FIGURE C


An entry screen is available to configure some batches. Roll over picture for a larger image.

Some commands were built in and remarked out for basic maintenance.

Another configuration option worth mentioning was the Task Scanning. GSX Server Guard requires that the Domino server is listed in the ability to run remote console commands. The scan task can be run in increments down to minutes with a graphical representation of the status when it last scanned. Of course, you can only see that when viewing the GSX Server Guard console, which is only on that machine. You can also only select one task to be scanned. With the complexity of applications, the ability to monitor numerous tasks would be a welcome enhancement. When a task doesn't respond or is unavailable there are steps that can be performed to restart just the task, then the whole server itself.

Last is the configuration for GSX Server Guard to watch for server crashes and act on them. You configure the product to look and scan drives for notes.rip files and then select a preset action of a program or batch and then a warm boot of the operating system. GSX reboot sends the file to the administrator and deletes it from the system. I didn't see an option on who to send the rip file to, though, as it could be different than the notices for scheduled maintenance. Once again you can't get the rip file or notification until after the fact, since it uses the Domino server to send the mail message.

Pricing was provided directly from GSX Groupware Solutions. The price is $377.09 up to five servers, and then there are levels of discounts from there. GSX claims an ROI (Return on Investment) for administrators of five minutes of after-hours time per server per week.

The pros
The highlights of this software include scheduled maintenance, mail notifications of maintenance performed, user notification on scheduled reboots, task monitoring, and crash recovery.

The cons
The downside of this software includes the fact that it only has Windows support, it's unable to monitor more than one server task, it lacks remote console ability for GSX Server Guard to view task status, it has no support for Domino partitions, the delay in mail notifications on Domino crashes, and the need for a more comprehensive tool/wizard for batch files.

The decision
This is a decent tool for Windows NT environments with single partitions on machines that need much scheduled maintenance. Of course, companies are choosing Windows 2000 for servers more and more. Windows 2000 comes with the ability to look for services that fail, run scheduled batch files (which would include stopping Domino, running a task or two like compact, and restarting Domino), and the ability to attempt restarts of the service or even reboot the machine. Also, if you're restarting Domino on Windows that often, there are other performance areas that can be investigated.

In addition, GSX Groupware Solutions stated that the product is most effective in conjunction with GSX Monitor, which just happens to be on the table for an upcoming review.

Steve Niles is Senior Editor for ZATZ Publishing. He is also an independent filmmaker and freelance writer. For more information, visit http://www.sn-films.com.