Open Source Network Monitoring System

Introduction

Network Discovery. That is the main purpose of NeDi described by its author Remo Rickli, in 2001. It will try to discover not only networks devices but including any host connected to the network. It will keep the inventory and track any change. If a device becomes unreachable it will sent email notification.

And now after 7 years of dedication to open source community, NeDi touched down version 1.0. And here is the whole great features from NeDi:

1. Dynamic Network Mapping
2. Open Design - Run on UNIX, Linux, Mac OSX, Windows Platforms
3. Automatic Inventory and Documentation
4. Configuration Management
5. Simple Monitoring and Incident Classification
6. Track Population, the Movements and Traffic
7. Statistics at your fingertips
8. GUI supports Group Access, Multiple Languages and even Themes

For Dynamic Network Map, NeDi needs special format for the SNMP Location Settings. And it is flexible. I mean if you have your own format in your current network, then what you need is to edit nedi.conf. Find for $locformat and $locsep variables. Let say your SNMP location currently is New York:OSNSM:14:Switch Room. Where New York is the city. OSNMS is the building. 14 is the floor and Switch Room is the room name where your devices colocated. In this case you can format $locformat to “cbf” and $locsep to “:”.

Quick Howto

1. You will need Perl, PHP, MySQL, Web server/Apache, RRD Tool (for performance graphing)
2. You can install in on Linux, Mac OSX, Solaris or Windows XP
3. If you like, you can use 1 server for discovery, 1 Server for Database and 1 Server for Front end (Web Server)

Screen Shots

Dynamic Map

Stock Management Report

For More NeDi screen shots you can visit NeDi Gallery.

Download and Resources

1. NeDi Homepage
2. Download NeDi
3. NeDi Installation
4. Don’t forgot to read this NeDi Disovery Manual
5. NeDi Tutorial
6. Install NeDi on MAC
7. NeDi is Supported by GroundWorks Open Source