Logging and Reporting Using Trend Reporter

The TrafficDirector Trend Reporter is a new application that you can use to log and report various statistics related to your network. Trend Reporter is based on a relational database, which means that you can make ad hoc queries to information contained in any of the database tables, set up automatic report generation, choose reports based on detail or summary data, and define how long detail or summary information stays in the database. For UNIX platforms, Trend Reporter includes a bundled Structured Language Query (SQL) server.

Trend Reporter lets you structure reports that are meaningful for your needs. The information in this chapter explains how Trend Reporter works and helps you quickly get up to speed on creating what you need. Depending on your needs and interests, you might need to read this entire chapter, or you might need to read only certain sections that apply to the task at hand.

How Trend Reporter Works

Trend Reporter is built upon a relational database instead of flat files. Within the database are numerous tables containing different information. To access information in the database tables, you use SQL queries, whether interactively (entered on a command line) or submitted through the Trend Reporter graphical user interface (GUI). In this chapter, you will learn how to use the Trend Reporter GUI.

If you opt to use the Trend Reporter ad hoc query capability, you will need to be familiar with SQL. SQL queries are easy to use and understand; an example SQL query to an employee database table might look something like this:

SELECT LastName, FirstName, Extension FROM employee_table WHERE FirstName = 'David' ORDER by LastName

Using the Trend Reporter SQL Server

On UNIX platforms, Trend Reporter includes a bundled SQL server. The SQL server must run locally on the host that is also running TrafficDirector.

The database that is located in the SQL server is a collection of tables that you access using SQL queries. Report tables are available to you and display information that you request through the GUI or ad hoc queries.

More About the Trend Reporter Database Tables

The Trend Reporter tables contain statistics for all agent/domain pairs. This means that SQL queries you submit can span multiple agents and domains. Trend Reporter uses the following seven types of report tables:

• Protocol statistics

• Ethernet segment statistics

• Token-Ring segment statistics

• FDDI segment statistics

• WAN segment statistics

• Host statistics

• Conversation statistics

Each report table type can be classified as one or more of the following categories:

Viewing Tables

When you want to look at any of the seven table types, you can choose the specific type of content that you want. This means that you can look at any of these tables for the following types of content:

Trend Reporter uses Detail and Summary tables to extract the information required to prepare various reports you might request.

Other Trend Reporter Features

Trend Reporter gives you the flexibility to choose predefined reports through the GUI or to make ad hoc queries to the tables in the database by using the following features:

Comparing V4.1 and V3.3 Trend Reporting Features

If you have used the TrafficDirector V3.3 Logging and Reporting feature, you are probably wondering just what is different in Trend Reporter V4.1. Besides all the new features listed in this chapter, the following list outlines the major differences:

Choosing Report Formats and Reports

Several original Report Generator reports are still available. Trend Reporter features several new reports that you can choose from, depending on your needs. Table 13-1 shows all the reports you can run, as well as types of formats you can choose for each.

About Predefined Reports

Each predefined report gives you specific information. Table 13-2 lists the reports you might want to generate.

About Report Formats

Depending on the report you select, you can usually choose from several different report formats. Here is what to expect from the different report formats:

How the Trend Reporter Database Works

A single database named NSTREND_DB contains all TrafficDirector-related tables. There are many tables in this database that Trend Reporter accesses in response to choices you make on the GUI or to ad hoc SQL queries you enter. Other TrafficDirector applications may also access some of the tables in the database.

Within the database, you will find sets of tables and types of tables. There are seven types of tables (described in the "More About the Trend Reporter Database Tables" section); for each type of table, three storage tables exist. The three storage tables and how they work are explained as follows:

Database Table Quick Reference

For quick reference, Table 13-3 shows a list of all the tables in the database and gives a brief description of each, as well as maximum row size.

Understanding the Trend Reporter Daemons

A daemon is a UNIX process that runs in the background and is disconnected from a process group and terminal. As used in Trend Reporter, certain daemons are used to update functions. Daemons work with related configuration files that control how and when they are called to perform their roles. Trend Reporter uses the following daemons:

Setting Up Environment Variables

The server daemon, msqld, and the tools that access this daemon, all use specific environment variables. These environment variables are set by using the same .traffdir script file (the file that the install script creates during installation) that is also used to set other environment variables, such as NSHOME, HHHOME, and others. Table 13-4 indicates the variables that must be set for Trend Reporter to work correctly.

