Free programs for remote control computers
- server administration,
- Network technologies ,
- System administration
Remote computer management programs allow you to remotely control another computer over the Internet or local network. This is convenient when you need to help a not very experienced user, for example, a relative or friend who is poorly versed in the computer, to do something on it, without leaving your comfortable chair and without wasting your nerves and time on telephone conversations. It is also convenient to use such programs for remote work, for example, from home to connect to the office and vice versa - to access your home PC, to system administration a whole fleet of computers and servers.
We will conduct a comparative analysis of remote control programs, highlight their advantages and disadvantages.
teamviewer
One of the most popular programs for remote access, it can be quickly downloaded and installed or launched immediately, without installation, even a not very experienced user can handle it. When launched, the program displays a window with an ID and password for accessing this computer, as well as TeamViewer allows you to connect to another computer by setting its ID and password.Advantages:
The program has several basic modes of operation, such as remote control, file transfer, chat, and sharing your desktop. The program allows you to configure round-the-clock access to your computer, it will be convenient for system administration. The speed of work is quite decent, there are versions for all mobile platforms, for various operating systems, which is very pleasing. Simple and quite clear interface plus a number of additional utilities to expand the functionality of the program, will be useful for remote support services.
Flaws:
Although the program is free, but only for non-commercial use, and when working with it for more than 5 minutes, a number of difficulties arise, for example, TV can block the session remote connection, recognizing it as a commercial use. For 24/7 remote access or administration of multiple computers, computer network, you will have to pay for additional program modules. The cost of the program is high.
Outcome:
This program is ideal for a one-time remote connection or use it for short periods of time. It is convenient to use from mobile platforms, but not to administer a large number of computers. You will have to pay extra for additional modules.
LiteManager
A simple, but rather powerful program in terms of its capabilities, it consists of two parts, the first is the Server that you need to install or run on remote computer and Viewer, which allows you to control another computer. To work, the program requires a little more skills and experience from the manager, although working with the server is even easier than in TeamViewer, the server can be installed once and no more actions are needed from the user, the ID will always be constant, you can even set it yourself manually, which very easy to remember. The LiteManager Free version is free for personal and commercial use.
Advantages:
In the program, in addition to the main modes of remote access: remote control, file transfer, chat, task manager, registry editor, there are also unique features eg: inventory, screen recording, remote installation. The program is free for use on 30 computers, it can be used for round the clock access without any additional modules. There are no restrictions on working time. It is possible to set your own server ID for customization corporate service support. The program does not have any restrictions on the time of work and blocking.
Flaws:
Not enough client mobile platforms or other systems, there is a limit of 30 computers per free version, you need to purchase a license to administer more. Some specific modes of operation are only available in the Pro version.
Outcome:
The Litemanager program is suitable for providing remote support, for administering several dozen computers absolutely free of charge, for setting up own service remote support. The cost of the program is the lowest in its segment and the license is not limited in time.
Ammy admin
The program is basically similar to TeamViewer, but a simpler option. There are only basic modes of operation - viewing and managing, file transfer, chat. The program can work without installation, free for non-commercial use.
Advantages:
Simple and light program, you can work both on the Internet and on a local network, it has minimal settings and does not require any special skills and abilities. Compared to TeamViewer, the licensing policy is softer.
Flaws:
Minimum functions for remote management, it will be difficult to administer a large fleet of computers, with long-term use, more than 15 hours per month, the session may be limited or blocked, paid for commercial use,
Outcome:
This program is more suitable for a one-time connection to a computer and not very complex manipulations, for example, as an assistance to an inexperienced user in setting up a computer.
RAdmin
One of the first remote control programs and known in its circle, I could not help but mention it, more intended for system administration, the main emphasis is on security. The program consists of two components: server and client. Requires installation, it will not be easy for an inexperienced user to figure it out, the program is mainly designed to work by IP address, which is not very convenient for providing those. support via the Internet. The program is paid, but has a free trial period.
Advantages:
The program has a high speed, especially in a good network, thanks to the desktop capture video driver, increased reliability and security. Built in Intel technology AMT, which allows you to connect to the BIOS of a remote computer and configure it. Only the main operating modes are implemented - remote control, file transfer, chat, etc.
