Configuring agent properties such as domains, logging, alarms, round trip delays (IP pings), and proxy SNMP gets is a three-step process. You define the properties you want to install on an agent in a properties file, use Configuration Manager to assign the file to an agent, and install the properties on the selected agent. Property Editor lets you create the properties files quickly and easily.
Some properties, such as domains you want to monitor, logging for domains, and traps, can be installed on a single agent, or applied consistently across groups of agents to compare similar statistics for multiple network segments. You define these properties in a shared properties file.
Other properties are specific to an agent. These properties include logging and traps for individual DLCIs and switch ports, as well as resources such as round-trip delays and IP pings. You define these properties in a custom properties file.
Table 8-1 lists the properties you can configure using shared and custom properties files.
Table 8-1: Shared and Custom Properties Files
| Task
| Properties File Type
|
|---|
| Install domains and associated statistical groups (Statistics, Hosts, and Conversation) on agents.
| Shared
|
| Configure logging for domains installed on agents.
| Shared
|
| Configure logging for individual DLCIs.
| Custom
|
| Configure alarms on agents.
| Shared
|
| Configure alarms on individual DLCIs.
| Custom
|
| Configure alarms on individual switch ports.
| Custom
|
| Configure round-trip delays.
| Custom
|
| Configure proxy SNMP gets.
| Custom
|
The properties you install on an agent dictate the type and form of data that the probe monitors and collects. These properties include the following:
- Domains. You can configure an agent to observe and collect statistics for a particular subset of network traffic. You can install the following types of domains on an agent:
- Protocol--classifies traffic by network and application layer protocols.
- Generic--covers all other classifications of traffic. Generic domains are not limited to the protocol aspects of a packet, but apply to any aspect of a packet you can uniquely define using a filter. The RMON domain is considered a generic domain.
- Domain statistical groups. You can configure both protocol and generic domains to collect one or more sets of statistics. The data gathered is available for real-time monitoring applications, such as Traffic Monitor and Protocol Monitor. You can optionally configure TrafficDirector to log this data to its SQL database, so it is available for review through Trend Reporter. For each domain you install on an agent, you can track the following statistical data:
- Statistics--basic traffic statistics for the domain, including total packets, total bytes, utilization, and packet rate.
- Hosts--basic statistics for traffic into and out of each discovered host, including input packets, output packets, input bytes, output bytes, errors, broadcast packets sent, and multicast packets sent. For generic domains, this information is tracked by MAC address and can also be configured to track by network address. For protocol domains, this information is tracked by network-layer and application-layer addresses.
- Conversations--information about the traffic between pairs of hosts. These statistics include the number of packets, bytes, and errors sent between two addresses on a segment. For generic domains, this information is tracked by MAC address and can also be configured to track by network address. For protocol domains, this information is tracked by network-layer and application-layer addresses.
- Short-term and long-term histories (generic domains only). For each generic domain, you can configure the probe to take periodic statistical samples and store them for later retrieval and analysis. For both short-term and long-term histories, you can configure the number of samples you want the probe to take, and the time interval, in seconds, at which the probe should sample the network segment. You can then produce a historical picture of the segment based on information collected by the selected domain. This is useful for troubleshooting when you configure the sample rate to be faster than is practical for TrafficDirector to poll the agent, providing high-resolution analysis of the network segment.
- Network resources. You can configure SwitchProbes to perform the following operations:
- Round-trip delay--configures the agent to ping a particular IP address so you can quickly check network connectivity to a remote device. For each round-trip delay, you can configure TrafficDirector to log related statistics to its SQL database. These statistics include response time, ping failures, and ping successes.
- Proxy SNMP--configures the probe to send out SNMP get requests to a particular host to retrieve the value of a specific MIB object.
- Traps. You can configure rising and falling thresholds on domain, round-trip delay and proxy SNMP variables. Whenever a threshold is crossed, the agent sends an SNMP trap to alert you.
The first step in configuring agent properties is to create a properties file that reflects the configuration you want to install on an agent. Properties files are created offline, and the agent is not configured with the properties you define until you use Configuration Manager to install the file on the agent. For example, to enable host and conversations for both RMON and IP, you create a properties file with an IP entry with host and conversations enabled, then install the file on an agent. The agent then retains the configuration as defined in the properties file. If the agent is rebooted, it sends a configuration request to TrafficDirector, which typically reinstalls the properties file.
