computer science

Xymon

Xymon is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Xymon rather than just read about it. In short: Xymon, a network monitoring application using free software, operates under the GNU General Public License; its central server runs on Unix and Linux hosts. History The application was inspired by the open-source version of Big Brother, a network monitoring application, and maintains backward compatibility with it.

Key takeaways

Xymon belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Xymon to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Xymon from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Xymon, a network monitoring application using free software, operates under the GNU General Public License; its central server runs on Unix and Linux hosts.

History The application was inspired by the open-source version of Big Brother, a network monitoring application, and maintains backward compatibility with it. Between 2002 and 2004 Henrik Storner wrote an open-source software add-on called bbgen toolkit, then in March 2005 a stand-alone version was released called Hobbit. Versions of this were released between 2005 and 2008, but since a prior user of the trademark "Hobbit" existed, the tool was finally renamed Xymon. In January 2012, Quest Software discontinued development of Big Brother.

Functionality Xymon offers graphical monitoring, showing the status of various network services of each device, as well as a range of application and operating system metrics such as listing the number of mail messages queued after a defined level of downtime. The web-based graphical display uses a red/yellow/green condition icon for each host/test, on top of a colored background indicating the current worst status across all hosts and tests. The user can click on a colored icon to view more specific details and (where available) relevant graphs of metric statistics. Built-in reporting tools include SLA-type reports (availability) and the historical state of services (snapshots). Xymon supports the generation of alarms sent by email, and can also use external tools to send messages via other means (e.g. SMS). Networked hosts and devices are monitored by a Xymon server using network probes supporting a large and extensible range of protocols, including SMTP, HTTP/S and DNS. Hosts that use a supported operating system can also run a Xymon client (also free software), to additionally collect operating system and application monitoring metrics and report them to the Xymon server. Clients are available for Unix and Linux (in formats including source tarball, RPM and Debian package) from the Xymon download site at SourceForge. Windows hosts can use the Big Brother client for Windows, the BBWin client or the WinPSClient written in the Windows PowerShell scripting language. Plugins extend monitoring to new types of applications and services, and many extension scripts for Big Brother will run unchanged on Xymon.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Xymon

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Xymon claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Xymon before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Xymon ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Xymon

In research: Xymon appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Xymon in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Xymon is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Free network management software, Internet Protocol based network software, Linux security software, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Xymon outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Xymon in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Xymon means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Xymon out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Xymon in simple terms?

Xymon, a network monitoring application using free software, operates under the GNU General Public License; its central server runs on Unix and Linux hosts. History The application was inspired by the open-source version of Big Brother, a network monitoring application, and maintains backward compa…

Why does Xymon matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Xymon?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Xymon.