Your network architecture is the backbone of your infrastructure, it enables the routing of data and allows internal and external users to access services.
Network monitoring is essential to ensure that there are no problems accessing services and that no failures occur. A network analysis tool assists you in optimizing your network infrastructure and increasing network efficiency by identifying bandwidth and resource usage.
ServiceNav provides tools to monitor your network at two points:
- Technical analysis and failure detection
- Analysis of bandwidth usage
Technical analysis and failure detection
A technical failure of the network can be fatal and block or degrade access to services.
The following service models allow the feedback of technical indicators linked to an interface:
- SWITCH-Network_Plus
- SWITCH-Network_traffic-InterfaceName_Plus
- SWITCH-Network_traffic-InterfaceName_Plus_SNMPV3
- SWITCH-Network_traffic_Plus_SNMPV3
These models measure the network traffic usage for an interface, indicate the data rate and volume of data transmitted/received since the last system start, notify when thresholds are exceeded. They collect interface status, number of packets in error, number of packets rejected, actual card speed, and notify when thresholds set for the number of packets in error, number of packets rejected are exceeded, or when the actual card speed is different from the expected one.
Configuration and use :
- Interface number or name : ID or name of the interface depending on the model used
- Traffic alert threshold IN : IN traffic alert threshold expressed as a percentage.
- Critical threshold of IN traffic : critical threshold of IN traffic expressed as a percentage.
- Traffic alert threshold OUT : IN traffic alert threshold expressed as a percentage.
- Critical threshold of OUT traffic: critical threshold of IN traffic expressed as a percentage.
- Unit: output unit, k for kilobits, m for megabits.
- Bandwidth: allocated bandwidth. If the field is filled in, it will be used to calculate the IN and OUT traffic usage rate as a percentage. By default, the plugin uses the detected interface speed for the calculation of the usage rate, when the field is not filled in.
- Error Packet Threshold : alert threshold in number of packets in error, critical alert when threshold is crossed.
- Rejected Packet Threshold : alert threshold in number of rejected packets, critical alert when threshold is exceeded.
- Interface Speed : this field is used to monitor the speed of the interface, critical alert in case of detected speed different from the one entered in this field.
- Interface speed unit: k for kilobits, m for megabits.
After instantiation the service will report a status and interface information as well as graphical metrics for each of the indicators.
IT Weather
IT Weather is configured after bringing the network hosts and interconnection interfaces under monitoring. Below is an example of IT Weather of a network architecture based on the three-layer hierarchical model.
Network architecture:
The IT Weather forecast takes up this hierarchical architecture by monitoring the redundant interconnection interfaces at all levels:
The advantage of such modelling is that it can identify which host and network interfaces are the cause of network degradation or failure. The image below illustrates a network degradation due to a general problem at the DIST_2 distribution switch.
Dashboards
Configuration of a map type dashboard with the user services representing services associated with a list of statuses and KPIs on the interfaces :
Analysis of bandwidth usage
ServiceNav provides a detailed view of your network traffic to identify users, applications and protocols that consume bandwidth. Armed with this knowledge allows you to configure bandwidth usage policies, optimize your return on ISP costs and ensure adequate bandwidth for your mission-critical applications and services.
Depending on the technology, use the following service templates NetFlow or sFlow and set up dashboards to monitor your bandwidth usage.
