In the IT world, there’s plenty of freeware, and some of it can be plenty useful. Then again, some of it is junk.

When you’re looking for tools to keep your network going strong, there’s no shortage of free apps. The question: Is it worth the price?

Here’s some help figuring out what to use and what to avoid.

Security’s the key

First and foremost, you want to make sure of the security implications when you download free tools. A nefarious coder could have a field day by crafting a nice little network admin tool that mines your network for info that’s sent to a collection point for future use.

There are a number of sites that test apps before releasing them. If you’re going to download free tools, use these trusted sites, including:

• snapfiles.com
• download.com, and
• sourceforge.net.

There are tools that are so widely used that it’s safe to assume they’re safe just because they’re so very popular and problems would be exposed by virtue of their broad use.

This being said, it’s a bad idea to install an app that can analyze your network unless you fully understand what the tool does.

Some of these apps are going to want an administrative ID and password or they’ll ask for a Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) name so they can probe your network devices.

There are also tools that scan your network so aggressively it can be perceived by your security devices that the network’s under attack.

Best practice: Try out the tools first in a safe environment and use a free sniffer (something like Wireshark) that can tell you what the app does before you use it.

What’s the cost of ‘free’?

Sometimes, freeware has a hidden pricetag.

We’ve all run into this “free” software. The most benign sort is the “open source” software that depends on its community for upgrades, bug fixes and plug-ins.

The next tier up – or down, as it were – is the self-supporting software type that depends on ad sales that’ll drive you crazy by cluttering pages and forcing interminable pop-ups.

And finally, there’s always the basic, stripped down app version that does little beyond beg you to buy the “Gold” or “Platinum” version that has a hefty pricetag.

The Top Ten

Here’s Computerworld’s Top Ten List for Windows networks. Feel free to let us know your favorites.

Just post a comment on this site and recommend your choice.

1. Wireshark. A network sniffer or protocol analyzer.
2. The Dude. A network manager that will tell you when services go down.
3. Nmap/Zenmap. Checks open ports on systems.
4. ZipTie. Configuration manager.
5. NetStumbler. Wireless network manager.
6. Nessus. Vulnerability tester for scanning your network.
7. PuTTY. Interface access to network equipment running an SSH server.
8. Active Ports. Another utility that shows what processes have ports open on a machine.
9. Multi Router Traffic Grapher (MRTG). Graphic monitor program.
10. SNMP Traffic Grapher. Graphic monitor program for SNMP data.

Tags: download, freeware, network, open-source, price, security