Big Brother (software)
Encyclopedia
Big Brother is a tool for systems and network monitoring
, generally used by system administrator
s. The advent of the dynamic web page
allowed Big Brother to be one of the first monitoring systems to use the web as its exclusive interface. Prior to this, monitoring tools were generally console based, or required graphic terminals such as X Window
to operate. Big Brother produces HTML
pages containing a simple matrix of hosts and tests with red and green dots to denote system status. Red is bad, Green is good.
Big Brother was named after George Orwell
's character from his novel Nineteen Eighty-Four
. Although not good for people, Big Brother is doubleplusgood
for watching machines. The original Big Brother logo is reproduced at right. E-mail from Big Brother originated from the Big Brother Ministry of Truth
, and users of the software were called Brothers.
An open source
version of the project exists: between 2002 and 2004 it was bbgen toolkit, between 2005 and 2008 it has been called Hobbit, but as it was already a trademark, it's now called Xymon
.
Big Brother allows non-technical users to understand system and network status information because of the simple interface and presentation. Because it uses a matrix to display status information it is particularly well suited for overhead displays in Network Operations Centers (NOCs). Likewise the use of "red is bad / green is good" makes complex systems information more accessible to managers and helpdesks.
Big Brother was designed to watch computer
systems and networks
, and for this reason does not use SNMP
natively. Big Brother uses a client-server model and its own protocol. Clients send status information over port 1984 every 5 minutes. Since the clients only send information to the server, it is more secure than SNMP
-based protocols which poll clients for information. For this reason Big Brother was featured at SANS Institute
security conferences in 1998, 1999, and at a SANSFIRE conference in 2001.
Big Brother has also been cited in a number of books on system administration
,
computer security
,
and networking
.
Big Brother supports redundancy via multiple displays as well as failover.
Network elements can be tested from multiple locations and users can write custom tests quickly and easily.
The popularity of Big Brother continued to increase with an article by Paul Sittler which appeared in the Linux Journal
in August 1997.
Shortly after the initial release, Robert-Andre Croteau joined Sean and added sophisticated notification rules,
which he described in a Sys Admin article published in September 1998, and created the Windows
version.
In 1999 Sean and Robert created BB4 Technologies http://bb4.com, whose sole purpose was to commercialize Big Brother. The license they used was called the "Better than Free" or BTF license - better because 10% of the license fee went to the charity of the purchaser's choice.
In 2001 Quest Software acquired BB4 Technologies.
Sean and Rob, the only employees of BB4, migrated to Quest and continued to work on the product. The Big Brother Professional Edition (BBPE) was released shortly thereafter.
In 2009, they released the "Big Brother - Modern Edition," a flash-based display for Big Brother, and formally added graphing and trending support.
Network monitoring
The term network monitoring describes the use of a system that constantly monitors a computer network for slow or failing components and that notifies the network administrator in case of outages...
, generally used by system administrator
System administrator
A system administrator, IT systems administrator, systems administrator, or sysadmin is a person employed to maintain and operate a computer system and/or network...
s. The advent of the dynamic web page
Dynamic web page
A dynamic web page is a kind of web page that has been prepared with fresh information , for each individual viewing. It is not static because it changes with the time , the user , the user interaction , the context A dynamic web page is a kind of web page that has been prepared with fresh...
allowed Big Brother to be one of the first monitoring systems to use the web as its exclusive interface. Prior to this, monitoring tools were generally console based, or required graphic terminals such as X Window
X Window System
The X window system is a computer software system and network protocol that provides a basis for graphical user interfaces and rich input device capability for networked computers...
to operate. Big Brother produces HTML
HTML
HyperText Markup Language is the predominant markup language for web pages. HTML elements are the basic building-blocks of webpages....
pages containing a simple matrix of hosts and tests with red and green dots to denote system status. Red is bad, Green is good.
Big Brother was named after George Orwell
George Orwell
Eric Arthur Blair , better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English author and journalist...
's character from his novel Nineteen Eighty-Four
Nineteen Eighty-Four
Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell is a dystopian novel about Oceania, a society ruled by the oligarchical dictatorship of the Party...