Working with the Trend Reporter GUI

When you want to run predefined Trend Reporter reports, you can use the GUI. Reports you can choose to run are defined in the "Choosing Report Formats and Reports" section.

Displaying the Trend Reporter Main Window

Whenever you want to work with Trend Reporter, you need to use the procedure below to display the main window. Once the main window is displayed, you can specify parameters for the aging and logging activities. Use the following procedure to display the Trend Reporter main window.

Step 1 If you have not already done so, log in to the network management station where TrafficDirector is installed, and run the TrafficDirector application. The TrafficDirector main window (Figure 13-1) is displayed.

Step 2 Select an agent, agent group, or switch from those shown in the lists. If the agent you want is not listed, you may need to add it. To do so, see the "Working with Agents, Agent Groups, and Switches" chapter.

Step 3 To launch Trend Reporter, click the Trend Reporter icon. The Trend Reporter main window (Figure 13-2) is displayed.

Figure 13-1: TrafficDirector Main Window

Trend Reporter Main Window

Configuring Aging Parameters

To specify how long Trend Reporter waits before aging out (deleting) data from various tables, you need to configure aging parameters. You also use aging parameters to specify the minimum utilization percentage required before information is included in the database. To configure the aging parameters you want, use the following procedure.

Step 1 Run TrafficDirector and click the Trend Reporter icon to display the Trend Reporter main window (Figure 13-2).

Step 2 Select Configure>Aging from the menu bar.

The Configure Aging window (Figure 13-3) is displayed. You will notice that there are three headings on this window: Database, Detail Aging (days), and Summary Aging (days). Under the Database heading are listed Protocol, Segment, Host, and Conversation. To the right of each of these table types are two fields--one where you can specify the amount of time to save information in the detail table and one where you specify the amount of time to save information in the summary table.

Figure 13-3: Configure Aging Window

Configuring Logging Parameters for Poller

To specify what agents, agent groups, or switches that you want to log information for, you need to configure logging parameters for the Trend Reporter Poller. To do so, use the following procedure. You use this procedure anytime you need to add new logging parameters, edit your existing ones, or delete those you do not need any longer.

Step 1 If you have not already done so, run TrafficDirector and click the Trend Reporter icon to display the Trend Reporter main window (Figure 13-2).

Step 2 Select Configure>Poller from the menu bar. The Configure Poller window (Figure 13-4) is displayed.

Figure 13-4: Configure Poller Window

If you clicked Delete, a dialog is displayed that requires you to confirm that you want to delete the specified entry. If you clicked New, the Add Configuration Entry window (Figure 13-5) is displayed. If you clicked Edit, the Edit Configuration Entry window is displayed. Both windows contain identical fields.

Figure 13-5: Add Configuration Entry Window

Step 4 Under the Poll for field, click the selection button and choose Agent, Agent Group, Switch, or Frame Relay, depending on the device or devices you are setting up to poll information.

Step 5 Do one of the following, depending on your selection in Step 4.

• If you selected a single agent, find the one you want listed under the Agents list and highlight it.

• If you selected an agent group, click the selection button under the Select Agent Group field. When the Select Agent Group window is displayed, select the group you want, and click OK. Then highlight any combination of agents within that group shown under the Agents list.

• If you selected a switch, click the selection button under the Select Switch field. When the Select Switch window is displayed, select the switch you want, and click OK. Then highlight any combination of ports shown under the Ports list.

• If you selected a frame relay agent, click the selection button under the Select Frame Relay Agent field. When the Select Frame Relay Agent window is displayed, select the frame relay agent you want, and click OK. Then highlight any combination of DLCIs shown under the DLCI list.

Depending on your selection, you will see either the Select Agent Group window, the Select Switch window or the Select Frame Relay Agent window. Except for the title bars and the available selections, all of the windows are the same, as shown in the Select Agent Group window (Figure 13-6).

Figure 13-6: Select Agent Group Window

Generating Predefined Reports Using the Trend Reporter GUI

You can generate many predefined reports from the Trend Reporter main window. Reports you can choose are defined in the "Choosing Report Formats and Reports" section. To generate any of these reports, use the following procedure.

Step 1 If you have not already done so, run TrafficDirector, and click the Trend Reporter icon to display the Trend Reporter main window (Figure 13-2).

Step 2 Select the type of report you want to generate by clicking the button to the right of the Report Type field. Report types you can choose from are described in the "About Predefined Reports" section.

