tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17423504026842525832024-03-05T14:49:58.524-05:00The Network ZoneKenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01056947622768070672noreply@blogger.comBlogger80125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1742350402684252583.post-12330402234942425712010-08-02T15:34:00.001-04:002010-08-02T15:34:39.862-04:00Will the Cisco Cius Make Desktop Video Conferencing Mainstream?With the Cisco Cius product launch, the age of desktop video conferencing may well be emerging. The Cisco Cius is an ultra-portable, mobile collaboration business tablet that offers access to essential business applications and technologies.<br />
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The early adaptors are likely to find making video conferencing calls within an organization extremely easy and become hooked on the experience.<br />
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To read the full post, please visit the new location of our <a href="http://www.kratosnetworks.com/index.php/networkzone">blog</a> and start following us there. We recently revamped our <a href="http://www.kratosnetworks.com/">website</a> and have moved locations. We look forward to you visiting.Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01056947622768070672noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1742350402684252583.post-61997139483263249222010-06-18T15:41:00.001-04:002010-06-18T15:53:38.707-04:00The iPad in Action<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I wrote a <a href="http://thenetworkzone.blogspot.com/2010/03/ipad-network-managers-friend-or-foe.html">post</a> some time ago about the potential of the iPad to help manage networks. Since then, I’ve grown much more excited about its potential as a business tool. </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQd7VMWLllIFoYZ9QK9oAlR-NioNwoMoO0GEiiXN6w8t4gYwESnuDE0FMs1N-B7Sktq3x8N2canx5lwYvwNsqm8r4vkkg96w2_Y9VSi2BNekaZOSJ-VJwkbRIsAEAqypedWSofXJjIEWk/s1600/ipad_Dvue2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQd7VMWLllIFoYZ9QK9oAlR-NioNwoMoO0GEiiXN6w8t4gYwESnuDE0FMs1N-B7Sktq3x8N2canx5lwYvwNsqm8r4vkkg96w2_Y9VSi2BNekaZOSJ-VJwkbRIsAEAqypedWSofXJjIEWk/s320/ipad_Dvue2.jpg" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>The iPad is such a powerful tool for IT administrators because it is much more convenient than a netbook. It is lighter and thinner, can be used instantly and has a large display area – a powerful combination for remote networking.<br />
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I’ve been using the iPad myself with the new version of <a href="http://www.dopplervue.com/software.php">dopplerVUE 2.1</a> and its web client capabilities. The display is perfect for the powerful visualization features of dopplerVUE. I can clearly display and monitor network status and performance by combining maps, charts and gauges into a single dashboard. If you want to give it a try for yourself, <a href="http://www.dopplervue.com/software_form.php?version=2">download the 30 day free trial version</a>.<br />
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The iPad is a great tool while you’re on the go. Some tasks are always going to be much easier to address with the computer on your desk. But in my mind there is definitely a place for the iPad in terms of network management. If you’re using the iPad for IT management, it would be great to hear about your experience.Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01056947622768070672noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1742350402684252583.post-53010112494651418252010-06-11T13:41:00.000-04:002010-06-11T13:41:56.011-04:00A Network Management Resource...I came across a network management website that I thought was worth sharing. See what you think. <br />
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<a href="http://www.networkmanagementsoftware.com/">Network Management Software</a> is a source of news, analysis and reviews of the IT network management space. The website is solely focused on the network management space and offers great tips on the <a href="http://www.networkmanagementsoftware.com/network-management-overview">basics of network management</a> and the fundamentals on <a href="http://www.networkmanagementsoftware.com/application-monitoring-2">application monitoring</a>. <br />
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Also keep in mind that <a href="http://www.dopplervue.com/">dopplerVUE</a> recently added application centers for Exchange, IIS and SQL in its new 2.1 release and is available for <a href="http://www.dopplervue.com/software_form.php?version=2">download</a>.Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01056947622768070672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1742350402684252583.post-50527771777163870032010-06-04T12:07:00.000-04:002010-06-04T12:07:02.346-04:003 Keys to Achieving Optimal IIS Performance…Monitoring the Microsoft Internet Information Server (IIS) is something I take pretty seriously. As one of the most relied upon and mission-critical web infrastructures for eCommerce websites, web applications, intranet portals and corporate websites – it is definitely a mission critical application and there will be some crazed phone calls if the service goes down.<br />
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I monitor IIS for two main reasons - to troubleshoot performance problems on the server and to improve server performance. When I’m able to optimize server performance and save money by reducing costs on additional servers and hardware it is always a big plus.<br />
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Here are three steps for achieving optimal performance (for additional details read this <a href="http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb727100.aspx">article</a>):<br />
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<strong>1. Monitor Memory and CPU Usage</strong><br />
It is critical to monitor memory and CPU usage and to take any steps necessary to reduce the load on the server. Other processes operating on the server could be using memory and CPU resources needed by IIS. If this is the case, stop non-essential services and move support applications to a different server.<br />
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<strong>2. Resolve Hardware Issues that Cause Problems</strong><br />
Slow disk drives can delay file reads, if that is the case improve the disk input/output (I/O). Also install additional network cards, if the current ones are fully optimized to ensure you can perform critical activities such as back-ups.<br />
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<strong>3. Optimize Web Pages and Applications on IIS</strong><br />
Make sure to test web pages and IIS applications to ensure the source code executes as expected. Take the time to eliminate unnecessary procedures and optimize inefficient processes. <br />
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To fully optimize IIS, you have to do some testing and go through some trial and error until you get everything tuned properly. It is definitely worth the time.<br />
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If you don’t want to use a bunch of disparate tools to monitor such a critical server and application, try out <a href="http://www.dopplervue.com/software_form.php?version=2">dopplerVUE 2.1 for a 30 day free trial</a>. dopplerVUE’s IIS application center lets you display system responsiveness, application services, server and application utilization and alarm conditions all in a single window.Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01056947622768070672noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1742350402684252583.post-998981646228351532010-05-28T11:41:00.000-04:002010-05-28T11:41:09.878-04:00Why Keep Using IE6? 5 Reasons Some People Have Not UpgradedNetwork world has an interesting <a href="http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/051410-ie6-past-its-expiration-date.html?hpg1=bn">article</a> about how Microsoft is pushing hard to get everybody off of IE6. They describe some really good reasons to upgrade. It got me thinking about why people still have the IE6 browser at all? <br />
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With a bit of research, here are the top reasons why so many people still have IE6:<br />
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1. Certain commercial apps do not support newer versions of IE without major upgrades. With funds for maintenance and upgrades slashed during the recession, it may be very difficult to obtain the necessary dollars to get the latest version of vendor software that supports new versions of IE.<br />
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2. Some internal apps do not support newer versions of IE. IE 6 offered a proprietary API that is not the same as current versions. If your development team has moved on or did not upgrade, the necessary knowledge of how to upgrade your application may now be missing. <br />
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3. IE6 uses less RAM then later versions – installing a new browser version may require you to upgrade the hardware or sacrifice the performance of other more critical applications. This cost factor encourages some to delay the upgrade.<br />
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4. Long refresh cycles – some industries do not refresh their technology until about 5 to 7 years of usage. Those of us in technology live around it and want the latest and greatest but, not everyone needs the most advanced technology immediately.<br />
