VitalSigns for IP, What’s New
VIP 7.1 Makes z/OS Network Monitoring Easier and More Efficient
An even more efficient and simple-to-use version of VIP became available in mid-May 2009.
Described by the product developers at SDS as a “Reliability, Availability, and Serviceability” (SAR) release, VIP 7.1 consumes an absolute minimum of network and CPU overhead, while delivering the most thorough monitoring and diagnostic tools in the mainframe industry.
In VIP 7.1, users will see…
- A single sign-on for VIP monitoring of multiple z/OS systems, even when those systems use different security databases.
- An all-new Remote Application Monitor that tracks the availability of any remote TCP server—including web servers—with a minimum of network overhead. Administrators can receive immediate alerts to unreachable or unresponsive applications.
- The ability to define specific groups of z/OS systems any one user is interested in, and to easily switch VIP displays from one group or another.
- TCP Client Monitoring that shows VIP users the outgoing traffic from TCP clients—database requests, for example.
- VIP’s tool for IP packet tracing, already the most productive packet trace tool in the mainframe world, has been improved to allow a trace to run indefinitely—making it much easier to track down fleeting, intermittent problems.
- VIP’s tools for pinging, tracing routes, and monitoring remote hosts can now send TCP requests to specific ports, thus they more accurately report the state of the network as seen by production applications.
- Mouse-click on almost any IP address reported by VIP; VIP will immediately display the associated domain name. And vice-versa: click on a domain name; VIP will show you its IP address.
- For monitoring FTP, telnet, and TN3270, VIP’s reliance on IBM’s System Management Facility (SMF) has been entirely replaced with a newer, simpler, more efficient option, the Network Management Interface (NM API).
This latest version of VIP follows VIP 7.0, which introduced configuration and performance monitoring for SNA-HPR-Enterprise Extender networks and for TCP/IP Sysplex Distributors.
In efficiency, ease-of-use, and thoroughness of monitoring, VIP 7.1 will consistently outperform other monitors, including those packaged in software suites.