
You will see a variety of server applications here so that you might find the tool (or tools) for your needs. In this article, we review our top 10 server/network monitoring tools and software’s. These tools are great for both lead generation sites, such as a local restaurant, and e-commerce sites, such as an auto parts retailer. These tools are meant to aid you in avoiding being taken offline and evaluating if your resource needs has outgrown your infrastructure. There are open source and freeware server/network monitoring tools that will supervise your infrastructure for any issues that may arise. If you don’t, they can severely hurt your SEO strategy. Other essential tools include KeePass, PuTTY and WinMerge.Ĭontinue on to learn about 10 free tools that provide a range of network management and troubleshooting functions for a variety of network infrastructure scenarios.When you have a website or a network, it’s helpful to be aware of any issues as soon as they occur. For example, tools such as dig and Nmap are fantastic for information gathering and basic troubleshooting, and should be part of any network engineers’ toolset. In addition to this list, there are complementary open source tools that don't necessarily perform any specific network functions, but can help with the network management process. In situations like these, your only alternative might be to purchase a proprietary vendor solution.

Open source projects can be slow to develop, so you may find that some tools have great promise, but aren't yet ready for prime time. A few solutions on this list have been around for nearly two decades, yet still are considered some of the best tools available.

While new open source solutions may offer new and advanced features, they're less likely to be production ready. When looking for free open source networking tools that can be viable options for production use, look first at established tools that maintain active development communities. So if open source tools are "good enough" and free, they should never be overlooked or omitted from consideration. While many proprietary products have added features and extra polish that make using and maintaining them easier, open source tools often are a satisfactory alternative.

Some IT pros completely disregard free open source tools because they feel they are far inferior when compared to commercial products that perform similar duties. In this slideshow, I'll discuss 10 free networking tools that I believe are incredibly useful when it comes to day-to-day management and troubleshooting of enterprise networks. Others proved to be a great fit and I've relied on them a great deal.

Some ended up being too buggy, lacked critical features or were too time consuming to maintain in production. Throughout my 15+ year career as a network engineer, I've evaluated, implemented and used plenty of open source networking tools in a variety of environments.