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5. This does leave out the groups of people who simply have not upgraded because they don’t care to do any updates and those who ignore all new browser versions for various reasons.<br />
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If you haven’t made the leap, consider evaluating your situation and creating an upgrade plan that gets you off of IE6 before 2014 when Microsoft stops supporting XP and IE6. After that, no more security patches for new vulnerabilities.Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01056947622768070672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1742350402684252583.post-69783677365684760952010-05-21T09:40:00.000-04:002010-05-21T09:40:22.947-04:00Four Resource Bottlenecks to Monitor in SQL Server 2008 for Better PerformanceLooking to improve Microsoft SQL Server performance? I've found that resource bottlenecks are often the the most common issues with SQL Server 2008 performance. You can monitor SQL Server performance with a range of <a href="http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms179428%28v=SQL.100%29.aspx">tools</a> built into the server. In my experience four main culprits are often the key to finding, monitoring and resolving SQL Server 2008 performance issues. <br />
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<strong>1. CPU Bottlenecks</strong><br />
Monitoring the CPU load can identify systems that are over worked. Generally, when a processor sustains a rate above 80% the condition should be evaluated and the usage reduced. While you can buy more hardware, you should also look at the queries consuming the most load and attempt to optimize CPU consumption.<br />
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<strong>Metrics to monitor:</strong><br />
Processor:% Processor Time: Sustained above 80% indicates a problem<br />
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<strong>2. Memory Bottlenecks</strong><br />
There are multiple ways in SQL server and the base OS to use or reserve memory. It is important to monitor the overall physical and virtual memory to ensure it is not fully allocated. When the memory is fully utilized, your system works harder to move items around and is less efficient, resulting in a slower system. <br />
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<strong>Metrics to monitor:</strong><br />
Memory: Available MBytes: less than 50-100 likely indicates a problem but, you may need to see how your local system responds in relationship to the available memory for a more precise number<br />
Monitor the windows event log for errors that indicate the virtual memory has run low<br />
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<strong>3. Disk I/O Constraints</strong><br />
The SQL server reads and writes to the database on a regular basis. A slow response during processing can result in decreased SQL performance. Improving the disk I/O with hardware is one solution, but you should also ensure that memory problems are not making the problem worse. In addition, consider data compression strategies and review query plans for missing indexes with the database tuning advisor to improve performance.<br />
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<strong>Metrics to monitor:</strong><br />
PhysicalDisk Object: Avg. Disk Queue: When operating regularly above 2 this indicates an I/O bottleneck<br />
Avg. Disk Sec/Read & Avg. Disk Sec/write: Less than 20ms is normally fine, but beyond 30 is likely to cause slowdowns.<br />
Physical Disk: %Disk Time: Numbers above 50% indicate an I/O bottleneck<br />
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<strong>4. TempDB Issues</strong><br />
The tempDB provides a storage place for objects, tables and stored procedures. The tempDB can affect both performance and disk space usage which can reduce the efficiency of the SQL Server and any other applications running on the same server.<br />
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<strong>Metrics to monitor:</strong><br />
Space used: Ensure this does not exceed 80% utilization.<br />
Free Space in tempdb: Monitor and evaluate the proper levels for baseline operations.<br />
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I've found that monitoring these four common resource issues can help troubleshoot and resolve many common SQL Server 2008 bottlenecks. If you don't have time to use a range of tools to monitor all these metrics, consider a solution that provides an integrated view of all the SQL Server metrics that you need. <a href="http://www.dopplervue.com/">dopplerVUE</a> is a network management solution with an <a href="http://www.dopplervue.com/ApplicationMonitoring.php">SQL application center</a> that displays system responsiveness, application services, server and application utilization and alarm conditions all in a single window.Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01056947622768070672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1742350402684252583.post-6099323715815931422010-05-14T17:34:00.000-04:002010-05-14T17:34:07.364-04:00Cisco Tech Days – Don’t Miss OutWant to get the inside scoop on network technology straight from the network experts? Cisco is hosting its Tech Days series throughout the month of May and into June in several cities throughout the country. I’ve attended the sessions in the past and found them to be very useful. Viewing demos, hearing about product roadmaps and features from the horse’s mouth is very helpful.<br />
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The hot topics this year include borderless networking, virtualization and collaboration technologies. Find out how the newest innovations can help you develop strategies and deploy solutions to make your network more efficient and effective.<br />
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Get the full details <a href="http://cisco-apps.cisco.com/pcgi-bin/sreg2/register/banner.pl?LANGUAGE=E&METHOD=W&TOPIC_CODE=12092&PRIORITY_CODE=191811_1">here</a> for all the locations and dates. If you’ll be attending the event on May 26th in McLean, VA or the June 9th event in San Francisco, CA <a href="mailto:networkzoneblog@gmail.com">let me know</a>. It would be great to meet up and discuss some of these latest networking trends.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpbf1FNIv2Q8sanTJ__1aC9fphxBP13IYP_7XcxcnJh5DL285v_ysET_mca2aaDVjzVJ5qeL4UQW324sacdQDFsTTuppebOXv0DXRzSlylnI7qAARUPuZvx931aDCa5cF8WSRnU1GStaE/s1600/image002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="102" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpbf1FNIv2Q8sanTJ__1aC9fphxBP13IYP_7XcxcnJh5DL285v_ysET_mca2aaDVjzVJ5qeL4UQW324sacdQDFsTTuppebOXv0DXRzSlylnI7qAARUPuZvx931aDCa5cF8WSRnU1GStaE/s400/image002.jpg" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div>Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01056947622768070672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1742350402684252583.post-72121035579393216232010-05-06T17:24:00.000-04:002010-05-06T17:24:39.782-04:00Application Problems and Downtime – Avoid the PainWhether it’s the email system, web infrastructure or your database backend – downtime can make your blood pressure rise. I’ve seen the support calls come in when a server and application goes down that is mission critical.<br />
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That’s why I’m so excited about the new release of <a href="http://www.dopplervue.com/">dopplerVUE 2.1</a>. Application centers have been added for Microsoft® Exchange, Microsoft® IIS and Microsoft SQL Server® applications. These monitoring centers provide detailed information about the overall health of an application, including its hardware and software dependencies.<br />
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dopplerVUE displays responsiveness, application services, server and application utilization and alarm conditions in a single view. Take a look at the screenshot below.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcMIyh1gMmRVB9h0oXB3NU4PoDb8q9q8GEK2uEwKIX55IGgQR8o2kSNgQi1U-kdomGrBQo-uhLNLwZ1fd2X0Ck_mbV8dFak7t1buV_kLSS7BErVrd5uWnrMePAMW98c3qc_TchUr-wJ6M/s1600/dV-IIS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcMIyh1gMmRVB9h0oXB3NU4PoDb8q9q8GEK2uEwKIX55IGgQR8o2kSNgQi1U-kdomGrBQo-uhLNLwZ1fd2X0Ck_mbV8dFak7t1buV_kLSS7BErVrd5uWnrMePAMW98c3qc_TchUr-wJ6M/s320/dV-IIS.jpg" tt="true" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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Interested in getting more insight into your Exchange, IIS or SQL server and applications? Try <br />
