Purpose of networking tools

When managing networks it is essential to use a range of networking tools. We can outline the two main purposes of network management tools as fault management and performance management. These tools are used to monitor network performance and identify and fix faults so that the network works at the optimal level and any down time is limited. Using monitoring tools enables network managers to segregate any issues to specific components within a network to cause minimal disruption to network users whenever any issues occur.

Fault management tools
These tools are used to find faults in a network and provide as much information about the fault as possible through reporting, isolating the fault to a specific component on the network and using the fault reports to carry out corrective action on the isolated network component.

We have previously discussed SNMP and reporting on network technologies where SNMP agents report back to the network management system (NMS) with error logs or alarms specific to these agent components. For network fault management SNMP is used to gather information and detect faults. Network Engineers can then isolate a specific area of the network using fault management tools and carry out a detailed diagnostic on this area to take corrective actions and minimise any disruption to the network. One of the main advantages of using fault management tools is that you could isolate a network error to a very specific node on the network.

An example of fault management could be a connection between one client and a server where the client is trying to upload a large file to a network storage location on the server could be causing problems. This can be isolated by killing the file transfer request from client to server, disconnecting the client from the network and then carrying out further investigation on the client machine. Fault logs sent from the client or server agents to the network management system can be used to investigate potential issues and this can be fixed with only one client machine being disconnected from the network.

When a fault management tool relies on reports and error logs being sent agents, this is known as passive fault monitoring. If these devices go down totally then no error logs are sent to the NMS and therefore no action can be taken. An active fault monitoring system will actively reach out to devices on the network to ensure that it is connected to the network. By pinging devices on the network and actively monitoring their response the fault management tool can detect if all devices are active and if there are any issues. In doing this, active fault monitoring can throw alarms even if devices do not respond. Some of the main features of network fault management tools are:

  • Taking control of any devices connected to the network from a central location
  • Automatic diagnostics to correct issues and potential issues before they happen
  • Maintaining detailed logs of network performance so that common issues can be resolved
  • Setting limits to define flags for devices issues before action is taken
  • Sending alarms based on limits set above to inform network manage of potential issues
  • Checking bandwidth usage across the network.
  • Monitoring for security threats on the entire network
  • Isolating the location of devices that are causing issues on the network

Performance management tools
The key purpose of network performance management tools is to monitor the network to make sure that it meets user requirements outlined in any service level agreement (SLA) that defines the expectations of the network performance. This includes measuring and maintaining a good user response time in terms of accessing network resources.

Network performance management links back to fault management in that you are trying to see what network components are working well and taking corrective actions based on performance analysis when expectations drop below those outlined in the SLA. Another key thing to check when monitoring network performance is to measure application response time over the network. Applications that are licensed to be distributed over the network need to be monitored to make sure they are not using too much network resources. If any issues occur then the application distribution needs to be looked at and applications may even need to be installed directly on client machines if they cause issues over the network. Other performance factors that need to be agreed and monitored are network baseline expectations (as outlined under any SLA), utilisation and availability of resources, response times between different nodes on the network, data transmission accuracy and the potential need to expand the network (capacity planning). Some of the key features of performance management tools are as follows:

  • Remotely monitor and control all network components from a central location
  • Automatically detect and configure SNMP enabled devices
  • Provide an overview of specific hardware/component health such as fans and power supplies
  • Provide a network map of all connected components
  • Easy to navigate GUI that can be customised to display key information
  • Provide statistics for a number of factors over a period of time so common issues are identified
  • Monitor response time and packet loss
  • Monitor data on multiple layers of the OSI networking model
  • Monitor both user and application response time
  • Group specific components such as wireless devices to provide accurate performance analysis on them
  • Set up alarms defined by user expectation thresholds
  • Send alerts by SMS, Email or by launching an application based on network performance
  • Report on specific alerts such as server reboots or router disconnect
  • Report on rogue access requests by devices not approved to access network

Specific examples of Network Management Tools
Having outlined the purposes of network management tools as fault and performance management, let’s now look at some specific examples of network management tools. The sections below give a brief overview of Solarwinds, Wireshark, Cisco Works and HP Openview. Of course there are many other free and paid tools but these are just some examples of industry standard software that is used to monitor a network for faults and performance issues.

Solarwinds: This network management tool can be used to monitor and manage your network, it includes performance monitoring tools, facility to configure network devices, traffic statistics and built in fault diagnostic features. It enables network engineers to look into network fault and performance issues and obtain detailed information on traffic and issues. Some of the key features are:

  • Speeds up network troubleshooting
  • Easily resolve network outage
  • Monitors and reports user response time
  • Determines network delay/latency and adjust performance to be in line with user requirements
  • Device support for all major network device vendors
  • Customisable user interface and dashboard
  • Customised alerts and alarms based on performance requirements
  • Automatically finds and configures new devices
  • Fast deployment – can be set up in an hour

Solarwinds is a paid network tool for Windows based networks and starts at £1765 as of January 2015. The server system requirements are 20Gb hard disk space for a SQL database to manage information as well as 3Gb Memory and a 3GHz dual core processor. There is a free 30 day trial period and their website has and interactive demo so that you can investigate the key features, customisable dashboard and alerts and reporting capabilities in more detail.

