These Systems-management Tools Keep Network Administrators in Control of Mixed-platform Networks.
Kelli Wiseth
Reviews Networking/
NETWORK ADMINISTRATORS often find themselves needed in eight places at once. And they frequently have to juggle a cobbled-together assortment of systems-management tools, especially if they're overseeing a mixed-platform network.
Datawatch's netOctopus delivers a helping hand by letting you reach out to the desktop of anyone on the network to, say, inventory software and hardware, install an upgrade, meter software usage throughout your network, or even reboot a computer. Furthermore, unlike most other Mac products (which can manage only Mac clients), netOctopus' administrator software can communicate with Macs and PCs, as long as the PCs are running the NetWare IPX protocol stack or AppleShare Windows Client software.
Network Agent
Once you have installed netOctopus' responder (called an Agent) on all the computers you need to monitor, you can gather systems, software, and configuration information without leaving your desk. On client machines, the Agent appears as a control panel that can be used to limit the administrator's access to the client workstation.
When you launch netOctopus' administrator software, you see a list of all the zones on your network. Under netOctopus' Zone window are four preconfigured windows, called templates. When you double-click on a zone name, the templates fill with information about the workstations in that zone. For instance, as it gathers network information in real time, the Workstations template -- by default -- lists the owner, zone, computer, net, node, socket, and system of the computers in a zone.
You can customize the templates, create your own from scratch, or use one of the dozens of preconfigured templates that come with netOctopus. The real beauty of the program comes into play when you've set up your own templates and use the filtering feature to identify which computers on your network have -- or don't have -- certain options or software. For example, say you're given a mandate to get everyone in the company onto the Internet but you have no idea who in your organization has an IP address or has MacTCP installed. With netOctopus, you can create a new template, called IP Inventory, that shows the computer name and owner, the IP address, the IP gateway address, and whether or not MacTCP is active. You can filter the information in the template so that only the computers that don't have an IP address appear.
Once you've identified a problem, netOctopus can help you solve it. For instance, if you find out-of-date printer drivers on client machines, you can update them all by making a simple menu selection. You can also synchronize all the computer clocks throughout the network.
To install software over the network, you can either place files in a drop box on each workstation and let users install the software themselves or you can run Apple's installer scripts over the network to install users' software for them.
Scripting Tools
You can automate and enhance the systems-data-gathering and software-distribution capabilities of netOctopus by using AppleScript. Unfortunately, you cannot record actions as AppleScript scripts in this version: You can only attach a written script to the program.
Datawatch offers a steady stream of off-the-shelf scripts that you can use if your scripting skills are rusty. For instance, if you have Microsoft Excel 5.0 and FileMaker Pro 2.1 or later, you can meter software use with an AppleScript script that gathers real-time data about software applications running on the network and stores the data in a spreadsheet or database.
The major weakness of netOctopus is its inadequate documentation. The version we reviewed came with the original 1.0 manual plus two separate addenda, one each for release 1.1 and 1.2. Since major new features, such as support for AppleScript and for Windows and DOS PCs, were introduced in these upgrades, the documentation is --at best -- scattered and disorganized. Datawatch promises a new manual with the next major release, netOctopus 2.0.
The Bottom Line
All in all, netOctopus is a useful addition to the corporate systems administrator's toolkit. You'd have to buy -- and coordinate -- several systems-management programs to get the breadth of netOctopus, and because netOctopus is one of the few Macintosh-based programs that can handle Macs as well as PCs, it allows you to manage a mixed-platform network from a Macintosh. By the time you read this, Datawatch will have released netOctopus 1.3, which will include PowerPC-native administrator software and support for mobile and remote users, who can have their computers updated with new versions of software when they log in.
netOctopus 1.2.1
Rating: (4 out of 5 mice) Very Good
Price: $39 to $47 (direct) per computer, depending on the number of computers.
Pros: Broad set of network-management features, from network polling to software auditing. Uses AppleScript.
Cons: Disorganized documentation. Can't record actions.
Company: Datawatch, Wilmington, MA; 508-988-9700.
Reader Service: Circle #407.
As it gathers information in real time, netOctopus reports selected systems information about the workstations in your network.
