GroundWork is a user-friendly front-end for the Nagios monitoring tool.

Klaus Knopper is the creator of Knoppix and co-founder of the LinuxTag expo. He currently works as a teacher, programmer, and consultant. If you have a configuration problem, or if you just want to learn more about how Linux works, send your questions to: klaus@linux-magazine. com

A system monitor lets you query the system’s current health state. If you are unhappy with the spartan Top tool, try one of these easy alternatives.

Tired of too many terminal windows? Mrxvt is a tab-based terminal tool that lets you manage several sessions in a single window.

Firewalls are becoming evermore sophisticated. Luckily, the tools for managing firewalls are becoming simpler and more accessible for ordinary users

Netfilter firewalls create highly detailed logfiles that nobody really wants to inspectmanually. Logfile analysis tools like IPtables Log Analyzer,Wallfire Wflogs,and FWlogwatch help administrators keep track of developments and filter for importantmessages.

What could be more boring than watching a computer run through an error-free boot routine? Why watch for messages that may never appear? Every second you save adds to your valuable leisure time. Bootchart helps you find those valuable leisure moments.