. Although not good for people, Big Brother is doubleplusgood
Newspeak
Newspeak is a fictional language in George Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four. In the novel, it refers to the deliberately impoverished language promoted by the state. Orwell included an essay about it in the form of an appendix in which the basic principles of the language are explained...
for watching machines. The original Big Brother logo is reproduced at right. E-mail from Big Brother originated from the Big Brother Ministry of Truth
Ministry of Truth
The Ministry of Truth is one of the four ministries that govern Oceania in George Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four...
, and users of the software were called Brothers.
An open source
Open source
The term open source describes practices in production and development that promote access to the end product's source materials. Some consider open source a philosophy, others consider it a pragmatic methodology...
version of the project exists: between 2002 and 2004 it was bbgen toolkit, between 2005 and 2008 it has been called Hobbit, but as it was already a trademark, it's now called Xymon
Xymon
This network monitoring software has its roots in another piece of network monitoring software called BIG BROTHER SYSTEM AND NETWORK MONITOR . Between 2002 and 2004, an open source add-on called bbgen toolkit was created by Henrik Storner, then in March 2005 a stand-alone version was released...
.
Big Brother allows non-technical users to understand system and network status information because of the simple interface and presentation. Because it uses a matrix to display status information it is particularly well suited for overhead displays in Network Operations Centers (NOCs). Likewise the use of "red is bad / green is good" makes complex systems information more accessible to managers and helpdesks.
Big Brother was designed to watch computer
Computer
A computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem...
systems and networks
Computer network
A computer network, often simply referred to as a network, is a collection of hardware components and computers interconnected by communication channels that allow sharing of resources and information....
, and for this reason does not use SNMP
Simple Network Management Protocol
Simple Network Management Protocol is an "Internet-standard protocol for managing devices on IP networks. Devices that typically support SNMP include routers, switches, servers, workstations, printers, modem racks, and more." It is used mostly in network management systems to monitor...
natively. Big Brother uses a client-server model and its own protocol. Clients send status information over port 1984 every 5 minutes. Since the clients only send information to the server, it is more secure than SNMP
Simple Network Management Protocol
Simple Network Management Protocol is an "Internet-standard protocol for managing devices on IP networks. Devices that typically support SNMP include routers, switches, servers, workstations, printers, modem racks, and more." It is used mostly in network management systems to monitor...
-based protocols which poll clients for information. For this reason Big Brother was featured at SANS Institute
SANS Institute
The SANS Institute is a private US company that specializes in internet security training. It was founded in 1989, provides computer security training, professional certification through Global Information Assurance Certification , and a research archive - the SANS Reading Room...
security conferences in 1998, 1999, and at a SANSFIRE conference in 2001.
Big Brother has also been cited in a number of books on system administration
System administrator
A system administrator, IT systems administrator, systems administrator, or sysadmin is a person employed to maintain and operate a computer system and/or network...
,
computer security
Computer security
Computer security is a branch of computer technology known as information security as applied to computers and networks. The objective of computer security includes protection of information and property from theft, corruption, or natural disaster, while allowing the information and property to...
,
and networking
Computer network
A computer network, often simply referred to as a network, is a collection of hardware components and computers interconnected by communication channels that allow sharing of resources and information....
.
Big Brother supports redundancy via multiple displays as well as failover.
Network elements can be tested from multiple locations and users can write custom tests quickly and easily.
Background
Sean MacGuire wrote Big Brother in 1996 as a response to an overpriced quote for network-monitoring software he received. Big Brother was introduced to a wide audience by an article Sean wrote for Sys Admin magazine in October 1996.The popularity of Big Brother continued to increase with an article by Paul Sittler which appeared in the Linux Journal
Linux Journal
Linux Journal is a monthly technology magazine published by Belltown Media, Inc. of Houston, Texas. The magazine focuses specifically on Linux, allowing the content to be a highly specialized source of information for open source enthusiasts.-History:...
in August 1997.
Shortly after the initial release, Robert-Andre Croteau joined Sean and added sophisticated notification rules,
which he described in a Sys Admin article published in September 1998, and created the Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
version.
In 1999 Sean and Robert created BB4 Technologies http://bb4.com, whose sole purpose was to commercialize Big Brother. The license they used was called the "Better than Free" or BTF license - better because 10% of the license fee went to the charity of the purchaser's choice.
