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What is Syslog: Things You Need To Consider

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In today’s complex IT environments, effective logging and monitoring are critical for maintaining system integrity and security. Syslog, a foundational tool in centralized logging, enables organizations to log system messages and events across devices and applications. By transmitting log messages to a centralized syslog server, Syslog simplifies log management, allowing organizations to store, analyze, and act on important data efficiently.

 

What is Syslog?

Syslog is a standardized protocol for collecting and managing system messages in networked environments. It enables log data transmission from various devices and applications to a centralized server for efficient management and analysis.

 

History of Syslog

Syslog was developed in the 1980s by Eric Allman as part of the Sendmail project, which was a widely used mail transfer agent in Unix systems. It quickly became a de facto standard for centralized logging due to its simplicity and effectiveness in capturing log messages from various sources.

The protocol was not formally standardized until 2001 when the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) published RFC 3164, known as “BSD syslog.” This document outlined the basic structure and transport methods for syslog messages. In 2009, RFC 5424 superseded RFC 3164, introducing enhancements such as ISO-8601 timestamps, structured data fields, and support for UTF-8 encoding.

Initially, syslog messages were transmitted using User Datagram Protocol (UDP), which is fast but does not guarantee delivery. Over time, support for Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and the Reliable Event Logging Protocol (RELP) was added to ensure more reliable message delivery. Modern implementations also support TLS encryption for secure transmission of log data.

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How to Monitor Linux Servers: Top Effective Techniques and Tools

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Did you know that when the server downtime is not monitored, this can cost businesses thousands of dollars every minute? Monitoring Linux servers isn’t just a best practice; it’s an operational necessity. Linux server management is important for maintaining optimal performance and ensuring uptime, especially in the context of cloud monitoring and containerized environments. Effective monitoring tools are crucial for system administrators and DevOps professionals to proactively manage server performance, security, and resource utilization.

This article delves into the fundamental Linux performance monitoring methods and tools that showed themselves as efficient for server monitoring.

 

Understanding ICMP Ping Monitoring

ICMP (Internet Control Message Protocol) ping monitoring is a fundamental technique for assessing the availability of a host over a network. By sending ICMP Echo Request packets to a designated host and waiting for Echo Reply packets, administrators can determine whether a server is reachable. This method is particularly useful in Linux network monitoring, as it provides a quick check on the status of Linux servers and other devices. 

Benefits of ICMP Ping Monitoring

  • Fast Availability Checks: ICMP ping is one of the quickest methods to ascertain if a server is online, making it a staple in network performance monitoring. For instance, a data center can use ICMP monitoring to quickly detect network outages and ensure connectivity for mission-critical applications.
  • Basic Diagnostic Tool: It helps identify issues in network traffic and intermediate network nodes, required for network management.
  • Agentless Monitoring: Suitable for environments where installing agents is not feasible, enabling monitoring of any Linux distribution.

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Understanding CCTV: A Quick Guide to Closed Circuit Television

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In an environment characterized by evolving security challenges, CCTV (full form—Closed Circuit Television) serves as a fundamental component of modern surveillance infrastructure. 

It goes beyond cameras and screens; it operates as an integrated framework that captures and interprets real-time activities, thereby bolstering safety.

To truly understand CCTV technology, one must dissect its essential components: the mechanics of camera operation, the strategies for video footage storage, and the broader implications of its application in diverse scenarios. This guide offers a detailed examination of CCTV’s functionalities and its critical role in modern security architectures.

What is CCTV?

The CCTV meaning goes far beyond just a camera. It is a system of interconnected cameras that captures video in designated areas, enabling real-time monitoring. Unlike conventional broadcast television, which is public space, CCTV video footage remains private, accessible only to authorized personnel.

The importance of “Closed Circuit”

The term “closed circuit” indicates that video signals are transmitted within a secure network, preventing unauthorized access. This configuration has several critical implications for security: More

What is Server Monitoring? A Beginner’s Guide

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In our technology-advanced time, servers are the backbone of IT infrastructure, powering everything from websites to databases and communication systems. Their significant role demands a robust oversight mechanism—this is where server monitoring comes in.

What Is Server Monitoring

Server monitoring encompasses continuous tracking of the performance and the health of servers. By gathering data on essential metrics like CPU usage, memory consumption, disk space, and server network monitoring, IT specialists gain a deep vision into server operations. This knowledge allows them to spot potential issues before they escalate, ensuring optimal performance and reliability.

