This is the "Read_Me.txt" file distributed with MG-SOFT Net Inspector with MIB Compiler for Windows. Copyright (C) 1995-2008 MG-SOFT Corporation. All rights reserved. ============================================================================ Table of contents ----------------- 1. Contents of this Package 2. About Net Inspector 3. What's New in this Version 4. Different Editions of Net Inspector 5. Installing the Software 6. MG-SOFT Corporation on the Internet 7. Ordering the Software 8. Licensing Agreement 9. Contacting MG-SOFT Corporation ============================================================================ 1. Contents of this Package --------------------------- This distribution contains the installer for MG-SOFT Net Inspector software that can operate in LITE, WorkGroup or Enterprise mode, depending on your license. The installer also lets you setup Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Desktop Engine (MSDE 2000) that serves as Net Inspector database management system in environments where no other version of MS SQL Server exists. For step-by-step instructions on installing the software, please refer to the Net Inspector Installation and Configuration Guide document included in the distribution. ============================================================================ 2. About Net Inspector ---------------------- MG-SOFT Net Inspector is a powerful fault management application with an effective alarming subsystem that complies with the international alarm reporting recommendations (ITU X.733). The software is designed for monitoring the status of network devices and alarms associated with devices in the supervised TCP/IP network. Net Inspector implements advanced network discovery algorithms that let it discover all devices on the network supporting SNMP or ICMP Ping protocol, as well as the physical and logical topology of the network. Discovered devices are represented by icons that are automatically linked with connection lines and mapped into layered maps that reveal how devices are logically arranged into networks and subnets on the IP level. Due to its intuitive and user-friendly interface, Net Inspector lets you start monitoring your network almost instantly, without any special training. Net Inspector is a client/server application. The server module continually monitors important SNMP variables and services on your network devices and triggers alarms when there is a problem (e.g., if a device or service stops responding, if SNMP variable crosses the threshold value, etc.). The software has a built-in support for monitoring the status of a variety of network services (HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, DNS, SMTP, IMAP, IMAPS, POP3, SSH, Telnet, NNTP, NNPTS, LDAP, LDAPS, IPP, LPD, MsSQL, MySQL and Oracle service), and lets you monitor other, user-defined services. Besides, it receives SNMP Trap and Inform notifications, which are sent to it by managed devices when important events occur. Net Inspector Server translates received SNMP notifications into alarms, stores alarms in a database and dispatches information about alarms to connected clients. Net Inspector Client, on the other hand, is a pure Java (TM) application that connects to the server and provides a graphical user interface that lets you view and manage alarms on managed objects, monitor the status of managed objects, as well as configure the client and certain parameters of the server application. The software can perform various actions when network events occur. In addition to sending e-mails and executing arbitrary commands (e.g., to fix specific network problems in an automated fashion), Net Inspector can now notify users of important alarms also by sending SMS (Short Message Service) text messages through the attached mobile phone. Net Inspector is available in several editions. The LITE edition is a fault management platform suitable for small networks, while the WorkGroup and the Enterprise editions let you efficiently monitor the status and health of medium- and large-sized networks. Net Inspector Server is available for MS Windows (Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows 2003 Server, Windows Vista) operating systems as well as for Linux operating system (Red Hat 9, Red Hat Enterprise Linux Advanced Server 3, 4 and 5 for x86 architecture), while the Client runs on all operating systems with the Java Runtime Environment (JRE), version 5.0 (a.k.a. 1.5) or later. Currently supported database management systems include MS SQL Server (on Windows) and MySQL (on Linux). This product includes software JGoodies Forms, JGoodies Looks, and Apache Xerces XML Parser for C++. This product includes software developed by the OpenSSL Project for use in the OpenSSL Toolkit (http://www.openssl.org/). This product includes cryptographic software written by Eric Young (eay@cryptsoft.com). This product includes software written by Tim Hudson (tjh@cryptsoft.com). For full licensing information refer to the "THIRD-PARTY-LICENSES.TXT" file located in the \Doc subfolder. ============================================================================ 3. What's New in this Version ------------------------------ The following is a brief list of major new functions, features and enhancements in MG-SOFT Net Inspector version 6.x: * Completely re-written and re-designed application. Net Inspector software has been completely rewritten in order to meet its new design goals. Net Inspector is now a powerful fault management application with effective alarming subsystem that complies with international alarm reporting recommendations (ITU X.733). It provides unprecedented performance, reliability and scalability when compared to previous versions and runs on a much broader range of platforms (the server will run on various Windows and Linux platforms, while the client runs on any platform with Java RTE support). Due to its improved design, the software now lets you effectively monitor thousands of network devices at a time. * Layer 2 and layer 3 discovery and network topology presentation. Net Inspector implements advanced network discovery methods and state-of-the-art network topology calculation algorithms that let it automatically discover network devices and their interconnections and graphically depict the layer 2 (physical) and layer 3 (logical) topology of the discovered network. The physical topology view displays discovered devices by means of icons connected with lines that