How to setup a network monitoring server

Hello.

I need to setup a network monitoring server in my network.
To monitor switches, routers, servers etc. and send alerts etc.

I`m pretty new to Linux so many of the systems like nagios seems a bit complicated.

Anybody know of easy to use pakages (like asterisk@home is for asterisk) or really good how to guides.

Thanks for any tips!

 

You can find some nice tutorials here: http://www.howtoforge.com/taxonomy_menu/1/59