<a href="http://www.dopplervue.com/software_2.php">dopplerVUE 2.1 free for 30 days</a>.Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01056947622768070672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1742350402684252583.post-55410268703246711502010-04-29T11:04:00.001-04:002010-04-29T11:06:06.382-04:007 Key Considerations for Managing Exchange Server Health and StatusIn my experience application problems are often a factor in downtime making monitoring mission critical. Trying to resolve application performance issues is no easy task. Troubleshooting requires that you test and validate the different application layers and dependencies like the network, server and application performance to determine the cause of the problem and solve it. For applications like Exchange server, there can be a fair number of items to evaluate. Here are some of the items you want to evaluate when troubleshooting Exchange Server or monitoring its health and status.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMUGvMbBWox6Cu0mmGHqPKWIwDcgSSpiTtca8CGA0xTMSwZL-jpX4cfw_HEXCoP9H3QfAxZgatB3lOJpyYzURXI44YCq1HEZ9ootJ6BjfZuVEW6NSS6iVlbQOQkfHbBvgMjXsGQ4MYYZ4/s1600/table.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMUGvMbBWox6Cu0mmGHqPKWIwDcgSSpiTtca8CGA0xTMSwZL-jpX4cfw_HEXCoP9H3QfAxZgatB3lOJpyYzURXI44YCq1HEZ9ootJ6BjfZuVEW6NSS6iVlbQOQkfHbBvgMjXsGQ4MYYZ4/s400/table.bmp" tt="true" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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<strong>Application Monitoring in dopplerVUE 2.1 Available Soon</strong><br />
In early May the new release of dopplerVUE 2.1 will be available with application monitoring capabilities. In a single window it will display system responsiveness, application services, server and application utilization and alarm conditions. An early preview is provided below with a screenshot. The screenshot shows Exchange monitoring displaying average delivery time in milliseconds and queue size at zero with more metrics in the same window.<br />
Be on the look out for an email letting you know more details about the release and its availability.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3lhS-LwMumoR73rlkDabrWsxTV5u4qw2mS6AFdRkVt2dBnJrd9Pb5JOr1EnmEYBtXqcyigECyUC6YywSggTOJViMTjn7wEn9P1UeTej0K3qcurJdIoPI6Cbjodiryyd0In7JYynAmCDA/s1600/dv21_ExchangeAppMon_AppUtilizationTab_1920x1200.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3lhS-LwMumoR73rlkDabrWsxTV5u4qw2mS6AFdRkVt2dBnJrd9Pb5JOr1EnmEYBtXqcyigECyUC6YywSggTOJViMTjn7wEn9P1UeTej0K3qcurJdIoPI6Cbjodiryyd0In7JYynAmCDA/s400/dv21_ExchangeAppMon_AppUtilizationTab_1920x1200.jpg" tt="true" width="400" /></a></div>Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01056947622768070672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1742350402684252583.post-55896200083063445342010-04-28T18:13:00.000-04:002010-04-28T18:13:45.136-04:00Interop 2010 - Video Conferencing and Blazing Fast SwitchesIt’s that time of year again. I’m in Vegas for Interop reviewing all the new technology and emerging trends. Thought I’d share a few insights from the show.<br />
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This year, I’m struck by the number of video conferencing vendors that are at the show. The quality of the technology is incredible and both the service and the equipment are getting more cost-effective. If your company has multiple offices it’s definitely worth considering. On the tech side, there are new blazing fast switches that have been built to keep up with the increased load from the usage of video on networks. Very impressive stuff. <br />
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The best booth so far has to be Xirrus, primarly because of the live boxing (picture below). They did a great job getting me to pay attention to their pitch and not mind it one bit. Huge crowds and well it was fun. Kudos to that marketing team! <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWffjT5-PfvPwaUCWWLTzD92jsij7Kpsu5jfLKxxeCk6S9pIgREMvHUDj0WOBZjUYgjjNoUTuUD7Mfo9U8E6td__IxvAlRgBB_hwjQn8IDvBCNl7UfHVATwVEw95XLEjf3mJkbAQuTWdE/s1600/Xirrus+boxing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWffjT5-PfvPwaUCWWLTzD92jsij7Kpsu5jfLKxxeCk6S9pIgREMvHUDj0WOBZjUYgjjNoUTuUD7Mfo9U8E6td__IxvAlRgBB_hwjQn8IDvBCNl7UfHVATwVEw95XLEjf3mJkbAQuTWdE/s320/Xirrus+boxing.jpg" tt="true" /></a></div>Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01056947622768070672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1742350402684252583.post-18742137318417013292010-04-16T12:48:00.000-04:002010-04-16T12:48:43.343-04:00The Changing Face of the Network: The User and IT PerspectiveIs 2010 going to be a year of huge change for the network? With the increasing use of video conferencing, web 2.0 and other emerging technologies, will users demand that the network and IT better support these performance hungry services?<br />
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Loudhouse Research, a UK based firm thinks so based on a survey of 152 IT decision makers in companies with 1000+ employees. The trend would tie the business to the network and the network engineer to the user more closely than ever before. The key question – is the network ready for these services? The user and IT perspective on the challenges with the network today can be viewed in the chart below.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja8H5x8XX9iuQnY5KoWL8RluOYhnL9cp8FWcMdj3pYupCJsIushBaPqFard4BEKJCUFvHU6XZB_bJLMZ26FIGrsQCg5uDa1t0qB-Xgf7iN55DvcH5wqTOlKDWHjZJtxrn2W5rhfH-P_Ws/s1600/Image.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja8H5x8XX9iuQnY5KoWL8RluOYhnL9cp8FWcMdj3pYupCJsIushBaPqFard4BEKJCUFvHU6XZB_bJLMZ26FIGrsQCg5uDa1t0qB-Xgf7iN55DvcH5wqTOlKDWHjZJtxrn2W5rhfH-P_Ws/s320/Image.JPG" wt="true" /></a></div> <br />
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An interesting difference of opinion is in terms of performance which is at the heart of the network and new services. <br />
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I agree with the trend that Loudhouse points out is coming, but I’m not as sure about the timeline. What do you think? Do you see these changes in your organization? <br />
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We do know that the network is constantly changing, so it’s always better to be prepared. In my experience I’ve found it to be helpful to use tools, such as <a href="http://www.dopplervue.com/">dopplerVUE</a> to manage the network to make sure users are satisfied with performance and that IT is aligned with the goals of the business. There is a free 30 day <a href="http://www.dopplervue.com/software_form.php?version=2">download</a> available if you’re interested in trying it for yourself.Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01056947622768070672noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1742350402684252583.post-67179672570657524292010-04-06T18:31:00.000-04:002010-04-06T18:31:47.370-04:00Network Management Becomes Critical for Smart Residences…I’m sure you hear it all the time – we are becoming a more network centric world. Is this just hype? I don’t think so and a recent customer example, I think proves the point.<br />
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Used to be only really large organizations worried about network uptime and cyber security. These days the network is so critical to revenue and productivity that mid-sized and smaller organizations are facing the same issues.<br />
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Now the network is even vital in high-end residences. As more residential networks pop-up and data networks are joined by home security and advanced audio video systems -security and uptime become a much more serious issue. <br />
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A great example is <a href="http://www.certifiedcybersolutions.com/">Certified Cyber Solutions (CCS)</a> a company that provides a product <a href="http://www.certifiedcybersolutions.com/content/pages.php?pg=solutions_home_cyber_shield">SAM</a> (Secure Access Manager) that helps installers and resellers of residential systems that employ IP networks, such as audio/video, home security and “smart home” systems to protect their customers from cyber threats.<br />
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CCS is using <a href="http://www.dopplervue.com/">dopplerVUE</a> as their network monitoring platform to enable their SAM product (screenshot below). dopplerVUE’s unique architecture allows maximum flexibility to customize data collection and data display, making it uniquely suitable for CCS and other hardware and software manufacturers who need an uptime monitoring, diagnosis, cybersecurity and compliance component to their products.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt18DyZspLD3yj-U1fSlzdfXbjMGZuWxcf8JK64wovASqnYDzSz9rTeVDx3mPeW_1EEBHNmyUk6vcrfYjllyloNLJ3yV5A5QjU-gy7UoiVlu_BikkmQfNc6_2EBbA73aeMMC0X0KgJ_iA/s1600/Screen+Shot.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="306" nt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt18DyZspLD3yj-U1fSlzdfXbjMGZuWxcf8JK64wovASqnYDzSz9rTeVDx3mPeW_1EEBHNmyUk6vcrfYjllyloNLJ3yV5A5QjU-gy7UoiVlu_BikkmQfNc6_2EBbA73aeMMC0X0KgJ_iA/s400/Screen+Shot.bmp" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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With predictions that there will be 215 million IP enabled devices by 2012, it’s clear that network monitoring will become a more critical activity for the mainstream. Seems like the world is becoming more network-centric one device at a time. Do you see the trend as well?Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01056947622768070672noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1742350402684252583.post-21438877827891483232010-03-26T10:05:00.004-04:002010-03-26T10:10:59.670-04:00Comparing Solarwinds & dopplerVUE Layer 2 Switch Port Mapping…<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When a customer calls with a problem, I often start the troubleshooting process by validating the connection. I start at the switch port and cable level. This process can be time consuming and challenging because you have to find the specific port a user or server is connected to on the network by checking the cable or manually connecting to a switch. Who has time for that lengthy process?</span><br />
