Perth-based developer, Anrich Systems, has come up with a solution for systems integrators and IT managers that allows them to remotely monitor and manage servers via Short Message Service.
Formed through a joint venture between two Web/software developers, the 12-month old company has integrated MonitorMagic’s server monitoring software with the drivers of a GSM device (a specialised SMS modem manufactured by CipherTel) that connects into the serial or USB port of a server.
Anrich Systems developed the software that links this device and the server monitoring software using Microsoft’s .Net technology.
The end result is a solution that allows systems administrators to choose to receive alerts via SMS to a mobile phone based on a given event taking place. These triggers can be set off by disk or memory usage, an event in the server’s log, or when a ping fails. The administrator can also create actions for these triggers, so that if they receive an alert on their mobile phone, they can enter a secure password and order the server be restarted or shutdown, or for emails and other SMS messages to be sent to the appropriate parties informing them of the issue.
Short-term aim
The solution, that the company claims will be sold at the price of a low-end PC, is being pitched at the small and medium business owner.
Anrich Systems principal, Richard Sojka, said the company had not been approached or considered going to large network management software vendors such as HP or IBM because he felt the solution was most necessary for those smaller businesses that might only want to use the solution to monitor a mail server or Web server.
Sojka said he was also considering porting the solution to the Linux platform — at present it only works on Windows-based servers.
In the short-term, the small firm is most interested in forming reseller relationships with systems integrators around the country.
“Systems integrators could either offer this as a service, or at least as a value-add to the server packages they sell,” he said.
The company has also released a developers pack to allow other developers to create their own SMS applications.