ManageEngine OpUtils

Pros: Out of all the services offered by OpUtils the IP Address Manager module captivated me most. That gave me an immediate ability to monitor each IP address’ usage, its status and activity history in the various segments of the network.

Cons: I noticed this took sometimes when I was adding new devices into the network especially using Wi-Fi connection.

Pros: OpUtils helps to schedule subnet scans and it has eliminated a process that was done regularly so that our IP addresses are always up-to-date. It has provided time for other important activities to be done since most of the work has been done by this automation.​

Cons: The reporting module could use specific touch points which we track; instead, further data processing off the platform seems to be required. This is the reason that introducing customizable report templates would rectify.​

Pros: We have been able to manage our IP request through the help of OpUtils’s IP request tool. Team members can ask for IPs in their range of subnets and as an administrator one can approve or change the subnet requests to avoid any clashes with other users.​

Cons: Sometimes, the system explorer fails to get the full information about the system from some SNMP-enabled devices.

Pros: What I find most beneficial is the feature where ManageEngine OpUtils is capable of discovering and monitoring all the network equipment in real-time. SNMP has proved useful in monitoring the status of devices given that our network infrastructure is expanding.

Cons: The problem that I faced is not integrated associated third party applications for specialized reporting.

Pros: I like it that with ManageEngine OpUtils, the network traffic is definitely explained deeply. The facilities to track basic performance issues such as bandwidth and uptime of the network has enhanced my responsiveness to problems and overall health of the network.

Cons: Some of the notifications could be more specific to give clues on how to tackle the problem in case a network anomaly occurs.

Pros: By integrating the Wake-on-LAN feature, OpUtils has made the management of such devices easy since the devices can be made to wake up at set times. Observing the bandwidth restrictions in every interface helps in finding out those constraints which need an upgrade.​

Cons: There are also occasional discrepancies in the numbers that are shown in the Bandwidth Monitor when you are monitoring interfaces that have a varying traffic flow. Cross checks with other tools are needed for confirmation purposes.​

Pros: The SNMP utilities that are available with OpUtils have been helpful in assessing the health of devices. This type offers to respond to potential problems as soon as possible by presenting real-time information.

Cons: The configuration of SNMP settings for different devices takes time at the initial level. Some of the alerts are not captured by the Trap Receiver and therefore need to be checked by hand.​

Pros: The nature of the live monitoring also involves enhanced features including SNMP utilities and system detail updates, which give a general view of the network. It also supports broad spectrum of monitoring and management tasks from one console.​

Cons: Scheduling of scan jobs do not execute automatically when created on subnets as required by some users frequently. This lack of consistency makes me to initiate the scans at times which interfere with the automation I wanted.

Pros: OpUtils offers Bandwidth Monitor which makes easier to analyze the graphic value and quickly distinguish when the network’s bandwidth is fully utilized or if there are particular congested areas. This data is very important for forecasting goal and to check capacity utilization so as to improve on the performance.​

Cons: It is not specific enough in the setup of the thresholds concerning different devices or interfaces.

Pros: Config File Manager is especially effective for making backups of device configurations as well as comparing them. This feature helps in tracking changes that have been made and management can revert them in case they disrupt the operation of the network.​

Cons: TFTP server installation or setting up is not very simple and straightforward as it involves number of steps and configurations to be made. This process has to be simplified so that it can be effective when it comes to quick deployment.​

Pros: System Explorer in OpUtils provides detailed information about the configuration of the device, availability of the CPU usage and software. The detail provided by GQM helps in preventive maintenance and resource management in advance.​

Cons: I noticed that the Network Scanner sometimes does not pick devices during scans; mostly devices with dynamic IP addresses. This type of oversight system misplacement can therefore cause coverage gaps.​

Pros: OpUtils ‘s features such Ping and Trace Route especially give a brief understanding of the problem with the network connection. The export feature to several formats is beneficial as it enables one to use the reports for documentation and sharing with other parties.​