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<div></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fortunately, several tools now have layer 2 switch port mapping capabilities. I recently watched a demonstration of Solarwinds and </span><a href="http://www.dopplervue.com/"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">dopplerVUE’s</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> layer 2 switch port mapping capabilities and found them to be quite different despite the same name. The Solarwinds toolset provides very basic functionality. It identifies the switch port a device is connected to and it’s up/down status.</span><br />
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<div></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In a nutshell, here are four reasons to consider dopplerVUE over Solarwinds.</span><br />
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<div></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">dopplerVUE’s layer 2 switch port mapping delivers: </span><br />
<ul><li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">the same and added functionality vs Solarwinds</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">complete mapping in 4 steps vs the 7 steps required by Solarwinds. That’s half the work and time. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">a simpler process - there is no need to memorize the switch/router and community strings</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">a view of what is connected with how it is performing in a single dashboard (screenshot below)</span></li>
</ul><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The dopplerVUE screenshot below displays a complete device view including the switch port it is connected to, it’s current up/down status, the amount of traffic over the interface and any alert conditions. If you want to view a switch and a list of every connected item, simply choose the switch name instead of the end target device name. </span><br />
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<div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="281" nt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjm5TgFq3uYTr_MbSCE4S-2LOtzaI66HOTgbg_-fhK15w2I2-HZ09kRunZgQVRL-1DyeBdk-FnUOTz6ku09Rh-f-DlRR5agXB4XIoP7L0AuSvDRiYwREJ5qrrr1Enu6bEQvl9Q1mf-Qpo/s400/switch+port+mapping.bmp" width="400" /></span></div><div></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’ve provided a comparison of the steps and process to use each product below. Feel free to check out the steps for yourself by downloading a </span><a href="http://www.dopplervue.com/software_2.php"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">free trial of dopplerVUE</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCOujqlxTXYpC8A9IlM1FS_6okLNQdasujeyovg4wn0K2tCkhAmgujQ0Rte5dR9elCp1KWWn75kVA56lBoL9DOZoSxpVM-1qq3kJ-N4PiAgnzqHO5NSflqtcuO-8jq4FNf2PSiR38CAUs/s1600/switch+port+mapping+table.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="281" nt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCOujqlxTXYpC8A9IlM1FS_6okLNQdasujeyovg4wn0K2tCkhAmgujQ0Rte5dR9elCp1KWWn75kVA56lBoL9DOZoSxpVM-1qq3kJ-N4PiAgnzqHO5NSflqtcuO-8jq4FNf2PSiR38CAUs/s400/switch+port+mapping+table.bmp" width="400" /></span></a></div><div></div>Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01056947622768070672noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1742350402684252583.post-79312837196719252010-03-19T11:06:00.001-04:002010-03-19T11:07:19.342-04:00The Right Network Dashboard Can Make All the DifferenceI’ve found that dashboards can be a huge help when managing the network, so I wanted to share some thoughts on the topic. A picture can be worth a thousand words in my experience. The dashboard I use (see below) makes it easy at a glance to see the status of the network and drill down into device details and troubleshoot network problems.<br />
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Of course setting up a dashboard that really provides value can be a time consuming process. To make the process easier, I’ve found it helpful to decide up front what elements are most important to display and then create the dashboard. Another key step is picking the right tool to create your dashboards. Three key questions can assist you in picking the right tool and avoiding confusion and disappointment later in the process. <br />
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1. How easy is it to create a dashboard? (Does it require importing or code?)<br />
2. Can it mash-up network topology maps, performance data and alarm data?<br />
3. Does the drill down capability provide for rapid jumping to detailed device/alarm data?<br />
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So why are dashboards so valuable? I’m able to display the information that helps me manage the network more effectively. For example, the screenshot of my dashboard below shows a distributed site. When managing across a WAN, I add elements into my dashboard that include where the alerts are, what type of network services are potentially impacted and the overall health and status of the network (bandwidth, router CPU load, etc). My dashboard shows all of these elements, and also goes a few steps further by including a network topology map, the top alarmed devices and customized pieces that show response time and availability of a specific website.<br />
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The dashboard that I’ve included was created with dopplerVUE my network management system of choice. If you’re interested in easily creating a custom dashboard give it a try by downloading the 30-day <a href="http://www.dopplervue.com/software_2.php">free trial</a>.Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01056947622768070672noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1742350402684252583.post-1338699146218754532010-03-16T13:41:00.001-04:002010-03-16T13:42:54.516-04:00Have you heard the Buzz?Lately, many Gmail users have noticed a new option right below their Inbox that says “Buzz”. If you’re like me, you probably read the quick Google summary and then ignored it while you took care of your email. I finally decided to investigate Buzz a few days ago, and after hearing some colleagues expressing confusion about this new feature, thought I would address a few questions I’ve heard over and over:<br />
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<strong>What is it?</strong><br />
Google Buzz is similar to an RSS feed, except that it integrates all of your social networking data into one area, while also serving as a messaging tool. Buzz users can share things such as status updates, comments, video and pictures, which makes it fairly similar to Facebook and Twitter. The difference? Instead of going to different apps or sites to check all of your profiles, you can combine it all in Buzz.<br />
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<strong>Why do I need it?</strong><br />
Those of you that use social networking sites and like integration and consolidation will get the most use out of it. If you’re already using Gmail, Buzz is right there for your convenience. It’s also handy for those who love mobile apps. However, you must have an iPhone/iPod Touch, Windows Mobile, Android 2.0, Openwave or S60, for Buzz to work on your mobile device. <br />
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Side note- For those thinking of using Buzz with a supported mobile device, it can integrate your posts with Google Maps so that you can see your location and others around you using Buzz (similar to Google Latitude).<br />
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<strong>Are there privacy features?</strong><br />
While this is a question I’m still trying to gather all the details on, Buzz didn’t have stringent privacy features at first. However, after Google was threatened with multiple lawsuits in February, they added a few privacy features. There is an option to make your Google profile private, so that you don’t show up in directories and/or searches. You can also choose the sites that you want to link with for your contacts/followers to see, so you control the information you share. Choosing contacts is also completely in your control, and while Google will suggest people from your Gmail contact list, you have the option to add, ignore or even block them. As added value, you can also view who’s following you and choose how you want to react (add, ignore or block), so you can keep tabs on who can see your information.<br />
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<strong>What type of stuff can I integrate?</strong><br />
Sites currently integrated: Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, Picasa, Google Reader and Blogger.<br />
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<strong>Can Buzz benefit an IT or Network Manager?</strong><br />
Sure, if you use Gmail (or want to start) and use any of the integrated sites to communicate with others for IT or networking purposes. For instance, if you notice you’re having bandwidth problems, you could Twitter about it to notify your coworkers or get advice from your followers and also upload a screenshot of your network stats to Flickr so everyone can see details. Both of those examples can be done directly from within Buzz- no need to go to the Twitter website and Flickr website separately. You could also then use Buzz to tap into your Google Reader to look for tips to help increase your network speed or manage your bandwidth more efficiently. <br />
