies and ranks data and infrastructure security gaps to prioritize protection efforts
- Reports on current Windows Server configurations and compares them to known good baselines
- Alerts on critical security events with the context required to enable fast and effective response
- Can alert on changes to permissions, scheduled tasks, services, user accounts, registry settings, etc.
Key utilities for monitoring user activities
- Logon/Logoff monitors for auditing and reporting on successful and failed user logons and logoffs
- File and folder access monitoring that reports on successful and failed access attempts to file shares. It also registers changes to files, folders, shares, and permissions.
- Change and Configuration Auditing that tracks changes to server configurations, registry keys, and installed software while also comparing against a known exemplary baseline configuration
- Privileged User Monitoring that tracks changes to sensitive groups like Local Administrators. It can be used to investigate potential privilege abuse incidents
Supported Windows Server versions
Netwrix Auditor supports all versions of Windows Server that are still in mainstream support from Microsoft, which includes Windows Server 2022, Windows Server 2019, and Windows Server 2016. It also supports Windows 11 and Windows 10.
Netwrix provides an online demo of its Windows server monitoring tool and other monitoring solutions. A free community edition provides reporting on user activity in your environment. You can try out the full Netwrix Auditor suite for free for 20 days.
Paessler PRTG Network Monitor
Paessler PRTG is a comprehensive network monitoring tool that tracks network equipment, servers, applications, and IT resources, using preconfigured device templates for quick deployment. It enables server admins to set up automated alerts, optimize resource allocation, ensure security, and support compliance. PRTG also provides real-time performance monitoring across diverse IT environments, helping maintain optimal performance, minimize downtime, and enhance security.
Features and Benefits
- On-prem or cloud-hosted monitoring
- Automatic network discovery of assets across the entire IT estate
- Multiple licensing plans
- Automated alerts
- Customizable templates and dashboards
Key utilities for monitoring user activities
- Logon/Logoff Monitoring that tracks successful and failed user logons and logoffs to servers.
- Compliance reporting that includes out-of-the-box reports mapped to standard compliance regulations, streamlining audit preparation and reporting processes.
- PRTG maintains its event logs that capture important system events, user activities, and sensor status changes.
- Monitor folder access and changes in real-time.
Supported Windows Operating Systems
Paessler PRTG Network Monitoris compatible with all versions of Windows Server currently in mainstream support from Microsoft, including Windows Server 2022, Windows Server 2019, and Windows Server 2016, as well as Windows 11 and Windows 10.
A 20-day or 30-day trial license lets you sample the tool, though the free version provides restricted functionality. There is also a freeware version that includes 100 free sensors.
Observium
Observium is a robust network monitoring and management platform that handles a wide range of devices. The tool provides real-time monitoring as it continuously collects data from monitored devices to provide real-time insights into network performance, including bandwidth utilization, CPU and memory usage, and device status. It offers customizable alert rules and notifications to inform administrators of critical events via email, SMS, or other channels. Once the tool is established on a single server in your network, you can conveniently access it via a dedicated URL. Observium also supports data collection and graphical performance counters for Apache, MySQL, BIND, Memcached, Postfix, and other services.
Features and Benefits
- Web-based interface that displays real-time and historical performance metrics
- Support for a long list of devices from Windows, Cisco, HP, NetApp, Dell, Juniper and more
- Automated network mapping
- Two fixed pricing models for unlimited devices, ports, and sensors
- Traffic accounting features that ease the process of tracking and billing customer bandwidth usage
Key utilities for monitoring user activities
Observium primarily focuses on device and infrastructure monitoring rather than user activity. There are ways, however, that its utilities can be used for discerning user activities:
- Historical performance data can be used for trend analysis that might reveal patterns in network usage over time.
- Its customizable alert system can be configured to notify administrators of certain network events that might be related to user actions.
- Its traffic accounting feature can potentially track bandwidth usage, which might indirectly reflect user activities.
Supported Windows Operating Systems
While Observium can monitor all supported Windows versions, it is primarily designed to run on Linux operating systems. It can monitor Windows 10, Windows 11, Windows Server 2016 / Windows Server 2019, and Windows Server 2022.
Observium is available in professional and enterprise editions, offering daily security updates, bug fixes, and access to new features. A free community edition is also available. Registered charities and open-source projects are eligible for complimentary subscriptions to the professional edition.
Datadog
Datadog is a SaaS-based monitoring solution that provides insights into both bare-metal appliances and application layer performance, making it ideal for organizations with a significant cloud presence. It offers real-time traffic analysis for Amazon S3 and other cloud providers, with pricing based on usage. Datadog’s single-pane-of-glass interface combines infrastructure monitoring, application performance tracking, and log management, supporting over 500 technologies. Its cloud-hosted model eliminates the need for maintenance, and it seamlessly aggregates metrics across on-prem, hybrid, IoT, and multi-cloud environments.
Features and Benefits
- End-to-end visibility into on-prem and cloud networks, including application layer performance
- SaaS-based infrastructure monitoring that provides metrics, visualizations, and alerting
- Monitoring of the health of traffic between any two endpoints at the app, IP address, or process layer
- Machine learning-based tools that reduce noise and false positives
- Ability to reduce cloud networking costs by identifying extensive resource usage and traffic flows
Key utilities for monitoring user activities
While monitoring tools like Netwrix Auditor primarily focus on security auditing, compliance, and file server activity monitoring, Datadog focuses on real-time user experience monitoring and application performance. Some of the user activities include the following:
- Allows you to track specific user interactions like clicks on checkout buttons or product page views.
- Provides user analytics with detailed summaries of user activity, including engagement, acquisition, and demographics.
- Captures and allows replay of user experiences across your app, grouping replays by most interacted with, most errors, and other criteria.
- Offers insights into which page elements get clicks and how far users scroll down pages.
Supported Windows Operating Systems
The Datadog Agent supports 64-bit x86 architectures for all current Windows versions.
