As a network professional, I pretty much carry my laptop with me everywhere I go. I never know when I will get a call about a down router or switch, a firewall setting that needs to be tweaked, or a user that needs a password reset. While lugging the laptop one day I wondered what applications I could load on my IPod Touch to help with network administration. After some trial and error I have settled on a few applications that make my life a lot easier and allow me to leave my laptop and the house.

Connectivity:

Cisco VPN Client – Built in Firmware 2.0+
Before you can use any of the following applications on your internal network you first must connect to it. If you have a Cisco ASA with SSL VPN you can configure it to allow your IPhone or IPod Touch to connect using the built in Cisco VPN Client. I have found the Cisco VPN Client is very easy to configure and is the best way to access your network remotely and securely.  For details on how to setup up the ASA and VPN Client check here.

Remote Desktop Applications:

Mocha VNC – $5.99
Need to connect to a server that has VNC running on it? Mocha VNC is the best application I have found. Using your iPhone, you can connect to a Windows PC, Linux or Mac OS X and see the files, programs, and resources exactly as you would if you were sitting at your desk. There is a FREE lite version of Mocha VNC, however I was not able to send CTL+ALT+DELETE to windows machines.

WinAdmin – $11.99
WinAdmin is an inexpensive Remote Tool that provides access to servers and workstations using RDP. WinAdmin does not have a lot of overhead and coupled with VPN connection enables me to support applications anywhere, anytime. This application provides me the ability to reference anything I need on my home or work PC. WinAdmin is a must have for any Network Administrator.

Telnet/SSH Applications:

TouchTerm - $2.99
TouchTerm allows me to telnet and SSH to servers and network equipment. Using TouchTerm I have been able to quickly connect to a router and edit access lists as well as check the status of a port on a switch. This application as even allowed me to SSH into my Mythtv box and check the CPU Load.

Systems Monitor:

Network Ping Lite – FREE
Network Ping lite allows you to ping a single address or whole subnet. The application also feature traceroute and a simple telnet console. There is a pay version of this application that allows telnet to any port, however since I already have TouchTerm I am using the free lite version.

Network Utility – $0.99
Netwrok Utility is a application that allows you to test connectivity. It has the ability to run pings and well as port scans. There are some other feature such as GeoIP and Whois that may also be handy for some, however the port scan feature is what I was after.

Misc Applications:

aSubnet – $0.99
aSubnet is a subnet calculator. Who does not need on of these right?

There you have it. My list of application I have found useful. If you have any suggestion and reccomendations let me know and I will check that out.