symbolize physical connections, while the logical topology is represented by means of layered maps that reveal how devices are logically arranged into networks and subnets on the IP level. Integrated scheduler automatically runs the network discovery operation in regular intervals in order to detect new network devices and changes in the network topology and adapt the Net Inspector configuration accordingly. By applying a discovery filter, you can now effectivelly prevent specific devices from being discovered and included into monitoring configuration. These features significantly simplify and speed-up the Net Inspector configuration and maintenance activities and provide an intuitive and efficient means of monitoring the status and performance of the network. * User views enable access control and network management delegation. In addition to the standard user-based authentication mechanism and associated access rights, Net Inspector now lets you configure and assign different user views to users. A user view is a specific view of the network that can include either all managed objects in the supervised network (e.g., an administrator user view), any subgroup of those objects, or even individual services running on particular network devices (e.g., user views assigned to users with limited access rights). This principle facilitates the division of the supervised network into smaller units and enables efficient delegation of the network supervision activities to other staff members or even end-users (e.g., in case of ICT infrastructure and services providers). * Monitoring well-known and user-defined TCP and UDP network services. The software lets you scan well-known ports on a device for supported TCP and UDP network services. These services include HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, DNS, SMTP, IMAP, IMAPS, POP3, SSH, Telnet, NNTP, NNPTS, LDAP, LDAPS, IPP, LPD, MsSQL, MySQL and Oracle service. Which of the detected network services will be monitored can be selected on a device basis. Additionally, you can monitor also virtually any other TCP and UDP service by specifying the contents of packets to be exchanged in each poll (either in plain text or in binary format). Once configured, Net Inspector triggers an alarm if any of the monitored services does not respond as expected. * Mapping SNMP Trap and SNMP Inform notifications to alarms. Net Inspector Server receives standard and enterprise-specific SNMP Trap and Inform notification messages sent by network devices and maps them to events and alarms based on the ITU X.733 compliant trap-to- alarm mapping scheme. Standard SNMP notifications are mapped to corresponding alarms out-of-the-box, and the built-in editor lets you define rules for mapping any enterprise-specific SNMP notification to Net Inspector alarms according to your preferences (you can specify the alarm message, severity level and optional additional information taken from the notification). Furthermore, the software now even lets you select a received specific SNMP Trap or Inform notification and create a rule from it for raising or clearing the corresponding alarm almost instantly. All alarms are presented and logged uniformly, no matter if they are based on events detected by Net Inspector through polling, or autonomuosly reported by managed devices by means of SNMP notifications. * New Java-based Client. Net Inspector Java Client has been developed from the scratch for this version of the software. It is a pure Java (TM) application that connects to remote Net Inspector Server and provides an intuitive graphical user interface which lets you view and manage alarms on managed objects, monitor the status of managed objects, and configure both parts of the application. The new Java Client runs on all operating systems with the Java Runtime Environment (JRE), version 5.0 (or later). * SMS sending functionality. Net Inspector can perform various actions when network events occur. In addition to sending e-mails and running arbitrary commands (e.g., to fix specific network problems in an automated fashion), Net Inspector can now notify users of important alarms also by sending SMS (Short Message Service) text messages through the attached mobile phone with a built-in modem. This new feature ensures that network operators are always notified of important alarms on time, regardless of their current physical location. * Graphing functionality. Important network parameters, like the service availability and network interface utilization can now be presented in graph charts that show how the values of those variables change over time. * SQL compliant database support. Alarm and event history can now be stored in an SQL database, such as MS SQL Server and MySQL database. * Integrated HTTP server and the Java Web Start client launching. The included HTTP server module serves the Java Web Start HTML page that enables users to download and launch Net Inspector Client from anywhere in the network by clicking the relevant link in a Web browser. This mechanism significantly simplifies the deployment process, as the software only needs to be installed on the server computer. The Client software is then distributed to individual users on their request through the Java Web Start mechanism. Furthermore, Net Inspector HTTP server provides also a Web-based access to Net Inspector documentation in electronic form. * Polling and SNMP access profiles simplify the configuration. Polling profiles and SNMP access profiles provide a centralized and efficient means of configuration, by which one can easily modify SNMP access and polling settings (including threshold values) for all managed devices that are accessed and polled according to those profiles. * Server available for Windows and Linux, Client runs on any platform with JRE. Net Inspector Server V6.x is available for 32-bit and 64-bit MS Windows (Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows 2003 Server, Windows Vista) and Linux platforms. Net Inspector Java Client V6.x, on the other hand, is a platform independent application, which runs on any operating system with the Java Runtime Environment, version 5.0 (or later). * Net Inspector Export interface and Configuration Browser application (requires MS .NET Framework 2.0). Net Inspector provides an interface for exporting and importing configuration data as well as for exporting the status of monitored devices and alarms remotely by means of the SOAP protocol. Included