Neon's LANsurveyor Takes The Pain Out Of Complex Network Management

Effective tools for managing smaller networks offer a precarious balance between ease of use and a robust feature set. Often, the more complex tools are unwieldy and require more time to master than it would take to manually manage a network, while simpler tools lack the punch to effectively aid the harried network administrator.

LANsurveyor takes aim at this problem by combining a robust basic feature set with point-and-click ease of use. Solution providers will find all of the basic management requirements covered by LANsurveyor. The product's straightforward interface offers easy access to a range of functions, including key network and desktop management capabilities such as automatic network maps, asset management reports, remote distribution and remote administration.

LANsurveyor is a multipart product, so solution providers will need to install a management console on an appropriate system and a small client, referred to as a responder, on client PCs on the network. The console application and responders work hand in hand to provide complete desktop and network management. Without the installation of the responders, the console application will only be able to discover basic network and client information.

CRN Test Center engineers installed LANsurveyor version 7.0 on a small Microsoft Windows network consisting of a server running Windows 2000, four Windows XP-based client machines, two networked printers and a Netgear router used for broadband connectivity. Installation was straightforward, and within a few minutes, Test Center engineers were able to create a basic network map of all attached equipment. LANsurveyor was able to identify all of the attached PCs, both of the attached printers and the Windows 2000 server. Basic information on the equipment, including PC name and IP address, was quickly displayed, with the Netgear router being the only unknown item listed. All of the attached devices were discovered prior to the installation of the Neon responders.

Once the responders were installed, the true depth of the product was evident. LANsurveyor was able to identify almost everything about an attached PC, including processors, installed devices and resources available, making the product a dream for those managing desktop configurations and inventories. Furthermore, the responder technology enabled key functionality, ranging from remote reboots to moving folders and directories. LANsurveyor also supports SNMP monitoring, allowing management of devices that cannot run the responder clients.

Neon also bundles the open-source VNC remote-control viewer application on the install CD. PCs running VNC can be remotely controlled from an administrator's workstation directly from LANsurveyor's management console. Although VNC is not as robust as some of the leading remote-control packages, it covers the basics quite well. For sites equipped with Apple computers, LANsurveyor supports remote-control capability via Timbuktu, a popular remote-control application in the Apple community.

Solution providers remotely supporting customer networks have the option of leveraging a VPN connection to discover and manage remote client PCs. All a solution provider would need to do is install responders on each remote PC and then attach via a VPN connection to inventory, manage and remotely control those PCs.

More active networks will benefit from LANsurveyor's comprehensive reporting capabilities, through which solution providers can define and generate reports on a whole host of items. That functionality is ideal for tracking and documenting changes on networks or for resource and upgrade planning.

All things considered, LANsurveyor brings key features to both solution providers and their customers that want to get a handle on complex networks.

CHANNEL PROGRAM SNAPSHOTS
>NEON SOFTWARE LANSURVEYOR WRKGROUP EDITION
PRICE: $995
MARGIN: 30 percent
COMPETITIVE UPGRADES: Yes
CO=OP FUNDS: No
SPIFFS: No
DEDICATED SOLUTION PROVIDER WEB SITE: No
SELLS DIRECT TO END USERS: Yes
AUTHORIZATION REQUIREMENTS: None
SOLUTION PROVIDER ADVISORY COUNCIL: No
WARRANTY: 30-day money-back quarantee

DISTRIBUTORS: Direct from vendor
TECH RATING:

CHANNEL RATING:

CHANNEL OVERVIEW: Lafayette, Calif.-based Neon Software provides basic support and assistance to solution providers and their customers. Technical training is available for all users at Neon's Web site, and the vendor participates in joint sales via conference calls. Neon provides unlimited-trial software to solution providers. Varying levels of toll-free technical support are available via phone or e-mail during Pacific time business hours.

Note: Vendors can earn up to five stars for technical merit and five for their channel program. If the average of these two scores is four stars or greater, the product earns CRN Test Center Recommended status.