Datadog is a SaaS solution; pricing is based on usage rather than a one-time purchase or a subscription. Datadog offers unlimited 14-day access to their service.
Atera
Atera offers comprehensive remote monitoring and management with proactive controls, alert thresholds for performance issues, and automatic scripts for triggered alerts like device reboots. It supports popular remote access solutions like TeamViewer and Splashtop, and includes automatic patch management for Windows and Mac devices. While it lacks advanced report customization, Atera’s unique pricing model charges per technician, not per device, making it cost-effective for MSPs. It also provides a single dashboard to monitor all client devices and users, streamlining remote support, helpdesk, and billing.
Features and Benefits
- Provides remote monitoring and management, remote access, helpdesk, billing, and reporting capabilities in a single package
- Offers a per-technician subscription plan that includes unlimited devices
- Creates an automated view and comprehensive inventory of all assets in your network
- Automates the patching process for Windows, Mac, and most other software types
- Integrates with all the leading remote access solutions today
Key utilities for monitoring user activities
The Altera monitoring tool primarily focuses on discovering and monitoring devices and assets on the network rather than tracking user behaviors. These capabilities include:
- Provides real-time visibility of all digital assets and open ports within monitored networks, even across network firewalls.
- Integrates with Windows Active Directory Domain Services to access information about devices and users on specific domains or subdomains.
- Generates dynamic graphs and reports with detailed information on device types, statuses, OS platforms, and monitoring status.
- Can set up alerts for new devices connecting to the network
Supported Windows Operating Systems
While Altera is not necessarily designed to monitor the Windows environment, it does support all the current Windows systems.
Altera offers pricing plans tailored for both IT departments and MSPs. Prospective users can explore the solution through a 30-day free trial.
OpsView Monitor
Opsview Monitor delivers comprehensive hybrid IT observability, offering real-time insights into critical infrastructure across complex environments. Widely used by IT departments and service providers, it features customizable dashboards, business service monitoring, alerts, reports, process maps, and auto-discovery of infrastructure. Opsview provides full visibility into Microsoft ecosystems, including Active Directory, Azure, SQL Server, Hyper-V, and Office 365, while also supporting platforms like Linux, VMware, and AWS. Seamlessly integrating with other Opsview products, it uses AI-powered analytics and Business Service Monitoring to help organizations shift from reactive problem-solving to proactive, customer-centric IT operations.
Features and Benefits
- Out-of-the-box monitoring for the complete Windows Server stack
- Monitoring of Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, OneDrive, and other Office 365 applications
- Easy-to-use wizard for computer discovery
- Detection of rogue processes that consume excessive server resources or interrupt processes
- Insight into leading virtualization and container environments
Key utilities for monitoring user activities
While Opsview Monitor does not focus on individual activities to the extent that some other solutions do, it does provide some features that can provide insights into user-related activities on a broader scale. It can also monitor Windows servers.
- Monitor system logs and event logs on Windows and Linux servers, helping track unauthorized access attempts, changes to security policies, or any activities that might violate security compliance.
- Provides real-time notifications about events, potentially including user-related activities if configured appropriately.
- Allows you to monitor your Windows Servers regarding CPU performance, Disk queue, paging file, physical memory, and Windows events
- Gain advanced warning of potential IT issues and maintain oversight of emerging performance trend
Supported Windows Operating Systems
While Opsview Monitor cannot be installed on the Windows platform, it does provide monitoring capabilities for all supported Windows operating systems and applications.
There are three subscription plans to fit different needs. The cloud version is ideal for organizations with up to 50,000 hosts, while its SMB version is better suited for organizations with less than 300 hosts. There is a free version with limited features that can be useful for SMBs with few active users. Opsview offers a free trial.
Advanced Monitoring Techniques
Windows monitoring solutions today have made great strides and offer a lot of advanced monitoring techniques, including:
- Anomaly Detection: This technique leverages machine learning algorithms to identify unusual patterns or behaviors and detect issues before they become critical problems.
- Real-time log analysis: Continuously analyzes log files to detect issues as they occur to alert security teams immediately about potential security vulnerabilities or threats
- Business Service Monitoring: Links infrastructure performance to business service impact to help prioritize issues based on their effect on business operations
- Automated remediation: Utilize predefined scripts or workflows to automatically fix common issues as they are detected to reduce manual intervention and speed up problem resolution
- Capacity Planning and Forecasting: This process uses historical data and trend analysis to predict future resource needs and help prevent performance issues due to resource constraints.
Best Practices for Effective Windows Server Monitoring
Establishing a Clear Baseline
Establishing a baseline provides a precise reference point for assessing Windows server performance. Administrators can quickly identify deviations from the expected behavior by defining average performance metrics. A well-defined baseline enables more accurate troubleshooting, as abnormal patterns become readily apparent compared to the established norm. This allows for early detection of potential issues before they escalate into critical problems.
Continuous Monitoring
Your IT network operates 24/7, so you must implement continuous monitoring to maintain optimal server performance and security. Continuous monitoring ensures immediate detection of issues and allows for a swift response to potential threats or system failures regardless of business hours. Continuous monitoring also facilitates trend analysis, enabling you to identify patterns and strategically improve your Windows server infrastructure over time.
Setting Up Detailed Alerts
Not every alert is meaningful. Some are more beneficial than others. Setting up detailed alerts means customizing alerts for specific thresholds tailored to your organization’s needs and server performance expectations. Alert configurations should include meaningful thresholds that trigger alerts only for actionable issues, preventing an overwhelming flood of notifications that can lead to alert fatigue. By fine-tuning alert parameters and implementing intelligent filtering, you can create a responsive yet manageable alerting system that enhances your ability to maintain optimal server performance.
Leveraging Historical Data
Leveraging historical data, administrators can provide valuable insights into server performance patterns and potential issues and analyze trends over time. This long-term perspective enables more accurate capacity planning, which allows organizations to anticipate future resource needs and optimize their infrastructure accordingly. Historical data analysis helps identify recurring problems, seasonal fluctuations, and gradual performance degradation. It also supports informed decision-making for upgrades, resource allocation, and preventive maintenance.