In 2001 Quest Software acquired BB4 Technologies.
Sean and Rob, the only employees of BB4, migrated to Quest and continued to work on the product. The Big Brother Professional Edition (BBPE) was released shortly thereafter.
Versions
There are two versions of Big Brother available: the BTF version (source-code visible), and the pre-compiled fully commercial, professionally-supported Big Brother Professional Edition (BBPE).In 2009, they released the "Big Brother - Modern Edition," a flash-based display for Big Brother, and formally added graphing and trending support.
Testing
- Network services - Any TCP network service can be tested for existence or non-existence (!FTP) including but not limited to: (ICMPInternet Control Message ProtocolThe Internet Control Message Protocol is one of the core protocols of the Internet Protocol Suite. It is chiefly used by the operating systems of networked computers to send error messages indicating, for example, that a requested service is not available or that a host or router could not be...
(Ping), HTTPHypertext Transfer ProtocolThe Hypertext Transfer Protocol is a networking protocol for distributed, collaborative, hypermedia information systems. HTTP is the foundation of data communication for the World Wide Web....
, POP3Post Office ProtocolIn computing, the Post Office Protocol is an application-layer Internet standard protocol used by local e-mail clients to retrieve e-mail from a remote server over a TCP/IP connection. POP and IMAP are the two most prevalent Internet standard protocols for e-mail retrieval. Virtually all modern...
, SMTPSimple Mail Transfer ProtocolSimple Mail Transfer Protocol is an Internet standard for electronic mail transmission across Internet Protocol networks. SMTP was first defined by RFC 821 , and last updated by RFC 5321 which includes the extended SMTP additions, and is the protocol in widespread use today...
, FTPFile Transfer ProtocolFile Transfer Protocol is a standard network protocol used to transfer files from one host to another host over a TCP-based network, such as the Internet. FTP is built on a client-server architecture and utilizes separate control and data connections between the client and server...
, SSHSecure ShellSecure Shell is a network protocol for secure data communication, remote shell services or command execution and other secure network services between two networked computers that it connects via a secure channel over an insecure network: a server and a client...
) - System Information including (processorCentral processing unitThe central processing unit is the portion of a computer system that carries out the instructions of a computer program, to perform the basic arithmetical, logical, and input/output operations of the system. The CPU plays a role somewhat analogous to the brain in the computer. The term has been in...
5-minute load average, disk usage, messages critical) on all versions of UNIX, Linux and Windows operating systemOperating systemAn operating system is a set of programs that manage computer hardware resources and provide common services for application software. The operating system is the most important type of system software in a computer system...
s, via native clients. - SNMPSimple Network Management ProtocolSimple Network Management Protocol is an "Internet-standard protocol for managing devices on IP networks. Devices that typically support SNMP include routers, switches, servers, workstations, printers, modem racks, and more." It is used mostly in network management systems to monitor...
tests and traps are supported natively. - Custom tests are simple to write, generally as bash scriptsShell (computing)A shell is a piece of software that provides an interface for users of an operating system which provides access to the services of a kernel. However, the term is also applied very loosely to applications and may include any software that is "built around" a particular component, such as web...
, although other languages such as PerlPerlPerl is a high-level, general-purpose, interpreted, dynamic programming language. Perl was originally developed by Larry Wall in 1987 as a general-purpose Unix scripting language to make report processing easier. Since then, it has undergone many changes and revisions and become widely popular...
are supported.
External links
- Official Big Brother site
- Big Brother BTF version website
- Deadcat—thousands of community-donated plugins/addons
- Live demonstration of Big Brother
- Audio history of Big Brother by Sean MacGuire
- Audio history of the Notification subsystem by Robert-Andre Croteau
- Audio history of deadcat.net by Sean MacGuire and Robert-Andre Croteau
Additional publications
- :login; System and network monitoring using Big Brother
- IT Management IT Management 10 great open source network tools
- TechRepublic Big Brother is watching your network
- Techrepublic Automate your network monitoring process
- Sun World Report from SANS '98
- Cisco Patent US Patent 6347339 - Detecting an active network node using a login attempt
- networkcomputing.de Big Brother fürs Netzwerk