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Wireless Networking Handbook
(Publisher: Macmillan Computer Publishing)
Author(s): Jim Geier
ISBN: 156205631x
Publication Date: 09/01/96

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Performance Monitoring

Performance monitoring addresses performance of a network during normal operations.

You should concentrate on establishing a means to monitor central points of failure and any part of the network reliant on mechanical devices. Central points of failure tend to be components such as servers, network backbone cabling, switches, routers, and access points.

The three main types of performance monitoring are as follows:

  Real-time monitoring—where metrics are collected and compared against thresholds that can set off alarms.
  Recent-past monitoring—where metrics are collected and analyzed for trends that may lead to performance problems.
  Historical data analysis—where metrics are collected and stored for later analysis.

A network monitoring station identifies data traffic and collects statistics from workstations, servers, and other active network devices. These monitoring stations depend on the implementation of a management protocol, providing communications between the network monitoring stations and the managed devices. As mentioned previously, SNMP is currently the industry standard. Network monitors attach to the network via a network interface card and run in a passive mode, unable to disturb the normal operation of the network.

Network monitors usually consist of the following features:

  Graphical mapping of the network components and environment
  Event logging
  Alarms triggered when certain events occur
  Automatic fault isolation
  Statistics logging
  Report generation

Plan to utilize network management tools that interface with the MIBs residing on the network’s active elements. Most wireless LAN vendors, for example, supply a SNMP-based MIB that can be read by most network management software. Lucent’s WaveLAN comes with a MIB that interfaces with Novell’s NetWare Management System. For monitoring switches and hubs, you can utilize software sold by the vendor because it will interface best with the MIBs located on the devices; that is, if you are using 3Com’s switches and hubs (their network monitoring product), Transcend would be the best choice.

Cabletron’s SPECTRUM

If your network implementation consists of a variety of vendors, consider using a common network monitoring product such as Cabletron’s SPECTRUM.

SPECTRUM Version 4.0 has the following features:

  Provides advanced management capabilities for all networking environments—LAN, WAN, SNA, PBX and ATM—and all computing environments.
  Proactively monitors the network’s or computer’s current status and performance characteristics.
  Provides intelligent alarm reduction to help minimize time required to locate faults.
  Automatically isolates both hard and soft errors.
  Takes corrective action to assist network personnel in solving problems.
  Discovers configuration information, providing a broader perspective of the network.
  Collects and analyzes valuable management data for short- and long-term network planning.
  Multiple platform support (Windows NT, Solaris 2.4, SunOS 5.4, SGI Irix 5.3, HP-UX 10.01, AIX 4.1.3, and SunOS 4.1.3).
  Enterprise Alarm Manager provides a view of all alarms in entire management system, enterprise-wise applications.
  Alarm Notification Manager dispatches SPECTRUM alarms to external applications like trouble-ticketing packages
  AutoDiscovery maps your network by identifying IP addresses and placing devices in a logical hierarchy. As devices are added to your network, AutoDiscovery automatically updates your network model.
  MAC Address Locator Tool (MALT) locates devices on your network when you know the Physical or Media Access Control (MAC) address.


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