Your software release may not support all the features documented in this module. For the latest feature information and caveats, see the release notes for your platform and software release. To find information about the features documented in this module, and to see a list of the releases in which each feature is supported, see the Feature Information Table at the end of this document.
Use Cisco Feature Navigator to find information about platform support and Cisco software image support. To access Cisco Feature Navigator, go to
www.cisco.com/go/cfn. An account on Cisco.com is not required.
Prerequisites for Periodic MIB Data Collection and Transfer Mechanism
To use this feature, you should be familiar with the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) model of management information. You should also know what MIB information you want to monitor on your network devices, and the OIDs or object names for the MIB objects to be monitored.
Restrictions for Periodic MIB Data Collection and Transfer Mechanism
Cisco Data Collection MIB configuration using SNMP is not currently implemented.
A type (or class) of SNMP management information is called an object. A specific instance from a type of management information is called an object instance (or SNMP variable). To configure a bulk statistics collection, you must specify the object types to be monitored using a bulk statistics object list and the specific instances of those objects to be collected using a bulk statistics schema.
MIBs, MIB tables, MIB objects, and object indices can all be specified using a series of numbers called an object identifier (OID). OIDs are used in configuring a bulk statistics collection in both the bulk statistics object lists (for general objects) and in the bulk statistics schemas (for specific object instances).
Bulk Statistics Object Lists
To group the MIB objects to be polled, you will need to create one or more object lists. A bulk statistics object list is a user-specified set of MIB objects that share the same MIB index. Object lists are identified using a name that you specify. Named bulk statistics object lists allow the same configuration to be reused in different bulk statistics schemas.
All the objects in an object list must share the same MIB index. However, the objects do not need to be in the same MIB and do not need to belong to the same MIB table. For example, it is possible to group ifInOctets and an Ethernet MIB object in the same schema, because the containing tables for both objects are indexed by the ifIndex.
Bulk Statistics Schemas
Data selection for the Periodic MIB Data Collection and Transfer Mechanism requires the definition of a schema with the following information:
Name of an object list.
Instance (specific or wildcarded) that needs to be retrieved for objects in above object list.
How often the specified instances need to be sampled (polling interval).
A bulk statistics schema is also identified using a name that you specify. This name is used when configuring the transfer options.
Bulk Statistics Transfer Options
After configuring the data to be collected, a single virtual file (VFile or âbulk statistics fileâ) with all collected data is created. This file can be transferred to a network management station (NMS) using FTP, rcp, or TFTP. You can specify how often this file should be transferred. The default transfer interval is once every 30 minutes. You can also configure a secondary destination for the file to be used if, for whatever reason, the file cannot be transferred to the primary network management station.
The value of the transfer interval is also the collection period (collection interval) for the local bulk statistics file. After the collection period ends, the bulk statistics file is frozen, and a new local bulk statistics file is created for storing data. The frozen bulk statistics file is then transferred to the specified destination.
By default, the local bulk statistics file is deleted after successful transfer to an NMS. However, you can configure the routing device to keep the bulk statistics file in memory for a specified amount of time.
An SNMP notification (trap) can be sent to the NMS if a transfer to the primary or secondary NMS is not successful. Additionally, a syslog message will be logged on the local device if transfers are unsuccessful.
Benefits of the Periodic MIB Data Collection and Transfer Mechanism
The Periodic MIB Data Collection and Transfer Mechanism (Bulk Statistics feature) allows many of the same functions as the Bulk File MIB (CISCO-BULK-FILE-MIB.my), but offers some key advantages.
The main advantage is that this feature can be configured through the CLI and does not require an external monitoring application.
The Periodic MIB Data Collection and Transfer Mechanism is mainly targeted for medium to high-end platforms that have sufficient local storage (volatile or permanent) to store bulk statistics files. Locally storing bulk statistics files helps minimize loss of data during temporary network outages.
This feature also has more powerful data selection features than the Bulkfile MIB; it allows grouping of MIB objects from different tables into data groups (object lists). It also incorporates a more flexible instance selection mechanism, where the application is not restricted to fetching an entire MIB table.
How to Configure Periodic MIB Data Collection and Transfer Mechanism
The first step in configuring the Periodic MIB Data Collection and Transfer Mechanism is to configure one or more object lists.
