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A domain is a subset of network activity that you can monitor. You can use Domain Manager to monitor network traffic in specific domains. For instance, you can monitor RMON statistics for a specific subset of segment traffic, such as IP, IPX, or DECnet.
TrafficDirector is shipped with an RMON domain that counts all traffic on the network, regardless of protocol, as well as a number of standard domains already defined. These domains should be sufficient for most network monitoring needs. However, you can also define your own domains at any time, as well as edit previously defined domains by using Domain Editor. Domain Editor is described in the "Customizing Filters and Domains" chapter.
Usually, TrafficDirector domains are protocols. However, you could define domains to reflect devices (such as a server) or applications (such as a proprietary protocol developed by your organization). Remember, a domain is simply any portion of network activity that you define and monitor to fit your needs. You may want to deinstall a domain to free agent resources when you no longer need the segment traffic monitored by the domain. This chapter tells you how to install and deinstall a domain on one or more agents. It also tells you how to use Domain Editor to specify the area of network activity the domain represents.
To ensure that you can monitor traffic on your network, regardless of its complexity, Domain Manager runs in three different modes, depending on what you select from the TrafficDirector main window list (agent, frame relay agent, agent group, or switch). This means that Domain Manager intelligently launches the correct application, depending on what you choose to monitor.
Regardless of whether your network is a switched environment, contains WAN frame relay circuits, or has shared/legacy LAN traffic, you can use Domain Manager to view segment traffic by domain, just as you would in a less complex network. The interface you work with in all modes is identical, yet Domain Manager does all the background work for you, gathering useful statistics without more configuration required from you. Even though there are multiple applications running in the background, the only difference you will see when you run different Domain Manager modes is the application name on the title bar of each window in the GUI. The three available Domain Manager modes are listed as follows:
| Domain Manager mode (basic) | Runs in basic mode when you select a single agent or agent group shown in the TrafficDirector main window list and click the Domain Manager icon. When you launch this mode, the title bars for each window shown in the application indicate that Domain Manager is operating in basic mode. |
| Switch Domain Manager mode | Runs in switch mode when you select a single switch shown in the TrafficDirector main window Switch list and click the Domain Manager icon. When you launch this mode, the title bars for each window shown in the application indicate that Domain Manager is operating in switch mode. When you do so, you can view all the dedicated agents defined for the selected switch (contained in the switch.lst file) plus those discovered ports (defined in the x.swp file). To save you time and effort, TrafficDirector automatically creates the x.swp file if one does not already exist. |
| Frame Relay Domain Manager mode | Runs in frame relay mode when you select a single frame relay agent from the TrafficDirector main window Agent list and click the Domain Manager icon. When you launch this mode, the title bars for each window shown in the application indicate that Domain Manager is operating in frame relay mode. When this mode is running, you can see all the DLCI ports (defined in the x.frp file) for the selected agent. To save you time and effort, TrafficDirector automatically creates the x.frp file if one does not already exist. Keep in mind that you can create a frame relay agent by configuring a SwitchProbe device as such through the console screen. |
Whenever you are using agents, agent groups, or switches, you must install the domains you want before you can begin monitoring specific traffic. You can install one or many domains on an agent or switch. Likewise, you can specify a domain and install it on all the agents or switches connected to your network.
For example, if you use domain IP, which monitors just IP traffic, you might install it on both agent NYC, located in New York City, New York, as well as on agent PARIS, located in Paris, Texas. Once you do this, you could monitor IP traffic on both these segments from your TrafficDirector console. If you wanted to also monitor all TELNET and FTP traffic on just the Paris segment, you could define these two protocols as TELNFTP domain and install it on the PARIS agent. This gives you three options for monitoring the Paris segment:
If the RMON2 directories are not preinstalled, you will need to install one or more domains on an agent or switch when you want it to monitor specific traffic on the network segment where it is attached; or, if you install the TrafficDirector predefined RMON domain on an agent or switch, you will see all traffic on the segment. The information shown below gives you a broad idea of your main steps; later in this chapter you will find detailed steps on installing domains.
