As shown in Figure A, BgInfo takes key system information and turns it into a background image for your computer.

FIGURE A


BgInfo takes key system information and turns it into a background image for your computer. Roll over picture for a larger image.

We use BgInfo on all our servers. We can tell, at a glance, the host name, when it booted, the CPU and speed, the default gateway, the DNS servers used, the IP address, the logon domain, the logon server name, the memory in the box, the OS version, the current service pack, and even the volumes and free space. As you can see in Figure B, you can configure it easily from a simple dialog that loads when you boot.

FIGURE B


BgInfo can be configured easily with lots of options. Roll over picture for a larger image.

We've stuck a copy of this on each of our servers. Then, very quickly, when switching between machines (especially since we use a KVM), we can easily see what machine we're dealing with. If you combine BgInfo with setting different background colors for each server, you've got a very quick way to keep track of a bunch of machines.

And, did I mention it was free?

For more than 20 years, David Gewirtz, the author of Where Have All The Emails Gone? and The Flexible Enterprise, has analyzed current, historical, and emerging issues relating to technology, competitiveness, and policy. David is the Editor-in-Chief of the ZATZ magazines, is the Cyberterrorism Advisor for the International Association for Counterterrorism and Security Professionals, and is a member of the instructional faculty at the University of California, Berkeley extension. He can be reached at david@zatz.com and you can follow him at http://www.twitter.com/DavidGewirtz.