Cisco PVM User Guide - Setup [Cisco Performance Visibility Manager]

Table Of Contents

Setup

The Setup GUI

NAM Setup

About Switches and Routers

Viewing the List of NAMs

Filtering the NAM list

Adding Individual NAMs

Editing NAMs

Viewing NAM Details

Importing NAMs

Deleting NAMs

NAM Collection Settings

Collection Overview

Setting the Global Collection Cycle

Enabling and Disabling Devices

Disabling a NAM

Launching the NAM Traffic Analyzer

Accessing the NAM interface

Data Source Group Setup

NAM and Switch/Router DSGs

Viewing the List of DSGs

Filtering the Data Source Groups List

Adding DSGs

Editing DSGs

Deleting DSGs

Threshold Setup

Understanding Threshold Settings

Fixed Thresholds

Dynamic Thresholds

Aggregation Periods and the System-Wide Collection Cycle

Standard Deviations and Baselines

Threshold Alerts

Statistics and Metrics

Viewing the List of Defined Thresholds

Filtering the Thresholds List

Adding Thresholds

Editing Thresholds

Deleting Thresholds

Enabling and Disabling Thresholds

Disabling a Threshold

Enabling a Threshold

Preferences Setup

Viewing the Preference Settings

Editing Preferences

Setup

Cisco PVM data management features allow you to create a virtual representation of NAMs, switches, routers, and their associated data sources to provide network performance information. This feature allows you to register NAMs, switches, and routers, and to monitor application and other traffic. Additionally, you can enable or disable data collection and threshold monitoring through the Setup GUI.

This chapter contains the following sections:

•The Setup GUI

•NAM Setup

•NAM Collection Settings

•Launching the NAM Traffic Analyzer

•Data Source Group Setup

•Threshold Setup

•Preferences Setup

Note The functions discussed in this chapter apply to Cisco PVM Administrators only.

The Setup GUI

The Cisco PVM Setup tab opens the NAM home page by default, displaying the list of NAMs currently available in the system. The Setup tab on the Cisco PVM dashboard allows users to:

•View, add, import, edit, and delete NAMs.

•Manage NAM collection settings.

•Access NAM Traffic Analyzer configuration settings.

•Configure Data Source Groups.

•Manage alarm threshold settings.

•View and edit system-wide configuration settings, including default threshold values.

Cisco PVM automatically runs a background process that periodically updates the contents of the NAM database (once per minute). The list of NAMs loaded into the system can change due to:

•Addition or removal of entities from the system.

•Changes in device relationships.

•Operational status changes to system devices.

The Cisco PVM Setup GUI defaults to the NAM home page (see Figure 2-1).

Figure 2-1 Cisco PVM Setup GUI - NAM Home Page Default

NAM Setup

Cisco PVM Setup for NAMs allows you to:

•View a list of all NAM devices currently loaded in the system.

•View a subset of NAM devices by filtering them based on their names.

•Manually add a NAM device to the system.

•Add multiple NAM devices by importing from a comma-delimited file.

•View and edit NAM device attributes.

•Delete NAMs and their supporting switches and routers.

This section contains the following topics:

•About Switches and Routers

•Viewing the List of NAMs

•Adding Individual NAMs

•Editing NAMs

•Importing NAMs

•Deleting NAMs

About Switches and Routers

Similar to NAMs, supporting switch and router devices can be added to Cisco PVM either manually or through the import function on the NAM home page. You might want to add a switch or router to collect interface statistics, for example, since the system retrieves this data from switches and routers and not from NAMs. It is not necessary, however, to add supporting device information when adding NAMs; the Cisco PVM NAM edit function provides an option for adding supporting switch and router device information after NAM collection has already begun in the system. The Cisco PVM System-wide Collection Cycle setting applies to both switches and routers and to NAMs.

A switch or router device can be added to the system only if it currently hosts a NAM. Additionally, since the functional emphasis of Cisco PVM is centralized NAM management, the NAM home page displays NAM device information only. For procedures for adding switches and routers, see Editing NAMs.

Viewing the List of NAMs

Cisco PVM allows you to filter the NAMs available in the system by name, using the wildcard symbols (%) or (*), or to list all of the NAMs by leaving the Name or Address field blank.

Timesaver You can sort the NAM list by clicking the various column headers. In conjunction with the pagination links above the table and the filter function, sorting can aid in locating individual or groups of NAMs.

To view a NAM list, complete the following steps:

Step 1 Click Setup on the Cisco PVM dashboard.

The NAMs window appears, showing the list of NAMs that have been set up in Cisco PVM (see Figure 2-2).

Note The default window for the Setup tab is the NAM home page, entitled NAMs.

Tip To reverse the order of the list of NAMs, click the Name column header.

Figure 2-2 NAM Home Page

Table 2-1 describes the fields on the NAM home page.

Table 2-1 NAM Home Page Field Descriptions

Field

Type

Description

Name or Address

Text box

Allows text entry of NAM subscriber or domain names, character strings, or IP addresses for filtering the display.

Filter

Button

Activates the filtering using the entered criteria.

Clear

Button

Removes the filter criteria entered in the Name or Address box.

System-wide Collection Cycle

Read-only

Displays the current data collection cycle set in Setup > Preferences.

Name

Column header

Displays the subscriber or domain name of the NAM. The check box next to each name is used to select an individual NAM for editing.

Address

Column header

Displays the IP address of each NAM.

Type

Column header

Displays the NAM type associated with the Name, such as NAM_1, NAM_2, or NM_NAM.