Flaws:
There is almost no way to work without an IP address, ie. connect by ID. There is no client for mobile systems. No free version, only 30 days trial period. Skills required to operate the program advanced user. When a video is connected, the driver may disable the Aero graphical shell, sometimes the screen flickers.
Outcome:
The program is more suitable for system administrators to administer computers and servers on a local network. To work over the Internet, you may need to set up a VPN tunnel.
Built-in OS and software administration tools are often not always convenient or functional, so the system administrator's arsenal eventually acquires useful utilities that simplify some tasks. At the same time, many solutions are available completely free of charge and cover a variety of aspects of system administration: from configuring certain parameters, managing audit accounts, troubleshooting, and Reserve copy. With their help, you can not only ensure the smooth operation of your IT infrastructure, but also make it more efficient and secure. Consider the 15 most useful solutions affecting different areas of administration.
Advanced IP Scanner
The system administrator must know everything about the systems operating on the network and quickly access them, but using network environment Windows cannot do this. This task can be solved by the Advanced IP Scanner program (radmin.ru/products/ipscanner), designed for fast multi-threaded scanning of a local network. AIPS is provided completely free of charge, without any reservations. The program is very simple and easy to use. After starting, AIPS checks the IP network interfaces of the PC on which it is installed and automatically prescribes the IP range in the scan settings, if IP does not need to be changed, then it remains just to start the scan operation. The result is a list of all active network devices. For each, all possible information will be collected: MAC address, manufacturer network card, network name, logged in user, available shares and services ( shared folders, HTTP, HTTPS and FTP). Almost all scanning parameters can be configured - change the speed, exclude scanning of a certain type of network resources (shared folders, HTTP, HTTPS and FTP) and the Radmin server. You can connect to any resource with one click, you just need to mark it in the list. AIPS is also integrated with the Radmin program and during the scanning process it finds all machines with a running Radmin Server. The scan result can be exported to a file (XML, HTML or CSV) or saved to Favorites (supported by Drag & Drop) and then access the desired PC as needed without rescanning the network. If a remote device supports the Wake-On-Lan function; it can be turned on and off by selecting the appropriate menu item.
AIPS is supported on any computer running under Windows control, the program has the status of Microsoft Platform Ready, Windows 7 Compatible.
NetWrix Inactive Users Tracker
NetWrix, a company specializing in the development of solutions for auditing IT infrastructure changes, offers system administrators 10 free and very useful utilities (goo.gl/sfQGX) that can significantly simplify the administration of Windows OS. For example, NetWrix Inactive Users Tracker (goo.gl/jWEj9) allows you to solve one of the most pressing security problems - the presence of inactive accounts that no one uses for some time (dismissed employees, business trip, promotion, temporary, etc.) . The IT department is rarely warned about changes, but such an account can easily be used by an attacker or simply “come back” by a fired employee. The utility periodically checks all Accounts in domains and reports those that have not been accessed for a certain number of days. AT Free version as actions, it is possible to specify only a warning by email (it is enough to set the SMTP parameters), the admin performs all other operations manually, although in our case a warning is enough. In paid available - automatic installation random password, account deactivation and moving to another OU, and an OU filter to search for accounts. The PowerShell cmdlet get-NCInactiveUsers is offered separately, which allows you to get a list of inactive users (by checking the “lastLogon” attribute) and simplify writing the corresponding scripts. 
WinAudit Freeware
WinAudit is a free utility (also for commercial use) from Parmavex Services (pxserver.com/WinAudit.htm) that allows you to perform a complete system audit. Does not require installation, can also be run on the command line. The program has a simple and localized interface, can be run on all versions of Windows, including 64-bit ones. The data itself is collected in about a minute (may vary depending on operating system and computer configuration), the resulting report consists of 30 categories (can be customized). As a result, the administrator can get data: about the system, installed software and updates indicating the version and vendor, connected devices, a list of open network ports (number, service, program, etc.) and open folders, active sessions, security settings, access rights to peripherals, accounts and groups, a list of tasks / services, programs in autorun, log entries and system statistics (uptime, memory usage, disks) and much more. In fact, everything that is usually required in the process of work. You can also set the search for specific files by name. For example, to find music and videos on the user's hard drives, it is enough just to set the appropriate extensions (avi, mp3, etc.). The result can be opened as a web page, exported to a file of many popular formats (xml, csv, pdf, text), database (using a wizard, all popular MS SQL, MS Access, MySQL, Oracle and others are supported), sent by email and print. 
