Nearly every network engineer I work with is either looking for a way to monitor their bandwidth or ways to improve how they monitor their bandwidth usage. So, popularity wins out this week and the next couple of posts will be a series on implementing bandwidth monitoring.
Why monitor bandwidth usage?
We each have our reasons, here are some of mine:
1. When the network slows, lots of people call and complain, and I don’t like that
2. Need to have data supporting when an upgrade to the T1 line is necessary and validation that we are getting the service we have paid for
3. Helps to understand what servers are being used heavily and when the load should be split into multiple servers
4. Lets me identify high bandwidth consumers and adjust the network topology keeping the key users close to their end systems
5. Allows me to locate end users who are downloading high volumes of data and request they stop during sensitive times (executive webcasts etc…)
Getting started: SNMP enable your network
To effectively monitor bandwidth usage it requires that you have a method of accessing the bandwidth consumption statistics for each device. SNMP is the industry standard and works with all major brands of networking devices, server and workstation operating systems. It uses a software agent installed on each device and a collector type system to aggregate and report the data. With SNMP you will be able to collect bandwidth data such as utilization % for each interface, total packets, discards and more. Here is a screenshot of a typical interface display for an SNMP enabled device:
To retrieve this information on a device, you will need to set a community string (aka password) that your monitoring system will use when retrieving the bandwidth statistics. At the bottom of this article are the steps to enable SNMP on Windows and Cisco devices.
For more overview information check out these website links:
http://www.dopplervue.com/bandwidth.php and the tutorial at http://www.dopplervue.com/tutorials_show.php?what=Managing_Bandwidth.
The next blog post will discuss monitoring systems that can gather this data, what to do with the information, alerts and rules that can be set and common reports that you will want to use for bandwidth monitoring.
Enabling SNMP on a Windows System
Windows 2003 and XP
1. In the Control Panel, click Add Remove Programs.
2. In the left pane, click Add/Remove Windows Components.
3. Select the Management and Monitoring Tools checkbox and click Details.
4. Select the Simple Network Management Protocol checkbox, click OK, and then click Next.
5. If prompted, insert the Windows 2003 or XP disc to finish the setup.
Windows Vista
1.In the Control Panel, click Programs and Features.
2. In the left pane, click Turn Windows features on or off.
3. Select the SNMP Feature checkbox and and click OK.
On a Windows system, you must configure security for the SNMP service by adding a community name(s) and permissions to a list of communities that can send it SNMP requests. This is known as a "community string":
1. In the Control Panel, click Administrative Tools, and then click Services.
2. Right-click the SNMP Service, click Properties, and then select the Security tab.
3. In the Accepted Community Names pane, click Add.
4. You may accept the default community rights, and then enter a community name (case sensitive). Click Add.
5. Select Accept SNMP packets from any host, and then click OK.
This ensures all SNMP packets from all SNMP hosts belonging to any community listed in Accepted community names are processed. No SNMP packets are rejected on the basis of the host name or IP address of the source host or the list of acceptable hosts.
6. Ensure the SNMP Service is selected and click Restart the Service to initiate the changes.
Enabling SNMP on Cisco Devices
Log in to the router and enter configuration mode: Router#configure terminal
1. Enable SNMP on the router (note that "public" and "private" are for example purposes):
Router(config)#snmp-server community public RO
Router(config)#snmp-server community private RW
Router(config)#exit
Came across some information on IT spending that I thought I would share. Spending across IT sectors is set to remain low throughout 2009 and is not expected to pick up until 2010, according to a new report by TheInfoPro (TIP). The bi-annual global survey has seen budget cuts across the board, with only networking holding its own with 36 percent of organizations planning to increase spend (at least there is some good news) compared with 41 percent looking for cuts. This information is in line with Gartner’s survey where nearly half of businesses reduced their IT budgets in the first quarter of this year.
A common complaint I hear and a pain I’ve experienced myself (too often) is email going down. Email is now the most common form of business communication and its use is only growing. According to Osterman Research, email traffic between 2008 and 2012 is projected to grow by 68%.
In any given 12-month time period, there is a 72% likelihood of an unplanned email outage and a 24% likelihood of a planned email outage in any given company according to a Dell survey.
One major cause of email downtime is network connectivity failures. Connectivity loss can be caused by anything from a hub, switch or router failure to a broken or damaged cable or fiber. Not to mention a whole host of other complicated issues.
To reduce the chance of an outage, consider proactively monitoring and managing your network to avoid a failure or respond as early as possible to a problem – saving you the headache of a bunch of complaints.
The network management software I recommend and work with everyday has the ability to generate alarms based on both network faults and network performance. This integration allows alarming on multiple issues to best anticipate and accurately pinpoint network problems and avoid system downtime. Below is a screenshot showing this functionality.
Are you worried about budget cuts in the IT department? These days, budget concerns are fairly common and many IT professionals, including myself, are coming up with ways to show value to their organization. Think about it- beyond email and Internet access, few individuals in the company really understand the complexity of a network and the need to have high-caliber individuals proactively monitoring and managing it.
It’s our responsibility to make that value tangible and put forward a simplified method of displaying the network and quantifying its performance. People understand dashboards very well and the right network display can help them visualize the value of network management in a way that makes sense. I would suggest projecting your network display in your company’s IT or NOC area. This will give decision makers something to show for their investments in IT and make a compelling case that much will be lost if budget cuts occur.
For example, this display (below) shows the status and topology of key resources and additional metrics (total bandwidth in/out network, alarm history, and response time to company sales website) regarding the company website. The availability of the company website and its effect on revenue is always a great reminder of the importance of network management.
Other example maps that I’ve seen that communicate tremendous value are those displaying the entire network connectivity for a specific business process. For example, your HR executive may want to see how the payroll, timecard, and HR intranet website are connected and how much bandwidth is being used by these servers. Making a business process that is critical to successful business operations more transparent is sure to turn some heads.
Yup! I just got myself a Palm Pre and I really like it so far. The navigation, web surfing, email and keyboard work well and it feels good in the hand. The NASCAR app was an unexpected fun little app (in car live camera views during the race). I've had too many chores around the house to really put it to the test, however, next week I’m traveling and will get a chance to blog more about what I like and don’t like on the phone.
According to a recent Forrester Research survey, SOA is alive and well! Here are a few of the highlights:
- Only 1% of current SOA adopters have received little or no benefit from the methodology
- 60% of IT executives have seen some benefits
- 75% of IT executives and technology decision-makers said they will be using SOA by the end of 2009
- 60% of current SOA users are expanding their use of the methodology
- 30% of respondents appear to see SOA as a potential vehicle for strategic business transformation
This is great news from my perspective, since the network is such a critical success factor for successful SOA implementations.
If you’d like to read further, check out Joe McKendrick’s guest post on TechRepublic’s blog.
Recently I've had several people ask me for advice on how to use their network to become more green without spending lots of time, money or effort. I came across an article that had some common sense ideas that supported many of my favorite thoughts on the topic. Tech Republic’s – IT Cost Cutting: The Ninja Guide is worth a quick browse if you have a few minutes. There are some great suggestions for using VoIP, telepresence, and web meetings to cut phone and travel costs and to embrace telecommuting to go green. Of course, a reliable network is critical to making these initiatives work, so I always mention network monitoring as a key ingredient to success.