Conclusion
Basic server monitoring starts with tracking CPU usage, memory utilization, disk space, network traffic, and application performance. A comprehensive approach will surpass these threshold measurements and include monitoring user activities and other advanced capabilities. This usually means turning to a third-party monitoring solution beyond Microsoft’s built-in tools for their servers and workstations. It is important that monitoring be conducted continuously on a 24/7 basis, detailed alerts be configured, and historical data be appropriately leveraged to anticipate and prevent problems proactively. By finding the right monitoring solution to fit your needs and implementing best practices, you can significantly enhance your IT infrastructure’s performance, security, and reliability of your network and the business it supports.
FAQ
What is Windows Server Performance Monitoring?
Using built-in tools or specialized software, Windows Server Performance Monitoring tracks and observes critical components such as CPU, memory, hard disks, and network interface cards. The primary goal is identifying bottlenecks, predicting potential issues, and verifying whether applications meet performance objectives. Proper monitoring also allows you to establish baselines to detect anomalies more quickly and troubleshoot problems proactively. In addition, Windows Server Performance Monitoring helps maintain system health, optimize resource utilization, and ensure business continuity by preventing downtime and performance degradation in Windows server environments.
Why is Windows Server Monitoring Important?
By continuously tracking key metrics such as CPU usage, memory utilization, disk space, and network traffic, IT teams can optimize server performance, ensure high availability, and plan for future capacity needs. Effective monitoring enhances security by detecting unusual activities that might indicate potential breaches. Windows Server monitoring can also aid in compliance with industry regulations and service-level agreements. Monitoring can also contribute to your business’s bottom line as it minimizes downtime and improves user productivity.
How to Monitor Windows Server Performance?
An easy way to begin monitoring Windows Server Performance is to Establish performance baselines using built-in tools like Performance Monitor or Resource Monitor. Regularly track critical indicators such as CPU usage, memory utilization, disk I/O, and network activity. Those who need more advanced features and greater visibility can implement one of the third-party tools on the market today, such as Netwrix Auditor for Windows Server. These tools will offer more comprehensive monitoring abilities to track performance indicators and user activity.
What Tools Are Available for Windows Server Monitoring?
Microsoft provides a set of built-in tools for Windows server monitoring, including Event Viewer, Windows Performance Monitor, Reliability Monitor, and Resource Monitor. Multiple third-party tools are also available today, including Netwrix Auditor for Windows Server, Paessler PRTG Network Monitor, Observium, Atera, and Opsview Monitor.
Dirk Schrader is a Resident CISO (EMEA) and VP of Security Research at Netwrix. A 25-year veteran in IT security with certifications as CISSP (ISC²) and CISM (ISACA), he works to advance cyber resilience as a modern approach to tackling cyber threats. Dirk has worked on cybersecurity projects around the globe, starting in technical and support roles at the beginning of his career and then moving into sales, marketing and product management positions at both large multinational corporations and small startups. He has published numerous articles about the need to address change and vulnerability management to achieve cyber resilience.
Мониторинг сервера Windows позволяет отслеживать его работоспособность и оперативно реагировать на любые отклонения. Перезагрузки, заполнение дисков, нехватка оперативной памяти, высокая нагрузка на процессор, потеря связи или чрезмерное потребление трафика — всё это можно держать под контролем, если вы используете правильные инструменты.
В этом материале мы рассмотрим, как установить и настроить Zabbix-сервер и агент на Windows, а также какие моменты особенно важны для стабильной работы мониторинга.
Онлайн-курс: Zabbix 6. Мониторинг IT инфраструктуры предприятия.
Курс предлагает глубокое изучение Zabbix 6 и охватывает все ключевые аспекты: от установки и конфигурации до продвинутого мониторинга и автоматизации. Курс подходит как для начинающих, так и для опытных администраторов.
Содержание:
- Проверка версии Zabbix-сервера
- Загрузка агента Zabbix
- Установка агента Zabbix
- Настройка хоста в Zabbix-сервере
- Мониторинг и визуализация
- Заключение
Проверка версии Zabbix-сервера
Перед началом убедитесь, какую версию Zabbix-сервера вы используете. Эту информацию можно найти в веб-интерфейсе Zabbix, перейдя в раздел Reports > System information.
В нашем примере используется версия 7.0.9.
Перед установкой агента на Windows-сервере необходимо определить его архитектуру и имя.
Эти данные критичны при выборе подходящего инсталляционного пакета.
Загрузка агента Zabbix
Перейдите на официальный сайт Zabbix и скачайте соответствующую версию агента.
При выборе версии обратите внимание на следующие параметры:
- Операционная система: Windows
- Архитектура: 64-bit
- Совместимость по версии: должна соответствовать версии вашего Zabbix-сервера
- Метод шифрования: рекомендуется выбрать OpenSSL
- Формат установки: файл формата MSI
Выберите актуальную версию релиза агента и загрузите инсталлятор.
Установка агента Zabbix
Запустите установку агента Zabbix на вашем сервере Windows.
Примите условия лицензионного соглашения.
На следующем этапе выберите компоненты, которые необходимо установить. По умолчанию требуется около 8,70 МБ свободного пространства.
Путь установки — C:\Program Files\Zabbix Agent\.
Инсталлятор автоматически определит имя машины. Далее нужно указать IP-адрес сервера Zabbix, с которым агент будет связываться.
Также на этом этапе можно настроить защищённое соединение с использованием предустановленного ключа. Подробнее об этом методе читайте на официальной странице: Использование pre-shared ключей
Начните установку и дождитесь её завершения.
Настройка хоста в Zabbix-сервере
Чтобы добавить хост для мониторинга в системе Zabbix, откройте веб-интерфейс и перейдите в Data collection > Hosts.