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For those of you that love to try out new tools and software, Google Buzz is an efficient venue for sharing information and opinions quickly. Again, being able to do the majority of your sharing within one area (Buzz) is the key. <br />
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Since Google Buzz is still pretty new, the adoption rate isn’t as high as Facebook, Twitter or any other mediums of the same nature. However, as Google tweaks it and integrates with additional sites, I can see how convenient it may turn out to be. In an age of information overload, consolidation can really cure a headache!<br />
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Is anyone currently using Google Buzz? What do you think of the overall user experience? Any tips to add?<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0vvmq6dpL2zjd3OsU2OWKXJGme5aEpwhiMPOPcAOlbnH1C6ZdubCAuYqBmisYmCf3UGoyPPVPlE-zh7vM8BL8tXe9uQ6r7WpSrHloJql9GR8zsRZNkZMLCTJaNNrKlrX7BPlvPCP_NYA/s1600-h/Google+Buzz.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0vvmq6dpL2zjd3OsU2OWKXJGme5aEpwhiMPOPcAOlbnH1C6ZdubCAuYqBmisYmCf3UGoyPPVPlE-zh7vM8BL8tXe9uQ6r7WpSrHloJql9GR8zsRZNkZMLCTJaNNrKlrX7BPlvPCP_NYA/s320/Google+Buzz.bmp" vt="true" /></a></div>Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01056947622768070672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1742350402684252583.post-8647325445102755182010-03-12T09:14:00.000-05:002010-03-12T09:14:12.478-05:00The iPad – The Network Manager’s Friend or Foe?So I’ve heard all the buzz about the <a href="http://www.apple.com/ipad/">iPad</a> - pretty much impossible to avoid unless you live in a cave. Other than the unfortunate name, I’m intrigued by the technology and its potential to make managing a network a bit easier. I haven’t bought one yet, since I’m still determining, if it’s a network manager’s friend or foe at the moment. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglAgz6thS3EbWj6EKYP_bg6bjd-yHmhKIV2wgyEBJcUKbbkutIiiXuwiTY5QAI31FGft99Z88mZIhNIMJcV1jJNRE6LD16VOSHioHhQBsPMCAKoK8_Z_ECPe-wXyVRZBUM3_TDHcw8qcE/s1600-h/Apple-iPad-001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglAgz6thS3EbWj6EKYP_bg6bjd-yHmhKIV2wgyEBJcUKbbkutIiiXuwiTY5QAI31FGft99Z88mZIhNIMJcV1jJNRE6LD16VOSHioHhQBsPMCAKoK8_Z_ECPe-wXyVRZBUM3_TDHcw8qcE/s320/Apple-iPad-001.jpg" vt="true" /></a></div>On the plus side, from what I’ve <a href="http://www.networkworld.com/community/node/58308?source=NWWNLE_nlt_network_architecture_2010-03-09">read</a> due to its size, it is much better than carrying around a larger laptop to monitor, troubleshoot or configure network devices. You could easily load ebooks to help you with troubleshooting in real-time. It definitely beats heading over to the office desk to grab a book for reference.<br />
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On the negative side, the iPad could easily become a security concern on the wireless network without antivirus and firewall protection. Connecting a device that is geared for personal use into the network could have some serious consequences. The usefulness of the iPad will also be dependent on the applications that are developed to help monitor the network.<br />
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Sounds like there is still some development work to be done from a security standpoint before the iPad is ready for prime time for network managers. That being said, as the technology matures and security concerns are resolved it could become a very helpful tool. Are you using the iPad? What do you think?Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01056947622768070672noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1742350402684252583.post-17970942285083762422010-03-03T12:30:00.002-05:002010-03-03T12:34:24.513-05:00Avoid Traffic Headaches on the Road and in your Network<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Traffic congestion on the way to work is a sure way to get an immediate headache. That is why I’m a big fan of viewing live traffic patterns from my smart phone. I get a live view of traffic that shows which routes are congested and clear. With this information, I arrive at the office much faster and in a better state of mind (my co-workers agree).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wouldn’t it be nice if finding congestion in network traffic was as simple as flipping on your smartphone and pressing a couple of buttons? Maybe someday. In the mean time, to make life as simple as possible, I use <a href="http://www.dopplervue.com/">dopplerVUE</a> which has Netflow built in, so I can look deep into routers and capture rich details about what types of traffic, which IPs are talking and how much bandwidth is being used. Take a look at <a href="http://www.dopplervue.com/">dopplerVUE</a> in action below. You can try it out <a href="http://www.dopplervue.com/software_2.php">free for 30 days</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you don’t have access to tools like <a href="http://www.dopplervue.com/">dopplerVUE</a>, there are free tools that can help you as long as you’re willing to invest the time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are basically two types of techniques to monitor congestion - packet monitoring and packet capturing. I’ve listed some free tools for both methods below. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Packet Monitoring</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Packet monitors watch the number of packets whizzing by and tell you a little bit of information about them, such as the number of packets and if there are any errors in the packet. But that is about it, you don’t get much more detail. So this method is good for watching long term trends.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1) For Windows users, look at the network interface properties. The display shows you packets sent and received. This is an easy way to see if your interface is working.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2) The Windows command line provides a number of useful tools to determine the performance of your TCP/IP connection. The <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/windows/xp/all/proddocs/en-us/netstat.mspx?mfr=true">Netstat</a> command can give you details about each TCP connection including how many packets have been processed. Below is the result of a netstat –e command.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgxfHXAzcUrR07MoSGO6b18rcTeKgww10ZtcgRV8ZUxIuIEgK4GoO78g0iZylidKAGuwdWKLwC07T4r0I217hNmP4QIhuCNA_w-7hP4LgFzJmbE8D9bFY_BHQG-LgVV1ahn__yOLUpWnI/s1600-h/Screenshot3.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="268" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgxfHXAzcUrR07MoSGO6b18rcTeKgww10ZtcgRV8ZUxIuIEgK4GoO78g0iZylidKAGuwdWKLwC07T4r0I217hNmP4QIhuCNA_w-7hP4LgFzJmbE8D9bFY_BHQG-LgVV1ahn__yOLUpWnI/s400/Screenshot3.bmp" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A list of the <a href="http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb491012.aspx">most common communications related commands</a> available for the Windows command line are listed below:</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBfwbV9J24e5PDyzVBh-sh-8xTOkxp1wZN6v0D3wMErkoLbt23rsX-rSQujIBH99KNt8k2Lq8w1hDzjqNCXNeXvCMpnyQce8JLV9MboZzaSZ5U_uzw6DKKqDXfNCZOYX8pU_gIXoRgddo/s1600-h/Table1.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBfwbV9J24e5PDyzVBh-sh-8xTOkxp1wZN6v0D3wMErkoLbt23rsX-rSQujIBH99KNt8k2Lq8w1hDzjqNCXNeXvCMpnyQce8JLV9MboZzaSZ5U_uzw6DKKqDXfNCZOYX8pU_gIXoRgddo/s320/Table1.bmp" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Packet Capturing</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Packet capture actually stores a copy of each packet that comes by which allows you to look at all characteristics of the packet. But all this detail comes with a down side - it will eat up storage space very quickly. So this method is best to capture a small sample of traffic for deep analysis. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1) For packet capture, the gold standard for open source tools is <a href="http://www.wireshark.org/">Wireshark</a>. Here is a screenshot of a packet capture done with Wireshark on my laptop. As you can see, every packet is listed with full details about source and destination address, protocol type and data contents. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMU2j1oZS0B-CDuHvz8OZchUmmqLxO99ZlQe5TDoz6qZZHryWbSCZsO-mJQD_0dZSS4XUHmFPkFj3D95IOA0FoJ-LdLrG7JGPI0n5rOVVbeXhLT4nV18OEKCQx-64c6NsiK7hMd_4xQjY/s1600-h/Screenshot4.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="148" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMU2j1oZS0B-CDuHvz8OZchUmmqLxO99ZlQe5TDoz6qZZHryWbSCZsO-mJQD_0dZSS4XUHmFPkFj3D95IOA0FoJ-LdLrG7JGPI0n5rOVVbeXhLT4nV18OEKCQx-64c6NsiK7hMd_4xQjY/s400/Screenshot4.bmp" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wireshark is one of many open source tools that leverage the Winpcap tool for network monitoring. A list of tools that use Winpcap can be found <a href="http://www.winpcap.org/misc/links.htm#tools">here</a>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2) Windows server users have access to a similar tool called <a href="http://www.windowsnetworking.com/articles_tutorials/Analyzing-Traffic-Network-Monitor.html">Network Monitor</a> that helps monitor network traffic. Below is a screenshot of Network Monitor in action.