SNMP and Beyond: A Survey of Network Performance Monitoring Tools
Paul Moceri, paul.moceri@gmail.com
Abstract
The growing dependence on networks for everyday tasks has created the demand for high performance, reliable networks. Part of achieving the goal of high performance is active monitoring of networks to help in the identification and prevention of network errors. Many tools have emerged to aid in performance monitoring of networks. The most common class of tools is based on the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP), a protocol for sending and transmitting network performance information on IP networks. Other types of network performance monitoring tools include packet sniffers, flow monitors and application monitors. Examples of the various monitoring tools are SolarWind's Orion SNMP monitoring platform, Ethereal packet capture tool, Webmetrics' GlobalWatch and Cisco's NetFlow flow monitoring tools.
Table of Contents
- 1.0 Introduction
- 1.1 Terminology
- 1.2 Overview of Network Performance Monitoring
- 1.3 Common Performance Metrics
- 2.0 Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)
- 2.1 Role of SNMP in Network Performance Monitoring
- 2.2 Management Information Base (MIB)
- 2.3 Versions and Interface
- 3.0 Types of Monitoring Tools
- 3.1 Integrated SNMP Monitoring Platforms
- 3.2 Passive Analysis
- 3.3 Application and Service Monitoring
- 3.4 Flow Monitoring
- 3.5 Comparison of Performance Monitoring Tool Types
- 4.0 Example Implementations
- 4.1 Integrated SNMP: SolarWinds' Orion Network Performance Monitor
- 4.2 Passive Capture Tool: Ethereal
- 4.3 Application and Service Monitoring: Webmetrics GlobalWatch
- 4.4 Network Flow Monitoring: Cisco IOS NetFlow
- 5.0 Summary
- References
- Acronyms
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