When you install or deinstall domains, you can choose to enable or disable certain statistics groups. When you enable statistics groups, it means that the agent or switch containing the domain can collect specific information about the network segment. You can choose to enable all statistics groups or just those you are interested in. TrafficDirector offers a variety of tools you can use to view the information collected. You can enable the following statistics groups:
| Statistics | Collects information about packets and bytes for the entire segment as a whole. To see this information, you can choose from the Segment Stats graph for basic segment statistics or Segment Zoom for basic statistics and historical data. |
| Short-Term History | Collects short-term historical information. To see this information, you can launch the Short-Term History Graph from the Segment Zoom graph. |
| Long-Term History | Collects long-term historical information. To see this information, you can choose the Long-Term History Graph from the Segment Zoom graph. |
| Host | Collects packet and byte information for the specified host. To see this information, you can choose the Host List tool. |
| Conversation | Collects packet and byte information about conversations between specified hosts on the segment. To see this information, you can choose the Conversation List tool. |
Use the following procedure to display the Domain Manager window (Figure 5-1) from the main TrafficDirector window. Once you display the Domain Manager application, you can view, install, and deinstall domains. Use this procedure any time you need to display Domain Manager.
Step 1 Log in to the network management station where TrafficDirector is installed, run the TrafficDirector application, and invoke Domain Manager.
Step 2 Select an agent, agent group, or switch from those shown in the list. If the agent, agent group, or switch 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 Domain Manager and display the Domain Manager main window either click the Domain Manager icon, or select Application>Domain Manager from the menu bar.
Step 4 From this main window, you can now use Domain Manager to install or deinstall a domain, view domain statistics collected, scope domains, or launch other TrafficDirector tools.
To install one or more domains on an agent, use the following procedure. Do not forget that you need to make sure the agent is configured correctly, connected to the proper network segment, and added to TrafficDirector before you install domains. Once your domain is properly installed, you can monitor the selected traffic on the segment that the agent is connected to.
Step 1 From the TrafficDirector main window, select the agent, agent group, or switch you want and display the Domain Manager main window (see "Displaying Domain Manager" earlier in this section).
Step 2 Click the Install button, or select Configure>Install from the menu bar.
The Install Domain window, showing the current list of installed agents and available domains, is displayed (Figure 5-2).
Select the information you want to collect for the installed domains and agents or switches:
| Statistics | Information that appears in the Segment Statistics graph:
· Vital signs · Size distribution · Destination breakdown · Error breakdown |
| Short-Term History | If you specify this information, you must also specify the Periods and Buckets values. Periods are the time intervals between samples. Buckets are the points at which data is stored in a buffer. Defaults are 30 seconds (Periods) and 50 (Buckets). Acceptable ranges are 1 to 3600 (Periods) and 1 to 744 (Buckets). |
| Long-Term History | If you specify this information, you must also specify the Periods and Buckets values. Periods are the time intervals between samples. Buckets are the points at which data is stored in a buffer. Defaults are 1800 seconds (Periods) and 50 (Buckets). Acceptable ranges are 1 to 3600 (Periods) and 1 to 744 (Buckets). |
| Host | Information included in the Host List tool. See the "Monitoring and Troubleshooting Single Domains" chapter. |
| Conversation | Information included in the Host List tool. See the "Monitoring and Troubleshooting Single Domains" chapter. |
Step 4 Click OK to install the selected domains on the specified agents or Cancel to return to the Domain Manager main window without saving your changes.
After you click OK, if no error occurs, the installed domain is displayed in the Domain Manager main window.
When you install a domain, you enable certain statistics groups for specified agent, agent group, or switch/domain combinations. When you no longer need to monitor certain groups of statistics in a domain, or if you do not need to monitor the whole domain, you can choose to disable certain statistics groups for that domain/agent, agent group, or switch combination, or you can disable the entire domain. Available statistics groups within any given domain and their associated tools are explained in the "Understanding Domain Manager Statistics Groups" section.
For example, you define domain TEST to include ARP and FTP protocols, install it on agent ET1000, and enable the statistics, host, and conversations groups. In April, you reconfigure the network so that the segment where the ET1000 agent is located no longer carries ARP or FTP traffic. You decide to deinstall the TEST domain from the ET1000 agent; doing so means that you can conserve network resources and use ET1000 to monitor the traffic that you know is on the segment. When you deinstall the TEST domain, it means that it is not installed on ET1000 agent any longer, but the TEST domain still exists.
