MetaLAN Design Concept
MetaLAN was initially designed by a network administrator working in the real world
supporting real networks, in line with Hammer Software's “Simply Powerful by
Design™” principle. The aim was to produce a product what would reduce the time
taken to support network users and troubleshoot network server problems while
providing higher level views of the network including hardware and software
configurations on a global scope. The result is a tool that enables network
administrators and support staff to respond more quickly to network-service and user
issues while providing quick access to information on hardware (e.g.: CPU, memory,
hard-disk) and software configurations in order to strategically plan and justify
infrastructure upgrades. MetaLAN is designed as an agent-less product, meaning no
software needs to be installed on the managed nodes for full integration with
MetaLAN.
MetaLAN Design Guidelines
MetaLAN’s current and future design is governed by the following guidelines:
- Provide the majority of functionality that
network admin and support staff
would require day to day in one convenient tool with data cross-referenced
where practical for extended “smart” functionality.
- NT4/2K/XP/2003 nodes must fully integrate
with MetaLAN without the need
to visit or install an agent.
- The interface must be simple and intuitive
to the point that no additional
training should be required to use the product.
- Data must be as close to real-time as possible.
- The product must scale well and be as usable
on a 3000 node network as it
is on a 200 node network.
- MetaLAN must provide flexible installation
configurations.
- Data collection will be supported in standalone
(application on
administrator’s computer) and consolidated (service on network server)
modes.
- Installation package must be small and
simple to install.
- There will be no dependency on existing
software where possible.
- New features must be added in a way that
will not detract or complicate the
use of the product.
- Hammer Software will continue
to expand and refine MetaLAN in line with
Hammer Software's “Simply Powerful by Design™” principle.
MetaLAN Features
- Agent-less operation is at the center of
the MetaLAN design.
NT/2K/XP/2003 clients will fully integrate with MetaLAN without the need to
visit or install an agent.
- Remote control. For remote support
of computers and servers.
- Monitor health. Quickly check performance
and ascertain if there is a
problem with a computer or server.
- Monitor processes. View processes
on remote computers. Monitor
CPU/Memory/IO/Owner of individual processes and allow processes to be
started and killed.
- Shutdown or Reboot groups of computers.
- Wake On LAN (WOL). Wake groups of computers.
- WMI query from a computers WMI database.
Get information not available
anywhere else like RAM slot usage and much more.
- Reporting for global OS, hardware and software
installations and
configurations.
- Easy export of data to standard portable
CSV format.
- Save reports to HTML for portability and
easy presentation.
- Software Tool for finding all installs
of particular software on the network.
- Enquire from and conditionally modify node
registries real-time.
- Install monolithic services on groups of
computers.
- Run as a standalone application
or use ProbeServer (Free) for consolidated
data collection and storage.
