Switch Monitoring/Reporting

[bschear]

I have a network with one 4500 series switch and around 9 3750 switches connected to the main location via fiber in a ring. I am looking for good preferably free utility to monitor bandwidth and events on these switches. Any suggestions?

[cisco_lad2004]

Google CACTI & Hobbit.

HTH

Sam

[bschear]

Those look good. I assume it is one or the other and not use both? Do you like one of the suggestions better?

[cisco_lad2004]

I have seen Hobbit used for fault management and cacti for performance. I believe you its also possible to set thresholds on cacti which when exceeded create alarms.

HTH

Sam

[hobbe]

Yoy asked for a "preferable" free utility, I would check out Orion from solarwinds, its not free but for a small installation and it does not sound that you want to look at all the ports, it is not that expensive and you get a lot of good extra good stuff from it.

There are several free utilities but in general I think that you either get a software that you pay for in $ and it prepackaged to work "for you" or you get a free software and pay for it with your time to tinker around with it.

Either way you pay for it somehow.