I tested a beta version of the upcoming release of Essentials in one of Network Computing's Real-World Labs® at Syracuse University and discovered it's more than a plain-Jane, bare-bones framework. This version includes inventory, security, auditing, reporting, error notification, software deployment of a common database, and server architecture. Where earlier versions supported only Unix servers, Essentials now runs on NT as well; the client Web GUI runs on Microsoft Corp.'s Internet Explorer 4.01 and Netscape Communications Corp.'s Communicator 4.05.

Despite Cisco's labeling of Essentials as a multidevice management application, it isn't multivendor-capable. And Essentials' Web GUI does not yet work with the entire CiscoWorks2000 family. (Similarly, CiscoWorks for Switched Internetwork Campus, a software-based management tool for CiscoWorks 2000, won't be completely Web-enabled until the next revision of Essentials.)

Essence of Essentials In the lab, Essentials' asset management was the showstopper. To test its endurance, I created an inventory database by adding an assortment of hardware--Cisco routers (2501 through 8513), Cisco switches (CAT 1900s through 5000s) and Cisco servers (2511, 3600 through 5300)--without exhausting the list of supported devices. You must list them manually, but that's not difficult to do. Essentials does not offer autodiscovery, and it was nice to see a vendor resist the temptation to reinvent the autodiscovery wheel. Essentials supports the import of device information from Castle Rock Computing's SNMPc, Hewlett-Packard Co.'s OpenView, CiscoView and CSV files. Still on my wish list is support for Cabletron Systems' Spectrum, Computer Associates International's Unicenter TNG and IBM Corp.'s NetView.

Next, I tested a significant addition to Essentials--an integrated connection from the Essentials' database of scanned hardware and software configurations to Cisco Connection Online (CCO). The local database is cataloged and then compared online to CCO for suggested upgrades and fixes. During testing, the connection fed us suggestions not only about the Cisco hardware in our setup that we should consider for Year 2000 upgrades, but also about which versions of IOS were available from CCO. I was then prompted to download the appropriate software, preparing it for distribution as a part of our catalog of available software.

During our tests, job control was surprisingly strong. I anticipated that Essentials would send images to the devices, but I wasn't expecting it to use RCP (Remote Copy Protocol) to ensure software delivery, or to exhibit such powerful production control. It did both. Production-control features included job authorization, scheduling, resubmission, e-mail notification and a list of devices affected by job failure. In our case, this list proved its worth when the beta software sprang a memory leak, resulting in failed processes. A subsequent release of the software resolved this problem.

Essentials' reporting capabilities also surpassed our expectations. You can set device groupings to be static or dynamic based on any attribute--from domain to supported protocol--and any combination of inventory parameters, including routers, IOS versions or specific interfaces. The hardware, software and change reports and graphs, which displayed device capacity, availability and configuration, offered several prepackaged reporting options. A change report on one of our Catalyst 5000s that indicated a MAC (Media Access Control) address change for the primary interface in particular caught my eye. Oddly, the device had not been altered or rebooted, and another network management vendor, Loran, had claimed that exact situation in another recent test (see "Network Management Solutions Lack Clear Leader," at www.networkcomputing.com/915/ 915r1.html).

Web GUI Applet loading and execution speed over a dial-up link and the Internet was quite handy with Essentials' Web-enabled management GUI. A double mouse click reused the existing window, so the screen wasn't littered with duplicate applets. Truly useful context and online help is a rarity in Web applications, but here it gave me an opportunity to examine functional overviews and field specifics. The GUI design, which uses an expandable, Explorer-like format, was intuitive and easy to navigate.

Essentials' integrated role-based security is worthy of enterprise implementation. You may select from among five predefined security roles, from Help Desk to Admin, and assign one or more rules to users and groups. The security is audited and reported, so you can track which users performed certain activities and when they did so.

The tool set for the system administrator includes options such as managing the process running on the server, report and job scheduling, configuration polling and database management. This set contains substantial connectivity tools, from ping to checks of Layer 4 services such as HTTP, telnet and Trivial FTP.

Send your comments on this article to Bruce Boardman at bboardman@nwc.com.