Server monitoring: Ensuring peak performance for your IT infrastructure
Server monitoring 101:
Server monitoring tracks system resources like CPU usage, memory consumption, and disk utilization to ensure optimal server performance. For instance, during peak traffic periods, monitoring CPU and memory usage can help prevent server overload, ensuring seamless user experiences. Similarly, during large-scale updates, monitoring disk utilization and network activity is crucial to avoid bottlenecks and ensure efficient operations. With server performance monitoring tools like OpManager, server monitoring is automated, proactive, and efficient, helping organizations identify and resolve performance issues before they escalate.
Why is server monitoring important?
Server monitoring is vital to maintain business continuity and prevent costly downtime. Here’s why it matters:
Ensure availability: Monitor uptime and prevent data loss.
Enhance responsiveness: Track server response times to optimize performance.
Understand capacity: Analyze server load to plan for future growth.
Proactive issue resolution: Detect and resolve potential issues before they affect operations.
What makes ManageEngine OpManager a leader in server monitoring?
OpManager provides multi vendor support to monitor network, server and all their critical applications continuously along with their services and processes. It periodically monitors servers via SNMP and WMI protocols to ensure that they are up and running at their optimum performance level, 24x7. It stores all the data for historical performance tracking and troubleshooting, thus eliminating the need for multiple server monitoring tool. Get in-depth insights in real time and monitor server performance effectively with OpManager.
Highlights of OpManager’s server monitoring capabilities:
OpManager, the trusted server performance monitor, out-of-the-box offers various system performance monitoring features such as CPU monitoring, memory monitoring, Disk monitoring up to a minute interval. It provides a graphical view of these metrics to monitor and measure server performance, in real-time. It also allows you to drill down to a particular time interval to understand more about the issue and take necessary actions proactively. Utilizing this, you can fix issues before it causes serious damage to your business. For monitoring the availability and performance of other networking devices like switches, routers, storage devices, printers, and more, network monitoring tools are used. You can also obtain a holistic view of the status of your servers instantly by creating custom server monitoring dashboard such as Windows server monitoring dashboard, Linux server monitoring dashboard, server performance monitoring dashboard, etc.
Monitoring server availability and health
OpManager, one among the leading server performance monitoring tools, offers several out-of-the-box features such as server availability monitoring and more than 300 performance metrics such as page read/write, processor queue length, free physical memory, disk I/O, process queue length through SNMP and WMI protocols. OpManager's server uptime monitoring feature helps you keep tabs on the availability of all physical and virtual servers 24x7. You can monitor critical performance metrics every minute and detect performance issue at its early stage by using powerful features like server monitoring dashboards. Apart from the default monitors, you can also create your own custom monitors using server monitoring dashboard template. All the collected data of the server performance metrics are stored in the database for detailed analysis and for creating monthly and yearly performance reports.
Proactive server monitoring with multi-level thresholds
In IT, more than 50% of the issues are reported by end users and it is not a healthy approach. Server monitor should identify any performance related issue at the early stages and notify the IT team. OpManager, the best-in-class server monitoring software, offers proactive server monitoring using multiple thresholds. It allows you to check performance at various levels and notify the same through email and SMS when it is violated.
Ensure your server is up and running, 24/7.
Perform multi-level threshold-based monitoring.
Track active processes, services, applications, and more.
Get a holistic view of server performance with custom dashboards.
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Web server monitoring and application performance
When it comes to business-critical applications, you don’t want to leave any stone unturned. OpManager offers advanced server monitoring services along with Windows service and process monitoring, with most of the discovery and monitoring done out-of-the-box. OpManager can even detect attempted security break-ins over your application servers (login failures due to bad passwords, account lockouts, failed attempts to access secure files, etc.) by processing Windows Event logs & syslog monitoring.