Cons: The Rogue Detection tool is also capable of identifying authorized device on the network by marking it as rogue hence triggering an alarm. This had the need to be whitelisted with known devices, which adds to the lists of administration work that must be done.​

Pros: A standout feature of OpUtils is the Wake-on-LAN that enabled me to bring certain devices online for maintenance purposes. This has ensured efficiency and also minimized on contacts with machines which has been positive in ensuring reduction on sicknesses in production plant.​

Cons: I discovered that the SNMP tools sometimes tend to fail at getting some MIB data into the work station completely. This inconsistency can somewhat hamper the degree of monitoring done on those particular devices.​

Pros: The IP Address Management feature helps in the tracking of the distributed IP addresses so that they are according to the subnets. OpUtils has a unique ability to identify conflicts and offer detailed reports and result, which is very useful regarding network integrity.​

Cons: Sometimes the Port Scanner shows results erroneously that there are open ports while in the real sense, the ports are closed.

Pros: Switch Port Mapper in OpUtils has really assisted in identifying the devices connected to every switch port without the usual time consuming tracing. This helps in identifying the allocated IP addresses and makes organizational and planning for the network easier.​

Cons: I realized that the Bandwidth Monitor may take some time to update Real-Time Statistics data during periods of high traffic volumes. This delays the real time analysis and hence real time response to congestion in the network.​

Pros: When performing a network clean up in different subnets, OpUtils assisted me to perform switch port scan as well. With the Port Mapper, I could know whether ports in a network were active, vacant or occupied by devices that should not be there.

Cons: DHCP Scope Monitor did not always in real time update itself from one of our older servers with current lease information. This meant that lease analysis could not be done adequately without performing further checks on the DHCP server interface.

Pros: They are useful in mapping of the devices to switch ports and has proven helpful to OpUtils. It helps in quickly recognize devices that do not belong and the aggregation to the DHCP server optimizes the ports and increases possibilities of tracking IPs.​

Cons: The Rogue Device Detection tool labels innocent devices as ‘rogue’ and thus incites investigations on genuine devices. Sensitivity of the detection parameters is best achieved based on the understanding of the network environment.​

Pros: OpUtils has established to be an essential tool that i could not do without in my operations. Due to the features of the IP Address Management to ensure that MAP allocates the right IP address that I do not encounter any problems with subnets.

Cons: Nevertheless the tool is rather efficient and, although the default Bandwidth Monitor data update rates may be slightly low at times, they can seriously impair bandwidth utilization decisions during a high load.

Pros: Some of the things that I was able to accomplish with OpUtils was using its magnificent feature to monitor the amount of uplink used on selective connections. I also felt it was especially beneficial when comparing smartphone network performance across different departments.

Cons: Sometimes SNMP credentials were to be updated at a device level which became cumbersome if there were several changes in SNMP. A bulk update feature would have been especially useful when managing routine switches to credentials.

Pros: OpUtils was useful in assessing switch port usage by continuously updating the information. The switch port mapper enabled me to map out devices in different buildings and to monitor the status of ports in real-time was useful for identifying unused ports, and organizing hardware.

Cons: It was observed that backup scheduling of Cisco configuration could sometime miss devices that were online but under high latency. This made me perform a manual check on logs to confirm that critical switches had been backed up fully.

Pros: OpUtils has proved to me to be rather useful in managing our IP addressing scheme. By using the IP Address Manager, it was easier for me to distinguish between the used IPs, reserved IPs, and IPs that are still available so avoiding conflicts.

Cons: I observed that the real-time usage graphs settings were often updated during peak period. Sometimes it took a while to refresh itself in order to promptly address high bandwidth usage possibilities in more dynamic scenarios.

Pros: I appreciate the ability to use OpUtils to see the IP availability across subnets and VLANs, and not having to use Excel spreadsheets. Through the use of this tool, I was able to map MAC addresses to switch ports which helped me a lot when doing patch panel audits.

Cons: The SNMP scan and MAC address tracker in particular might stop responding, i.e. time out while other jobs are running in the background. To avoid this, I was forced to schedule the scans during off peak hours to ensure that the results were not intermingled.