Note
All the objects in a bulk statistics object list have to be indexed by the same MIB index. However, the objects in the object list do not need to belong to the same MIB or MIB table.
When specifying an object name instead of an OID (using theadd command), only object names from the Interfaces MIB (IF-MIB.my), Cisco Committed Access Rate MIB (CISCO-CAR-MIB.my) and the MPLS Traffic Engineering MIB (MPLS-TE-MIB.my) may be used.
Specifies the instance information for objects in this schema.
The instanceexactcommand indicates that the specified instance, when appended to the object list, is the complete OID.
Theinstancewildcommand indicates that all subindices of the specified OID belong to this schema. The wild keyword allows you to specify a partial, âwild cardedâ instance.
Instead of specifying an instance OID, you can specify a specific interface. Theinterfaceinterface-id syntax allows you to specify an interface name and number (for example, interface Ethernet 0) instead of specifying the ifIndex OID for the interface. Similarly, the controllercontroller-id syntax allows you to specify a controller card (interface). This option is platform dependent.
The optional sub-if keyword, when added after specifying an interface or controller, includes the ifIndexes for all subinterfaces of the interface you specified.
Only one instance command can be configured per schema. (If multiple instance commands are executed, the earlier ones are overwritten by new commands.)
Step 4
instancerangestartoidendoid
Example:
instance range start 1 end 2
(Optional) When used in conjunction with the snmpmibbulkstatschema command, the instancerange command can be used to configure a range of instances on which to collect data.
Step 5
instancerepetitionoid-instancemaxrepeat-number
Example:
instance repetition 1 max 4
(Optional)When used in conjunction with the snmpmibbulkstatschema command, the instancerepetition command can be used to configure data collection to repeat for a certain number of instances of a MIB object.
Step 6
poll-intervalminutes
Example:
Router(config-bulk-sc)# poll-interval 10
Sets how often data should be collected from the object instances specified in this schema, in minutes. The default is once every 5 minutes.
The valid range is from 1 to 20000.
Step 7
exit
Example:
Router(config-bulk-objects)# exit
Exits from Bulk Statistics Schema configuration mode.
Configuring a Bulk Statistics Transfer Options
The final step in configuring the Periodic MIB Data Collection and Transfer Mechanism is to configure the transfer options. The collected MIB data are kept in a local file-like entity called a VFile (virtual file, referred to as a bulk statistics file in this document). This file can be transferred to a remote network management station (NMS) at intervals you specify.
Before You Begin
The bulk statistics object lists and bulk statistics schemas should be defined before configuring the bulk statistics transfer options.
Note
Transfers can only be performed using schemaASCII (cdcSchemaASCII) format. SchemaASCII is an ASCII format that contains parser-friendly hints for parsing data values.
>
SUMMARY STEPS
1.snmpmibbulkstattransfertransfer-id
2.buffer-sizebytes
3.format {bulkBinary | bulkASCII | schemaASCII}
4.schemaschema-name
5.transfer-intervalminutes
6.urlprimaryurl
7.urlsecondaryurl
8.retrynumber
9.retainminutes
10.enable
11.exit
DETAILED STEPS
Command or Action
Purpose
Step 1
snmpmibbulkstattransfertransfer-id
Example:
Router(config)# snmp mib bulkstat transfer bulkstat1
Identifies the transfer configuration with a name (transfer-id) and enters Bulk Statistics Transfer configuration mode.
Step 2
buffer-sizebytes
Example:
Router(config-bulk-tr)# buffer-size 3072
(Optional) Specifies the maximum size for the bulk statistics data file, in bytes. The valid range is from 1024 to 2147483647 bytes. The default buffer size is 2048 bytes.
Note
A configurable buffer size limit is available only as a safety feature. Normal bulk statistics files should not generally meet or exceed the default value.
Step 3
format {bulkBinary | bulkASCII | schemaASCII}
Example:
Router(config-bulk-tr)# format schemaASCII
(Optional) Specifies the format of the bulk statistics data file (VFile). The default is schemaASCII.
Note
Transfers can only be performed using schemaASCII (cdcSchemaASCII) format. SchemaASCII is a human-readable format that contains parser-friendly hints for parsing data values.
Step 4
schemaschema-name
Example:
Router(config-bulk-tr)# schema ATM2/0-IFMIB
Example:
Router(config-bulk-tr)# schema ATM2/0-CAR
Example:
Router(config-bulk-tr)# schema Ethernet2/1-IFMIB
Example:
.