Нажмите Create host (в правом верхнем углу) и укажите следующие параметры:
- Имя хоста: например, DESKTOP-D75R1IG
- Отображаемое имя: например, Windows Server
- Шаблон: выберите Windows by Zabbix Agent — он включает в себя ключевые метрики Windows-систем
- Группа: определяет логическое размещение сервера (например, Windows Servers)
- Интерфейс: выберите тип Agent, укажите IP-адрес целевого сервера
Мониторинг и визуализация
Как только хост будет добавлен, вы начнёте получать информацию о состоянии сервера в режиме реального времени:
- Общая производительность: загрузка CPU, использование памяти и состояние дисков
- Работа служб Windows и подробная информация о системе
- Потребление сетевого трафика
Кроме того, можно отслеживать отказоустойчивость, продолжительность аптайма и другие важные параметры.
Заключение
Zabbix предоставляет мощные инструменты для мониторинга серверов Windows, предлагая готовые шаблоны и гибкие возможности настройки. Это делает его незаменимым решением для построения системы централизованного наблюдения за ИТ-инфраструктурой.
Вдобавок к базовому мониторингу вы можете расширить функциональность, подключив контроль логов, событий безопасности, конкретных портов, отслеживание неудачных попыток входа в систему и многое другое. Всё это помогает оперативно реагировать на инциденты и минимизировать простои.
А если вы хотите углубиться в тему и освоить Zabbix на профессиональном уровне — обратите внимание на курс Zabbix 6. Мониторинг IT инфраструктуры предприятия. Это практическое и структурированное обучение, созданное с учётом реальных задач, с которыми сталкиваются системные администраторы и инженеры мониторинга.
Вам понравилась эта статья? Тогда вам, скорее всего, будет интересна другая полезная статья Основы Zabbix: хосты, элементы данных и триггеры.
Интересуешься IT и системным администрированием? Подпишись на SysAdminHub в телеграмм, чтобы узнавать обо всем первым — t.me/SysAdminHub
Статья была полезна? Поддержи автора, и благодаря твоей помощи новые материалы будут выходить еще чаще:
Windows server monitoring tools are essential for the maintenance of server health for smooth operations and the prevention of crashes. Windows server monitoring tools help admins proactively track and respond to errors, issues, and downtime, and these steps will help prevent major breakdowns and outages and avoid breaches of the SLA (Service Level Agreement).
There are 4 benefits of Windows server monitoring tools.
- Monitor server health to reduce crashes and outages
- Increase availability of servers, applications, and related services
- Quickly identify and fix errors, failed services, and processes
- Help maintain smooth operations to increase trust in the company/product or service
Geekflare team has compiled this list of the top tools to monitor Windows servers based on features like the user-friendly dashboard, event log monitoring, packet sniffing, etc.
- 1. PRTG
- 2. Opsview
- 3. Sysguage
- 4. ManageEngine
- 5. SolarWinds
- 6. Nagios XI
- 7. Zabbix
- 8. Checkmk
- 9. Icinga
- 10. Syskit
- Show moreShow less
You can trust Geekflare
At Geekflare, trust and transparency are paramount. Our team of experts, with over 185 years of combined experience in business and technology, tests and reviews software, ensuring our ratings and awards are unbiased and reliable. Learn how we test.
1. PRTG
PRTG Network Monitor, a mature and widely trusted monitoring solution since 1997, offers a comprehensive suite of capabilities specifically designed for in-depth Windows Server monitoring. Trusted by over 500,000 users globally, PRTG provides a centralized and efficient way to keep a pulse on your critical Windows infrastructure.
PRTG employs a variety of industry-standard technologies to gather detailed monitoring data from your Windows servers, including WMI, Windows performance counters, SNMP, packet sniffing, and NetFlow. This multi-faceted approach ensures a comprehensive collection of metrics, all presented within a unified and intuitive dashboard.
The software provides extensive monitoring for a wide array of server types, such as database, email, web, and virtual servers. It goes beyond basic checks to monitor critical parameters like uptime, CPU and memory utilization, disk activity, and network traffic bandwidth.
PRTG assists with proactive maintenance by tracking patches and updates, alerting administrators to incomplete updates that could pose security risks or impact performance. Its built-in alerting system provides timely notifications when monitored resources exceed predefined thresholds, enabling rapid response to potential issues.
One of PRTG’s key strengths is its speed of deployment. Administrators can quickly initiate monitoring by simply entering an IP range. The software’s automatic network discovery and predefined sensors instantly identify and configure monitoring for Windows servers, leveraging industry-standard sensors to begin collecting data immediately.
PRTG Features
- Monitor your Windows servers from anywhere with the dedicated mobile application.
- Gain insight into Windows application and system events with monitoring of logs, triggering alerts for errors and critical events.
- Tailor monitoring metrics and thresholds to precisely match your specific infrastructure requirements and priorities.
- Access historical performance graphs for up to 365 days, enabling trend analysis, capacity planning, and retrospective troubleshooting.
The full version of PRTG can be installed and deployed within your environment, offering complete control over your monitoring infrastructure.
PRTG
2. Opsview
Opsview helps observe, analyze, monitor, and automate end-to-end IT services, applications, and solutions. Opsview supports databases, virtual environments (AWS, Azure), operating systems, networks, websites, and more.
Opsview platform monitoring provides comprehensive coverage of Windows and related services and applications in one centralized dashboard, to name a few:
- Hardware Monitoring: Monitoring CPU, Disk Queue, Paging Files, Physical Memory, Windows Events, etc.
- Event log monitoring: application, system, and security logs
- Services: Active Directory Monitoring, DNS, IIS, Exchange, SQL, Azure, Terminal Services, etc.
If you are an IT administrator or systems administrator looking for a monitoring and management solution for your IT infrastructure, Opsview easily integrates into your environment, regardless of scale, type, product, and depth.
Opsview
3. Sysguage
Sysguage server monitoring software helps monitor and access all hardware resources used to start a Windows server. It is one of the easiest software to organize, monitor, and review reports and take necessary actions whenever needed.