Wireshark: An open source protocol or packet analyser licensed under a GNU General Public License. It allows you to see how data is being transferred across your network in a very detailed level. It has many contributors and has been in development since 1998. It has won a number of awards since it has been introduced and is widely used by businesses and educational institutions. Some of the key features of Wireshark are:

  • Detailed inspection of an every growing range of network protocols
  • Capture data and analyse offline if needed
  • Three-pane packet viewer
  • Runs on many operating systems including Linux, Windows and OS X
  • Data can be viewed using graphical user interface or teletypewriter
  • Excellent VoIP analysis
  • Monitors a number of different networking specific file formats
  • Data can be read and captured over Ethernet LAN, Wireless, Bluetooth and many more based on what platform you are using
  • Decryption support for many protocols such as WEP, SNMPv3 and WPA/WPA2
  • Specific packet data can be colour coded for easy to see analysis
  • Data can be exported in many formats such as plain text, comma seperated values or XML

Wireshark is definitely a network management tools that is worth having in terms of it’s trouble shooting facilities. It also allows network administrators to analyse protocol and security issues. Due to the nature of the tool and the data that it provides in a clearly presented format people also use it to examine and learn how network protocols work. Even though it is an open source project there are still many helpful documents, video tutorials and presentations on the Wireshark website that will help you get started.

CiscoWorks: CiscoWorks LMS (LAN Management Solution) is a network management tool that can be integrated with Windows and Solaris networks running on Cisco hardware. It includes a number of network management tools that allow you to configure and monitor Cisco networks. The suite is a web based software application that allows remote access from anywhere. The monitoring and reporting make network managers easily find and isolate network issues. CiscoWorks LMS version 4.0 comes with a new Template Centre that makes configuring and rolling out updates across a network easier than previous versions. Configuration templates for specific devices can be downloaded from the Cisco website. For anybody running Cisco networks, this is an excellent feature as network administrators are provided with the latest update for Cisco products. The key features of CiscoWorks are as follows:

  • Centrally managed system for sharing and managing LAN device information
  • Automatic discovery of network components presented in easy to view block diagram
  • Fault analyse using real-time date with easy to deploy templates for specific devices
  • Inventory management for both software and hardware components
  • Performance monitoring for user response time and network availability
  • Web based management system accessing real-time network data
  • Setup instruction wizards for device trouble shooting and system configuration
  • Supports virtual networks
  • Integrated reporting system

CiscoWorks is a must have for networks made up of a majority of Cisco components. Network topology mapping means that you can see exactly what us connected together in the network. Therefore, problems can be isolated to specific nodes on the network. It is an easy solution for inventory management, application administration, monitor and trouble shooting.

HP Openview: Another performance manager tools for networks. Again this uses agents on network devices to monitor the performance from a single interface central location. It looks at resource utilisation for networks that include devices from multiple vendors and ensure best service. It includes graphical analysis tools that can predict future usage trends based on current network utilisation. The enables you to pre-empt any traffic bottle neck issues and avoid them before they happen. HP Openview can be used to allocate network resources to ensure service levels meet those outlined by the network performance service level agreement. The key features are as follows:

  • Perfomance monitoring displayed using real-time graphs
  • Zoom feature to future analyse graph data in more detail over specific time periods
  • Customisable and accurate graph options such as linear and exponential graphing on performance
  • Excellent reporting features that are customisable and can be exported in multiple formats

HP OpenView can be set up to use agent data to alert administrator of any alarms. These alarms can be customised by severity level and immediately reported to network admins on a number of mediums such as SMS and email. Customised preventative measures or operations can be set up to occur when an alarm is triggered also. As the name suggest OpenView lets you look inside your network.

Managing Networks using System Software
To further outline the purpose of networking tools we should look at how system tools are used to find assets of devices connected to a network. One way of finding network assets from a Windows workstation is to use the command line. Command line networking commands can be used to check network status and connection issues of devices on the network. Examples of some networking commands are:

  • ipconfig
  • ping
  • pathping
  • tracert
  • netstat

Other system tools that can be used to find assets on a network is the built in network mapping tools in Windows 7. To access the network map go to: Control Panel >> Network and Internet >> Network and Sharing Center >> See full map. This can be useful for see all client and server machines connected to the network and also seeing shared printers and devices. You will be able to see devices that are connected over wifi. Seeing the full map shows a good overview of the physical layout and how devices are connected together. You can also look at the logical layout as ip addresses and device names are identified on the map. If you have any other examples of system tools that you use to identify network assets, please feel free to add in the comments section.

This article outlines the key purposes of network management tools and gives an overview of specific examples of network fault and performance management tools. It also looks at looks at using system tools to identify network assets and gives some examples. If you found this helpful, please share and for more information on this area please visit our Managing Networks page.