A centralized approach To end-to-end network monitoring

It's also helpful to be able to customize the view to see only the critical connection information. Options include the ability to hide other users' monitoring sessions and any monitoring sessions that are scheduled to begin later. If you need more detailed information about the port-to-port connections or the device settings, they should be easy to obtain, typically by clicking on the desired source or destination. Additionally, you should be able to end monitoring sessions with a simple mouse click. Arguably, one could have had access to such functionality in the past, but probably not without a fair amount of custom programming.

Given the growing number and complexity of enterprise networks, a monitoring program should make it possible to customize the flow of information coming from a SPAN or mirror port, and indeed that is the case today. Specifically, a user with permissions can build and store an unlimited number of device configurations -- applying the chosen configuration at the time the monitoring session begins. 

The process -- which has been made very simple -- is described as follows. If the user has access to a Cisco Catalyst 6509, he would, for example, be able to create a configuration called "NewYork_segments4-8" that funnels the desired virtual LAN or port-based traffic out of the switch's SPAN port. When connecting that SPAN port to a protocol analyzer, he would be able to apply the saved "NewYork_segments4-8" configuration to the monitoring session when it goes live -- whether that is immediately or at a time in the future.

When a monitoring session is complete, a user can manually disconnect the session or it can be set to automatically disconnect at the end of the scheduled timeframe. Upon disconnection, the system resets any data source with a saved "default" back to the original configuration.

Reserving devices and resolving schedule conflicts

Users invariably have immediate network issues to diagnose, so it's productive to have a technology that -- by default -- can create monitoring sessions that begin immediately and remain up until the user manually disconnects. In cases where a future connection is desired, however, your tool should allow you to book a reservation.

If the devices are already scheduled for use during the desired timeframe, the user should be able to ask the system to find the next available time or choose a different time/date. It may also be possible to view this information on a calendar-style screen. Both active and pending monitoring sessions might be displayed on a per device basis.

Many enterprises have had no easy means of determining -- at any point in time -- how many monitoring devices they have, and where and how they are being used. This "blind spotC" can lead to uninformed decisions with potentially significant financial ramifications.

Now, there are reporting capabilities that make it possible to review the use of every device in a data center's inventory and understand where, when and by whom it is being utilized. With such information, network managers can review:

* The number and duration of all monitoring sessions from a particular timeframe.

* The utilization of all or specific devices.

* The quantity and location all devices in inventory.

This is key to understanding whether there are too few tools of a particular kind, or if tools are available and can be better utilized elsewhere.

Enterprise-class functionality

By design, centralized management software should be Web-based, assuring availability to multiple users and eliminating security concerns about installing third-party software. Such an approach provides for easy access, where a user simply opens a standard browser and inputs the correct IP address.