Sysguage’s user-friendly dashboard helps ease the operation and management of Windows servers by locating higher usages and bottlenecks. Pre-configured metrics help enable and initiate monitoring instantly, and you can even customize counters to suit your infrastructure needs.
Sysgauge has a client-server model wherein the server package is installed on the server, and metrics can be accessed from any system on the network via its client interface software. The client interface helps configure server monitor counters, set up email notifications for any threshold violations, monitor performance through various reports, and much more.
Sysgauge’s system administrators can monitor up to 200 resource counters on Windows servers, including memory usage, disk activity, network activity, processor threads, and TCP/IP protocol. Along with these resources, NAS (Network Attached Server), SQL Server, and IIS Server can be monitored.
Sysgauge’s reporting engine offers various types of notifications and reports, including audio error notifications, emails, Excel reports, PDF reports, and more.
Sysgauge
4. ManageEngine
ManageEngine Application Monitoring software has over 120+ awards for various IT management software, including Gartner’s 2021 Magic Quadrant for Application Performance Monitoring. The Windows server monitoring is one of the features of ManageEngine Application Monitoring software.
ManageEngine is a wide-ranging monitoring software that monitors hardware and software resources of Windows servers, Windows clusters, SQL, web servers, virtual servers, website statistics, and more.
Hardware components monitoring contains detailed performance counters for critical factors such as CPU fan speed, individual CPU core temperature and utilization, disk I/O statistics, and more, which are taken care of by Manage Engine. The software takes care of basic troubleshooting actions such as threshold alarms, email or SMS notifications for Windows events related to applications, system, security, file replication services, DNS server monitoring, server restart, disk space issues, and more.
On the reporting front, ManageEngine provides various reports that are to be pulled from the dashboard, including capacity planning reports that help predict overutilization and underutilization of the server to prevent a server overload or crash.
ManageEngine Features
- Scheduled Windows tasks can be monitored to optimize performance
- Event log monitoring to detect network anomalies, data breaches, and network breaches
- Collects network performance statistics such as incoming traffic, outgoing traffic, network errors, speed
- Forecast usage trends based on server usage and performance
ManageEngine is available in two versions: Professional and Enterprise. Users can use the license in both subscription and perpetual editions.
ManageEngine
5. SolarWinds
SolarWinds Microsoft monitoring covers all Microsoft products and services such as Windows Server, SQL-DB, Hyper-V, Azure, and more.
The extensive platforms such as Azure Monitor and AWS IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS are monitored by SolarWind servers and application monitoring software (SAM). SAM tracks the entire Microsoft IT stack, including performance, uptime, capacity, and resource utilization.
SolarWinds’ prognostic indicators easily detect when server resources reach critical warnings and thresholds, which is one of the important criteria for taking precautions to avoid crashes and disruptions.
SolarWinds’ SAM monitors physical components and applications, including high CPU usage, disk usage, network load balancing, print services, remote desktop services, FTP services, and more. The software also tracks performance metrics related to paging file usage, CPU time, pages/second, disk queues, and more.
One of the advantages for enterprises having heterogeneous environments is the SolarWind software, which offers customizable server monitoring using APIs and around 1200+ monitoring templates. Basic troubleshooting, including detecting hardware errors, restarting the server, and monitoring server health, is performed using SAM.
SolarWinds Features
- Help build an IT asset inventory by identifying and collecting hardware and software assets.
- Identify Active Directory performance issues and fixes
- Monitor DNS for availability and performance issues
- Helping server size based on estimation and determination of server capacity
In a nutshell, SolarWinds’ centralized SAM console can closely monitor Windows Server, Active Directory, IIS, Exchange Server, Dynamics CRM, Skype for Business, SQL Server, SharePoint, DHCP, and DNS.
SolarWinds
6. Nagios XI
Nagios XI is an enterprise server and network monitoring software trusted by millions of users ranging from small businesses to the Fortune 500. It provides full IT infrastructure monitoring with transparency, performance, and customization with ease of use.
Nagios XI covers all infrastructure components, including applications, services, operating systems, network protocols, system metrics, and network infrastructure.
Nagios XI offers integration with hundreds of third-party add-ons to monitor almost all applications, services, and internal systems, making it compatible with heterogeneous environments. The software is built with four monitoring engines that provide the highest degree of monitoring server performance with high efficiency and scalability effectiveness.
Nagios XI provides full real-time monitoring of critical Windows services such as system metrics, processes, performance counters, event logs, Internet Information Server (IIS), Active Directory, DHCP, Exchange Server, DNS, and more.
Nagios XI Features
- A centralized and dedicated dashboard that provides general information about network hosts, services, and devices.
- Granular performance data of Windows operating systems
- Comprehensive monitoring of Windows processes from start to finish, including instances
- Monitors network adapters for unexpected bandwidth over a period of time
Nagios XI’s software tracks the complete end-to-end server hardware, including network statistics, hard drive usage, CPU utilization trends, and memory performance. System administrators can also take advantage of advanced user management, easy setup, automatic discovery, system upgrades based on capacity planning, and more.
Nagios XI
7. Zabbix
Zabbix is a professionally developed open-source software to monitor and track any metric from any source in IT infrastructure. Zabbix software monitors the health and integrity of servers, virtual machines, network parameters, applications, services, databases, websites, and the cloud.
Zabbix agent needs to be installed for deep monitoring of Windows servers while other infrastructure components can be monitored via protocols like SNMP, TCP, ICMP, etc.
Zabbix helps to monitor, track and present every granular detail of servers such as CPU, memory, file system, physical disk, etc., through XML-based templates to measure performance for efficient server infrastructure management.
Zabbix’s email-based notifications allow for quick response to server issues. This software provides the best results in terms of reporting and visualization of excellent capacity planning data.
