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This appendix provides answers to the following frequently asked questions about IPM:
IPM is an application for measuring and monitoring network performance statistics such as response time, availability, packet loss, and errors. You can view these statistics in real time or have IPM store them in its database for historical analysis. You can also use IPM to establish network baselines and monitor thresholds.
No. IPM is functionally a standalone product. However, IPM can use inventory information stored in CiscoWorks2000 Resource Manager Essentials to define source routers and target devices to collect latency data.
No. IPM is a standalone application. It has no dependencies on these network management platforms.
No. IPM utilizes the Response Time Reporter (RTR) software feature embedded in the Cisco IOS software of a router or Catalyst Route Switch Module (RSM) to measure response time and availability.
No. IPM configures the RTR feature of a router or RSM, running Cisco IOS software, to collect response time information. The network response time is measured from within the network rather than from the management workstation.
IPM is comprised of several distinct pieces of functionality.
You can run the IPM client user interface on Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows NT on your PC. The IPM server must run on a Solaris workstation.
| Cisco IOS Release | Cisco IOS Feature Set | RTR/IPM Support | Maximum Duration for Collectors | Maximum Number of Collectors |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Less than 11.2(8) | All | No | - | - |
11.2(8) to 11.2(15) | IP Plus Desktop Plus IBM Enterprise | Yes | 23 days | 200 |
| IP Only IP/IPX Desktop | No | - | - |
11.2(16) to 11.2(x) (x is greater than 16) | IP Plus Desktop Plus IBM Enterprise | Yes | Forever | 200 |
| IP Only IP/IPX Desktop | No | - | - |
11.3(0) to 11.3(5) | All | No | - | - |
11.3(6) to 11.3(4) | IP Plus Desktop Plus IBM Enterprise | Yes | Forever | 200 |
| IP Only IP/IPX Desktop | No | - | - |
12.0 and later1 | All | Yes | Forever | 500 |
| 1Cisco IOS software Release 12.0(T) is not supported by IPM Release 2.0. It will be supported by IPM Release 2.1. |
The RTR restricts the number of configured collectors to a maximum of 200 per router for Cisco IOS releases 11.2 and 11.3, and 500 collectors per router for Cisco IOS release 12.0 or later. The actual number of supported collectors, however, is dependent on the specific router platform and amount of RAM installed in the router. Test results for some typical platform configurations are as follows:
| Platform Series | Cisco IOS Software Release | DRAM (MB) | Maximum Number of Collectors |
|---|---|---|---|
Cisco 7500 | 11.2 | 64 | 200 |
| 11.3 | 128 | 200 |
| 12.0 | 64 | 500 |
Cisco 7200 | 11.2 | 120 | 200 |
| 11.3 | 120 | 200 |
| 12.0 | 56 | 500 |
AS5300 | 11.2 | 64 | 200 |
| 11.3 | 64 | 200 |
| 12.0 | 64 | 500 |
Cisco 4700 | 11.2 | 32 | 100 |
| 11.3 | 64 | 200 |
| 12.0 | 64 | 500 |
MC3810 | 12.0 | 27 | 500 |
Cisco 3600 | 11.2 | 24 | 80 |
| 11.3 | 24 | 80 |
| 12.0 | 28 | 500 |
Cisco 2600 | 11.3 | 48 | 200 |
| 12.0 | 48 | 500 |
Cisco 2500 | 11.2 | 16 | 100 |
| 11.3 | 16 | 100 |
| 12.0 | 16 | 500 |
Cisco 1600 | 11.2 | 24 | 40 |
| 12.0 | 24 | 500 |
Catalyst 5500 RSM | 11.2 | 64 | 80 |
| 11.3 | 32 | 200 |
As of the publication of this document, all platforms that support the Cisco IOS software also support the RTR with the exception of the following platforms:
IPM uses the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) to configure RTR in the Cisco IOS software of a router or RSM to collect response time and availability statistics. The RTR samples response time and availability to targets (network devices, servers, and PCs) in the network. IPM then uses SNMP to collect response time information from RTR, and stores that information for presentation and analysis.
No. IPM supports targets as long as they are reachable through IP. These targets may be web servers, PCs, printers, routers, switches, other network devices, or any other device that has an IP address. IPM also supports SNA targets running the NSPECHO application that is provided with IPM.
IPM and RTR support both IP and SNA response time monitoring.
No. You are required to be running the RTR feature on only the router actually sourcing the network performance measurements.
The answer depends on the number of collectors you are using at any one time. A collector is the entity that IPM creates on a router to collect performance data. The router component of IPM uses memory and CPU cycles, so Cisco recommends that you run the router component on multiple edge routers instead. This setup distributes the load across multiple routers and better simulates typical network traffic patterns.
No. IPM 2.0 currently supports server functionality on Solaris only, and client functionality on Solaris, Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows NT. The AIX and HP-UX versions of IPM are being End of Lifed (EOLed) and there are no plans at this time to support future versions of IPM on AIX or HP-UX.
The router memory consumed by Echo collectors depends on the version of Cisco IOS software running on the router:
The router memory consumed by a Path Echo collector is dependent on the number of paths and the number of hops in the path for each collector.
A new release of IPM that supports the IPM server running on Windows NT will be available in the second quarter (summer) of 2000.
RTR generates several measurements per hour, then IPM polls the router once per hour and collects summarized statistics for that one-hour period. You can set the sampling interval for RTR as often as 1-10 seconds, but for optimal performance, we recommend that you set the sample interval to at least 60 seconds (1 minute). This is the default value.
You can view up-to-date real-time statistics in the Real Time Display window as RTR collects the data from the collector. However, IPM does not store the real-time data in the IPM database. IPM only stores the hourly summarized data in the IPM database.
The data is summarized and averaged in a variety of ways. IPM displays the data in the Response Graphs window in hourly, daily, weekly, and monthly increments. IPM also displays average, minimum, and maximum calculations of the data over the monitoring period. IPM also provides an automatic aging facility for summarizing and aging older data.
No. The demand seems to be relatively low for IPM running on this platform, while the demand for supporting other platforms and adding additional features to the existing platforms is fairly high. So the likelihood of IPM on Solaris for Intel being supported is relatively slim.
IPM Release 2.0 provides support for the following types of operations:
Yes. With IPM Release 2.0, IPM is packaged with CiscoWorks2000 in the Routed WAN Management bundle. IPM might also be included in other CiscoWorks2000 bundles in the future.
There is no functional limit on the number of collectors that IPM can support. However, it is recommended that you limit the maximum number of collectors per IPM server to 1000.
IPM handles configuring the source router using running configurations entirely. IPM automatically reconfigures the router after a reboot. You do not have to do anything special from the router command line after a reboot. Also, IPM does not interact with or destroy any manually generated collectors.
Updated product information and software updates for IPM are available at the following URL: http://www.cisco.com/kobayashi/sw-center/netmgmt/cw2000/IPM.html
Posted: Wed Jan 5 13:11:04 PST 2000
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