Displaying History Information

Short-term and long-term Histories reside in an agent and show statistical histories over preset time periods. History statistics are derived from the segment statistics groups of RMON; to get history graphs, short-term history, and long-term history groups statistics must be installed in the agent. See Chapter 4, "Configuration Manager," Chapter 9, "Defining Properties Files," and Chapter 5, "Agents."

The default sample period for a Short-Term History graph is 30 seconds. The default sample period for a Long-Term History graph is 30 minutes. The actual sample time is displayed at the top of the graph. The number of samples, or buckets, stored in the agent is determined when the domain is installed.

Launching Segment Information Applications

You can launch short-term and long-term history graphs directly from the Traffic level of the TrafficDirector main window, or from within other TrafficDirector applications.

Launching from the TrafficDirector Main Window

Once you have selected the agent, switch port, or Frame Relay DLCI that you want to learn more about, you can launch either Short-Term History or Long-Term History directly from the Traffic level of the TrafficDirector main window.

To launch either window, take the following steps:

Step 1 Select the Traffic radio button to display the traffic level of the TrafficDirector main window application area.

Step 2 Select the Agent, AgentGroup, Switch, or FrameRelay radio button, then do one of the following:

• If you selected Agent, select an agent from the Name list.

• If you selected AgentGroup, select an agent from the Name list.

• If you selected Switch, select a switch from the Name list, then select a port number from the lower list box.

• If you selected FrameRelay, select a FrameRelay agent from the Name list, then select a DLCI from the lower list box. To view channel statistics, you can only select the FrameRelay agent.

Step 3 Select a domain from the Domain Name list. Select RMON to see all traffic.

Step 4 Do one of the following:

• To display a short-term history graph, click the Short-Term History icon.

• To display a long-term history graph, click the Long-Term History icon.

The history graph you selected is displayed.

Launching from Within Other Applications

When you select the Applications radio button in any TrafficDirector application, you see a list of applications you can launch directly from the current application for the selected agent and domain. This shortcut helps you find the information you need quickly if you are using multiple applications to investigate an agent or device.

Displaying Short-Term or Long-Term History Graphs

To display either type of graph, select either Applications>Short-Term History or Applications>Long-Term History from Traffic Monitor or Segment Zoom. The graph type you selected is displayed (Figure 19-1).

Figure 19-1: Short-Term Segment History Window (3-D Bar Format)

Selecting Statistical Variables

You can select different statistical variables for viewing in both the short-term and long-term history graphs. The x and y axes may change to fully show the variable you selected. The default variable is Utilization. To select a variable for use with either graph, select one of the following from the View menu:

• Utilization (default)

• Packets

• Bytes

• Vital Signs

• Packet Destination

• Errors

The graph is displayed with the selected variable.

Selecting History Format Options

When you launch a short-term or long-term history window from the Segment Details application, you can select one of four available graph formats. Both the short-term and long-term history graphs default to the line graph option when first launched. To change the graph format, select one of the following graph types from the Format menu:

Step 1 Select Format.

Step 2 Select graph type.

• Line (the default view)

• Area

• 2-D bar chart

• 3-D bar chart

The selected graph format is displayed.

Zooming In on Graphs

You can zoom in on short-term or long-term history graphs to get a closer look at the data. You can zoom in on a single interval of time by double-clicking a point on the graph, or zoom in on a segment of the graph by clicking once on one point, and once on another point. The history application window displays an enlarged view of the data you selected.

To zoom in and out on any short-term or long-term history graph, take the following steps:

Step 1 Launch a short-term or long-term history graph.

Step 2 Do one of the following:

• To magnify a single data point on the graph, position the cursor over the point you want to magnify and double-click. This is easiest when the graph is displayed in area, 2-D, or 3-D bar format.

• To magnify a portion of the graph, position the cursor over a point and click once, then position the cursor over another point and click once. This is easiest when the graph is displayed in area, 2-D, or 3-D bar format.

The portion of the graph between the two points you selected is magnified.

Step 3 Do one of the following:

• To zoom out and display the entire graph, click once anywhere on the graph.

• To zoom in again, double-click a single point or single-click two separate points.