First, let me tell you that I am not really a big fan of NetGear. I find their products lacking in performance, and they tend to fail a lot more than Cisco switches. Saying that, though, I checked out their 'Network Management Software' and was impressed with what I saw. I am just going to post some screens of this piece of software because it is relevant to me interests.
First off, you need NetGear switches and/or routers. You can use this without NetGear merchandise, but I am sure that there are better programs out there.
So, download the 30 trial.
Install it. When it asks you for your server IP, just add your computer's local IP address. To find this out, just go to: Star > Run > Type 'cmd' and press OK.
Enter the IP address and Subnet EXACTLY how you see it. Now, where it asks for 'community', unless you're working in a domain, this is usually 'WORKGROUP' (this is a Windows Default). If you are working within a Domain then use that one instead. If you're not sure, then go ask your IT people. If they're not sure, fire them.
Now that you've installed the program, you will need to run it. So, go to Start and find the newly installed files. There you ought to see 'Startup System'. Click on it.
Now that you've started the service, you will see this Window:
Just hit 'Cancel', then hit 'Continue' at the next screen (30 Day Trial...). You are now in the program.
Now the system should start up. Wait a few minutes for the program to scan your network. If you have set the network correctly, you should see this:
If you have a huge and complex network, you can move the labels around to best suit your taste and to make it clearer to you to see how the switches are connected.
Here is an example.
Now, you can also view what is connected to which router (which is useful). To do this, simply double-click on the router you want, then all the computers connected to that router will be listed, and also any wireless routers.
This is useful to see what's connected to what. However, since I don't have manageable switches, this program does little for me. If you do have switches that can be managed, then this program can help you create clusters, and groups quite easily. It also allows you to merge two different groups and reassign computers to certain subnets even if they are out of scope.
A pretty nifty program.
First off, you need NetGear switches and/or routers. You can use this without NetGear merchandise, but I am sure that there are better programs out there.
So, download the 30 trial.
Install it. When it asks you for your server IP, just add your computer's local IP address. To find this out, just go to: Star > Run > Type 'cmd' and press OK.
Enter the IP address and Subnet EXACTLY how you see it. Now, where it asks for 'community', unless you're working in a domain, this is usually 'WORKGROUP' (this is a Windows Default). If you are working within a Domain then use that one instead. If you're not sure, then go ask your IT people. If they're not sure, fire them.
Now that you've installed the program, you will need to run it. So, go to Start and find the newly installed files. There you ought to see 'Startup System'. Click on it.
Now that you've started the service, you will see this Window:
Just hit 'Cancel', then hit 'Continue' at the next screen (30 Day Trial...). You are now in the program.
Now the system should start up. Wait a few minutes for the program to scan your network. If you have set the network correctly, you should see this:
If you have a huge and complex network, you can move the labels around to best suit your taste and to make it clearer to you to see how the switches are connected.
Here is an example.
Now, you can also view what is connected to which router (which is useful). To do this, simply double-click on the router you want, then all the computers connected to that router will be listed, and also any wireless routers.
This is useful to see what's connected to what. However, since I don't have manageable switches, this program does little for me. If you do have switches that can be managed, then this program can help you create clusters, and groups quite easily. It also allows you to merge two different groups and reassign computers to certain subnets even if they are out of scope.
A pretty nifty program.
