There are many programs in the wild that perform an anti-virus function. There are very few programs out there that have a Windows Home Server compatible version. Recently, it was quietly announced in their forums that ESET’s NOD32 is one of those programs. The company has several anti-virus solutions, and the version that ESET recommends for installation on a WHS is NOD32 Antivirus 4.0 Home Edition, which is the version I installed for this review.
Who is ESET?
ESET develops software solutions that deliver instant, comprehensive protection against evolving computer security threats. We pioneered and continue to lead the industry in proactive threat detection. ESET NOD32® Antivirus, our flagship product, consistently achieves the highest accolades in all types of comparative testing and is the foundational product that builds out the ESET product line to include ESET Smart Security.
ESET Smart Security is an integrated antivirus, antispyware, antispam and personal firewall solution that combines accuracy, speed and an extremely small system footprint to create the most effective security solution in the industry.
Sold in more than 160 countries, ESET has worldwide production headquarters in Bratislava, Slovakia and worldwide distribution headquarters in San Diego, US. ESET also has offices in Buenos Aires, Argentina; Prague, Czech Republic; and is globally represented by an extensive partner network. For more information, visit our products page or call (866) 343-ESET.
ESET NOD32 Antivirus
Built on the award-winning ThreatSense® engine, ESET NOD32 Antivirus is a tightly integrated security solution that users can trust to protect their computers. ESET NOD32 Antivirus detects and disables viruses, trojans, worms, adware, spyware, phishing, rootkits and other Internet threats. ESET NOD32 Antivirus comprehensive and proactive maximum protection has only a minimal impact on a computer’s system. Users will not experience a slowdown when running the program. After a quick and easy installation, ESET NOD32 Antivirus runs quietly in the background, freeing users to enjoy a safe and protected computer experience.
ESET Smart Security
ESET Smart Security is a tightly integrated security solution that users can trust to keep their computers safe. Built on the award-winning ESET NOD32 Antivirus and its powerful ThreatSense engine, ESET Smart Security also provides antispyware, antispam and customized firewall features. Utilizing ThreatSense – the industry’s most advanced heuristics – the window of vulnerability between virus outbreak and signature update is reduced.
ESET Smart Security detects and disables viruses, trojans, worms, adware, spyware, phishing, rootkits and other Internet threats you may encounter online. It provides comprehensive, proactive protection with minimal impact on computer performance.
For a comprehensive list of ESET offerings, visit the products page.
NOD32 Antivirus 4.0 Home Edition is ESET’s basic antivirus/antispyware solution for the home user. There is not a WHS specific version. Installation of NOD32 proceeds as follows:
Once installed, access to the NOD32 console/operations is from the Notification Area of the Taskbar, as can be seen below.
You can double-click on the green NOD32 icon to bring up the console
or right-click on the icon to access some of the basic program options.
Moving back to the console app., the first thing that struck me was the clean, simple, uncluttered interface. Even toggling the console display to the advanced mode
is rather underwhelming. Clicking through the icon items along the left side of the console window provides a simple, yet thorough set of program options and/or actions, as can be seen in the following set of screen shots.
Standard Setup options:
Advanced Setup options:
The Tools options, accessible only in advanced mode.
For most users, standard mode is all one will really ever need. In most situations, an AV program should be able to configure itself upon installation to unobtrusively protect the computer, and setup normal update and scanning schedules. If done correctly, as NOD32 seems to do, one should never even have to access the console. An install and forget kind of program.
Of course, in Advanced mode, a user can get into alls sorts of trouble if he/she does not know what they are doing:
I will let the reader peruse the Advanced mode options to see what NOD32 can do. From my perspective, I prefer the AV solution that is never seen or heard unless an attack occurs or virus found. NOD32 seems to fit that scenario quite well.
That is enough about program settings. How well does it work and how obtrusive (or not) is it on the user and on the system?
To answer the first part, I will have to rely on labs that rate anti-virus software. I certainly do not have the tools, test setups, and “contained” viruses sitting around that these people have to test AV programs. The comparison charts are for too large to show here, so I will provide the links to some sites that perform these tests:
An interesting read on how CNET tests anti-virus programs can be found here. How did NOD32 fare in these tests? I will let you read through the information at the above links and make up your own mind. Please note that none of the above sites has specific information on version 4 of NOD32.
For use with a WHS, there are 2 items that I can check to see what kind of hit NOD32 has on system performance.
- System resources:
WHS System idle, NOD32 resident.
I observed the ekrn.exe use between 0 and 1% at any given time.
I then opened IE7, went to Windows Update and performed an update scan. During this time, I observed the ekrn.exe use between 0 and 6% at any given time.
I would definitely not call NOD32 a resource hog when working in the background.
- Client Backup:
I ran a Manual Backup of this machine. I followed this backup immediately another backup. I then ran a third backup while NOD32 was performing a manual scan.
Run 2, NOD32 was not performing a manual scan:
Run 3, NOD32 was performing a manual scan.
And the associated resources being used during this time. CPU usage ranged from 25 to 50%, with the majority of the time being between 45 and 50%.
As can be seen, running a system scan did not effect backups times. Although you might very well notice some system lag if NOD32 is doing a system scan and you are doing another CPU intensive task at the same time.
So, is NOD32 Antivirus 4.0 Home Edition the program for you?
It requires almost no system resources (except the memory footprint), when residing in the background, and requires a minimal amount when surfing the web.
Scanning required a significant amount of system resources. However, it did not effect backup times. It would seem appropriate to schedule drive scans at a time when you are normally not be using your WHS to stream music, videos, or perform other CPU intensive tasks.
The interface was refreshingly simplistic. There seemed to be a logical grouping of options and tasks between the Normal mode and Advanced mode. Normally, I almost always use the advanced mode of programs, but this is one program that I felt no need to make use of that feature.
Quite frankly, I think developers of many commercial utility programs could take a lesson from the NOD32 UI. Doesn’t anyone else use the KISS principal anymore?
Some may not like the lack of integration of NOD32 into the WHS console, but I do not feel it is necessary. If needed, one can access the program from a RDC or from Advanced Admin Console for the few times one might need to open the NOD32 console. Although an option with WHS console integration would be nice…
In the end, it is tough to recommend one AV solution over another. I would have to recommend that you use some form of AV protection, of which NOD32 is now one of the few solutions available for a WHS. For a WHS, I would always choose the most basic solution, as in the non-inclusion of a 3rd-party firewall. Which is exactly what ESET recommends. After that, if comes down to what you, the user, have been most comfortable with on your other computers. If you are a NOD32 user on your other computers, I am sure you would be quite happy to have NOD32 as a solution for your WHS.
Company: ESET, LLC
Version Reviewed: NOD32 Antivirus 4.0 Home Edition
Cost: $39.99 (1 year subscription) $58.99 (2 year subscription)
NOD32 links:
Web site: ESET
Support: ESET Support