Monitor VMware ESX servers and Guest OS performance
OpManager includes support for virtual server monitoring. It provides an exclusive server monitoring dashboard for each ESX server, showing the CPU, memory and disk utilization for each guest VM instance on the ESX server. OpManager also provides options to Start, Stop and Suspend the VM instances on the ESX server. Get instant alerts on VMs using excessive resources and even remotely stop the VMs before they cause problems in the ESX server.
Monitor Exchange server performance
OpManager's server performance monitoring goes beyond basic server monitoring functionality to include support for SMTP, POP and IMAP on your Exchange servers. It monitors over 15 key services and 50 critical variables that include Public Store, Private Store, Received or Sent Queue Size, etc.. All this, over a specially crafted Exchange monitoring dashboard that automatically assigns performance monitors and preconfigured thresholds depending on whether the servers are Exchange 2000, 2003 or 2005.
Services monitoring
At the time of device discovery, OpManager discovers all the services running on your Windows & Linux servers and associates availability and response time monitors to these. OpManager also supports adding monitors for custom services running on TCP port.
Windows services monitoring
Apart from monitoring system level services like HTTP, LDAP, SMTP etc., OpManager also monitors Windows Services e.g. Alerter, FTP, Net Logon, DHCP Server, IAS, Print Spooler etc.. Once a monitored service is found to have failed, OpManager can be configured to automatically restart the Windows Service or even the server.
Server process monitoring
OpManager discovers all the processes running on your servers and lists details such as Process ID, Process Name, Process Path and Process Argument. ‘Process Templates’ allow you to discover, manage and set thresholds easily across multiple servers, from a single window. The Remote Process Diagnostics section provides a quick view of the top processes by CPU and Memory utilization. This allows you to terminate troubling processes remotely.
Windows event log monitoring
OpManager can help you detect failed logins due to bad passwords, account lockouts, failed attempts to access secure files, security log tampering etc. by processing Windows security Event logs. Besides security logs, OpManager can also monitor application logs (out of the box rules for Exchange, IIS, MS–SQL and ISA servers), system logs and other event logs.
URL and website monitoring
Simply relying on availability and response time (TCP Port) checks won’t help you know if your website has been compromised. OpManager allows you to monitor a URL and search for a specific text on the page. When the text is missing you can be immediately alerted and you get to know in real time that your website has been compromised. OpManager’s website monitoring supports HTTP⁄ HTTPs and NTLM Authenticated sites.
Remote server monitor
OpManager, the real time server monitoring software also supports remote server monitoring which helps you to monitor servers across multiple locations. You can also remotely monitor and kill processes which affect the server performance. Monitoring server remotely can help you remediate performance issues and perform server troubleshooting actions like rebooting or restarting a server anywhere across the globe.
FAQs on Server Monitor
What is the difference between server monitoring and application monitoring?
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Server monitoring focuses on the underlying infrastructure, tracking hardware resources such as CPU, memory, disk usage, and network activity to ensure optimal performance and uptime. It provides a system-wide view of server health, highlighting potential hardware bottlenecks or failures.
Application monitoring, on the other hand, dives into the software layer. It evaluates application-specific metrics like response times, user interactions, and error rates. Tools used for application monitoring often analyze APIs, logs, and user sessions to ensure seamless functionality and a better user experience. By combining server and application monitoring, IT teams gain a comprehensive view of their ecosystem, enabling faster issue resolution and improved system performance.
Example: A server issue might involve high CPU usage, while an application issue could relate to a slow API response. Combining both offers holistic insights for faster resolution.
How does proactive server monitoring prevent downtime?
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Proactive server monitoring prevents downtime by identifying potential issues before they escalate. It can detect hardware failures, such as disk errors or overheating components, as well as sudden traffic spikes that may lead to service degradation. By analyzing server health data in real-time, IT teams can address these problems proactively, ensuring continuous server availability and performance. By using threshold-based alerts, AI-based predictive analytics, and real-time monitoring, IT teams can detect resource bottlenecks, failed services, and unusual server behaviors.