Example:
.
Example:
.
Specifies the bulk statistics schema to be transferred. Repeat this command as desired. Multiple schemas can be associated with a single transfer configuration; all collected data will be in a single bulk data file (VFile).
Step 5
transfer-intervalminutes
Example:
Router(config-bulk-tr)# transfer-interval 20
(Optional) Specifies how often the bulk statistics file should be transferred, in minutes. The default value is once every 30 minutes. The transfer interval is the same as the collection interval.
Specifies the network management system (host) that the bulk statistics data file should be transferred to, and the protocol to use for transfer. The destination is specified as a Uniform Resource Locator (URL).
FTP, rcp, or TFTP can be used for the bulk statistics file transfer.
(Optional) Specifies a backup transfer destination and protocol for use in the event that transfer to the primary location fails.
FTP, rcp, or TFTP can be used for the bulk statistics file transfer.
Step 8
retrynumber
Example:
Router(config-bulk-tr)# retry 1
(Optional) Specifies the number of transmission retries. The default value is 0 (in other words, no retries).
If an attempt to send the bulk statistics file fails, the system can be configured to attempt to send the file again using this command. One retry includes an attempt first to the primary destination then, if the transmission fails, to the secondary location; for example, if the retry value is 1, an attempt will be made first to the primary URL, then to the secondary URL, then to the primary URL again, then to the secondary URL again.
The valid range is from 0 to 100.
Step 9
retainminutes
Example:
Router(config-bulk-tr)# retain 60
(Optional) Specifies how long the bulk statistics file should be kept in system memory, in minutes, after the completion of the collection interval and a transmission attempt is made. The default value is 0.
Zero (0) indicates that the file will be deleted immediately after a successful transfer.
Note
If the retry command is used, you should configure a retain interval larger than 0. The interval between retries is the retain interval divided by the retry number. For example, if retain10 and retry2 are configured, retries will be attempted once every 5 minutes. Therefore, if retain 0 is configured, no retries will be attempted.
The valid range is from 0 to 20000.
Step 10
enable
Example:
Router(config-bulk-tr)# enable
Begins the bulk statistics data collection and transfer process for this configuration.
For successful execution of this action, at least one schema with non-zero number of objects should be configured.
Periodic collection and file transfer operations will commence only if this command is configured. Conversely, the noenable command will stop the collection process. A subsequent enable will start the operations again.
Each time the collection process is started using the enablecommand, data is collected into a new bulk statistics file. When the noenable command is used, the transfer process for any collected data will immediately begin (in other words, the existing bulk statistics file will be transferred to the specified management station).
Step 11
exit
Example:
Router(config-bulk-tr)# exit
Exits from Bulk Statistics Transfer configuration mode.
If the maximum buffer size for a bulk statistics file is reached before the transfer interval time expires, the transfer operation will still be initiated, and bulk statistics data will be collected into a new file in the system buffer. To correct this behavior, you can decrease the polling frequency, or increase the size of the bulk statistics buffer. If retain0 is configured, no retries will be attempted. This is because the interval between retries is the retain value divided by the retry value. For example, if retain10 and retry2 are configured, retries will be attempted once every 5 minutes. Therefore, if you configure the retry command, you should also configure an appropriate value for the retain command.
Enabling Monitoring for Bulk Statistics Collection
Optionally, you can enable SNMP notifications to be sent, which provide information on the transfer status of the Periodic MIB Data Collection and Transfer Mechanism (Bulk Statistics feature).
Enables the sending of bulk statistics SNMP notifications (traps or informs). The following notifications (defined in the CISCO-DATA-COLLECTION-MIB) are enabled with this command:
transfer (cdcFileXferComplete)--Sent when a transfer attempt is successful and when a transfer attempt fails. (The varbind cdcFilXferStatus object in the trap defines tells if the transfer is successful or not).
collection (cdcVFileCollectionError)--Sent when data collection could not be carried out successfully.One possible reason for this condition could be insufficient memory on the device to carry out data collection.
Router(config)# snmp-server host informs public bulkstat
Specifies the recipient (host) for the SNMP notifications, and additional transfer options.
Step 5
docopyrunning-configstartup-config
Example:
Example:
Router(config)# do copy running-config startup-config
(Optional) Saves the current configuration to NVRAM as the startup configuration file.
