What is Server Monitoring?

Server monitoring is the practice of using monitoring software or devices to observe servers and the system resources within a company's IT infrastructure. It offers IT professionals real-time visibility into server outages or performance issues, making it a valuable practice for any organization.

Challenges of Server Monitoring

Implementing server monitoring practices comes with its challenges, both before and after deployment. Some common issues include:

1. 1. Using too many monitoring tools simultaneously.
2. 2. Insufficient disk space or high system resource usage.
3. 3. Delayed or missing reports.
4. 4. Unexpected spikes in network traffic.
5. 5. Connectivity issues leading to unresponsive databases and applications.

Benefits of Server Monitoring

When IT professionals deploy a comprehensive server monitoring solution, it offers several advantages, such as:

1. 1. Ensuring server availability to prevent potential risks and business losses.
2. 2. Maintaining optimal server response times to keep end-users satisfied.
3. 3. Detecting and receiving alerts about errors and outages.
4. 4. Providing a detailed overview of the entire infrastructure for proactive issue detection and prevention.
5. 5. Using historical data to anticipate and address problems.
6. 6. Planning for capacity increases based on resource usage trends.

How Does Server Monitoring Work?

Server monitoring comes in various forms, targeting different aspects of a server and the overall infrastructure:

1. 1. Server Health Monitoring: This common approach focuses on monitoring a server's health, identifying anomalies, and analyzing server integrity.

2. 2. Server Hardware Monitoring: It collects metrics from server sensors to prevent potential outages and ensure system performance.

3. 3. Real-Time Server Monitoring: Provides real-time status snapshots of the system, including application usage and user access.

4. 4. Application Performance Monitoring: Crucial for optimizing software performance, especially for cloud-native companies.

Server Monitoring Types

The choice of server monitoring tools can vary based on the operating system and server type:

1. 1. Microsoft Windows Server Monitoring: Monitors servers running Windows OS, tracking crucial activities and real-time metrics.

2. 2. SQL Server Monitoring: Ensures the continuous performance analysis of Microsoft SQL servers, optimizing application performance.

3. 3. Linux Server Monitoring: Ideal for monitoring fleets of Linux-based servers, often cost-effective compared to Windows servers.

4. 4. PHP Server Monitoring: Monitors servers and websites using the PHP web development language, often an open-source solution.

Why Choose Progress WhatsUp Gold for Your Server Monitoring Needs?

Progress WhatsUp Gold offers IT professionals and networking teams immediate insights into their organization's infrastructure. It uses comprehensive layer discovery tools to scan networks, learn routing protocols, and create accurate network visualizations. This tool eliminates duplicate devices and provides inventory reports on network assets, hardware modules, warranty statuses, and more.

Lindesburg Municipality in Sweden experienced significant improvements in their IT operations after implementing WhatsUp Gold. With the ability to monitor servers and applications, they maintained uptime and improved Wi-Fi network quality.