Computer Accounting CheckCfg
The problem of accounting for office equipment and the software used is acute in any organization, it can be solved in different ways, one of the options is offered by the developer of CheckCfg (checkcfg.narod.ru) Andrey Tatukov. This solution periodically collects hardware, OS, and software data, including CPU type, RAM size, disk space, S.M.A.R.T. status, modem connection information, and more. At the same time, CheckCfg is easily managed with several hundred computers. The result is displayed in a convenient tree form, local directories are easy to access. All PCs can be assigned an inventory number, if necessary, it is easy to generate a report in RTF format. CheckCfg consists of several components. For the direct collection of data about the computer, CheckCfg is “responsible”, which starts at OS startup and writes the result to a file. Management and archiving of information is carried out using the accounting program - Sklad, which processes the files created by CheckCfg and saves it to its database, after which it is possible to generate reports. Using the Sklad_w program, you can conveniently view the current computer configurations and basic data on office equipment (by IP addresses, CPU, Memory, software). To analyze changes in the PC configuration and notify the administrator about this, another utility is used - Doberman. The setting may not seem quite native, since you have to manually create the necessary configuration files, but the description on the site and the available templates allow you to deal with everything without any problems.
CheckCfg is distributed free of charge on an "as is" basis, without the consent of the author, it is prohibited only to sell programs to third parties or change the code of programs.
MailArchiva Open Source Edition
Business processes in any modern company, regardless of size, are unthinkable without Email. This is a very convenient tool for exchanging information, both within the enterprise and with external correspondents. Some mail servers like MS Exchange have mail archiving functions that allow you to find old messages if necessary, including when investigating incidents to detect leaks of confidential information. In other cases, you have to provide desired functions on one's own. A solution option is the development of MailArchiva (mailarchiva.com), which provides the necessary functionality and is compatible with most modern mail servers, including Lotus Domino, MS Exchange, MDaemon, Postfix, Zimbra, Sendmail, Scalix, Google Apps and others. It is possible to archive via SMTP, IMAP/POP3, WebDAV and via Milter (the program has a built-in SMTP and milter server, IMAP/POP client). In order not to collect all mail, you can create any archiving rules. There are three levels of access to saved data - user (only own mail), administrator (settings and own mail) and auditor (all mail, can be limited by rules). The OpenSource version of MailArchiva (openmailarchiva.sf.net) also includes intuitive search functionality, including among attachments (Word, Powerpoint, Excel, OpenOffice, PDF, RTF, ZIP, tar, gz). MailArchiva runs on a variety of operating systems - Windows, Linux, OS X and FreeBSD.
Performance Analysis of Logs
In case of problems with system performance, it is very difficult to detect a bottleneck using the standard Windows Performance Monitor without experience. In order to understand what metrics need to be taken and how to correctly interpret the result, you will need to read the documentation. The PAL (Performance Analysis of Logs, pal.codeplex.com) utility makes this task much easier. Once launched, it scans the logs and analyzes them using built-in templates. Currently there are settings for most popular MS products - IIS, MOSS, SQL Server, BizTalk, Exchange, Active Directory and others. After launch, the administrator activates the necessary counters in the PAL Wizard by simply selecting a template from the list of suggested ones, specifies the current server settings (number of CPUs, etc.), analysis interval and directory for saving the result. After launch, after a while it receives a detailed report in HTML and XML containing a description, counter name, and indicators (Min, Avg, MAx and Horly Trend). The report can then be easily copied to any document. The only thing is that you will still have to understand the collected parameters on your own. Although if PAL shows that the characteristic is in the green sector, you should definitely not worry. The request itself is stored in the PAL.ps1 PowerShell script, which can be saved for later use. Templates are XML files, taking any as an example, you can create your own. To edit the parameters in the template, a built-in PAL Editor is offered.
Win7 is officially supported, but works on all OS from MS starting from WinXP (32/64). Installation requires PowerShell v2.0+, MS . NET Framework 3.5SP1 and MS Chart Controls for Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5. 