Zabbix Features
- Automatically set baseline based on historical data to bypass manual threshold setting
- Early prediction of problem thresholds for a proactive approach
- Automatically detects bottlenecks within the incoming metric flow
- Export open issues in real-time to third-party systems for further analysis
Zabbix’s web-based frontend ensures the health of the servers can be monitored and supported remotely. Zabbix can be used by small organizations to large companies and, importantly, free of cost. YES, Zabbix is free of cost. Its customer support is commercial.
Zabbix
8. Checkmk
Checkmk is a comprehensive monitoring software not only for servers but also for applications and networks. The software is easy to use as it was developed after years of research and customer feedback. Its main engine has a massively scalable architecture that supports thousands of services, hundreds of websites and millions of devices disturbed across multiple locations.
The automation section of Checkmk is versatile and includes automation of configuration using REST-API, automatic monitoring of Ephemeral infrastructure, rule-based 1-to-N configuration that minimizes configuration in complex environments, and automation of third party applications using API.
Checkmk’s software database contains 1900 plugins so that almost any software can be easily integrated. The appropriate indicators can be monitored and tracked in heterogeneous environments such as easy to manage incidents by integrating with third-party tools like Jira, Slack, PagerDuty, etc., and VictorOps.
Checkmk is one of the top-notch monitoring software suitable for small to complex infrastructure. One of its uniqueness is that it uses advanced analytics based on observational algorithms that predict thresholds based on historical events.
Checkmk Features
- Easily identify hosts to update with hotfixes with outdated and vulnerable software versions.
- Automatically detects relevant indicators and starts monitoring in minutes
- Customizable dashboard based on admin requirements and can even be integrated with Grafana
- Smart alert mechanism to forward alerts to specific admins instead of overloading all alerts
Checkmk can be easily customizable to suit all hardware and software monitoring, troubleshooting, log monitoring, reporting, integration with ITOM/ITSM tools to streamline workflows, automate configuration, scalability, and more.
Checkmk
9. Icinga
Icinga Infrastructure Monitoring can monitor large and complex environments across multiple locations. The platform monitors network resources, warns users of errors, and collects data for reporting purposes.
It is a full-stack monitoring suite that supports infrastructure monitoring, metrics and log files, monitoring automation, cloud monitoring, and more. You can look at the live demo at the Icinga demo link.
Icinga software monitors Linux, UNIX, Windows servers on-premises and in the cloud, and immediately notifies administrators of errors and helps fix them. A centralized dashboard helps monitor the entire infrastructure, collecting and analyzing data to identify faults at a glance.
Icinga’s scalability model adapts easily to your current infrastructure and offers endless possibilities for configuration, automation, scaling, etc. Icinga even communicates with DevOps tools to create custom monitoring solutions to suit your infrastructure needs.
Features
- Proactively notify errors before interrupts are made
- Provides entry point for proper RCA (Root Cause Analysis)
- Offers various plugins for easy integration with other services/products
- Administration and user management to control software usage for better management
Icinga can fit into a large heterogeneous environment. The software covers six key infrastructure areas to provide valuable insights, alerts, visual imagery, and analytics to support end-to-end coverage and improve business results. Prices are available upon request for a quote.
Inciga
10. Syskit
Syskit Monitor is a tool for monitoring and managing enterprise servers. It is used to monitor virtual applications on Citrix, Share Point, SQL and Windows servers, RDP sessions, and Gateways.
Apart from monitoring, Syskit assists in user activity auditing. Main functions include monitoring server performance in terms of CPU, memory, and disk usage, SQL transactions, IIS connections, remote connections to servers, and more.
Syskit tracks server usage in terms of access duration, concurrent connections, and usage efficiency. It tracks user activity related to server connections, user logins/outlets, etc.
Syskit
Conclusion 👇
The monitoring of Windows servers has become an important task for companies of all sizes and from all sectors.
Windows server monitoring is important to help organizations take proactive steps to detect problems, prevent them before they occur, and avoid bigger issues before high-priority incidents arise.
Windows monitoring software helps to detect a variety of server issues, including RAM (Random Access Memory) leaks to address performance issues, prevent attackers from gaining access, block updates from unreliable resources, easily find bottlenecks, and most importantly, help with troubleshooting, and get the server online faster.
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В предыдущей статье был составлен список из 80 инструментов для мониторинга Linux системы. Был смысл также сделать подборку инструментов для системы Windows. Ниже будет приведен список, который служит всего лишь отправной точкой, здесь нет рейтинга.
1. Task Manager
Всем известный диспетчер задач Windows — утилита для вывода на экран списка запущенных процессов и потребляемых ими ресурсов. Но знаете ли Вы, как использовать его весь потенциал? Как правило, с его помощью контролируют состояние процессора и памяти, но можно же пойти гораздо дальше. Это приложение предварительно на всех операционных системах компании Microsoft.
Task Manager
2. Resource Monitor
Великолепный инструмент, позволяющий оценить использование процессора, оперативной памяти, сети и дисков в Windows. Он позволяет быстро получить всю необходимую информацию о состоянии критически важных серверов.
Resource Monitor
3. Performance Monitor
Основной инструмент для управления счетчиками производительности в Windows. Performance Monitor, в более ранних версиях Windows известен нам как Системный монитор. Утилита имеет несколько режимов отображения, выводит показания счетчиков производительности в режиме реального времени, сохраняет данные в лог-файлы для последующего изучения.
Performance Monitor
4.Reliability Monitor
Reliability Monitor — Монитор стабильности системы, позволяет отслеживать любые изменения в производительности компьютера, найти монитор стабильности можно в Windows 7, в Windows 8: Control Panel > System and Security > Action Center. С помощью Reliability Monitor можно вести учет изменений и сбоев на компьютере, данные будут выводиться в удобном графическом виде, что позволит Вам отследить, какое приложение и когда вызвало ошибку или зависло, отследить появление синего экрана смерти Windows, причину его появления (очередное обновлением Windows или установка программы).