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8_H8MJneVRq7dmatpbDv7vxZbsdiirRdqohza3ttFIKfBnDngIqjo42H4lkIqTWPKMAH8zl01U2Dl-ihZX5kQUxTXOgBbchr2wsXDX2-EH5SZlV5zThqGHlcCxvmQvoKJ8OTuF1aWgns/s1600-h/Screenshot5.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8_H8MJneVRq7dmatpbDv7vxZbsdiirRdqohza3ttFIKfBnDngIqjo42H4lkIqTWPKMAH8zl01U2Dl-ihZX5kQUxTXOgBbchr2wsXDX2-EH5SZlV5zThqGHlcCxvmQvoKJ8OTuF1aWgns/s400/Screenshot5.bmp" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I hope these tools help you avoid congestion on your way to work and in your network.</span>Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01056947622768070672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1742350402684252583.post-32371025208205081642010-02-23T12:03:00.000-05:002010-02-23T12:03:00.700-05:00Where are the best jobs in IT going to be in 2010?<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Are network related jobs going to be hot in 2010? Looking for an answer to the question, I turned to Network World’s article on the </span><a href="http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/020110-best-it-jobs.html?source=NWWNLE_nlt_network_systems_2010-02-15"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">10 best IT jobs right now</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. With all the talk of security and virtualization, I was wondering if network related work would make the top 10. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The job of network engineer came in at number four on the list. According to Gartner, interest in networking, voice and data communications technologies increased for 2010, meaning skills in that high-tech area will also be in demand. With the need for social interactions and collaboration, network skills still remain hot.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’m sure one of the reasons being a network engineer is one of the best jobs is because of all the great network management solutions that make life easier (I’m of course biased). Take for example, the solution I use – </span><a href="http://www.dopplervue.com/"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">dopplerVUE</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. The software is installed and up and running in less than 30 minutes. It’s great - I get to start working on what I do best as soon as possible. Once installed, the package offers integrated fault, performance and auto-updating discovery across devices, apps, servers and services. Take a </span><a href="http://www.dopplervue.com/software_2.php"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">free test drive</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> if you want to make your life a little easier.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Some other jobs that made the top 10 included security specialist, virtual systems manager, capacity manager, open source specialist, service assurance manager, electronic health records systems manager, sourcing specialist, service catalog manager and business process manager. Some of these jobs make sense considering the new technology trends, but I’ll admit some took me by surprise. What do you think of some of these jobs? Do you have any nominations for the best IT jobs?</span>Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01056947622768070672noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1742350402684252583.post-27730185313464122912010-02-10T12:47:00.002-05:002010-02-10T12:50:50.693-05:00Battling Blizzards<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Back in the fall I posted about prepping your network for winter weather disasters, and it looks like those tips really came in handy for many this season. Today, the majority of the East Coast is battling a severe blizzard complete with 1-2ft of snow (4-8ft drifts!), 60mph winds with whiteout conditions, power outages and fallen trees. Each one of these factors pose a challenge to your business and your network. For my co-workers in our Washington DC offices, this is the third blizzard this winter, but they have managed to avoid communication and network failures. For those that may not have been hit with a weather disaster yet, you may want to take some time to review these tips to get a head start on future storms:<o:p></o:p> </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Questions you should be able to answer:</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">1. Are you aware of your power situation? <br />
a. What happens when a power outage occurs? <br />
b. What is the operational status of the UPS system? <br />
c. How long will the UPS backup systems sustain key functions? <br />
d. What do we do if the outage is longer?<br />
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2. What if the building becomes unavailable? (fire or water damage) <br />
a. Are the offsite backups current?<br />
b. If a network device or server is ruined, what is the procedure to replace it? <br />
c. Does everyone know the primary and secondary facility contacts to use should an after-hours emergency occur?<br />
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3. What if access to the building is limited? (snow, tornado warnings, etc)<br />
a. Is VPN access updated for all employees that may need to work from home? <br />
b. Can all of the required maintenance procedures be done remotely or skipped for several days?<o:p></o:p> </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">4. What if the phone and/or Internet connection is lost? <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12pt;"><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">5. What is the customer impact when any of these conditions occur?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: small;">A few tips:<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: small;">Advance planning is the best approach. A good network design can minimize the impact of storm and disaster related problems. Having redundant phone and data lines from different carriers minimizes the inbound/outbound traffic risk. Using an adequate number of UPS devices mitigates all but very lengthy power outages and network routing protocols like HSRP reduce the risk of single device point of failures. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: small;">Even monitoring your network with disaster prevention in mind can be helpful in avoiding unnecessary failures. These tips are a great starting point:</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: small;">1. Enable redundant polling of critical devices </span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: small;">2. Map out HSRP primary and secondary links <o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: small;">3. Know the status of the UPS systems <o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: small;">4. Make sure you have 24x7 access to your management system client <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">And for fun (and to get the sympathy of those without 3 feet of snow on the ground), here’s what three blizzards in a row will do to you (and your network!):</span></span><br />
</div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjho6gi_mNnKUOVaZk1aPizcdfD_nZwx_fdPKcqJOm6_rK4gvUiblFP2lSVnylW9v-djACRHa-rD71_RXFwke5RLkMqwcEFBzJWoVaUrGHwHaWTX_o8wZgsxns_h1Om_-_KXSG9hjM83_U/s1600-h/IMG_1386.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjho6gi_mNnKUOVaZk1aPizcdfD_nZwx_fdPKcqJOm6_rK4gvUiblFP2lSVnylW9v-djACRHa-rD71_RXFwke5RLkMqwcEFBzJWoVaUrGHwHaWTX_o8wZgsxns_h1Om_-_KXSG9hjM83_U/s400/IMG_1386.JPG" width="400" /></a></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div>Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01056947622768070672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1742350402684252583.post-11075635504575516602010-02-08T14:36:00.001-05:002010-02-08T14:37:10.461-05:00Prepare for the New CCNP Tests with FREE Training Books, Videos and Cert Kits<a href="http://www.ciscopress.com/index.asp"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cisco Press</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> will be giving away 50 copies of its new CCNP Cert Kits and other study guides to help you prepare for the revised CCNP certifications. The mega giveaway is being sponsored by Cisco Press on </span><a href="http://www.networkworld.com/community/node/add/nwentry/56673"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Network World’s Cisco Subnet – a community website</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The chances are really high that if </span><a href="http://www.networkworld.com/community/node/add/nwentry/56673"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">you enter</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, you will win something. All you need to do is find some words that form a specific sentence in various chapters that are provided and enter the response. Not too much work for some free study materials. The contest ends March 31. </span><a href="http://www.networkworld.com/community/node/add/nwentry/56673"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Register to win</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> one of 10 copies of the following titles:</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4HhQ643QHNDjSEbJBWI4Hdo2Y32wDarSKN-aAy6tGb0hew39t2X6uuoJq4KUX8ggD1-p9jwpJTi23Fr1ZuD4xNupkmpKkLBpXEU0IqatTY8rpt9ST5uoPinNxKO_pCQNDXnNhHdmFQdQ/s1600-h/ShowCover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4HhQ643QHNDjSEbJBWI4Hdo2Y32wDarSKN-aAy6tGb0hew39t2X6uuoJq4KUX8ggD1-p9jwpJTi23Fr1ZuD4xNupkmpKkLBpXEU0IqatTY8rpt9ST5uoPinNxKO_pCQNDXnNhHdmFQdQ/s200/ShowCover.jpg" width="170" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">CCNP Route Cert Kit (</span><a href="http://www.networkworld.com/subnets/cisco/012910-ch1-ccnp-route-cert-kit.html"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Read excerpt</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">CCNP Switch Cert Kit (</span><a href="http://www.networkworld.com/subnets/cisco/012910-ch1-ccnp-switch-cert-kit.html"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Read excerpt</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">CCNP Tshoot Cert Kit (</span><a href="http://www.networkworld.com/subnets/cisco/012910-ch3-ccnp-troublshooting.html"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Read excerpt</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">.)