Create an Access Point with Virtual Router
The situation when a computer with a WiFi card needs to be turned into an access point is by no means rare today. For example, you need to quickly connect computers on the network or expand the WiFi coverage area. Initially, the operation of a network card was provided only in one of two modes: point-to-point, when clients connect to each other or as an access point. No other options were offered. But in Win7 / 2k8 (except Win7 Starter Edition) it became possible to virtualize network connections when you can create several WiFi modules with your own settings using one physical wifi adapter. That is, such a computer works in wireless network and at the same time is also an access point. The corresponding technologies are called Virtual Wi-Fi (Intel has My WiFi), when one of the adapters can be configured in Software Access Point (SoftAP) mode. The connection to this virtual hotspot is secured using WPA2. Most WiFi cards compatible with new operating systems usually support this mode. You can turn a PC with Win7 / 2k8R2 into an access point using the Netsh console utility and through the Network and Control Center and public access, although many do not like to mess with setting all the parameters. Therefore, we can recommend the Virtual Router application available in CodePlex (virtualrouter.codeplex.com) which has a clear GUI and very simple settings. After starting Virtual Router, you only need to specify the SSD and password for access, and then activate the access point. If necessary, you can also stop the hotspot by pressing one button. Additionally, the window displays the current connections to the point, for each you can set your own icon and change some parameters. 
Managing RDC Connections - RDCMan
For remote control of servers and PCs running under Win, the Remote Desktop Connection snap-in is used. If connections with various settings a lot, then working with her is somewhat inconvenient. Instead of saving individual settings for each computer, you can use the free Remote Desktop Connection Manager (RDCMan) tool to automate this process somewhat. You can download RDCMan from goo.gl/QHNfQ. After launch, you should specify the RDG connection settings, which will be used by default and inherited by everyone. Here we set the general credentials, gateway, screen settings, security settings and much more. Next, we create the required number of system groups (for example, by purpose, location, OS version, etc.) for each, specific connection settings are specified that are different from the general ones and which will be inherited by those included in the PC. And the last step is to fill the groups with systems. To add a server, enter only it Domain name, although if any parameter differs from the group settings, it can be immediately overridden. If necessary, systems can easily be moved between groups by drag and drop. If there are many systems, it is easier to prepare a text file, specifying one name per line, and then feed it to the utility. Now to connect, just select desired server and the Connect item in the context menu. You can activate multiple connections at the same time by switching between them. If space is tight, the window can be easily detached. Any operating system that supports RDC 6 and higher will work.
Free Active Directory Tools
Managing many Active Directory settings using standard tools is not always easy and convenient. In some situations, the kit will help Utilities Free Active Directory Tools (goo.gl/g11zU) developed by ManageEngine and distributed free of charge. The kit consists of 14 utilities launched from one shell. For convenience, they are divided into 6 groups: AD USer Report, SharePoint Report, User Management, Domain and DC Info, Diagnostic Tools and Session Management. For example, running the Empty Password User Report will allow you to get a list of accounts with empty passwords, GetDuplicates - get accounts with the same attributes, CSVGenerator - save to csv file Active Directory account information. And also: last login time report, request-based AD data retrieval, reports on SharePoint installations, local account management, viewing and editing domain password policies, getting a list of domain controllers and their roles, managing their replication, monitoring their work (loading CPU, RAM, hard drives, performance, etc.), DMS port status, terminal session management, and much more. Installing and using FADT is very simple, some utilities require PowerShell to run. It should also be noted that ManageEngine offers several other useful packages for the administrator, a list of which can be found on the company's website. 
Comodo Time Machine
The ability to restore the system using System Restore has been built into Win since XP, but its functionality is limited to put it mildly, so backups are often used third party applications. Free utility Comodo Time Machine (comodo.com) allows you to roll back the OS to any previous state. And it will work even if the OS has completely stopped loading. As part of the process, CTM creates restore points (manually or scheduled) to which all modified system files, the registry, and user files are written. The latter has a big advantage over System Restore, which saves and restores only system files and the registry. The largest space is occupied by the first copy, the rest save only changed files. To save space, you should periodically create a new checkpoint by deleting old archives. To be able to restore the OS, information about the CTM is written in boot sector to call the corresponding menu, just press the Home key. You can also restore the OS state according to a schedule, for example, configure the behavior of the utility so that at each reboot, an automatic rollback to a “clean” version of the system is performed. This will be useful, for example, in Internet cafes, where users leave a lot of garbage in the system. Except full recovery OS can get an earlier version of any file from the archive. Search is implemented, so you can find the necessary data without problems.
