Server monitoring software is a great way to ensure that all servers are running smoothly and that there are no issues that could cause a possible downtime. The following are some core metrics within server monitoring that can help users keep track of their servers’ health:
CPU utilization: This is the key feature that the software must be able to efficiently perform. A server monitoring solution should be able to monitor the load on the CPU.
Since the CPU is the processing center of the server, any fault or issues in the CPU performance could lead to a slowdown of the server which could eventually crash. In addition, heavy CPU usage will lead to poor memory utilization further decreasing the health of the server.
Disk usage: This feature allows a user to analyze how much disk space is left for usage. It helps to identify what are the applications or processes that are taking up the highest space and provides solutions to prevent complete usage of disk space. It allows the user to make simple and efficient capacity planning decisions.
In addition to disk space, server monitoring software should also be able to track RAM usage. Since the data in RAM is stored only for a short while, it only tracks the data that is being actively used. This inherently allows the software to keep track of system upgrades and cached memory (so the user knows when it’s time to clear cache if there is a system slow down).
Network monitoring and analysis: Servers are the backbone of the IT environment, which is connected to a large computer network across the globe. To do a manual network check across every single connection point is an impossible task for humans, and that is where the software plays a key role. This feature tests, collects, processes, and builds a database of network statistics that can be used to derive insights and analysis. This would also include monitoring firewalls.
Error rate detection and analysis: Error rate is the number of issues that occur relative to the total error requests. By analyzing the error rate of a server, it provides the user an opportunity to identify possible errors before they occur and prevent any downtime. Although the acceptable standard error rate is less than 1%, it would be ideal to ensure that there are little to no errors.
Bandwidth analysis: Bandwidth is the amount of information that is sent over a certain period of time. For a server that keeps processing data both inwards and outwards, it is a key feature to see which of the applications are taking up the most bandwidth. Taking up more bandwidth would lead to the server slowing down, causing reduced application performance. By being able to track the bandwidth consumed by an application, a user will be able to reduce congestion and bottlenecks and ensure the smooth running of the server.
Bandwidth monitoring can be done via three options—packet sniffing, Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP), and netflow. SNMP is the ideal solution for simple bandwidth monitoring requirements. SNMP-based server monitoring solution would collect information or transmit and receive values within the network device interfaces. SNMP is a great tool for making capacity planning decisions. For Windows servers, users can also opt for Windows Management Interface (WMI) which is a Microsoft protocol, specifically designed for Microsoft-based network management, servers (such as SQL servers), Azure stacks, virtualized environments, and workstations.
Another additional and interesting feature that bandwidth analysis allows is to ensure that there are no data breaches in the IT system, in which hackers would abuse the network by taking up the bandwidth. A sudden spike or increase in bandwidth usage could help identify perpetrators, and system admins can immediately take the necessary course of action.
Dashboards: Having a customizable dashboard or template as part of a server monitoring solution has become a necessity. There are several templates for server application monitoring platforms for Unix, Linux, and Windows servers. The dashboard provides powerful visualization of data in different, personalized ways. It empowers the user to analyze the data and provide data-driven recommendations and suggestions. Other inclusions consist of a suite of analysis tools and APIs that enable secure integration with other third-party applications. This software also comes with an easy web interface that allows the admin to configure and control the dashboard as per preferences.
Remote access: With working from home becoming the new norm, it has become a key feature for server monitoring software to act as a medium between the user and the server, when the user cannot go physically to the server room. Providing remote access would allow users to fix several problems by taking control of the devices attached to the network, without leaving the comfort of their homes. In addition, several enterprises have thousands of servers installed in data centers at far-off locations, which makes it physically impossible to check each and every server manually. Server monitoring systems allow the concerned team to keep track of all the servers from a single point.
Server availability: Server monitoring software also allows the user to identify which are the servers being severely over or underutilized. This will allow admins to set up a contingency plan in place in case there is a possibility of server failure. For instance, a server monitoring software would be able to track the servers that have low free disk space, if it's in a critical or warning state, if device temperature is too high or too low, fan working is in a critical state, etc., and would ideally offload few workloads to additional servers that are being underutilized.
Track configuration changes: Some server monitoring systems have additional benefits such as keeping track of any configuration changes such as new plugins, add-ons, removed or replaced components, track upgrades, etc.
