IT Pro Verdict

Despite issues with the multiple locations for management there is no doubt that there is a place for IPCheck in most datacentres. The main interface is simple and uncluttered and gives you the information you need in a screen that can be easily visually scanned.

By Ian Murphy

published 31 March 2008

in Reviews

The software asks you for the details of an SMTP server in order to send alerts but you are then told that you cannot configure security at this point. Instead, you will need to wait until later and then run the separate utility that IPCheck installs into Control Panel. As you go further into using and configuring IPCheck you find that this is not the only occasion where you need to work out which configuration tool to use.

Moving on, you insert the licence key and the initial installation is completed. Now you are on to the first pass of configuration. I say first pass because to get a really effective set up you will need to move between the different menus and tools and as such, Paessler just misses the mark in terms of having a really simple and effective set up.

You still need to download updates. If you are using the commercial version you will need the email account that was used to purchase the product to create an account on Paessler's server.

Another issue that cropped us as I worked through the configuration was that IPCheck refers to both sensors and servers. Initially, I thought the two words were being used interchangeably and only later did I discover that they are actually very different. When Paessler talks about sensors it refers to a protocol or a service. This confusion is unfortunate and Paessler should explain what each does more clearly.

Page 2 Next