Amanda
The task of centralized backup of workstations and servers running Windows and *nix can be solved using AMANDA (Advanced Maryland Automatic Network Disk Archiver, amanda.org). Initially, Amanda was created to work with tape drives, but over time, improvements have appeared “virtual tapes” (vtapes) that allow you to save the collected data on hard drives and CD/DVD. AMANDA is a handy add-on to the standard Unix dump/restore programs, GNU tar, and a few others. Therefore, its main characteristics should be considered based on the capabilities of these basic utilities. Works on a client-server scheme. All available authentication methods are used to access computers: Kerberos 4/5, OpenSSH, rsh, bsdtcp, bsdudp, or a Samba password. To collect data from Windows systems, a special agent is also used, or as a variant of Samba. To collect data, its own protocol is used running over UDP or TCP. Compression and encryption (GPG or amcrypt) of information can be done both directly on the client and on the server. All redundancy settings are made exclusively on the server, the delivery includes ready-made templates so it's very easy to understand.
Core Configurator 2.0 for Server Core
The initial configuration of a server running Win2k8R2 in Server Core mode is done in the console using commands, so beginners are not very fond of this mode. To simplify the task, the OS developers have added an interactive SCONFIG.cmd script that allows you to configure the basic system settings. But as they say, the best is the enemy of the good. Codeplex has a wonderful Core Configurator (coreconfig.codeplex.com). For its operation, you will need the NetFx2-ServerCore, NetFx2-ServerCore and PowerShell components. After starting Start_CoreConfig.wsf, we get a menu in which we find several items that provide access to the main settings that would have to be managed from command line: product activation, setting screen resolution, clock and time zones, network interface, setting permissions for remote RDP connections, managing local accounts, settings Windows Firewall, enable/disable WinRM, specify computer name, working group or domain, configure roles and features, Hyper-V and run DCPROMO. All in a very understandable way. If you select the Load at Windows startup checkbox, then the program will be loaded along with the system.
Exchange 2010 RBAC Manager
Exchange 2010 introduces a new role-based access model that allows for very precise control of the privilege level for users and administrators depending on the tasks performed, and uses three different ways issuance of permits. The only negative is that the built-in management tools using PowerShell cmdlets may not seem convenient and understandable to everyone. More advanced is the free Exchange 2010 RBAC Manager (RBAC Editor GUI, rbac.codeplex.com) tool, which offers a clear graphical interface for configuring the properties of all roles. Probably even a beginner can understand its features. The program is written in C# and uses Powershell. To work, you will also need the installed Exchange 2010 Management Tools.
PowerGUI
It's no secret that when PowerShell appeared, it immediately won the sympathy of Win-admins, who have long demanded a similar tool to automate many tasks. But as usual, in the first version, we were not offered a clear editor, so several projects solved this gap. The best of them by far is PowerGUI (powergui.org), provided completely free of charge, providing a convenient graphical interface for effective creation and debugging PowerShell scripts. A number of functions allow you to automate many tasks. At the same time, developers offer ready-made sets of scripts for solving many problems that can be used in their developments.
Multi-Tabbed PuTTY
The freely distributed PuTTY client is well known to admins who need to connect to remote machines using the SSH, Telnet or rlogin protocols. This is a very handy program that allows you to save session settings for quick connection to the selected system. PuTTY was originally developed for Windows, but later ported to Unix. The only thing is that with a large number of connections, the desktop is loaded with many open windows. This problem is solved by the Multi-Tabbed PuTTY add-on (ttyplus.com/multi-tabbed-putty) that implements the tabbed system.
The system administrator is constantly fighting for free disk space. This applies to both user systems and servers. Sometimes you can quickly determine which files are occupying the disk, but when in a hurry (force majeure) or when the problem is not obvious, it will come to the rescue free program — WinDirStat.
With its help, you can quickly determine the size of directories, files, their structure and location on the disk. There are several display modes, among them the familiar "Explorer", as well as graphic image used disk space.