You can define two types of properties for a selected agent: shared and custom. Table 8-2 lists custom and shared properties files to install properties on various agent types.
Table 8-2: Installing Properties with Custom and Shared Properties Files
| Agent Type
| Domain
| Traps
| Logging
| RT Delay
| RT Delay Logging
| Proxy SNMP
|
|---|
| Agent
| Shared
| Shared
| Shared
| Custom
| Custom
| Custom
|
| Frame Relay
| Shared
| Shared
| Shared
| Custom
| Custom
| Custom
|
| DLCI
| RMON and protocol domains installed on a Frame Relay interface are propagated to all DLCIs
| Custom
| Custom
| N/A
| N/A
| N/A
|
| Switch
| Shared (RMON domain only)
| N/A
| N/A
| N/A
| N/A
| N/A
|
| Switch port
| RMON domain from a shared file is installed on all switch ports
| Custom
| Custom
| N/A
| N/A
| N/A
|
When you use Configuration Manager to install properties on a selected agent, the agent performs the following operations:
- Installs all properties defined in both the shared and custom properties file associated with the selected agent.
- Removes pre-existing properties that are not defined in the properties files. If you want to remove an existing property from an agent, install a property file that does not have the property defined. For example, to remove host and conversations for IP, install a properties file that does not have IP host and conversations defined. Network-layer protocol domains installed by the agent on bootup cannot be removed. For more information, see the SwitchProbe Installation and Configuration Guide.
Note When you install properties on a SwitchProbe, protocol domains are installed across all monitor interfaces. For example, if you have a multiport Ethernet probe, and install one properties file on port 3 and another on port 4, the protocol domains installed on port 4 overwrite those on port 3. Therefore, the last properties file that install on a multiport probe should be a superset of the properties you want to monitor across all interfaces.
You can launch Property Editor from either the main TrafficDirector window or from within Configuration Manager, depending on the file you want to create or edit. Table 8-3 lists where you can launch Property Editor from, depending on whether you want to configure a shared properties file or a custom properties file.
Table 8-3: Configuring Properties Files
| Launch Location
| Function To
|
|---|
| TrafficDirector
| Create or edit a shared properties file for the selected switch or agent
|
| Configuration Manager
| Create or edit a shared or custom properties file for the selected switch or agent
|
You launch Property Editor from within Configuration Manager when you want to do one of the following:
- Create or edit a custom properties file for a selected switch or agent
- Create or edit a shared properties file for a selected switch or agent
Launching Property Editor from within Configuration Manager lets you configure properties files associated with specific agents without having to manually locate and open them.
To launch Property Editor, take the following steps:
Step 1 Launch TrafficDirector, if you have not already done so. See Chapter 2, "Launching TrafficDirector."
Step 2 From the TrafficDirector Admin level, click the Config Manager icon.
The Configuration Manager main window opens.
Step 3 Select the Agent, Switch, or FrameRelay radio button.
Step 4 Select an agent.
The name of the shared properties file for that agent is displayed in the Properties File field with the shared properties defined for the agent.
Step 5 Do one of the following:
- To edit the shared properties and configure domains, logging, and alarms for the agent, click Property. Note that these changes will affect all agents for which you have defined the shared properties file.
- The Property Editor main window opens and the shared properties file assigned to the selected agent is opened. The name of the shared properties file is displayed in the Properties File field. See Figure 10-1 in Chapter 10, "Property Editor Interface."
- To edit custom properties and configure properties such as round-trip delays and proxy SNMP gets, or logging and traps on individual DLCIs and switch ports, click the Custom radio button in the upper right of the Configuration Manager main window, then click Property. Note that these changes affect only the selected agent.
- The Property Editor main window opens and the custom properties file is opened. Note that the name of the custom file is the same as the agent name.
You launch Property Editor independently from the TrafficDirector Admin level when you want to do one of the following:
- Create a new shared properties file
- Edit an existing shared properties file
- Create a new shared properties file based on a copy of an existing shared properties file
To launch Property Editor, take the following steps:
Step 1 Select the Admin radio button in the TrafficDirector main window.
Step 2 Click the Property Editor icon.
The Property Editor main window opens. See Figure 10-1 in Chapter 10, "Property Editor Interface." You can now create or edit a shared properties file for an agent, switch, or Frame Relay agent.
