NetCrunch FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Questions related to the trial

I have installed the software trial and it has expired. How can I evaluate the product longer?

If you need more time to evaluate the product, please e-mail the sales department at sales@adremsoft.com or call (212)319-4114 and ask to speak to sales.

About NetCrunch features

We need the ability to import MIBs (whether compiled or not doesn't matter, we can compile them if necessary). Does NetCrunch support third party MIBs in the MIB manager?

Yes, it does. NetCrunch includes the MIB Compiler to easily import third party MIBs.

Does NetCrunch work on a server/workstation that has Windows 2000?

No. Starting from version 5, Windows 2000 is not supported by AdRem Software. However, NetCrunch can monitor a server or workstation that has Windows 2000 Server or Professional installed.

On how many PCs can I install NetCrunch?

Please read about NetCrunch licensing model.

I have different systems on my network - Linux, Solaris, HP Unix and some Windows servers. Can I monitor them all with NC?

Yes, NetCrunch is a multi-platform monitoring application and is able to monitor all of these.

What generally can I monitor with your product?

With NetCrunch, the following resources can be monitored:

  • Real-time status of hosts and network services and application services (over 60 network and application services are defined; custom services can be freely added)
  • Performance of hosts using SNMP and system-specific performance counters (Windows, Linux, and NetWare)
  • Syslogs and SNMP traps
  • Windows NT family services and event logs
  • Applications (Windows applications like MS SQL, MS Exchange, MS IIS, Active Directory and Novell NLMs, Linux daemons, etc.)

If you would like to learn more, please read about the monitoring features in NetCrunch.

Operation related to the firewall

What ports should I open on my firewall or router?

Depending on what network service you want to monitor open that services specific port. For example, FTP is usually on port 21, so to monitor FTP open this port and so on.

Our system is still firewall protected and our DMZ only allows certain IP addresses. Could this be the reason that NetCrunch is not working and monitoring my Network services?

NetCrunch requires you to add the IP address of the workstation where NC is running to let it go through the router (go through the filtering rules).

Scanning and monitoring services

I know for a fact that several services are running on my network like HTTP, HTTPS, SMTP, IMAP, FTP, etc. However, when scanning these services NetCrunch only responds with a ping. What is going on and what do I need to do?

Check if these services use typical ports and try to increase the time out parameters for scanning. If they don't, go to [Tools > Options > Monitoring > Network Services Definitions] to duplicate the existing service and change its port to the proper one.

How do I write an LDAP query so that it gets an answer from Active Directory? I would also like to be able to check if LDAP is running?

You don't have to write a query to Active Directory. With NC you can monitor LDAP service as a network service. LDAP should be running on its default port but not always. If its not, determine what port LDAP is running on and notify NetCrunch what port this is, in the Network Services Definition window.

I tried to find a counter to monitor Cisco router bandwidth usage but didn't have any success. How can I do that?

Please check in the Cisco documentation to see if any additional MIB files are available to monitor this specific counter. Once you found them, you can use the MIB Compiler to add them to the program.

What kind of data can I enter into the services definition window?

The services definition window requires you to sniff the packets during common communication with the service you want add. Then add the information from the send packet to the edit box entitled "Request". Then, the response packet information should be copied to the edit box entitled "Response" This will allow you to monitor this additional service.

Updating/installing the product

What certain actions do I need to make sure are completed when uninstalling an old version and installing a new one? Do certain keys, reg. archives or preferences need to be removed?

The current version can be easily upgraded to the latest one. However, if you want to be sure that all the previous data is deleted, uninstall the product with Add/Remove Programs and remove all program's data from "C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\AdRem\NetCrunch\[major_version_number]\data\".

Where can I download the update?

If you would like to update your purchased version of NetCrunch, go to the customer portal at MyAdrem Portal. If you are using a demo and would like to upgrade it please go to Downloads page.

What changes have been implemented in the latest release? Do I have to update to the latest one?

We recommend you to update because the latest version most likely has all or most issues eradicated or because you may find new features useful. Also, we provide technical support only for users with the latest release installed. The most current version of NetCrunch and its new bug fixes and features can be seen on Release Notes page.

Can I install the full version on the expired trial version without losing the configuration data?

The trial version can be easily updated with the full one and all data will be retained.

I moved NetCrunch to another machine, but my maps are gone. Where are they?

The NetCrunch data is stored by default in

  • For Windows 2003 Server "..\Documents and Settings\All Users\ApplicationData\AdRem\NetCrunch\[major_version_numer]\data"
  • For Windows 2008 Standard / 2008 R2 Server "..\ProgramData\AdRem\NetCrunch\[major_version_number\data"

The best way to move data from one computer to another is to export an atlas to a file and import the atlas from this file on another machine.

How can I save the Atlas that I've made in the program if I want to reinstall or upgrade the program?

All data will be retained during reinstalling. However, we recommend that you export all atlases to a file for safety.

Where is my data (maps, statistics) stored?

The NetCrunch data is stored by default in

  • For Windows 2003 Server "..\Documents and Settings\All Users\ApplicationData\AdRem\NetCrunch\[major_version_numer]\data"
  • For Windows 2008 Standard / 2008 R2 Server "..\ProgramData\AdRem\NetCrunch\[major_version_number\data"

Contacting tech support

Where is diagnostic info about NetCrunch performance stored?

If some perfomance issue happens during the program operation, detailed diagnostic report is generated and saved to the disc where the software is running. Diagnostic reports are very useful to identify and resolve issues reported to AdRem tech support.

When contacting AdRem tech support, you may be asked to provide NetCrunch diagnostic report. Such report is generated when NetCrunch encounters performance issue. Diagnostic reports help us identify and resolve issues reported to AdRem tech support.

From version 6.5.91 and later, the diagnostic report files are saved on the machine where NetCrunch is running.

NetCrunch Server saves all diagnostic reports to the following folder: <common appdata>AdRem\NetCrunch\6.0\BugReports For Windows 7 it is by default saved to C:\ProgramData\AdRem\NetCrunch\6. 0\BugReports

For Windows 7 it is by default saved to C:\ProgramData\AdRem\NetCrunch\6. 0\BugReports

NetCrunch Console saves diagnostic reports to the folder: <local appdata> AdRem\NetCrunch\6.0\BugReports For Windows 7 system it is C:\Users\adam. smith\AppData\Local\AdRem\NetCrunch\6.0\ BugReports

Report files are saved in the subfolders named after NetCrunch module where issue occured. Diagnostic reports file name is date and time when the diagnostic report was created, for example: 2012-06-04_12-36-00.txt

Other

Around noon my network slows down significantly, how can I find out the reasons of this condition?

You can determine the reason for the network slow down by checking the bandwidth counters on your routers and servers. From these counters you will be able to determine which server or router is overloaded.