is a sample .NET Configuration Browser application that demonstrates how an external application can remotely retrieve configuration details from Net Inspector during run-time. The provided interface enables seamless and straightforward integration of Net Inspector into higher-level management solutions. * Updated documentation. Significantly updated and enhanced User Manuals with numerous hints and usage examples will help you get the most from MG-SOFT Net Inspector. Besides, a number of minor improvements has been implemented in these applications, and all known problems occurring in older versions have been fixed for this release. ============================================================================ 3. Different Editions of Net Inspector -------------------------------------- MG-SOFT Net Inspector 6.0 is available in three editions. Editions differ regarding the number of network devices that can be monitored and the number of client/server connections that can be used concurrently. The following editions of MG-SOFT Net Inspector are available: * Net Inspector LITE Edition -------------------------- This edition supports monitoring up to 64 network devices and lets you establish at most 5 concurrent client/server connections. * Net Inspector WorkGroup Edition ------------------------------- This edition supports monitoring up to 500 network devices and lets you use at most 5 concurrent client/server connections. * Net Inspector Enterprise Edition -------------------------------- This edition supports monitoring up to 1000 network devices and lets you use up to 25 concurrent client/server connections. Besides, this edition is scalable and can be easily upgraded to allow monitoring additional N x 1000 devices. This way, Net Inspector's capacity can seamlessly grow with your network. ============================================================================ 4. Installing the Software --------------------------- Make sure to install the latest version of the software as available from http://www.mg-soft.com/download.html System Requirements ------------------- * Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, or Windows Vista * Java Runtime Environment (JRE) for Windows, version 5.0 (a.k.a. 1.5) or later, which can be downloaded from the following Web page: http://www.java.com/en/download/manual.jsp Also, administrator privileges are required to install Net Inspector. Installation Procedure ---------------------- To install the software, unzip the distribution zip file and run the "setup.exe". Follow the on-screen guidelines. You must reboot the computer if the setup procedure prompts you to do so. For step-by-step instructions on installing the software, please refer to the Net Inspector Installation and Configuration Guide document included in the distribution. ============================================================================ 5. MG-SOFT Corporation on the Internet -------------------------------------- * MG-SOFT Web Site http://www.mg-soft.com/ * Secure On-line orders http://www.mg-soft.com/pricelst.html * MG-SOFT Products http://www.mg-soft.com/products.html * MG-SOFT Download Page http://www.mg-soft.com/download.html * MG-SOFT Support Page http://www.mg-soft.com/support.html * MG-SOFT Corp. Profile http://www.mg-soft.com/profile.html * Network Management ToolBox http://www.mg-soft.com/mgNetManToolBox.html * SNMP Agent Design Kit http://www.mg-soft.com/agentDesignKit.html * MIB Browser Professional http://www.mg-soft.com/mgMibBrowserPE.html * Visual MIB Builder http://www.mg-soft.com/builder.html * Net Inspector http://www.mg-soft.com/netinsp.html * SNMP MIB Query Manager http://www.mg-soft.com/mgQueryManager.html * Trap Ringer Professional http://www.mg-soft.com/tringer.html * MIB Explorer http://www.mg-soft.com/mgMibExplorer.html * MG-SOFT MIB Compiler http://www.mg-soft.com/mgWinMIB.html * SNMP Master Agent http://www.mg-soft.com/agent.html * EasyAgent Source Code Gen. http://www.mg-soft.com/mgSrcGen.html * MG-SOFT SNMPv3 engine http://www.mg-soft.com/snmpv3.html * MG-SOFT WinSNMP SDK http://www.mg-soft.com/mgWinSNMP.html * MG-SOFT WinMIB SDK http://www.mg-soft.com/mgmibc.html * SNMP EasyAgent toolkit http://www.mg-soft.com/easyagent.html * WPDECO32 protocol decoder http://www.mg-soft.com/dll-deco.html Announcing new releases ----------------------- Visit http://www.mg-soft.com/announce.html for the latest information about the scheduled software releases and updates. Evaluation software ------------------- Evaluation software is available for downloading from MG-SOFT's web site at http://www.mg-soft.com/download.html To apply for a 30-day evaluation license key, fill in and submit the on-line order form at http://www.mg-soft.com/evalKeyReq.html For immediate software release notifications, subscribe to our mailing list at http://www.mg-soft.com/maillist.html ============================================================================ 6. Ordering the Software ------------------------ To obtain the latest ordering and licensing information, visit http://www.mg-soft.com/sales.html or contact . For details on licensing arrangements for licensing MG-SOFT's software products visit http://www.mg-soft.com/licenseTypes.html ============================================================================ 7. Licensing Agreement ---------------------- Check the "License_Agreement.txt" file that was installed with the software. Also, check the "License_Types.txt" file or visit http://www.mg-soft.com/licenseTypes.html for details on various licensing arrangements for licensing MG-SOFT's software products. Contact for additional information. ============================================================================ 8. Contacting MG-SOFT Corporation ---------------------------------- For the latest information about our products, check our WEB site at http://www.mg-soft.com/ or contact us directly. You can subscribe to our mailing lists on-line by submitting the application form at http://www.mg-soft.com/maillist.html If you don't have access to the Internet, let us know by e-mail that you wish to subscribe and we will add you to the list of recipients. For additional information about MG-SOFT Corporation, please contact the following address: MG-SOFT Corporation Phone: +386 2 2506565 Strma ulica 8 Fax: +386 2 2506566 2000 Maribor E-mail: info@mg-soft.com Slovenia Internet: http://www.mg-soft.com/ ============================================================================