Example: A sudden surge in network traffic is flagged, allowing IT teams to scale resources before service degrades.
What are the best practices for monitoring server health in 2025?
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Leverage AI-based tools: Predict issues and optimize server performance with AI-powered analytics.
Regularly review thresholds: Adjust thresholds to reflect evolving server workloads.
Monitor in real-time: Ensure immediate detection of performance dips.
Integrate application monitoring: Combine server and application monitoring for end-to-end visibility.
Automate actions: Use automation to restart services, reboot servers, or notify teams instantly.
How does server health analytics improve IT operations?
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Server health analytics provide detailed insights into server performance, enabling IT teams to:
Identify resource utilization patterns.
Optimize capacity planning.
Minimize server outages by predicting hardware or software failures.
Enhance overall system performance through data-driven decisions.
What metrics are critical for effective server monitoring?
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Key metrics include:
CPU usage: Monitor processor workload to prevent overutilization.
Memory usage: Track memory consumption to avoid bottlenecks.
Disk I/O: Assess read/write operations for storage efficiency.
Network activity: Ensure sufficient bandwidth and detect anomalies.
Service uptime: Monitor key services to ensure availability.
How do dashboards enhance server monitoring?
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Dashboards provide:
Real-time visibility: Access live performance data for quick analysis.
Customizable views: Tailor metrics to align with specific IT needs.
Historical data: Analyze trends to improve capacity planning and troubleshooting.
Centralized monitoring: Monitor multiple servers and locations from one interface.
Customer reviews
OpManager
OpManager - 10 Steps Ahead Of The Competition, One Step Away From Being Unequalled.
- Network Services Manager, Government Organization
Review Role: Infrastructure and Operations Company Size: Gov't/PS/ED 5,000 - 50,000 Employees
"I have a long-standing relationship with ManageEngine. OpManager has always missed one or two features that would make it truly the best tool on the market, but over it is the most comprehensive and easy to use the product on the market."
OpManager
Easy Implementation, Excellent Support & Lower Cost Tool
- Team Lead, IT Service Industry
Review Role: Infrastructure and Operations Company Size: 500M - 1B USD
"We have been using OpManager since 2011 and our overall experience has been excellent. The tool plays a vital role in providing the value to our organisation and to the customers we are supporting. The support is excellent and staff takes full responsibilities in resolving the issues. Innovation is never stopping and clearly visible with newer versions"
OpManager
Easy Implementation With A Feature Rich Catalogue, Support Has Some Room For Improvement
- NOC Manager in IT Service Industry
Review Role: Program and Portfolio Management Company Size: 500M - 1B USD
"The vendor has been supporting during the implementation & POC phases providing trial licenses. Feature requests and feedback is usually acted upon swiftly. There was sufficient vendor support during the implementation phase. After deployment, the support is more than adequate, where the vendor could make some improvements."
OpManager
Great Monitoring Tool
- CIO in Finance Industry
Review Role: CIO Company Size: 1B - 3BUSD
"Manage Engine provides a suite of tools that have made improvements to the availability of our internal applications. From monitoring, management and alerting, we have been able to peak performance within our data center."
OpManager
Simple Implementation, Easy To Use. Very Intuitive.
- Principal Engineer in IT Services
Review Role: Enterprise Architecture and Technology Innovation Company Size: 250M - 500M USD
"Manage Engine support was helpful and responsive to all our queries"
Hinduja Global Solutions (HGS) is an Indian business process management (BPM) organization headquartered in Bangalore and part of the Hinduja Group. HGS combines technology-powered automation, analytics, and digital services focusing on back office process.
One of the largest radiology groups in the nation, with a team of more than 200 board-certified radiologists, provides more than 50 hospital and specialty clinic partners with on-site radiology coverage and interpretations.
Vabi is a Netherlands-based company that provides "real estate data in order, for everyone." Since 1972, the company has focused on making software that calculates the performance of buildings. It has since then widened its scope from making calculations.