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">CCNP Routing and Switching Official Certification Libraries </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">CCNP routing and Switching Quick Reference printed bundle</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Good luck and hope you win!</span>Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01056947622768070672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1742350402684252583.post-17967648981436144662010-02-04T11:33:00.000-05:002010-02-04T11:33:25.098-05:00Improving Network Discovery by using SNMP OID Include/Excludes<span id="goog_1265299863661"></span><span id="goog_1265299863662"></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">An issue that frequently comes up for IT managers is the need to find only certain types of devices within a heterogeneous network that contains many types and manufacturers of networked devices. I recently worked with a customer that wanted to locate about a hundred Windows Servers from a network that contained several thousand devices.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One way to approach this task is to discover all the devices, then pick out the ones you are looking for, the old needle in the haystack routine. This approach is time consuming and error prone. A better method is to leverage the information available from devices that support the SNMP protocol, which includes most operating systems. SNMP includes an object library of OIDs (Object Identifiers) that are set up by each manufacturer. A Google search for “</span><a href="http://www.oidview.com/mibs/311/MSFT-MIB.html"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Windows OIDs</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">” found this site which listed the OIDs to identify Microsoft Server Operating Systems.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As you can see (table below), the OIDs are built in a hierarchy so, if I could search my network for servers which contain the OIDs below for workstations, servers and domain controllers, I should find all my Windows Server boxes. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You can make the difficult task of finding and sorting networked devices much more manageable. I use dopplerVUE, a network management tool that simplifies the whole process and helps find the needle in the haystack faster and without issues. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">dopplerVUE provides an OID include/exclude discovery feature that makes it easy to accomplish this task.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here are some steps for using dopplerVUE to improve the network discovery process. To get started the server must have the SNMP agent service running and you need the credentials (called a community string) to enter in the SNMP service “security” tab. Most servers use “public” as a default and are case sensitive. SNMP service is usually turned off by default, so you’ll need to restart the service when you are done making changes.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Once you have the servers set up, you should create a discovery job within dopplerVUE to find the Windows Servers. dopplerVUE provides a discovery wizard that guides you through the step by step process as follows:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Step 1: Select a discovery method appropriate to the task. Use an IP address range that provides the most control over your discovery results.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Step 2: Set an IP range that includes the Windows Servers you are looking for in your search. Be careful, the larger the range you select, the longer it will take to complete the discovery.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Step 3: Select SNMP protocol.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Step 4: Enter the community strings for the servers. Your admin can provide these and you can always use public which is set as default on most servers.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pictured below is a tab marked “Show sysObjectID include/exclude options”. You can click on the tab, expand the Window and then select “include”. You can then enter the OIDs we found earlier.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Step 5: In the workstation column you’ll want to select SNMP poller and then Host MIB if you want to collect information about processor utilization, memory usage and disk space.</span> <br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Step 6: Optional: Enter a name and description for this discovery job.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now you can click finish and go to the Inventory>Discovery Jobs tab to watch the progress of the task. The job will start automatically assuming your dopplerVUE discovery service is running and you had the “run now” checkbox selected in step 6. If not, click on the job and start it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You can watch the progress in the job details section and keep an eye on your inventory tab to see if new devices are being found. When new devices are found, they should appear in the workstation classification. You can change classifications or create new ones easily by right clicking on the objects in the workstation classification list.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This technique works for any search where you can separate the devices by manufacturer. Since each manufacturer determines how they want to build their SNMP library, you’ll need to understand how they created their hierarchy. Fortunately there is a lot of good information available on manufacturer websites to help you. Here is more information about </span><a href="http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc776379(WS.10).aspx"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">SNMP support within Windows</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you’re looking to improve network discovery and automate IT tasks to save time, </span><a href="http://www.dopplervue.com/software_2.php"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">try dopplerVUE for free for 30 days</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">.</span>Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01056947622768070672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1742350402684252583.post-50203981802358871282010-01-29T17:14:00.001-05:002010-01-29T17:14:50.944-05:00Network and Security Monitoring – What are the Key Challenges in 2010?<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Want to wager a guess as to what the key issues are surrounding network and security monitoring in 2010? If you want to confirm or deny your suspicions, check out a study from </span><a href="http://www.enterprisemanagement.com/"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Enterprise Management Associates (EMA)</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> involving network and security operations professionals highlighting the challenges and best practices for optimizing monitoring in 2010. In case you don’t have time, here are some of the highlights:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1. 24% of participants reported they either lack the staff to keep up with monitoring tasks or the training within existing staff to keep up with administration or interpretation. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2. A trend spotted by 62% of participants was the movement of staff to more generalist roles reducing the availability of technical specialists (shrinking budgets have made this a real challenge). Does your experience support this trend? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3. 66% of participants indicated they lack enough monitoring tools or the budget to buy them. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4. 47% of respondents were not fully utilizing the monitoring tools they had in place. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's clear that in 2010 workloads won’t be decreasing and that the trend of doing more with less will continue. Another finding is that IT staff need a tool that centralizes their monitoring into a single system that is simple to maintain and is easy to use. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If this rings true for you, I can provide some helpful guidance. My company offers </span><a href="http://www.dopplervue.com/"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">dopplerVUE</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> a powerful easy-to-use network management tool that can help you bring together security and performance management into a single system. dopplerVUE is a </span><a href="http://www.dopplervue.com/compare_pricing.php"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">cost-effective</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> ($10 per element) and </span><a href="http://www.dopplervue.com/tutorials.php"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">proven solution</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> (check out our tutorials). Or </span><a href="http://www.dopplervue.com/software_2.php"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">download the software</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> and try if for yourself for free. We also offer </span><a href="http://www.dopplervue.com/support.php"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">great customer support</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> to make sure you make the most out of your investment.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That’s my product pitch for the day. Enjoy the weekend!</span>Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01056947622768070672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1742350402684252583.post-12902909590016515422010-01-21T14:13:00.001-05:002010-01-21T16:07:42.003-05:00Routers in Space…Extending the Internet into the Universe???<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Managing a network on Earth is no easy feat. How about in space? This may sound far fetched, but the concept may be becoming a reality. Internet technology is now being made available from a space-based platform.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cisco is testing an </span><a href="http://newsroom.cisco.com/dlls/2010/ts_011910.html"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">IP router aboard a satellite in Earth orbit</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> (22,300 miles above the Earth). The aim is to extend IP access to places that aren’t served by traditional phone and wireless networks. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As part of its Internet Routing in Space (IRIS) program, Cisco is testing the router to demonstrate to the Department of Defense (DoD) that the technology can be used to enhance military communications. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here is a picture of the Intelsat 14 satellite with reflectors deployed for testing. Check out more pictures </span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cisco_pics/sets/72157623093671031/"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">here</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">According to Cisco, IRIS shifts much more of the intelligence to the orbiting router – with potentially dramatic benefits. The long-term goal is to route voice, data and video traffic between satellites over a single IP network in ways that are more efficient, flexible and cost effective than is possible over today's fragmented satellite communications networks. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After testing is completed in April, the IRIS project will be switched over for commercial use.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is a very interesting development from my perspective. My </span><a href="http://www.kratosdefense.com/solutions/it/index.asp"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">company</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> has been helping the </span><a href="http://www.kratosdefense.com/solutions/it/network-operations.asp"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">government manage LAN, WAN, satellite and a range of networks</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> for some time. Perhaps its time to take it to the next level….</span>Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01056947622768070672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1742350402684252583.post-86602114134674528522010-01-15T09:44:00.002-05:002010-01-15T11:33:40.164-05:00Networks Could be 10,000 Times More Efficient…Really?????<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Did you know the global network currently generates 300 million tons of carbon dioxide a year -- about as much as 15 million cars? I didn’t either until I came across an article on <a href="http://www.marketwatch.com/story/networks-could-be-10000-times-more-efficient-2010-01-11?siteid=yhoof">Market Watch</a>. The number is increasing as Internet traffic continues to grow along with a worldwide user base. I was surprised by how much of an impact the network has on the environment. But, there is good news…</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Global networks could theoretically run on 10,000 times less energy than they do today according to scientists and engineers at Bell Labs (the research arm of Alcatel-Lucent). The estimate came from the scientists when they decided to find out the minimum amount of power required to run the network. This isn’t my field of expertise, but it seems like a staggering amount of inefficiency. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Why are networks so energy inefficient? Bell Labs says that networks weren’t designed with energy efficiency in mind, but were optimized for performance and simplicity (not too surprising).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So where does this leave us? Alcatel-Lucent and Bell Labs have decided to launch a global consortium called <a href="http://www.greentouch.org/">Green Touch</a> whose goal would be to develop the technologies needed to make networks much more efficient. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">How much more? 1,000 times more efficient than it is now within five years. It's an aggressive goal, considering that a thousandfold reduction is roughly equivalent to being able to power the network for three years with as much energy as it currently takes to run it for a day.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This is great news. It’s going to be interesting to see if the consortium can deliver on their goals. I’m cautiously optimistic – how about you? If you want more details check out the <a href="http://www.greentouch.org/index.php?mact=News,cntnt01,detail,0&cntnt01articleid=2&cntnt01detailtemplate=press_release_detail&cntnt01returnid=60">Green Touch press release</a>.</span>Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01056947622768070672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1742350402684252583.post-1038494856584012742010-01-13T17:12:00.003-05:002010-01-13T17:17:01.992-05:00How Much is Downtime Costing You? Find out How to Reduce Downtime by 85%...<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Any guesses on how much IT downtime is costing your organization? Maybe you already know. In case you don’t - research from analyst groups suggest the cost is anywhere from $42,000 to $90,000 for every hour of unplanned downtime. The estimates (of course) vary greatly based on industry, organization size and other variables, but even if you’re on the low end of that estimate, that’s a lot of money. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In a recent white paper “</span><a href="http://www.networkworld.com/whitepapers/abstract.jsp?id=195273"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Business Operations Disruption Risk: Identify, Measure, Reduce</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">”, IDC highlights the application of five best practices that can help reduce unplanned downtime by up to 85% (derived from interviews with multiple midsize companies).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">• Consistent use of management software reduces network and system downtime by 65%</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">• Upgrading servers/storage/network equipment reduces downtime by 50%</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">• Enabling high-availability failover clustering software reduces downtime by 43%</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">• Adopting industry best practices standards (e.g., ITIL, Cobit) across the organization reduces downtime by 13-15%</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">• Using virtualization software reduces server downtime by 10%</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’m guessing you’re already using some or a combination of these tactics to mitigate the risk of downtime. Most of these best practices are well known, although I did find the percentages associated with each one interesting. Do you find them to be accurate based on your experience?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Anyway…if you’re looking for guidance in any of these areas, let </span><a href="mailto:networkzoneblog@gmail.com"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">me</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> know. My company specializes in </span><a href="http://www.kratosdefense.com/solutions/it/index.asp"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">IT services</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> and </span><a href="http://www.kratosdefense.com/solutions/it/network-operations.asp"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">network management software (free trial for 30 days)</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">.</span>Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01056947622768070672noreply@blogger.com0