Analyzing network packets and troubleshooting network infrastructure is a rather time-consuming task that requires preparation. Wireshark is a free tool that makes learning and analyzing traffic easier with its many features. One look at this software will arouse interest and desire to install this utility for further information. On the pages of the project site will definitely appear materials dedicated to the program Wireshark- keep for updates.
Who doesn't know PuTTY? Perhaps this is one of the few programs that is used by all IT specialists. For those who are not yet familiar with it - here is a multiple description. PuTTY is a terminal emulator. If you need serial connection (COM), Telnet, SSH, TCP, Rlogin is the program for you.
AMANDA Network Backup is a data backup system that uses a basic (central) server and clients for different operating systems: Windows, Linux, Solaris, Mac OS X. At the same time, recording to disks, tapes, and cloud storage. The principle of operation is well illustrated in the figure below:
nmap is a free utility designed for a variety of customizable scanning of IP networks with any number of objects, determining the state of the scanned network objects (ports and their corresponding services). The program was originally implemented for UNIX systems, but versions for many operating systems are now available.
PowerGUI - allows you to simplify the assembly of your own PowerShell scripts to simply select the necessary cmdlets that suit your task and drag them into right places. Ideal for those who are new to PowerShell but have a basic understanding of the concepts. PowerGUI is an easy-to-use editor that is likely to improve your understanding of assembling more complex and advanced scripts, especially if you're best at absorbing information visually.
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VirtualBox - lightweight and affordable virtualization for various operating systems (Windows, Linux, Max OS, etc.) Read more about this software.
ClamWin- free antivirus for OS Windows families(all editions). The possibilities include:
- Scheduled Scan Scheduler.
- Automatic update antivirus base.
- Antivirus scanner.
- Integration into context menu Explorer in Windows.
- Plugin for Microsoft Outlook.
- Ability to work from a flash drive or CD without the need for installation.
Of course, there are many antivirus programs, but this product is included in today's article due to open program code and accessibility.
This add-on allows you to conveniently manage virtual machine in the Microsoft Azure cloud.
Excellent fast multi-platform network scanner.
That's all. Leave in the comments the programs and services that you use in your work. Good luck!
All system administrators, regardless of whether you administer Windows or Linux, need a certain set of programs, tools and utilities that will help you cope with an unforeseen situation, analyze the system or make it easier to solve everyday tasks. There are many such solutions.
including open source code.
In this article, we will look at best programs for system administrator 2016, which you can use in your work. Our list will include not only ordinary utilities and programs for a specific operating system, but also entire images. Now let's move on to our list.
Good text editor- this is one of the main tools of the system administrator, because in many situations it is necessary to make changes to the configuration files and it is important to do this very quickly. The Vim editor recently turned 25 years old and is still very much under development.
It compares favorably with all other editors in that it allows you to edit text
and moving through it very quickly without taking your fingers off the main keyboard. To do this, the editor has two modes - command mode, with which you can navigate through the text using letter keys, as well as execute various commands. The second mode is editing, in which the program turns into a regular editor.
In November, the eighth version of Vim was released, in which the program received many improvements. For example, GTK3 support
and asynchronous I/O for plugins. This editor can work not only on Linux, but also on Windows and MacOS.
2. Top
Monitoring the load on the operating system is also a very important task that system administrators often face. For example, if you need to find out very urgently which program is overloading the processor or taking up all the available RAM. The htop utility shows a real-time list of all running processes with the ability to sort by the desired parameter, the use of the processor, memory.
In addition, using the utility, you can see the number of threads of the processor core on which the program is running and much more. It is one of the most important utilities in the list of system administrator programs. The program only works on Linux systems.
3. Git
Version control is very important not only in programming. For various scripts, configuration and conventional text files It can also be very useful to restore a previous version.
Git was originally developed by Linus Torvaldst to manage the development of the Linux kernel.
But today it is a full-fledged platform, which is used by a very large number of projects.
open source. But it can also be useful in keeping old versions of your configuration files.
Last on this moment version is 2.10 which has many useful features. For example, using the git diff command, you can find out exactly which lines and in which files have been changed, deleted lines will be crossed out. The program can be used on Windows and Linux.
Computers don't always work as they should and tend to break down. Great practice for system administrators is to have a CD or USB disk with a set of tools that will help restore the system or at least data from problem computers.
