Here are some recommended tools for network administration, each serving different purposes in network management and troubleshooting:
- Wireshark: A widely used network protocol analyzer. It lets you capture and interactively browse the traffic running on a computer network.
- Nmap (Network Mapper): A powerful tool for network discovery and security auditing. It’s used to discover devices running on a network and the services they are offering.
- SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor: An advanced tool that helps in monitoring network performance, detecting network issues, and resolving network problems.
- Nagios: An open-source monitoring system that enables organizations to identify and resolve IT infrastructure problems before they affect critical business processes.
- NetFlow Analyzer: A tool primarily used for analyzing network traffic flow data. It’s helpful for bandwidth monitoring and traffic analysis.
- PRTG Network Monitor: Offers a user-friendly way to monitor your network, including traffic, applications, availability, bandwidth, and more.
- Cisco Packet Tracer: A powerful network simulation tool that allows you to experiment with network behavior and ask “what if” questions.
- Ansible: While primarily a DevOps tool, it’s increasingly used in network automation to manage configurations and orchestrate complex network changes.
- Zabbix: An open-source monitoring tool for networks, servers, virtual machines, and cloud services.
- Microsoft Network Monitor: A deprecated but still useful tool for analyzing and viewing network traffic.
Each of these tools has its own strengths and caters to different aspects of network administration, from monitoring and analysis to security and configuration management. The choice of tool depends on the specific needs of your network environment and the tasks you need to perform.