Using the same basic example, if you decided that you only wanted to monitor ARP and FTP conversations, you could just deinstall the statistics and host groups from the TEST domain. The procedure below explains how you would deinstall a domain or statistics groups within a specific domain.
Step 1 With the Domain Manager main window displayed, select the agent, group, or switch containing the domain you want to deinstall, and click Deinstall, or select Configure>Deinstall Domain from the menu bar. The Deinstall Domain window (Figure 5-3) is displayed.
Step 2 Do one of the following:
Step 3 To disable one or more domains, do the following:
Step 4 To disable one or more statistics groups for a domain, do the following:
Step 5 Click OK to deinstall the selected domains or associated statistics groups or Cancel to quit without deinstalling your selections.
Domain Manager monitors domains in a variety of ways. You can use Domain Manager to do the following:
By monitoring the traffic on your network, you can establish a normal baseline or expected performance and note any deviations from that performance that might signal broader network problems. The TrafficDirector Domain Manager is very useful because you can select certain domains to include the specific protocols, devices, or applications on the particular segment that you want to monitor, omitting those that are not of interest.
Once a domain is defined, you can use it to collect, view, and analyze network data associated with that domain. As described earlier, you must first install a domain on one or more agents, agent groups, or switches connected to the segment you want to monitor.
When you display statistics for an agent, agent group, or switch, you will notice that the Domain Manager list contains these statistics shown below the headings. The following list gives you a brief explanation of what you will find under the headings:
| Agent/Port | Displays the name of an agent (or names of agents within an agent group) or port number on a switch. If multiple domains are installed on an agent or switch, the list displays each domain in a separate row. |
| Domain | Displays the name of a domain installed on a specific agent. |
| Util% | Displays the average percentage of network utilization on the network segment during the polling period. Displays "----" instead of a value if you did not enable statistics collection when you installed the associated domain. |
| PktRate | Displays the number of packets-per-second on the network segment that meet the requirements of the domain specified in the same row. Displays "----" instead of a value if you did not enable statistics collection when you installed the associated domain. |
| STAT | Displays ON if you enabled statistics collection when you installed the domain. Displays OFF if you did not enable statistics collection at that time. |
| STHIST | Displays ON if you enabled statistics collection (automatically enables short-term history) when you installed the domain. Displays OFF if you did not enable statistics collection at that time. |
| LTHIST | Displays ON if you enabled statistics collection (automatically enables long-term history) when you installed the domain. Displays OFF if you did not enable statistics collection at that time. |
| HOST | Displays ON if you enabled host statistics collection when you installed the domain. Displays OFF if you did not enable host statistics collection at that time. |
| CONV | Displays ON if you enabled conversation statistics collection when you installed the domain. Displays OFF if you did not enable conversation statistics collection at that time. |
You can use Domain Manager to view RMON statistics for an agent, agent group, or switch. Once you display the statistics you want, you can also launch other tools to get further detail. The following procedure shows you how to view RMON statistics.
Step 1 To see RMON statistics for an agent, agent group, or switch, select the one you want from the TrafficDirector main window, then click the Domain Manager icon or select Applications>Domain Manager from the menu bar.
The Domain Manager main window is displayed (Figure 5-4). The installed domains for the agent, agent group, or switch you selected are displayed.
Step 2 Select the sort criterion and sample rate you want.
Step 3 Zero in on the selected agent and domain or switch and domain using the tools available from the Tools menu.
You can see the list information sorted in certain ways, depending on the sort variable you specify. When you specify a variable, the list headings do not change places, but the rows below the headings may, depending on the variable you select.
For example, if you select Domain Name as the sort criterion, the rows are displayed with domains in alphabetical order. This means if ARP is one of the installed domains, it might be the first in the list, followed alphabetically by DECNET, FTP, and SNMP. The following list shows you the sort variables you can choose and how the information is sorted for each:
| Agent Name / Port | The name of each included agent or port. Depending on what you selected, sorts numerically (ports) and alphabetically. Also, this option uses domain as a secondary sort key; this means that you will see domains in alphabetical order per agent or port. |
| Domain Name | The name of each included domain. When selected, sorts alphabetically. Also, this option uses Agent/Port as a secondary sort key; this means that you will be able to look at multiple segments for a given protocol/domain. For example, if you select an agent group and sort by IP domain, you will be able to see and compare IP traffic on all your segments. |
| Utilization | The amount of bandwidth utilized per second. When selected, sorts from largest (top of the list) to smallest percentage. Domain Manager always defaults to this variable. |
| Packet Rate | The number of packets per second for a specific domain. When selected, sorts from largest (top of the list) to smallest number of packets. |
To change the sort order of the information in the Domain Manager list, select Sort, and then select one of the variables.
