Basic Concepts

IntroductionObjects Of The Data Hierarchy

Objects Of The Monitoring System Mutual Roles Of Data Hierarchy Objects

Other Concepts

Introduction

• NetIIS is web based networking information and monitoring system• Advanced• Efficient• Multi-user• Easy to use

• Developed at the Belgrade University Computer Centre (RCUB)

• Discover, collect and provide all relevant networking information and help the network administrators in their everyday technical activities.

Architecture and User Interface

• Java platform

• Linux web application server

• MySQL database backend

• Client access

• Web Interface - typical user access

• Standalone client application

NetIIS Server

NetIIS Web Interface

Client

NetIIS Standalone

Client

NetIIS Database

Monitored Network

RMI

HTTP(S),

Telnet

SNMP,

Ping,

NMAP...

Web Interface

• Independent to OS

• Web browser – IE, Mozilla

• Typical usage

• View and Edit modes

Standalone client application

• Independent to OS

• Efficient GUI• advanced system

configuration

• Java web-start technology – RMI

• Automatic download up-to-date software from server, local execution

• Clients communicate with web server only, no direct access to DB

• Simplifies technical maintenance and support

Networking information system

• Presents all objects from the external world in the most efficient and easily understood way

• Hierarchically organised and presented by a tree

Object types

• General types of objects: • Folder• Location• Device• Ports• User• User group• Group• Notes

Folder

• Serves for joining other objects • Better organisation of the tree structure• Analogue role of folders in the file system.

• Examples – how to organized folders: • by type of equipment – routers, switches, servers• by their geographical location – regions, cities, floors• by type of members – faculties, institutes, libraries, schools... • by any other criteria...

Location

• Organisational or territorial node in a network• Children - objects physically presented on that

location

• Example: • In NREN - all faculties and individual buildings• In a corporate network - branch office and local office• In the LAN network - rack closet with adhered devices

Device

• The most important object• Networking equipment - routers, switches,

computers...• SNMP – access devices and retrieves data• Also passive components -

telecommunication links cables, outlets...

Port

• Physical or logical network interface on router, switch or computer

• In the data structure ports are attached to devices and are shown as their children

User

• Presents persons in the information system • People that are connected in a business network

(helpdesk, administrator, operator, contact, email)• Relevant information (name, address, telephone)• NetIIS user - usernames and passwords• Permissions for access to the system• Predefined users:

• guest – access public data with read permission, no password required

• administrator – full read/write access to data and all tools

User Group

• Adjoin all users with the same function or/and permissions

• Enable faster and more efficient issuing of permissions to a larger number of users

• Users that will be informed on certain events in the system.

• Users can be members in several user groups.

Groups

• Serves for grouping other objects for joint presentation in certain form

• Objects are grouped by creating shortcuts• Objects can be assigned to a number of groups. • One group can contain other groups• Group types:

• Simple Group (default) - showing elements in a table format

• Graph - graphical presentation of the topology• Looking Glass - joins devices that enable remote

command execution - Looking Glass functionality

Note

• Keeps arbitrary text data • Saving certain information connected to the parent

element

• Example: • for Devices - history of comments about hardware

changes, distributor of the device, period of guarantee, reaction procedure in the case of network problem etc.

• for Locations – description of the presented organization

• for Users – CVs• for Ports - troubleshooting procedures in case of failure

Objects Of The Monitoring System

• Passive and active monitoring the network status – status of devices, ports, links, services

• Performs:• Performance measurement – stores and shows values• Failure notification

• Configured on Devices or Ports and in that context are executed

Monitor

• Permanently and periodically observes the status of the computer network

• Defined within devices or ports as their children• Typical presentation - putting monitors in groups

RRD Chart

• Defined under the Monitors. • Purpose:

• Measures the values of the monitor during a period of time

• Shows the chart for a chosen period of time• Similar to traditional MRTG tool

• Two variables per chart• 4 statistical graphs: last day, week, month and year

Alarm

• Defined under the Monitors • Compares values of the monitor within given thresholds• Alarm activation in the case of criteria fulfilment• Can execute the given notification action • Two general types

• Bad Alarm (connection failure)• Good Alarm (link recovery)

• Critical levels in the range from -10 to +10.

Action

• Action is adjoined to certain Alarms • Define in which way the NetIIS system is going to react in the

case of alarm activation. • There are 2 types of action:

• E-Mail Action - sends e-mail messages to a certain user or user groups

• SMS Action - sending SMS messages to a certain user or user groups.

• Defining messages of arbitrary content that are sent with other parameters connected to adhered alarms and monitor

• Default Action is notification in the Event log

Monitoring objects

Report

• Selects the SNMP variables from the device and defines the form of their presentation

• Shows the current status of devices• Unlike periodically executed monitors, reports are

executed on the user’s request (on-demand) • Up to date values are being read from the devices

General Object Concepts

• Related to the object• Sensitive to object type

• Children• Attributes• Properties• Addresses• Links

Children

• Presents a list of adhered objects• Relation of "belonging" determines the

data hierarchy tree.

Attributes

• Presents specific information that define an object • Depend on type of objects

• Device attributes• Manufacturer• Device model • Serial number

• Port attributes• text description • SNMP identifiers • SNMP Alias• Bandwidth

• Locations • Name• Acronym, • Address• Phone, Fax• Domain, Web

Properties

• Arbitrary data assigned to the object. • Consist of:

• name• values• description• hide/public• time

• Certain properties have their own pre-defined meaning and are used by the system.

• Example: Property named "snmp.community“ defines the string for SNMP access to the device. Globally predefined for all devices, or defined on a certain device

Addresses

• IP addresses of objects • Format

• dotted-decimal with or without a mask• FQDN form (Fully Qualified Domain Name)

• Addresses are set on devices, ports and locations

• Addresses adhered to locations present a part of the address space of the given location.

Links

• Presents connections between objects • Reflect the computer network topology• Links are shown in the form of a tree with a chosen

object on the root of the tree

Its children are objects that it has direct connection; each node can be expanded in order to view further links

Other Concepts

• Repository• Recycle Bin• Tools

Repository

• Repository is a part of the data hierarchy that contains pre-defined objects

• Objects are not active • Purpose of copying and setting up in a part of

the hierarchy where they want to be defined• Allows a user to define specific objects in one place

that will be uniformly used in the data hierarchy• Typically contains mostly used pre-defined Reports

and Monitors, with adhered RRD Charts, Alarms and Actions

• User has a possibility to define new objects in the Repository

Recycle Bin

• Part of the system where all deleted data are placed • Objects may be restored to the same place from

which they were deleted• Objects erased from the recycle bin are permanently

removed from the system• Offers the possibility of correcting users mistakes,

such as accidental erasure a part of object hierarchy.

Tools

• Defines pages which user can directly access• Pre-defined Tools are:

• Login – login to the NetIIS system via username and password• Alerts – a page with all currently active bad alarms• Search – a page for search of the data hierarchy• Event log – presents a page for an overview of all good and

bad Alarms activation in the system and time when they became active

• Download Application – presents a page from where the stand-alone application can be downloaded, with installation instructions

• Syslog search – presents a page for an overview and search of Syslog messages that NetIIS system received from networking devices

Basic Concepts

Summary

IntroductionObjects Of The Data Hierarchy

Objects Of The Monitoring System Mutual Roles Of Data Hierarchy Objects

Other Concepts