The do command allows you to execute EXEC mode commands in any configuration mode.
Monitoring and Troubleshooting Periodic MIB Data Collection and Transfer Mechanism
The show command for this feature displays the status of the bulk statistics processes. The debug command enables the standard set of debugging messages for technical support purposes.
(Optional) The show command for this feature lists all bulk statistics virtual files (VFiles) on the system that have finished collecting data. (Data files that are not complete are not displayed.)
The output lists all of the completed local bulk statistics files, the remaining time left before the bulk statistics file is deleted (remaining retention period), and the state of the bulk statistics file.
The âSTATEâ of the bulk statistics file will be one of the following:
Queued--Indicates that the data collection for this bulk statistics file is completed (in other words, the transfer interval has been met) and that the bulk statistics file is waiting for transfer to the configured destination(s).
Retry--Indicates that one or more transfer attempts have failed and that the file transfer will be attempted again. The number of retry attempts remaining will be displayed in parenthesis.
Retained--Indicates that the bulk statistics file has either been successfully transmitted or that the configured number of retries have been completed.
Tip
To determine if a transfer was successful, enable the bulk statistics SNMP notification.
To display only the status of a named transfer (as opposed to all configured transfers), specify the name of the transfer in the transfer-name argument.
Step 2
debugsnmpbulkstat
Example:
Router# debug snmp bulkstat
(Optional) Enables standard debugging output for the Bulk Statistics feature. Debugging output includes messages about the creation, transfer, and deletion of bulk statistics files.
Configuration Examples for Periodic MIB Data Collection and Transfer Mechanism
Example Configuring Periodic MIB Data Collection and Transfer Mechanism
This section provides a complete example of configuring the Periodic MIB Data Collection and Transfer Mechanism (Bulk Statistics feature). The example is described in the following subsections:
Retry interval--Retry after 6 minutes (retry = 5, retain = 30; 5 retry attempts over the 30-minute retention interval.)
Polling Requirements
The following polling requirements for ATM interface 2/0 and Ethernet interface 2/1 are used for the âConfiguring the Periodic MIB Data Collection and Transfer Mechanismâ example:
ATM interface 2/0
Objects to be polled--ifInOctets, ifOutOctets, ifInUcastPkts, ifInDiscards, CcarStatSwitchedPkts, CcarStatSwitchedBytes, CcarStatFilteredBytes
Polling interval--Once every 5 minutes
Instances--Main interface and all subinterfaces
For CAR MIB objects, poll all instances related to the specified interface
Ethernet Interface 2/1
Objects to be polled--ifInOctets, ifOutOctets, ifInUcastPkts, ifInDiscards, CcarStatSwitchedPkts, CcarStatSwitchedBytes, CcarStatFilteredBytes
Polling interval--Once every 10 minutes
Instances--Only main interface is to be monitored
For CAR MIB objects, only include instances pertaining to packets in the incoming direction (on the main interface)
Object List Configuration
Note that since the IF-MIB objects and the CAR-MIB objects do not have the same index, they will have to be a part of different schemas. However, since the objects required are the same for the ATM interface and the Ethernet interface, the object list can be reused for each schema. Therefore, in the following example, an object list is created for the for the IF-MIB objects and another object list is created for the CAR-MIB objects.
For the following bulk statistics schema configuration, two schemas are defined for each interface--one for the IF-MIB object instances and one for the CAR-MIB object instances.
For the transfer of the bulk statistics file, the transfer configuration is given the name bulkstat1. All of the four schema definitions are included in the following transfer configuration.
The following sample output for the showsnmpmibbulkstattransfer command shows that the initial transfer attempt and the first retry has failed for the newest file, and four additional retry attempts will be made:
Router# show snmp mib bulkstat transfer
Transfer Name : bulkstat1
Primary URL ftp://user:XXXXXXXX@192.168.200.162/
Secondary ftp://user:XXXXXXXX@192.168.200.163/
Retained files
File Name : Time Left (in seconds) : STATE
----------------------------------------------------------------------
bulkstat1_Router_030307_102519739: 1196 :Retry(4 Retry attempt(s) Left)
bulkstat1_Router_030307_102219739: 1016 :Retained
bulkstat1_Router_030307_101919739: 836 :Retained
The filename for the bulk statistics file is generated with the following extensions to the name you specify in the url command:
specified-filename
_device-name
_date_time-stamp
The device name is the name of the sending device, as specified in the CLI prompt.
