Snarl is software that monitors dynamic web applications.
The software is developed as a truly multi-threaded MIB module for net-snmp 5.0.3 and higher, which makes Snarl highly flexible and scalable. Its current monitoring status can be retrieved via the net-snmp daemon's snmp request interface. Configuration of the URL tests is done via a human-readable configuration file. All configurations can be hot updated on the go, ensuring that no data is lost.
Snarl is a relatively lightweight monitoring tool that can run on an average PC with an average-sized resource. It can monitor up to eight hundred web pages or even more without any trouble. Though the only limit should be machine capabilities, Snarl has limited the amount of concurrent threads to one thousand parallel monitoring tasks, making it highly efficient and reliable.
A mechanism inside Snarl keeps the amount of concurrent network connections as low as possible by desynchronizing network downloads. This is to account for limits imposed on most machines. Snarl performs each monitoring test by downloading the content of the monitored URL, which causes an HTTP server log file entry on the webserver. It's essential to keep in mind when tracking web sites that pursue a business model where the number of hits is significant.
The installation process of Snarl is relatively easy and straightforward. The ‘configure’ shell script attempts to guess correct values for various system-dependent variables used during compilation. It uses those values to create a ‘Makefile’ in each directory of the package. It may also create one or more ‘.h’ files containing system-dependent definitions.
The simplest way to compile this package is:
1. ‘cd’ to the directory containing the package's source code and type ‘./configure’ to configure the package for your system. Running ‘configure’ takes a while.
2. Type ‘make’ to compile the package.
3. Optionally, type ‘make check’ to run any self-tests that come with the package.
4. Type ‘make install’ to install the programs and any data files and documentation.
5. You can remove the program binaries and object files from the source code directory by typing ‘make clean’.
Overall, Snarl is a highly efficient and reliable monitoring tool that is perfect for dynamic web applications. Its advanced features make it stand out in the market, making it an excellent investment for anyone looking for a monitoring tool that is both flexible and scalable.
Version 5.0.9: N/A