Step 3 Under the Report for field, click the selection button, and choose either Agent, Agent Group, Switch, or Frame Relay, depending on the device or devices you have set up to poll information that you want generated as a report.

Step 4 Do one of the following, depending on your selection in Step 3.

• If you selected a single agent, find the one you want listed under the Agents list, and highlight it.

• If you selected an agent group, click the selection button under the Select Agent Group field. When the Select Agent Group window is displayed, select the group you want, and click OK. Then highlight any combination of agents within that group shown under the Agents list.

• If you selected a switch, click the selection button under the Select Switch field. When the Select Switch window is displayed, select the switch you want, and click OK. Then highlight any combination of ports shown under the Ports list.

• If you selected a frame relay agent, click the selection button under the Select Frame Relay Agent field. When the Select Frame Relay Agent window is displayed, select the frame relay agent you want, and click OK. Then highlight any combination of DLCIs shown under the DLCI list.

Depending on your selection, you will see either the Select Agent Group window, the Select Switch window, or the Select Frame Relay Agent window. Except for the title bars and the available selections, all of the windows are the same. The Select Agent Group window (Figure 13-6) is typical.

Step 5 Highlight one or more domains you want from those displayed in the Domains list. Depending on how many domains are installed, the list you see may contain a scroll bar; you can use the scroll bar to see the entire list of domains that are available to be selected for polling information.

To the right of the Database field, select one of the following buttons:

Step 7 To select the total amount of time for which you want to see statistics, you need to set beginning and end dates and times. For example, to see statistics for the selected report for seven days, you might select April 22, 01:00, through April 28, 01:00. To set the total amount of time for which you want statistics, do the following:

• In the Start Time field, click the selection to the right of the field; doing so displays a list of dates and times. Highlight the day and time you want the report to start, and click OK.

• In the End Time field, click the selection to the right of the field; this displays a list of dates and times. Highlight the day and time you want to designate as the end of the report, and click OK. The time you select in this field must be a later date and time than what you selected in the Start Time field.

Step 8 In the Interval field, select the time interval you want reflected in the report you chose. For example, if you want to see information collected every hour, you would select 1 hour as the interval.

Step 9 To print headers and footers on the report, do the following:

• To print information at the top of the report, enter up to two lines of information (up to 80 printable characters per line) in the Headers field.

• To print information at the bottom of the report, enter one line of information (up to 80 printable characters) in the Footers field.

Step 10 In the Report Format field, click the button by the format type you want for the selected report. You can choose from Graph, Tabular, CSV, and TSV. Not all types are available for all reports. For more about the types you can choose, see the "Choosing Report Formats and Reports" section.

Step 11 In the Lines Per Page field, enter the total number of text lines you want on each page of a Tabular report. If you selected any other report format (Graph, CSV, or TSV), this option is not available.

To choose the output of your report, choose from one of the following buttons shown to the right of the Output field:

Step 13 If you selected a file output, in the Mode field you must also click either Create (to create a new file) or Append (to add the report to an existing file).

Step 14 If you have selected a Host-type report, in the Sort Hosts field click the selection button to the right of the field to select the variable you want; the report is sorted using this variable. If you selected any report type other than Host, this option is not available. You can choose from Address, Packets, Packets-in, Packets-out, Utilization, Utilization-in, or Utilization-out.

Step 17 To generate the report as specified, click the Generate button, displayed at the top of the Trend Reporter main window (Figure 13-2).

Trend Reporter generates the specified report according to the parameters you have set.

Creating and Modifying Report Configuration Files

When you fill out the Trend Reporter main window to generate a report, you are also configuring the report; you can save the configuration and use it repeatedly.

You might want to save a report configuration in a file if the report meets a specific need but you do not run it often enough to set it up with the AutoReporter. Or, if you are asked to quickly run each type of available report for a specific time period for comparison purposes, you could set up and save one configuration file and modify it as required for each report. Doing so saves you the time it takes to configure all the variables for each report offered in Trend Reporter.

Do not confuse this with configuring logging or aging parameters--those tasks let you specify what statistics are reported and when collected statistics are deleted from the database, respectively.

The report configuration file is just a collection of variables that impact what report you generate, where (and to what) the report is output, what time the report begins and ends, specific headers or footers, and whether the report is in graph, tabular, CSV or TSV format, among other things. Use the procedure below to create or modify report configuration files.

