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KANSHI BlockS Software Features

1. Alive monitoring by ping
2. Port monitoring
3. Network monitoring with SNMP
4. Security features
5. Redundant mail and syslog servers
6. Graphical statistics with MRTG
7. Distributed monitoring on different network segments

Alive monitoring by ping

The KANSHI BlockS™ server sends a ping to the server IP or hostname at regular intervals to detect problems with the server or the network. Contrary to self-monitoring tools on a server, this method also detects external problems that makes a server unreachable for users. With its two Ethernet ports, KANSHI BlockS™ can send the ping message over two different networks, such as a dedicated line or the company's local network and the internet. This allows to pinpoint the location of the problem better.

If the server is unreachable, KANSHI BlockS™ immediately sends alert notifications. These notifications can be customized according to the recipient, such as a detailed error log for the system administrator and an apology to users.

Port monitoring

KANSHI BlockS™ can check whether certain ports are open or closed on the target server. By default, ICMP, ftp, smtp, http, pop3 and imap are checked. The administrator can configure six additional ports to be checked.

Protocol message monitoring for SMTP, POP and IMAP

In addition to checking whether a certain port is active, KANSHI BlockS™ can check whether protocol messages for SMTP, POP and IMAP (the three standard mail protocols) match previously set values.

Network monitoring with SNMP

SNMP is a protocol for network surveillance. It allows detailed monitoring of network devices to detect problems like traffic overload of the Webserver or a broken fan in a router.

KANSHI BlockS™ can also receive and analyse SNMP traps, messages that devices send out if they self-detect a problem. SNMP traps are then converted into human-readable alert messages for the system administrator.

Redundant mail and syslog servers

The system administrator can configure up to three mail servers and syslog servers that KANSHI BlockS™ will try to reach to send out logs and alert messages, so the alert message chain is not broken by a server failure.

Security features

To prevent third parties from gaining information about the network or tampering with the alerts, KANSHI BlockS™ offers several security functions. It can authenticate itself at the SMTP server by ID and password, it access servers that require POP before SMTP and it can handle the SSL protocol to encrypt the emails it sends. KANSHI BlockS™ also supports SNMP protocol version 3, which adds encryption and other security features to the network monitoring protocol.

Graphical statistics with MRTG

KANSHI BlockS™ comes preinstalled with MRTG, an open software that creates graphical statistics from collected network monitoring data. The statistics are presented as HTML pages, that can be viewed by accessing the web server on the KANSHI BlockS™ device.

MRTG can monitor, among others:

• Network traffic
• CPU load
• Memory usage (RAM, SWAP)
• Disk usage

For each element monitored by MRTG, a threshold can be set. If the threshold is surpassed or returns to normal, a mail notification is sent.

Distributed monitoring on different network segments

By installing KANSHI BlockS™ Pro at each segment of a corporate LAN, monitoring and management can be performed for each segment. In the diagram below, Server 1, which is being monitored and managed in Segment B, has a problem, so KANSHI BlockS Pro installed in Segment B sends mail notifications to the user, offsite administrator, and onsite administrator, each with a different message in the notification. Each segment is monitored without using the router, making it is easy to determine where the problem is, thereby greatly reducing the burden on administrators.