Reliability Monitor
5. Microsoft SysInternals
SysInternals — это полный набор программ для администрирования и мониторинга компьютеров под управлением ОС Windows. Вы можете скачать их себе бесплатно на сайте Microsoft. Сервисные программы Sysinternals помогают управлять, находить и устранять неисправности, выполнять диагностику приложений и операционных систем Windows.
SysInternals
6. SCOM (part of Microsoft System Center)
System Center — представляет собой полный набор инструментов для управления IT-инфраструктурой, c помощью которых Вы сможете управлять, развертывать, мониторить, производить настройку программного обеспечения Microsoft (Windows, IIS, SQLServer, Exchange, и так далее). Увы, MSC не является бесплатным. SCOM используется для проактивного мониторинга ключевых объектов IT-инфраструктуры.
SCOM
Мониторинг Windows серверов с помощью семейства Nagios
7. Nagios
Nagios является самым популярным инструментом мониторинга инфраструктуры в течение нескольких лет (для Linux и Windows). Если Вы рассматриваете Nagios для Windows, то установите и настройте агент NSClient ++ на Windows сервер. NSClient ++ мониторит систему в реальном времени и предоставляет выводы с удаленного сервера мониторинга и не только.
Nagios
8. Cacti
Обычно используется вместе с Nagios, предоставляет пользователю удобный веб-интерфейс к утилите RRDTool, предназначенной для работы с круговыми базами данных (Round Robin Database), которые используются для хранения информации об изменении одной или нескольких величин за определенный промежуток времени. Статистика в сетевых устройств, представлена в виде дерева, структура которого задается самим пользователем, можно строить график использования канала, использования разделов HDD, отображать латентость ресурсов и т.д.
Cacti
9. Shinken
Гибкая, масштабируемая система мониторинга с открытым исходным кодом, основанная на ядре Nagios, написанном на Python. Она в 5 раз быстрее чем Nagios. Shinken совместима с Nagios, возможно использование ее плагинов и конфигураций без внесения коррективов или дополнительной настройки.
Shinken
10. Icinga
Еще одна популярная открытая система мониторинга, которая проверяет хосты и сервисы и сообщает администратору их состояние. Являясь ответвлением Nagios, Icinga совместима с ней и у них много общего.
11. OpsView
OpsView изначально был бесплатен. Сейчас, увы, пользователям данной системой мониторинга приходится раскошеливаться.
OpsView
12. Op5
Op5 еще одна система мониторинга с открытым исходным кодом. Построение графиков, хранение и сбор данных.
Op5
Альтернативы Nagios
13. Zabbix
Открытое программное обеспечение для мониторинга и отслеживания статусов разнообразных сервисов компьютерной сети, серверов и сетевого оборудования, используется для получения данных о нагрузке процессора, использования сети, дисковом пространстве и тому подобного.
Zabbix
14. Munin
Неплохая система мониторинга, собирает данные с нескольких серверов одновременно и отображает все в виде графиков, с помощью которых можно отслеживать все прошедшие события на сервере.
Munin
15. Zenoss
Написан на языке Python с использованием сервера приложений Zope, данные хранятся в MySQL. С помощью Zenoss можно
мониторить сетевые сервисы, системные ресурсы, производительность устройств, ядро Zenoss анализирует среду. Это дает возможность быстро разобраться с большим количеством специфических устройств.
Zenoss
16. Observium
Система мониторинга и наблюдения за сетевыми устройствами и серверами, правда список поддерживаемых устройств огромен и не ограничивается только сетевыми устройствами, устройство должно поддерживать работу SNMP.
Observium
17. Centreon
Комплексная система мониторинга, позволяет контролировать всю инфраструктуру и приложения, содержащие системную информацию. Бесплатная альтернатива Nagios.
Centreon
18. Ganglia
Ganglia — масштабируемая распределенная система мониторинга, используется в высокопроизводительных вычислительных системах, таких как кластеры и сетки. Отслеживает статистику и историю вычислений в реальном времени для каждого из наблюдаемых узлов.
Ganglia
19. Pandora FMS
Система мониторинга, неплохая продуктивность и масштабируемость, один сервер мониторинга может контролировать работу нескольких тысяч хостов.
Pandora FMS
20. NetXMS
Программное обеспечение с открытым кодом для мониторинга компьютерных систем и сетей.
NetXMS
21. OpenNMS
OpenNMS платформа мониторинга. В отличие от Nagios, поддерживает SNMP, WMI и JMX.
OpenNMS
22. HypericHQ
Компонент пакета VMware vRealize Operations, используется для мониторинга ОС, промежуточного ПО и приложений в физических, виртуальных и облачных средах. Отображает доступность, производительность, использование, события, записи журналов и изменений на каждом уровне стека виртуализации (от гипервизора vSphere до гостевых ОС).
HypericHQ
23. Bosun
Система мониторинга и оповещения (alert system) с открытым кодом от StackExchange. В Bosun продуманная схема данных, а также мощный язык их обработки.
Bosun
24. Sensu
Sensu система оповещения с открытым исходным кодом, похожа на Nagios. Имеется простенький dashboard, можно увидеть список клиентов, проверок и сработавших алертов. Фреймворк обеспечивает механизмы, которые нужны для сбора и накопления статистики работы серверов. На каждом сервере запускается агент (клиент) Sensu, использующий набор скриптов для проверки работоспособности сервисов, их состояния и сбора любой другой информации.
Sensu
25. CollectM
CollectM собирает статистику об использовании ресурсов системы каждые 10 секунд. Может собирать статистику для нескольких хостов и отсылать ее на сервер, информация выводится с помощью графиков.
CollectM
26. PerfTrap
PerfTrap собирает метрики с серверов, и с помощью Graphite производится визуализация собранных данных.
27. WMIagent
Если Вы фанат Python, WMIagent для Вас.
28. Performance Analysis of Logs (PAL) Tool
PAL — мощный инструмент, который мониторит производительность и анализирует ее.
