> I can just give you some hints and you can look out what
> fits best for your purposes (maybe some others knows some good tools too
> and can add them here too):

maybe s/he would be comfortable with PuTTY
<http://linux.softpedia.com/get/System/Networking/PuTTY-347.shtml> on
XP to connect to the Linux server..

but, who knows (?) what s/he means by (or wants/needs to use) "to
monitor active connections" or "monitor open files"..

_maybe_ netstat will show all the connection info wanted/needed..

open files need _might_ be filled with 'lsof -i TCP' or just lsof

or perhaps s/he is looking for a nifty GUI thingy with a retro dial
speedometer [or maybe a blinking digital readout] in the middle and
other dials, switches, do-dads, bells, whistles and graphs built in..

perhaps clintmoodley25 could be a little more specific in what he/she
is wanting to see..

--
natural_pilot