NetXMS: The Monitoring Tool That Plays Well With Everyone
Why You’ll Give It a Whirl
Ever feel stuck juggling separate apps to watch routers, servers, and custom scripts? NetXMS is that one dashboard that “just works”—on Windows, Linux, macOS, you name it. It’s free, open-source, and stretches from quick SNMP polls up to deep agent-driven data gathering.
What Makes It Tick
| Capability | Why It Matters |
| Runs Anywhere | Linux box, Windows VM, even BSD—same interface, zero surprises. |
| Agent + Agentless | Toss an agent on hosts you care about, or lean on SNMP/SSH checks for everything else. |
| Network Discovery | Tell it an IP range and boom—your switches, printers, and servers show up automatically. |
| Dashboards | Drag widgets, charts, and maps into a custom view and share links internally. |
| Alert Rules & Escalation | Fine-tune who gets pinged, when, and how often to avoid alert storms. |
| Historical Trends | Store metrics in RRD or SQL backends for deep trend analysis and forecasting. |
| Script Hooks | Wire in Python, PowerShell, or shell scripts as custom checks for bespoke metrics. |
| High Availability | Cluster your server for zero downtime during maintenance or unexpected failures. |
When You’ll Reach for It
- Mixed OS Environments: One console for Windows, Linux, macOS hosts.
- Scale Requirements: SNMP for broad coverage, agents for deep metrics on critical servers.
- Fast Onboarding: Auto-discovery populates your device list in minutes.
- Custom Integrations: Use REST or Java APIs to hook into CMDBs, ticketing, or chatops.
- Reliability Needs: Built-in clustering ensures monitoring remains active during updates.
What You Need
| Requirement | Detail |
| Server | Linux (RHEL, Debian, Ubuntu) or Windows Server; 2+ CPU cores, 4+ GB RAM. |
| Database | PostgreSQL or MySQL for long-term storage; built-in RRD for quick setups. |
| Ports | Default 4701 for agents; HTTP/HTTPS for web UI access. |
| Permissions | Admin rights to install services and configure agents. |
| Browser | Modern browser (Chrome, Firefox, Edge) for web console. |
Quick-Start Guide
- Deploy Server
- Install NetXMS server package, start service, and open http://<host>:8080/.
- Auto-Discovery
- Go to Configuration → Discovery, define IP ranges, and click Start.
- Agent Setup
- Install NetXMS agent on key hosts, configure to point to your server.
- Create Dashboard
- Navigate to Dashboards, click New, and drag in charts and maps.
- Configure Alerts
- Open Notifications, create rules and escalation chains, and test alerts.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Unified monitoring for network devices, servers, and applications.
- Open-source with extensive API support for automation.
- Flexible hybrid agent-based and agentless approach.
Cons
- Steeper learning curve than turnkey SaaS due to configuration flexibility.
- Web UI can feel dense for newcomers—take time to explore.
- Agent maintenance requires scheduling updates.
Bottom Line
NetXMS is the versatile, enterprise-ready monitoring platform that adapts to any environment. With both agent and agentless checks, powerful dashboards, and robust failover, it’s designed for admins who demand reliability and flexibility.