29. PolyMon
PolyMon является инструментом мониторинга системы с открытым исходным кодом, на .NET Framework 2.0 и SQL Server 2005.
30. Cloud Ninja Metering Block
Cloud Ninja Metering Block производит анализ производительности и автоматическое масштабирование мультитенантных приложений в Windows Azure. Такой анализ включает в себя не только определение или проверку счетов за использование ресурсов от Windows Azure, но и оптимизацию ресурсов.
31. Enigma
Enigma — красивое приложение, которое поможет Вам следить за всеми важных показателями прямо с рабочего стола.
Платные решения
32. SSC Serv
SSC Serv платный инструмент мониторинга.
33. KS-HostMonitor
Инструменты для мониторинга сетевых ресурсов, позволяет проверять любые параметры серверов, гибкие профили действия позволяют действовать в зависимости от результатов тестов.
KS-HostMonitor
34. Total Network Monitor
Это программа для постоянного наблюдения за работой локальной сети отдельных компьютеров, сетевых и системных служб. Total Network Monitor формирует отчет и оповещает Вас о произошедших ошибках. Вы можете проверить любой аспект работы службы, сервера или файловой системы: FTP, POP/SMTP, HTTP, IMAP, Registry, Event Log, Service State и других.
Total Network Monitor
35. PRTG
PRTG — простая в использовании, условно-бесплатная программа для мониторинга сети, собирает различные статистические данные с компьютеров, программ и устройств, которые Вы указываете, поддерживает множество протоколов для сбора указанных сведений, таких как SNMP и WMI.
36. GroundWork
GroundWork, по сравнению с Nagios или Cacti, не требует значительных затрат времени для настройки. Для управления и вывода информации используется понятный веб-интерфейс, который построен на базе Monarch (MONitor ARCHitecture)и Fruity. Если возникает проблема, на указанный почтовый адрес приходит сообщение или SMS-сообщение. Предоставляемая система отчетов позволяет проанализировать все процессы во времени.
37. WhatsUpGold
Это мощное, простое в использовании программное средство для комплексного мониторинга приложений, сети и систем. Позволяет производить поиск и устранение проблем до того, как они повлияют на работу пользователей.
WhatsUpGold
38. Idera
Поддерживает несколько операционных систем и технологий виртуализации. Есть много бесплатных тулзов, с помощью которых можно мониторить систему.
Windows Health Check
Windows Capacity Check
Windows Process Heat Map
Idera
39. PowerAdmin
PowerAdmin является коммерческим решением для мониторинга.
PowerAdmin
40. ELM Enterprise Manager
ELM Enterprise Manager — полный мониторинг от «что случилось» до «что происходит» в режиме реального времени. Инструменты мониторинга в ELM включают — Event Collector, Performance Monitor, Service Monitor, Process Monitor, File Monitor, PING Monitor.
ELM Enterprise Manager
41. EventsEntry
EventsEntry
42. Veeam ONE
Эффективное решение для мониторинга, создания отчетов и планирования ресурсов в среде VMware, Hyper-V и инфраструктуре Veeam Backup & Replication, контролирует состояние IT-инфраструктуры и диагностирует проблемы до того, как они помешают работе пользователей.
Veeam ONE
43. CA Unified Infrastructure Management (ранее CA Nimsoft Monitor, Unicenter)
Мониторит производительность и доступность ресурсов Windows сервера.
CA
44. HP Operations Manager
Это программное обеспечение для мониторинга инфраструктуры, выполняет превентивный анализ первопричин, позволяет сократить время на восстановление и расходы на управление операциями. Решение идеально для автоматизированного мониторинга.
HP Operations Manager
45. Dell OpenManage
OpenManage (теперь Dell Enterprise Systems Management) «все-в-одном продукт» для мониторинга.
46. Halcyon Windows Server Manager
Halcyon Windows Server Manager
47. Topper Perfmon
Используется для мониторинга серверов, контролирует процессы, их производительность.
Topper Perfmon
48. BMC Patrol
Система мониторинга и управления управления IT — инфраструктурой.
Patrol
49. Max Management
Max Management
50. ScienceLogic
ScienceLogic еще одна система мониторинга.
51. VeraX
Менеджмент и мониторинг сетей, приложений и инфраструктуры.
VeraX
Ниже приведен список (наиболее популярных) инструментов для мониторинга сети
54. Ntop
Ntop
55. NeDi
Nedi является инструментом мониторинга сети с открытым исходным кодом.
NeDi
54. The Dude
Система мониторинга Dude, хоть и бесплатна, но по мнению специалистов, ни в чем не уступает коммерческим продуктам, мониторит отдельные серверы, сети и сетевые сервисы.
The Dude
55. BandwidthD
Программа с открытым исходным кодом.
BandwidthD
56. NagVis
Расширение для Nagios, позволяет создавать карты инфраструктуры и отображать их статус. NagVis поддерживает большое количество различных виджетов, наборов иконок.
NagVis
57. Proc Net Monitor
Бесплатное приложение для мониторинга, позволяет отследить все активные процессы и при необходимости быстро остановить их, чтобы снизить нагрузку на процессор.
Proc Net Monitor
58. PingPlotter
Используется для диагностики IP-сетей, позволяет определить, где происходят потери и задержки сетевых пакетов.
PingPlotter
Маленькие, но полезные инструменты
Список не был бы полным без упоминания нескольких вариантов аппаратного мониторинга.
59. IPMIutil
IPMIutil
60. Glint Computer Activity Monitor
Glint Computer Activity Monitor
61. RealTemp
Утилита для мониторинга температур процессоров Intel, она не требует инсталляции, отслеживает текущие, минимальные и максимальные значения температур для каждого ядра и старт троттлинга.
RealTemp
62. SpeedFan
Утилита, которая позволяет контролировать температуру и скорости вращения вентиляторов в системе, следит за показателями датчиков материнской платы, видеокарты и жестких дисков.
SpeedFan
63. OpenHardwareMonitor
OpenHardwareMonitor
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