The sample rate is the interval of time TrafficDirector waits before polling and updating the information displayed in the list. You can change this sample rate to meet your needs, as shown:
To change the sample rate, select Sample, and then select one of the rates described above. TrafficDirector immediately uses the new sample rate to poll the segment and then update the information displayed in the Domain Manager list.
An agent or switch continually monitors network traffic at the sample rate you specify for all installed domains. When you first select Domain Manager from the TrafficDirector main window, the list displays all the domains installed for the agents or switches you selected. However, you might want to monitor traffic only for certain agent/domain or switch/domain combinations.
Scope lets you edit the agent/domain or switch/domain combinations that are shown in the Domain Manager list for the selected agents or switches. For example, you may want to select the IP domain for any agent or switch quickly and easily. You can use Scope to display only the IP domain selections rather than all the configured domains. Scope also helps you control the amount of SNMP-based traffic that occurs because you are in effect polling only specific devices, instead of all devices on a segment.
When you use Scope to edit the agents or switches and domains that are displayed, as long as you are in the current TrafficDirector session, those are the only ones you will see. However, in any session, you can change the scope at any time. Keep in mind, though, that when you end the current session and begin a new one, you will again see all the agents or switches and domains that are currently installed. To select the agent/domain or switch/domain combinations that are displayed in the Domain Manager list, use the following procedure.
Step 1 Click the Scope button from the Domain Manager window, or select Configure>Scope Domains from the menu bar. The Select Scope window appears (Figure 5-5).
All agents and domains that are currently being monitored are highlighted. The window contains two lists:
| Agent List | Displays the name of each defined agent that you are monitoring with Domain Manager. If you have selected a switch, in this list you will see all port numbers, roving agents or attached agents, if applicable. |
| Domain List | Displays the name of every domain currently defined in TrafficDirector and the total number of domains shown in the list. |
Step 2 Under Agent List, select the agents or switches you want to be displayed in the list on the Domain Manager window.
Step 3 Under Domain List, select the domains you want to appear in the list on the Domain Manager main window. The domains you select must be a subset of the domains that are installed for the selected agent, agent group, or switch.
Step 4 Click OK to see the selected agents and domains or Cancel to leave the Domain Manager list display unchanged.
The agents or switches and domains you selected are displayed in the list in the Domain Manager main window. You can view the traffic information listed for each agent/domain or switch/domain combination or use this information with other TrafficDirector tools.
To select or deselect a single agent from the Scope list, click the name. To select all agents at once, click the Select All button under the corresponding list in the Select Scope window. To deselect all added agents, click the Clear All button under the corresponding list in the Select Scope window.
To quickly reset the scope to include all the installed domains for agents or switches, click the Rediscover button in the Domain Manager main window. The scope now includes the entire set of installed domains, which are displayed in the list.
You can launch other segment and domain monitoring tools directly from Domain Manager. To do so, first select Tools and then any of the following:
| Segment Zoom | Launches the Segment Zoom tool that lets you magnify the domain for a closer view of the activity. See the "Monitoring and Troubleshooting Single Domains" chapter for more information. |
| Host List | Launches the Host List tool that displays the list of hosts for the selected agent and domain. See the "Monitoring and Troubleshooting Single Domains" chapter for more information. |
| Conversation List | Launches the Conversation List tool that lets you see host conversation details. See the "Monitoring and Troubleshooting Single Domains" chapter for more information. |
| Trend Reporter | Launches the Trend Reporter application that lets you choose from predefined reports or create your own on various network events and statistics. See the "Logging and Reporting Using Trend Reporter" chapter for more information. |
At times, you may want to print the contents of the Domain Manager list for your records. To print the contents of the Domain Manager list as a report, use the following procedure.
Step 1 Select File>Print from the menu bar. The Print Options window is displayed (Figure 5-6).
Step 2 Do one of the following:
Step 3 Click Apply.
To exit the Domain Manager window and return to the TrafficDirector main window, select File>Exit.
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