Question

Research the System Stability Index (SSI). Write a brief summary of its purpose and why it might be a useful tool for a server admin.

Research the netstat command-line tool. Write a brief summary of its usage, options, and why it might be a useful tool for a server admin

Answer 1

System Stability Index (SSI):

1. The system stability index is based on data collected over the lifetime of a system. Each day in the system stability chart is associated with a graph point showing its system stability index rating. The system stability index is a weighted measurement calculated from the number of failures seen over a rolling historical period.
2. The index value is calculated over the preceding 28 days, although the results for considerably more days are displayed. Reliability events in the System Stability Report describe the specific failures.
3. Recent failures are weighted more heavily than past failures so that improvement over time is reflected in an ascending system stability index when a reliability issue has been resolved. Days when the system is powered off or is in a sleep or hibernate state are not included when calculating the system stability index.
4. Reliability Monitor maintains up to a year of history for system stability and reliability events. The System Stability Chart displays a rolling graph organized by date.

Check your System Stability Index:

• system Stability Index and it allows users to evaluate the stability of their systems and to make informed decisions about how to troubleshoot. The System Stability Index is a number from 1 (least stable) to 10 (most stable) and is a weighted measurement derived from the number of specified failures seen over a rolling historical period.
• In this article we will show you how to access the System Stability Index of your Windows Vista PC and how to access the information you need regarding the failures that might take place.
• The System Stability Index is shown by the Reliability and Performance Monitor. To find it, go to Control Panel -> System and Maintanance -> Administrative Tools. You can also use the search box from the Start Menu or the Control Panel to get there faster.

In the Reliability and Performance Monitor window, go to Reliability and Performance -> Monitoring Tools -> Reliability Monitor.

You will see a graph with dates, symbols and ratings. You can select any day from the graph by clicking on its column and the Reliability Monitor will show you the System Stability Index for that day together with additional information, in case any important system events took place.

To view all available historical data, click the drop-down date menu and click Select all. If more than 30 days of data are available, you can also use the scroll bar at the bottom of the System Stability Chart to browse dates outside the visible range.

The System Stability Index is as shown in the screenshot above. The additional information is presented below the graph and has the following structure:

• Software (Un)Installs – shows information regarding software installations and removals including operating system components, Windows updates and drivers;
• Application Failures – all the application failures, including the termination of a non-responding application or an application that has stopped working, are tracked and listed in this category.
• Hardware Failures – shows information about disk and memory failures
• Windows Failures – operating system and boot failures are tracked and listed in this category
• Miscellaneous Failures – in this category are listed failures that impact stability and do not fall under the previous categories, including unexpected operating system shutdowns.

release a new free GUI tool today to assist in troubleshooting Windows systems – the Reliability Viewer for Windows. It is based on the concept of the built-in Windows Reliability Monitor, but can be used to display data from both the local or remote systems,

The application can also generate a system stability chart using Microsoft Excel, which uses reliability metrics to give an overview of the stability of the system over time.

Netstat:

Netstat is a useful tool for checking network and Internet connections. Some useful applications for the average PC user are considered, including checking for malware connections.

To execute netstat on windows, you must execute a START> RUN> CMD.

The command syntax is

netstat [-a] [-b] [-e] [-n] [-o] [-p proto] [-r] [-s] [-v] [interval]

Switch	Description
-a	Displays all connections and listening ports
-b	Displays the executable involved in creating each connection or listening port. (Added in XP SP2.)
-e	Displays Ethernet statistics
-n	Displays addresses and port numbers in numerical form
-o	Displays the owning process ID associated with each connection
-p proto	Shows connections for the protocol specified by proto; proto may be any of: TCP, UDP, TCPv6, or UDPv6.
-r	Displays the routing table
-s	Displays per-protocol statistics
-v	When used in conjunction with -b, will display sequence of components involved in creating the connection or listening port for all executables.
[interval]	An integer used to display results multiple times with specified number of seconds between displays. Continues until stopped by command ctrl+c. D

examples for netstat:

Accessing statistics using the ICMPv6 protocol

If you only want to obtain statistics on the ICMPv6 protocol, enter the following command in the command line:

netstat -s -p icmpv6

Active IPv4 connections, you can do this using the netstat command:

netstat -p IP

if admin wants to open TCP/IP ports in windows:

An IP address specifies a computer—or other network device—on a network. When one device sends traffic to another, the IP address is used to route that traffic to the appropriate place.

iew Port Use Along with Process Names

First, you’ll need to open the Command Prompt in administrator mode. Hit Start, and then type “command” into the search box. When you see “Command Prompt” appear in the results, right-click it and choose “Run as administrator.”

At the Command Prompt, type the following text and then hit Enter:

netstat -ab