I would recommend a full fledged network monitoring system that resides on both the client and server... I've used Big Brother in the past, but have been considering a switch to netsaint.

Both of these systems allow you to write plug-ins (read short scripts) that check on anything you want them to. These plug-ins send status messages to the server, which updates a central repository of status information. The server will then notify you if critical status items are missing or broken.

-Blake