Adding to its Omegamon range of performance monitoring products, Candle Corp has launched a network monitoring tool for IBM environments. Called the Omegamon II for VTAM, it marks Candle’s entry into the network monitoring performance market and is can be used alone or as an extension to its Omegacenter family of products. The Omegacenter provides centralised monitoring and management across the various IBM operating systems and subsystems. VTAM, Virtual Telecommunications Access Method, is the SNA communications driver. The Omegamon II monitors SNA communications between the host mainframe and network controller, and provides programmers with information and analysis on the performance of VTAM. Candle’s European managing director, Bill MacDonald, describes the system as being, at the least, on-line what IBM can provide you with in four manuals. The Omegamon II is a 3720-based application. It provides information on VTAM’s use of CPU resources such as buffer pool storage, CPU usage and input-output to the network controllers, channel-to-channel and local SNA devices. It will also automatically fix any simple problems and warns of others using status lights, coloured according to the severity of the situation. Pricing for the Omegamon II is tiered, depending on the size of the processor being used. It ranges from UKP12,500 to UKP41,000. Candle has also announced a marketing agreement with Houston, Texas-based CBD Software Inc, a DB2 tools developer. Under the agreement Candle and CDB will jointly develop new products and maintain current ones. Six CBD DB2 tools are to be added to Candle’s Omegamon for DB2 performance. The tools offer support for understanding critical areas of DB2 data mangement and application performance as well as space and disk usage. Candle will be responsible for worldwide distribution and customer support while CDB gains marketing, technical and distribution support.