The time-stamp format will depend on your system configuration. Typically, the format for the date is YYYYMMDD or YYMMDD. The time stamp uses a 24-hour clock notation, and the format is HHMMSSmmm (where mmm are milliseconds).
In the example above, the files were created on March 7, 2003, at 10:25 a.m., 10:22 a.m., and 10:19 a.m.
Bulk Statistics Output File
The following is sample output as it appears in the bulk statistics file received at the transfer destination. In this output, the name of the bulk statistics file is bulkstat1_Router_20030131_193354234. Also, note that the schema definition (Schema-def) for the schema Ethernet2/1-IFMIB was added to the file as the configuration was changed (see comment lines indicated by â!â).
âConfiguring SNMP Supportâ module in the
Cisco IOS Network Management Configuration Guide
MIBs
MIBs
MIBs Link
This feature supports all Cisco implemented MIBs.
This feature uses the Cisco Data Collection MIB (CISCO-DATA-COLLECTION-MIB.my) function of reporting errors and statistics during data collection and transfer.
The Cisco Data Collection MIB also supports configuring data collection using the CLI, as well as with SNMP.
To locate and download MIBs for selected platforms, Cisco software releases, and feature sets, use Cisco MIB Locator found at the following URL:
The Cisco Support website provides extensive online resources, including documentation and tools for troubleshooting and resolving technical issues with Cisco products and technologies.
To receive security and technical information about your products, you can subscribe to various services, such as the Product Alert Tool (accessed from Field Notices), the Cisco Technical Services Newsletter, and Really Simple Syndication (RSS) Feeds.
Access to most tools on the Cisco Support website requires a Cisco.com user ID and password.
Feature Information for Periodic MIB Data Collection and Transfer Mechanism
The following table provides release information about the feature or features described in this module. This table lists only the software release that introduced support for a given feature in a given software release train. Unless noted otherwise, subsequent releases of that software release train also support that feature.
Use Cisco Feature Navigator to find information about platform support and Cisco software image support. To access Cisco Feature Navigator, go to
www.cisco.com/go/cfn. An account on Cisco.com is not required.
Table 1
Feature Information for Periodic MIB Data Collection and Transfer Mechanism
Feature Name
Releases
Feature Information
Periodic MIB Data Collection and Transfer Mechanism
12.0(24)S
12.2(25)S
12.2(33)SB
12.2(33)SRA
12.2(33)SRC
12.2(33)SXH
12.2(50)SY
12.3(2)T
15.0(1)S
Cisco IOS XE 3.1.0SG
The Periodic MIB Data Collection and Transfer Mechanism provides the ability to periodically transfer selected MIB data from
Cisco IOS-based devices to specified Network Management Systems (NMS). Using the CLI, data from multiple MIBs can be grouped into lists, and a polling interval (frequency of data collection) can be configured. All the MIB objects in a list are periodically polled using this specified interval. The collected data from the lists can then be transferred to a specified NMS at a user-specified transfer interval (frequency of data transfer) using TFTP, rcp, or FTP.
The following commands were introduced or modified by this feature:
add (bulkstat object),
buffer-size (bulkstat),
context (bulkstat),
debug snmp bulkstat,
enable (bulkstat),
format (bulkstat),
instance (MIB),
instance range,
instance repetition,
object-list,
poll-interval,
retain,
retry (bulkstat),
schema,
show snmp mib bulkstat transfer,
snmp mib bulkstat object-list,
snmp mib bulkstat schema,
snmp mib bulkstat transfer,
snmp-server enable traps bulkstat,
transfer-interval,
url (bulkstat).
Cisco and the Cisco Logo are trademarks of Cisco Systems, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. A listing of Cisco's trademarks can be found at
www.cisco.com/go/trademarks. Third party trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The use of the word partner does not imply a partnership relationship between Cisco and any other company. (1005R)
Any Internet Protocol (IP) addresses and phone numbers used in this document are not intended to be actual addresses and phone numbers. Any examples, command display output, network topology diagrams, and other figures included in the document are shown for illustrative purposes only. Any use of actual IP addresses or phone numbers in illustrative content is unintentional and coincidental.