Step 1 If you have not already done so, display the Trend Reporter main window (for steps on doing this, see the "Displaying the Trend Reporter Main Window" section).

Step 2 Fill out or modify the fields on this window as described in the "Generating Predefined Reports Using the Trend Reporter GUI" section.

Step 3 Before clicking the Generate button to actually run the report, do one of the following:

• If you are creating a new report configuration file, select File>Save.

• If you are modifying an existing report configuration file, select File>Save As. The Enter file name window (Figure 13-7) is displayed.

Figure 13-7: Enter File Name Window

Loading Existing Report Configuration Files

Whenever you want to use an existing report configuration file to control how a report should look, as well as the report time interval, among other variables, you can load an existing report configuration file. Loading an existing report configuration file saves you the work of filling out all the fields on the Trend Reporter main window. This is especially useful when you need to generate a report fast. Use the following procedure to load an existing file.

Step 1 If you have not already done so, display the Trend Reporter main window (see the "Displaying the Trend Reporter Main Window" section).

Step 2 Select the type of report you want to generate by clicking the button to the right of the Report Type field. Report types you can choose from are described in the "About Predefined Reports" section.

Step 3 Select File>Load from the menu bar. The Enter file name window (Figure 13-7) is displayed.

Step 4 Locate and highlight the name of the report configuration file you want to load. To do so, use the scroll bars in the Directories and Files list as necessary, then click OK.

The remaining fields on the Trend Reporter main window are filled in with the values specified in the report configuration file you loaded. To generate the report you selected with the parameters loaded from the specified report configuration file, click Generate.

Generating Reports Automatically Using Auto Reporter

To save you time, Trend Reporter offers the Auto Reporter feature. Auto Reporter lets you schedule reports to run on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. This is particularly useful if you have set up certain reports that you need on a regular basis. Once you define the reports you want to run through Auto Reporter, it provides the reports as you specify. To set up reports to run regularly in Auto Reporter, use the following procedure.

Step 1 If you have not already done so, display the Trend Reporter main window (see the "Displaying the Trend Reporter Main Window" section for procedures).

Step 2 From the menu bar, select Configure>Auto Reporter. The Configure Auto Reporter window (Figure 13-8) is displayed.

Figure 13-8: Configure Auto Reporter Window

Step 3 Click the New button. The Add Configuration Entry window (Figure 13-9) is displayed.

Figure 13-9: Add Configuration Entry Window

Editing Reports Scheduled in Auto Reporter

It is easy to reschedule reports in Auto Reporter. To do so, use the following procedure.

Step 1 If you have not already done so, display the Trend Reporter main window (see the "Displaying the Trend Reporter Main Window" section).

Step 2 From the menu bar, select Configure>Auto Reporter. The Configure Auto Reporter window (Figure 13-8) is displayed.

Step 3 Click the Edit button. The Edit Configuration Entry window is displayed. The fields on the window are identical to the Add Configuration Entry window (Figure 13-9).

Step 4 In the Configuration File field, enter the name of the configuration file containing the parameters and variables defined for the report you are rescheduling or click the selection button to the right of the field to browse through available report configuration files.

Step 5 In the Generate Report Automatically field, reschedule the report by clicking either the Daily, Weekly, or Monthly button.

Step 6 Click Apply to set the report to run on the new scheduled basis, or click Cancel to close the window without saving the change.

Printing GUI-Generated Reports

Use the following procedure to print any report you have generated through the Trend Reporter GUI and displayed on the network management console screen. If you want to print a report you generated on an ad hoc basis, see the "Printing Ad Hoc Generated Reports" section in the "Customizing Trend Reporter" chapter.

Step 1 With the report displayed on screen, select File>Print from the menu bar. The Print Options window is displayed (Figure 13-10).

Figure 13-10: Print Options Window

Step 2 Do one of the following:

Working with Trend Reporter from the Command Line

When you want to generate reports, you can use the Trend Reporter graphical user interface (GUI) for running predefined reports or you can use a command line utility to generate customized reports. This section describes how to launch the GUI from the command line and how to generate reports from the command line.

Using nstrend

The Trend Reporter nstrend command line utility lets you launch the Trend Reporter GUI. Enter nstrend at the prompt, and press Enter.

For more information about using the Trend Reporter GUI, see the "Working with the Trend Reporter GUI" section in this chapter.

Using nsreport

The Trend Reporter nsreport command line utility replaces the dvreport and grreport utilities and generates reports by using the parameters described in the following sections.