SystemRescueCD is an actively developing set of utilities for the system administrator for all occasions. It is a bootable Linux distribution based on Gentoo which contains various tools for checking hardware, disk partitioning, data recovery, checking your computer for viruses, network settings and much more.
In 2016, versions 2.8 and 2.9 were released. In these versions, the image received updates to various components, including the addition of support for btrfs tools.
5. Clonezilla
Sometimes it's better not to restore the system from scratch, but to have a backup of the entire machine in order to be able to bring the system back to life in a few minutes. Clonezilla is the de facto standard for creating backups.
and deploying system images to disk. You can create backups, both for individual partitions,
as well as for the entire disk.
The program can be used from the current system or as boot image with a pseudo-graphical interface - Clonezilla Live. Once you have a copy ready, you can very easily recover from a failed configuration or upgrade.
The latest version has added support for detecting encrypted Windows BitLocker volumes, improved EFI support, and updated all software to the latest Debian versions.
6.Docker
Containers are isolated environments that allow you to run multiple systems on a single Linux kernel. All systems are isolated from each other, as well as from the main system. The Docker Container Configuration Tool has been a huge contributor to container development in 2016.
Docker is an open platform that allows you to deploy containers in just a few commands
with the right Linux distributions and run the necessary software on them. With Docker
you can package a standalone application with all its dependencies and then run it on any distribution that supports Docker.
You can create your own programs and share them with other users. Docker allows companies to choose the system on which the software will run without restricting developers
in tools and programming languages.
AT latest versions Docker was added the ability to check the status of the container and automatic recovery in case of problems, and now Docker containers can run not only on Linux,
but also on Windows.
7 Wireshark
Wireshark is a tool for analyzing traffic passing through a computer and storing network packets. Such a task may arise when analyzing the health of a network, network services, or web applications. The program supports great amount protocols, can even decrypt HTTPS traffic if it has the key.
You can filter all traffic according to the required parameters, sort packets, view their contents
and complete information, as well as much more.
The new version of Wireshark 2.0 was released in 2015, since then it has been actively developed in this thread. Its interface has been rewritten in Qt5 and made more intuitive.
8. TightVNC
TightVNC allows you to access a GUI on a remote computer. With this program, you can control your computer remotely without actually being in front of it. Administrators usually manage Linux servers via ssh, however, some users prefer to use a GUI for such tasks.
The program has the ability to encrypt VNC traffic, thus making it secure, just like ssh. TightVNC can run on both Linux and Windows. You will then be able to access your device
from any place where there is internet.
9.Zenmap
Zenmap is a GUI for the popular network scanner, nmap. With this tool
you can very quickly find all nodes connected to the network, check the network topology, and also see the list of running services on each of the computers.
Also, with the help of the program, you can find potentially dangerous places in the server settings, many administrators use it to check the availability of nodes or even measure uptime.
10. Filezilla
Our list of system administrator utilities is coming to an end. When administering servers, you often have to transfer files. Typically, this task is performed over the FTP protocol. Filezilla is one of the best and most popular clients for transferring and downloading files via FTP. The program interface is divided
into two panels, in one of them you see local computer, and to another remote file system FTP server.
The interface of the program is intuitive and can be used on Windows, Linux and MacOS.
conclusions
In this article, we looked at 2016 system administrator software that can help you a lot in administering your computer ecosystem. And what tools do you use? Write in the comments!
10 May 2017
Programs for the system administrator
Managing software and hardware in an enterprise is not an easy task, especially when it comes to a fleet of computers numbering tens or even hundreds of units. In order to speed up the execution of everyday tasks, you will need a special set of system administrator programs. Below we will talk about what tasks you can use certain software solutions.
Equipment inventory
Software for the system administrator, designed for hardware accounting, allows you to remotely collect information about the status and composition of equipment in the local network without the need to analyze each individual PC “in the field”. It doesn't matter if it's just one computer or several hundred.
This procedure typically requires only network/domain administrator credentials. Let's look at three best solutions to account for network equipment and computers within the enterprise, which will be relevant in the coming years.
