Finding the best network monitoring software can be a challenge with all the different options that are currently available. Adding on the requirement to work on Linux can make things even more complicated. Depending upon your specific needs, there are quite a few good options. Below you will find a list of the top seven Linux network monitoring software that is available now. Whether you need something that is cheap or offers tons of plugins and tools, you’ll be sure to find exactly what you need.
The Top 7 Linux Network Monitoring Software
- Solarwinds Netflow Traffic Analyzer – Best for Analytics
- Site24x7 – Best Cloud Based Software
- Syxsense Manage – Best for Patching Ability
- Zabbix – Best Free Option
- Icinga 2 – Best for IT Professionals
- Cacti – Best for Customization
- Nagios XI – Best for Scaling Businesses
1. Solarwinds Netflow Traffic Analyzer – Best for Analytics
PRICING: Starting at $1,072
Solarwinds offers a ton of functions. They focus on analyzing and monitoring all relevant channels to ensure you have as much relevant data as possible. One thing to note about Solarwinds, is that during your trial period, the software is fully functional. This allows users to truly get a feel for whether they are getting everything they need out of the software.
KEY FEATURES:
- CBQoS policy – allowing you to choose what takes up bandwidth
- Offers alerts for possible malfunctions and unusual traffic to susceptible ports
- Several different network analysis tools
- SLA reporting
- J-Flow monitoring
- Network QoS test
- Network capacity planning
- Closed source
REASONS TO BUY:
- Offers a 30 day trial
- Fully functional during trial period
- Offers subscription or licensing purchase options
- Easy to use for those new to technology
- 2-in-1 Netflow traffic analyzer and bandwidth monitoring
- Scalable
- Monitors traffic to and from any device
- Has integration capabilities with other products
- Color coordinated to make things simpler
REASONS TO AVOID:
- Is an add-on to Solarwinds NPM
2. Site24x7 – Best Cloud Based Software
PRICING: Starting at $9 per month
While Site24x7 is cloud based, it still requires a downloaded program in order to gather information. Through this, you can monitor multiple servers and different operating systems. All the dashboards and information are viewable through any web browser, making access very simple for any user. While it’s monitoring, it will provide any alerts in the dashboard as well as through email or SMS. These alerts can make troubleshooting and resolving quick and easy since you’ll be able to put out any fires before they become major catastrophes.
KEY FEATURES:
- IT automation
- Tons of integration options
- Monitoring for both Office365 and Sharepoint
- Server monitoring
- Offers alert options for email or SMS
- Automatically finds anything connected to network and adds it to infrastructure map
- Monitors device health as well as network
- SNMP monitoring
REASONS TO BUY:
- Offers a 30 day free trial
- Cloud based, but still needs a program downloaded
- Different plans to suit your needs
- Customizable using widgets
REASONS TO AVOID:
- Add-ons cost more individually, there are no bundle options
- Does not offer a full license purchase option
- Due to the amount of features, it can be overwhelming to learn
3. Syxsense Manage – Best for Patching Ability
PRICING: Starting at $600 per year
Their subscription comes with 50 GB of storage on their cloud server. This is needed for all the information and history they keep. While 50 GB is quite a lot, it’s worth keeping track if you are scaling. Syxsense Manage is known for their patch tool. Having the ability to customize and push out patches as needed is truly a wonderful feature.
KEY FEATURES:
- Has voice control capabilities
- Offers device discovery on networks
- Has remote control capabilities
- Keeps an audit log
- Has software distribution tools
- Offers training
- Provides a patch manager that allows for custom patches
REASONS TO BUY:
- Dashboard is accessible by any web browser
- Remote control allows for easy assistance with technical issues
REASONS TO AVOID:
- Remote control tool sometimes doesn’t always work well
- Information is slow to update on web dashboard
4. Zabbix – Best Free Option
PRICING: Free
Obviously, the biggest thing to note about this software is that it is free. Absolutely, completely free to use. It has a strong community and has been a wonderful solution for many people. There is one important thing to note though; This software is not user friendly. It requires configuration based on your needs, so a basic understanding of things is needed to use the software.
KEY FEATURES:
- Alert option that is customizable
- Real-time graphs
- Web-page, server, cloud, application (and more) monitoring
- Anomaly detection
- Encrypting communication
- Has integration capabilities with other products
REASONS TO BUY:
- Offers trend prediction based on past information
- Offers training
REASONS TO AVOID:
- A strong understanding of this type of program is needed
5. Icinga 2 – Best for IT Professionals
PRICING: Free
Icinga’s strongest feature is that it is free to use. It can be difficult to navigate at first, but once you fully understand everything it works smoothly. IT professionals especially enjoy this software thanks to the live monitoring capabilities. Icinga makes growing larger a breeze. Once everything is set up and established, it’s simple to add on and restructure as needed. It’s important to note that for larger structures, the subscription may be needed.
KEY FEATURES:
- Has the capability to run automations
- Can monitor Cloud across different providers
- Keeps past information to use for planning
- Offers error prevention monitoring
REASONS TO BUY:
- Compatible with almost all operating systems
- Web based, so the dashboard is accessible by any web browser
- Offers training through courses
- Has integration capabilities with other products
- It’s broken down into stacks, to easier understand and control
REASONS TO AVOID:
- The dashboard has a lot going on and can feel overwhelming
- A subscription is needed for help with enterprise level systems.
6. Cacti – Best for Customization
PRICING: Free
Another great free option is Cacti. They strive to allow customization to make the software exactly what you need. Whether you are changing the theme of the software or getting specific plugins to personalize it, you will truly feel that this software was tailored to you. It is most known for its ability to clearly collect and provide graphs for all of its logs.
KEY FEATURES:
- Offers templates and packages to easily scale
- Tools to monitor remotely
- Offers device discovery on networks
- Has the capability to run automations
- Offers Local, LDAP, or Basic Authentication for users
- Has several plugin options
- Customization options
- Multiple language options
REASONS TO BUY:
- Has been around for over 20 years
- They have an established community
- Known best as a logging tool
- Allows multiple users to work on the same content
REASONS TO AVOID:
- Customizing graphs can be difficult
- Difficult to manage when you have many different devices
- Not good with SNMP monitoring
7. Nagios XI – Best for Scaling Businesses
PRICING: Starting at $1,995
Nagios has been around for quite a while. With its age comes a strong community, and for good reason. There are even known users who provide extensions for the software. This software is established and is good at what it does. However, they don’t typically offer new updates. So if you’re always interested in trying the next new thing, this software may not be for you.
KEY FEATURES:
- Has several plugin options (You can even create your own plugin!)
- Automated capacity planning tool
- Quick to begin monitoring
- Offers device discovery on networks
- Configuration saving tool
- Custom user management tools
- Has several plugin options
REASONS TO BUY:
- Offers a 30 day free trial
- Lots of customization options
REASONS TO AVOID:
- Does not offer many updates
- Windows users will need a virtual machine
References and Links
- https://www.dnsstuff.com/linux-network-monitoring-tools
- https://www.comparitech.com/net-admin/linux-network-monitoring-tools/
- https://www.ittsystems.com/linux-network-monitor-tools-and-software/#wbounce-modal
- https://support.solarwinds.com/netflow-traffic-analyzer
- https://www.site24x7.com/
- https://www.syxsense.com/manage
- https://www.zabbix.com/
- https://icinga.com/products/
- https://www.cacti.net/
- https://www.nagios.org/