To view a list of the parameters that are available, enter nsreport at the prompt, and press Enter. The following information is displayed:

# nsreport
nsreport [-cfg param-file -cfg param-file ... ]
         [-type report-type]
         [-agent agent-name [agent-name ...] |
         -agent @agent-group-name |
         -switch switch-name |
         -switch switch-name port-name [port-name ...] |
         -framerelay framerelay-agent-name |
         -framerelay framerelay-agent-name dlci-name [dlci-name ...]]
         [-domain domain-name [domain-name...]]
         [-database detail|summary]
         [-period start-time end-time]
         [-interval interval]
         [-print printer-name | -file file-name | mail mail-to-address]
         [-header1 first-header]
         [-header2 second-header]
         [-footer footer]
         [-format tabular|csv|graph]
         [-delimiter comma|tab]
         [-lpp lines-per-page]
         [-sort sort-criteria]
         [-top top]
         [-tree domain-tree-file]
         [-department department-file]
         [-tariff tariff-file]
#

When running nsreport from the command line, you can configure report parameters by entering the parameters and variables at the command line, by entering the parameters and variables in a configuration file to be created by you, or by using the parameters in a Trend Reporter default file.

When you enter a string of parameters at the command line, you can enter any combination of values and use any combination of spaces and tabs (nonprinting characters) as delimiters. For example, to run a report for two agents, you would enter the following string:

nsreport -agent probe1 probe2

There are different methods of obtaining the same report. The following examples show how you might choose to work with parameters and configuration files to obtain the same report.

Example 1

This example uses parameters only:

nsreport -agent probe1 -domain TCP -type wan-usage -format graph -period 961211 971211 -interval 02:00

Example 2

nsreport -cfg my_config_file

-agent probe1
-domain TCP
-type wan-usage
-format graph
-period 961211 971211
-interval 02:00

Example 3

nsreport -agent probe1 -domain TCP -type wan-usage -format graph TCP -cfg my-config-file

-period 950101 960101
-interval 02:00

Required Parameters

This section describes the nsreport parameters that are required to generate a report.

Segment Summary Report
Agent:  SwProbe100                                 From: Tue Dec  3, 1996 15:00
Domain: RMON                                         To: Tue Dec  3, 1996 15:45
Agent interface: 200 Mbit Ethernet
Traffic this Period
-------------------
Average Utilization: 0.015%
Average Packet Size: 98.27 bytes
Total Packets:             87,758   Average rate:      1.02 per second
Total Bytes:            8,623,680   Average rate:     99.81 per second
Packet Type                 Total    Per Second      % Total Packets
-----------    ------------------    ----------      ---------------
Unicast                         0          0.00             0.00%
Multicast                  87,758          1.02           100.00%
Broadcast                       0          0.00             0.00%

Type,Agent,Domain,From Date,To Date
Segment Summary Report,SwProbe100,RMON,Tue Dec  3  1996 15:00,Tue Dec  3  1996 15:45
Agent interface:,200 Mbit Ethernet
Traffic this Period
% Average Utilization:,0.015
Average Packet Size (bytes):,98.27
Total Packets:,87758,Average rate (per second):,1.02
Total Bytes:,8623680,Average rate (per second):,99.81
Packet Type,Total,Per Second,% Total Packets
Unicast,0,0.00,0.00
Multicast,87758,1.02,100.00
Broadcast,0,0.00,0.00

Type	Agent	Domain	From Date	To Date
Segment Summary Report	SwProbe100	RMON	Tue Dec  3  1996 15:00	Tue Dec  3  1996 15:45
Agent interface:	200 Mbit Ethernet
Traffic this Period
% Average Utilization:	0.015
Average Packet Size (bytes):	98.27
Total Packets:	87758	Average rate (per second):	1.02
Total Bytes:	8623680	Average rate (per second):	99.81
Packet Type	Total	Per Second	% Total Packets
Unicast	0	0.00	0.00
Multicast	87758	1.02	100.00
Broadcast	0	0.00	0.00

Host and Conversation Parameters

This section describes the nsreport parameters that you can use to generate host and conversation reports.

Formatting Parameters

This section describes the nsreport parameters that you can use to format a report.

Output Parameters

This section describes the nsreport parameters that you can use to send a report to an e-mail address, a file, or a printer.

Miscellaneous Parameters

This section describes the nsreport parameters you can use for specifying a configuration file, a database, or a user-defined interval.