NetManage introduces industry's first SNMP based software license monitor; Features real time monitoring of software at the PC desktop

Business Wire, Nov 29, 1994

CUPERTINO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 29, 1994--NetManage, the leader in TCP/IP for Windows Applications, announced Tuesday the addition of an SNMP (Simple network management protocol) based software license monitor to the company's NEWTWatch desktop management system for Windows PCs.

The new feature, NEWT Monitor, complements NEWTWatch's network management tools by providing a graphical display of the number of network users that are running a specific application and monitors the application's activity.

"The management of corporate networks has transitioned from a focus on bridges, routers and hubs to the management of individual PC users running desktop applications. NEWTWatch is the only SNMP based desktop management product that provides MIS managers with the tools to track, monitor and archive all desktop activity," said Amatzia Ben Artzi, NetManage's vice president of Desktop Management and co-author of the recently adopted Windows SNMP industry standard.

NEWTWatch allows network managers to manage and analyze remote desktop PCs running NetManage's NEWT TCP/IP stack and SNMP agent or other desktop SNMP agents. With a simple point and click, network managers can zoom in on a remote PC and dynamically view statistics, see what software is running, view and administer hardware and network configuration, and manage hosts and maintain network lists by either icon or table views.

An Industry First: Real Time SNMP License Monitoring

NEWT Monitor is the first software license monitor to be based on SNMP, the worldwide standard protocol for network management. It uses NetManage's PC MIB to poll the network at regular intervals and determine how many PCs are running a software application. Multiple applications can be tracked simultaneously.

There is no need to have any other protocol on the PC or to load special software on a network because all of the data is accessed via SNMP. MIS managers can set thresholds to notify them when a predetermined number of copies of the software license are running.

NEWT Monitor provides "real time" monitoring by determining if a user is in violation of a software license or needs help in capacity planning. This is an important technology advance compared to other monitoring solutions that only capture information when a PC is first connected to the network.

NEWT Monitor keeps a complete log of who is running a particular application, the time and the duration of using the application. This level of detail allows the administrator to determine not only the type of applications but the user running them. All of this data can be archived for future analysis.

In addition to the desktop management application, NEWTWatch also features a software-only TCP/IP packet trace and analysis package called NEWTtrace that allows users to capture, view and analyze all inbound and outbound TCP/IP traffic on a Windows PC. Also, new to NEWTtrace is RMON (Remote Monitoring) support which allows network managers to decode TCP/IP packets remotely.

SNMP Standards and the Growth of Desktop Management

The growth in importance of Desktop Management and SNMP is reflected by the recent adoption of a new industry standard called WinSNMP on Microsoft Windows platforms. The adoption of this new standard will hasten proliferation of SNMP agents on Windows PCs, facilitating the wider use of desktop management applications such as NEWTWatch. At Interop in August 1993, the WinSNMP Task Force approved SNMP specifications co-authored by American Computer & Electronics Corp., NetManage and Microsoft. These specifications are published in a document titled "An Open Interface for Programming Network Management Applications Using Simple Network Management Protocol Under Microsoft Windows."

Details on obtaining RFCs via FTP or e-mail can be obtained by sending a message via the Internet to Donna@NetManage.com or to WinSNMP@Mailbag.Intel.com.

Pricing and Availability

NEWTWatch is available immediately for $495.00 per copy. NEWTWatch includes NEWT Monitor, NEWTWatch desktop management application and NEWTtrace. It also includes NetManage's WinSock compliant 100% DLL TCP/IP stack, a suite of SNMP agents, and the PING utility for network diagnostics.

NEWTWatch requires an IBM PC or compatible running Microsoft Windows 3.1. Additionally, for users who do not yet have the TCP/IP protocol and SNMP agents on their PC, NEWT and the NetManage agents are available separately priced from $200 to $50 per computer depending on quantity. NetManage products can run concurrently with the popular LAN networks, including NetWare, Banyan Vines, LAN Manager and Pathworks.

About NetManage

NetManage Inc. develops, markets and supports an integrated set of TCP/IP inter-networking applications and development tools for Microsoft Windows. NetManage software facilitates communication, productivity and the administration of personal computers across dissimilar networking environments.

The company's award winning product families include Chameleon and ECCO. The Chameleon TCP/IP for Windows application suite was the first product to specifically target Microsoft Windows inter-networking. ECCO was the first product to integrate WorkGroup Communications and Outlining Technology with a Personal Information Manager.