100% Developed & Supported in the state of Washington, U.S.A.

Winter Newsletter

January 10, 2006 Volume 1, Number 5

In This Issue

·    ELM Monitors the Monitors

·    RSS Feed at www.TNTSoftware.com

·    SA Tips

·    Meet the People at TNT Software

·    NOT Strictly Business

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Security

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Testimonials

"I don't see how anyone can run Windows machines without ELM. It's like watching TV without TIVO."

Case Studies

See how companies worldwide are using ELM to proactively manage their environments

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Phone: 360.546.0878

Fax: 360.546.5017

Toll-Free: 877.546.0878

http://www.tntsoftware.com/

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ELM Monitors the Monitors

Here's a different way to use ELM. The Regional Transportation Commission in Reno Nevada monitors traffic conditions and other sites around the city with web cameras. The job of assuring those cameras are working meant logging onto each camera and looking at the pictures. The job was necessary and it took someone's time and attention.

Then someone had a light bulb moment. Why not use ELM? Now Regional Transportation Commission in Reno is automatically testing their traffic cameras using the Ping monitor, and the IT staff is free to pursue other tasks, confident that ELM will alert them if a web camera needs attention.

Here's a particularly nice place in Reno, http://www.cityofreno.com/res/com_service/parks/whitewatercam.php

If you'd like to share how you are using your ELM product - and maybe be featured in a future newsletter - send your story to newsletter@tntsoftware.com

RSS Feed at www.TNTSoftware.com

Now you can stay up-to-the-minute with events at TNT Software. We've added RSS capabilities to our home page. Just look for the orange RSS button.

For those of you who have not ventured into the RSS world, you'll find that clicking on the button displays a page of xml code, not very useful. To use the RSS button, you must first download a piece of software called a "newsreader". There are several free newsreaders available on the internet. Choose one that is fast and simple to download, install and add feeds.

When you have a newsreader installed, come back to http://www.tntsoftware.com, right-click on the RSS button, and copy the shortcut address into your newsreader ADD window.

Or, if you prefer, you can click on the My Yahoo! or My MSN buttons to add our feed.

That's all there is to it! Now you'll be "in the know".

SA Tips

Last newsletter, we told you how to monitor network devices using SNMP traps as events. This month we take it a step further to talk about our SNMP Monitor.

First, download the latest version of TNT Software's ELM Enterprise Manager

» Create an IP Virtual Agent for your device (not required if an Agent already exists for that device or if the Auto Add New Agents option is enabled in the ELM control panel)

• Right-click the Monitoring container in the ELM Console and select New | Agent to open the Agent Installation Wizard. Click Next.
• Select the IP Virtual Agent radio button and click Next.

• Enter the IP address of the device you wish to monitor. Click Next.

• Select the IP Virtual Agent Category and click Next.
• Enter a description, if desired, and click Finish.

To test for specific situations on a device:

»Create an ELM SNMP Monitor:

• Right-click on the Monitoring container in the ELM Console. Select New | Monitor Item to start the Create Monitor Wizard. Click Next.
• Select SNMP Monitor from the drop-down menu. and click Next.
• Select the SNMP value to test - In order for ELM to understand a trap sent to it by an agent, it must know what the object identifier (OID) defines. There are three ways to enter that value:
  • 1. Enter it, if you know it.
  • 2. Use the ELM MIB browser to "walk" the OID namespace tree to select the specific OID you wish to test. For traps that are supported by Cisco devices in specific MIBs, go to ftp://ftp-sj.cisco.com/pub/mibs/traps/ To find out which MIBs are supported on your Cisco device, visit www.cisco.com/go/mibs. To add a MIB to ELM, open the properties of an SNMP Monitor item, click on the MIB Files button on the SNMP tab, click the Add button and select the MIB file you wish to add. (A MIBFiles sub-folder is in the ELM install folder. Place the vendor-supplied MIB file in this folder.) Click Next.
  • 3. Enter the IP address of your device into Host Computer, specify the Community for that device and click the Display Objects from computer/community button and then walk the MIB that appears in the MIB browser.
• Enter the action to be performed when the monitor state changes and click Next.
• Select the Agent on which to test the monitor item from the drop-down menu and click Start Test. If satisfied with the results of the test, click Next.
• Select the Agents to be monitored and click Next. Define the schedule used to activate this monitor and click next.
• Enter the monitor Name and Description, then click Finish.

Meet the People at TNT Software

Susie is not a geek. How she tolerates all of us is phenomenal. Because of Susie, we all have paychecks and we all know when we have holidays. OK, it's weird needing to be reminded of holidays, but several of us do. Susie just shakes her head.

Susie runs the business office side of TNT Software. She's yet another native of the Pacific Northwest and, you'll have to admit, a real trouper!

Watch the newsletter to meet more of the people behind TNT Software!

NOT Strictly Business

Kudos to Rich F. in Wisconsin for pointing out that a piece of paper can be folded in half 8 times - he'd read the proof just before receiving our newsletter last month!

January 10th in History

1645 - William Laud, Archbishop of Canterbury, was beheaded for treason.
1863 - The world's first underground railway service, London's Metropolitan line between Paddington and Farringdon, was opened.
1911 - While flying over San Diego, California, Major Jimmie Erickson took the first photograph from an airplane.
1949 - The Radio Corporation of America, known as RCA, announced the new 7-inch, 45 rpm phonograph record. Known familiarly as the 45, the record with the big hole in the middle, the invention would forever change the pop music business. RCA manufactured a record player that would only play 45s, that had a fat spindle to make "stacking wax" easy and automatic. 1963 - By employing Robert Whitlow, the Chicago Cubs became the first baseball club to hire an athletic director.

Born on January 10th

1738 Ethan Allen, American Revolutionary War hero d: 1789
1904 Ray Bolger [Raymond Wallace Bulcao], dancer, actor d: 1987
1928 Maurice Bernard Sendak, author, illustrator
1939 Bill Toomey U.S. Decathlon Olympic Gold Medalist
1945 Rod Stewart, singer, musician
1953 Bobby Rahal, auto racer

Top Ten New Year's Resolutions

1. Spend more time with family and friends
2. Fit in fitness
3. Tame the bulge
4. Quit smoking
5. Enjoy life more
6. Quit drinking
7. Get out of debt
8. Learn something new
9. Help others
10. Get organized