Portmon

Portmon is one of those handy tools from Sysinternals that really packs a punch. It keeps an eye on all your serial ports and logs what’s happening there. This means you can check out how different applications are using those ports. Pretty cool, right?

Understanding Serial Port Activity

This tool is super helpful if you're trying to figure out issues with serial and parallel ports. It does this by letting you look at the log files it creates. So if something's going wrong, Portmon helps you spot it!

User-Friendly Interface

Now, Portmon isn’t all about flashy graphics or fancy looks—it’s about getting the job done! The interface is simple and easy to use. You’ll see all the port activity laid out nicely in the main window. It shows connection times, which processes are involved, what type of request was made, and the outcome.

Remote Monitoring Made Easy

One of the coolest features? You can monitor remote computers too! That means you can ask for logs from multiple machines at once without breaking a sweat. If you're capturing data from a nearby computer (for Windows NT/2K systems), the client software will install itself automatically—how convenient is that?

Smart Filtering Options

The built-in filtering engine lets you customize what gets logged. Want to include or exclude certain strings? No problem! Portmon remembers your last filter setup too, so you don’t have to keep redoing it every time you use it. Plus, you can highlight entries that match specific terms you've set up.

Saving Your Reports

You can easily save reports locally or even copy parts of them straight to your clipboard for quick sharing—just select the lines you want and paste them wherever you need!

A Must-Have for Network Admins

All in all, Portmon really shines as a tool for monitoring port activity on remote computers. It's perfect for network admins who need reliable insights into what's going on with their systems.