Why Server Monitoring Matters

Even minor disruptions can lead to downtime, data loss, and a poor user experience. Efficient monitoring is mission-critical. Let’s see why:

  • Preventing Downtime: 98% of organizations report that a single hour of downtime can cost over $100,000. On October 4, 2021, Facebook experienced a seven-hour outage that resulted in an estimated revenue loss of $79 million from advertising alone. Proactive monitoring helps prevent failures before they impact operations.
  • Optimizing Resources: By keeping an eye on server performance, businesses can better use their resources, ensuring attention to issues where it is much needed.
  • Meeting SLAs: Server monitoring helps organizations adhere to service level agreements (SLAs), maintaining high availability and reliability for users.
  • Improving Customer Experience: Downtime can severely damage customer perception. Research shows that 89% of customers will switch to a competitor after a poor experience, showcasing the long-term impact on customer retention and loyalty.

Effective server monitoring not only safeguards against disruptions, but also enhances operational efficiency and boosts productivity. By investing in robust monitoring solutions, organizations can protect their reputation and offer a seamless experience to users.

Best Practices for Server Monitoring

If done right, the server monitoring helps in maintaining optimal performance and reliability in an organization’s IT infrastructure. Implementing best practices means that efforts are comprehensive, proactive, and aligned with organizational goals. Make sure, you conduct these activities:

1. Hardware Checks

  • Regular monitoring helps prevent overheating by ensuring that cooling systems are functioning properly.
  • Keeping track of CPU usage allows administrators to identify bottlenecks and optimize resource allocation.
  • Monitoring disk space is important to prevent outages caused by full storage.

2. Software Monitoring

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How to Monitor Network Devices via SNMP

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We have published a new article How to monitor managed switches using SNMP on our site. In the article, you can out find how to monitor CPU usage, temperature, uptime, voltage, line state, and other vital parameters on switches and other network equipment over the network using the SNMP protocol with our programs 10-Strike Network Monitor or its more advanced version 10-Strike Network Monitor Pro. We describe how to configure the network device monitoring checks step by step with screenshots.

If your devices are behind firewalls or routers, you can use the Pro version of the program and monitor network equipment on remote and distributed networks.

Read full article here >>

 

How to Create Report on Microsoft Office Product Keys

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Using our network inventory program, you can create reports with product ID and product  keys of Microsoft Office installed on your company computers.

Before we proceed, we assume that you have already collected the inventory information from remote computers over the network using our program.

Open the Report Wizard window.

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Open the “Operating system. License audit” tab on the left part of the window.

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How to Create Report on Windows Product Keys

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With our network inventory program, you can create reports containing product ID and product license keys numbers of Windows operating system installed on your company computers over the network.

Before we proceed, we assume that you have already polled computers and collected the inventory data from remote computers (do not forget to enable the “Operating system” and the “License information” configuration items before the data collection process).

Open the Report Wizard window.

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Open the “Operating system. License audit” tab on the left part of the window. More

How to Create Report on Computers Vulnerable to Wanna Cry Virus

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wanna-map3When you hear about the “Wanna Cry” virus infections in various companies on news, it is becoming vital to know and to check whether your company computers are vulnerable to this virus or not. Our network computer inventory program can easily solve this task and create a report showing computers with necessary security updates against the virus installed or not installed.

Let’s suppose that you have already collected the data from remote computers using the program and the inventory database data is fresh. Please do not forget to include the “hotfixes” configuration item when collecting the data.

When the information on installed hotfixes is collected, do the following to create the report on computers vulnerable to the “Wanna Cry” virus.

1. Before creating the report, we need to know names of necessary security updates and hotfixes protecting from the Wanna Cry virus for your operating systems. Open the Microsoft Security Bulletin MS17-010 page: https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/security/ms17-010.aspx
In the table, you will see the hotfix names depending on Windows version. Find out names of updates that should be installed for versions of Windows used on your company computers and record these names. For example, these are KB4012212 or KB4012215 hotfixes for Windows 7.

2. Open the summary table window (Main -> Summary Table).

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How to Create Report on Computer Hardware

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With our 10-Strike Network Inventory Explorer program, you can create reports on remote computers’ hardware in several ways.

Before we proceed, we suggest that you have already polled computers (via WMI or using our client apps) and collected the inventory data remotely over the network including all the configuration items you need. If no data is collected yet, please collect it before creating reports.

1. Use Report Wizard

Go to the “Main” tab and click “Report Creation Wizard”.

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There are several sections of built-in reports available on this window.

Go to “Hardware”.

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Click “Summary Report on Computer Hardware”. It looks like this…

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