This is a centralized hardware inventory application that collects user and technical data about devices in corporate network. The program can scan Windows, Linux, Mac, ESXi servers and other network devices. You can flexibly generate reports in a tabular format using any category of data on selected computers. It should also be noted that there is a change log that allows you to track any changes in both hardware and software on remote computers.
10-Strike: Computer Inventory
This application allows you to inventory and record hardware. Among the features of this application is the presence of a web interface that allows you to access inventory data from other computers or from mobile devices. There is also the possibility of building detailed reports on the information collected during scanning. Subsequently, the information obtained can be presented in the form of convenient pivot tables or exported to an external database.
DEKSI Network Inventory
This useful utility is designed for remote monitoring of the state of the computer park. It allows you to view configurations and write all the necessary data using DataCollector.exe, which works in sync with other applications without slowing down their performance. As a result, you get well-structured information from which you can create reports that can be exported to HTML files, tables, and text files.
Lansweeper Network Inventory
A web-based software solution that provides comprehensive network scanning and diagnostics. Lansweeper monitors the hardware environment on the network and provides information about it in handy reports. There is an opportunity to perform scanning both manually and automatically according to a schedule or by an agent at logon. To do this, you will need to set the appropriate settings, and then all processes will be performed automatically. The program also has the ability to synchronize with Active Directory.
Accounting software
Such programs for the system administrator are essentially centralized data storages about the software installed on computers in the corporate network. These applications also often allow you to track the current status of the licenses used by the company and plan for their renewal. Another interesting possibility of such solutions is the creation of standard sets of software and configurations for certain positions, departments and employees.
This is an extended version of the product we reviewed above. Contains a module that allows you to store and maintain license keys. A structured storage that contains all the data about the software on each computer on the network allows you to significantly reduce the number of operations that need to be regularly performed with the computer park (updating and configuring software, accounting for licenses, uninstalling, etc.) that all these operations can be regulated by creating special schedules. For example, a weekly network scan with the TNI 3 can be done automatically without operator intervention.
10-Strike: Accounting Software Pro
Through this solution, you will get all the necessary information about the software on users' workstations, without having to get direct access to each of them. Versions of the operating system and applications installed in it, the presence of updates and even suspicious programs on any node of the local network - all this can be found in remote access. In addition, this application automatically monitors all events that occur with user devices connected to the network, providing the operator with information about them via e-mail.
Lansweeper Network Inventory
This utility allows you to keep track of not only hardware, but also software devices on your network. After scanning, detailed reports become available to you, tracking the licensing status of a particular software, as well as the ability to track any changes in the list of programs that have occurred since the last scan. Another interesting feature of this utility is the ability to calculate in advance the cost of maintaining or updating corporate software licenses.
Remote installation and removal of programs
If a company has a dispersed infrastructure, system administrators have to spend up to several days installing the necessary applications for each workstation. To solve this problem, tools such as Total Software Deployment 2 and 10-Strike: Remote Access were created. They reduce the downtime caused by installing and uninstalling apps by allowing you to do it remotely.
With TSD 2, you can deploy, update, and uninstall software remotely on a PC. You can perform these procedures simultaneously on all computers in the network. As a result, all manipulations can take no more than a couple of minutes. In addition, the system administrator can get a list of applications installed on stations within the corporate network.
10-Strike: Remote Access
This tool provides remote access to user PCs, opening up a wide range of options for centralized management. it perfect solution, both for network management and organization technical support. It doesn't matter if you are deploying a network or trying to eliminate the consequences of malware activity on a specific computer, the application will be equally useful in each of these cases.
Server and local network monitoring
Programs for the system administrator of this type provide advanced tracking of server activity and various network processes. They minimize the amount of manual work an administrator needs to do to check the availability of certain resources, thereby helping to streamline their workflows.
TNM 2 will serve as a budget and effective tool for network monitoring, as well as monitoring the operation of server machines. The program automatically scans the network for vulnerabilities and anomalies, and promptly notifies network operators of detected problems. In particular, for these purposes, monitors are pre-configured - special objects that analyze the correctness of the operation of individual network services.
10-Strike: Network Monitoring
This software promptly detects non-standard network activity, which may be caused by malware infiltration or technical problems. It also provides powerful host monitoring tools, file exchanges, access to databases and other interactions between individual network nodes (including IoT-based devices) via the SNMP protocol and a regular web interface.