QuTester (ProLAN) is a free program that allows you to:
– measure the performance of an IT system;
– monitor the quality of servers, active network equipment, network services;
– promptly find out the reason for the deterioration of the quality of the IT system.
The QuTester program is a free (demo) version of the NPM Probe program, which is part of the NPM Analyst software product, and at the same time is a tool for providing professional services in the field of technical audit, diagnostics and network maintenance. The QuTester program measures the network performance, displays the measured values on its console and stores them on the hard disk in encoded form. At the same time, the program compares the measured values with threshold values (thresholds), which are stored in special files – “knowledge modules” (knowledge modules can be edited). The comparison results are displayed as a “traffic light” signal, an example of which is shown in Figure 1.
Fig. 1. “Traffic light” of the QuTester program.
An integral assessment of network quality is displayed in the upper part of the window. In the lower part of the window, the current and threshold values are displayed, on the basis of which an integral estimate is formed.
The QuTester program is very effective for rapid diagnostics of network problems, as it allows you to quickly determine which characteristics exceed the recommended thresholds.
If you need to get a report on the quality of the network or determine the bottleneck of an IT system, you need to get information about its operation over a long period of time. To do this, it is necessary to statistically process the data that the QuTester program stores on the hard disk in encoded form. Decoding and statistical processing of this data is a paid service of the company ProLAN (or an authorized partner) and is called TestAtelier. Examples of network quality reports obtained using the QuTester program and the TestAtelier service can be found in the white papers section. The peculiarity of the TestAtelier service is that assistance can be provided both on the spot and remotely.
If you are an employee of an IT company (system integrator), then with the help of the QuTester program and the TestAtelier service you will be able to provide your clients with professional services for diagnostics, maintenance and technical audit of networks.
The solution based on the free QuTester program and the TestAtelier service is most effective in relatively small networks (~ up to 70 workstations). Functionality of the QuTester program:
– measurement of the reaction time of network services: file, SQL, TCP, SMTP, POP3, ICMP;
– collecting statistical information on the operation of active network equipment using the SNMP protocol;
– collection of statistical information from counters built into MS Windows NT4/2000/XP, known as MS Performance Monitor.
– obtaining statistical information about the operation of SAA (Service Assurance Agent) embedded in the IOS 12.0 (5)T operating system of Cisco Systems;
– real-time import of network operation information obtained by means of the Observer Suite software package of Network Instruments company;
– real-time import of information about the operation of the information system obtained by means of the software packages AppManager and Vivinet Manager of NetIQ;
– notification of network failures (sending WinPopup messages, launching external programs).