Host Address

Column header

Displays the IP address of the supporting switch or router.

Note If no supporting device has been added to the system for the NAM, this field appears blank.

Status

Column header

Indicates whether the NAM is enabled or disabled.

Add

Button

Opens the Add NAM window for adding individual NAMs.

Edit

Button

Displays the Edit NAM window for viewing NAM details and making changes.

Note This button is dimmed until you select a NAM from the table or if you select more than one NAM.

Import

Button

Opens the Import NAM dialog for adding multiple NAMs from a CSV file.

Delete

Button

Deletes selected NAM(s) from the Cisco PVM database.

Note This button is dimmed until you select at least one NAM from the table.

Enable

Button

Enables data collection for one or more selected NAMs.

Note This button is dimmed until you select at least one NAM from the table.

Disable

Button

Disables data collection for one or more selected NAMs.

Note This button is dimmed until you select at least one NAM from the table.

Connect

Button

Opens the NAM Traffic Analyzer in a separate browser window for configuration of the NAM outside the Cisco PVM system.

Filtering the NAM list

To filter the NAM list, complete the following steps:

Step 1 Open the NAM home page by either

•Clicking the Setup tab, or.

•Clicking NAM in the navigation menu if you are already in the Setup GUI.

The NAMs window appears, showing the list of NAMs that have been set up in Cisco PVM.

Note The default window for the Setup tab is the NAM home page, entitled NAMs.

Step 2 Enter the character string, name, or IP address with which you want to filter the list of NAMs in the Name or Address field.

Step 3 Click Filter.

The window refreshes to display the filtered list of NAMs.

Tip You can use the wildcard symbol (% or *) in the Name or Address field as a substitute for common characters or leave the field blank to return the list of all NAMs.

Adding Individual NAMs

The Add NAM feature allows users to manually add individual NAMs to Cisco PVM for collection and monitoring. Supporting switch and router information can be added concurrently with the NAM parameters, but a NAM can be added to the system without its supporting device information and Cisco PVM will still collect and aggregate data from the NAM. In this case, however, switch and router information would be unavailable to the Monitor and Report functions. Cisco PVM's edit function allows addition of switch/router information at a later time if desired.

Timesaver You can add multiple NAMs to the system in a single step using Cisco PVM's import capability. See Importing NAMs for more information.

Step 1 Open the NAMs window by either:

•Clicking the Setup tab, or,

•Clicking NAM in the navigation menu if you are already in the Setup GUI.

The NAMs window appears, showing the list of NAMs that have been set up in Cisco PVM (see Figure 2-3).

Figure 2-3 NAM Setup - NAMs Window

Step 2 Click Add.

The Add a New NAM window appears for entry of NAM details, with sections available for both NAM and supporting device parameters (see Figure 2-4).

Figure 2-4 NAM Details - Add a New NAM

Table 2-2 describes the fields in the Add a New NAM window.

Table 2-2 Add a New NAM Window Field Descriptions

Field

Required?

Description

NAM

Name

Yes

Text entry of the NAM device name (maximum 59 characters).

Note The Name field is user-defined and is not a DNS name used for reverse DNS lookup.

Address

Yes

Numerical entry of the IP address.

Enabled

Optional

Check box to indicate whether Cisco PVM data collection from the NAM is on or off.

Description

Optional

Text entry of a brief description of the NAM (including location, for example).

Switch/Router

Name

Yes

Entry of the name to use for the Cisco device.

Select Resource Type

Yes

Drop-down selection of the Cisco device type:

•NM_Router

•NAM_Router

•NAM_Switch

Note The system automatically detects the type of NAM resource (such as NAM_2 or NM_NAM) by the address entered in the NAM section of the Add a New NAM window.

Address

Yes

Numerical entry of the device IP address.

Enabled

Optional

Check box to indicate whether Cisco PVM data collection from the device is on or off.

Description

Optional

Text entry of a brief description of the Cisco device.

Parameters (NAM and Switch/Router)

Version

Yes

Entry of the SNMP version number. The default value is v2.

Note Setting this option to v2 is recommended to prevent degraded performance for SNMP traps sent using "getBulk" requests.

RO Community String

Yes

Entry of the read-only community string.

RW Community String

Yes

Entry of the read-write community string.

Port

Optional

Numerical entry of the port on which the SNMP agent is running. The default value is 161.

Timeout

Optional

Drop-down selection of the time-out limit in 1/100 seconds, with a range of 50-5000 ms. The default value is 50 ms.

Note The timeout parameter defines the waiting period the system will use before sending a retry request to an unresponsive device. The system will retry the request three times; this default is not configurable.

User ID (NAM only)

Optional

Login ID to log in to the NAM Traffic Analyzer.

Note If this information is entered during NAM setup, these credentials will be used when you attempt to access the specific NAM directly from links available in Cisco PVM reports. If this information is not available (not entered during setup), access to the NAM Traffic Analyzer will be attempted using the current Cisco PVM user credentials.

Password (NAM only)

Optional

Password to log in to the NAM Traffic Analyzer.

Buttons

OK

N/A

Adds the new NAM to Cisco PVM; collection begins after the first system-wide collection cycle has passed.

Reset

N/A

Clears all field entries and returns the window to its default values.

Note Clicking Reset displays a confirmation dialogue stating that all fields will be cleared; clicking OK in the confirmation window clears all fields.

Cancel

N/A

Aborts the current add operation and returns to the NAM List.

Step 3 Enter or select the appropriate information in the NAM section including:

•NAM name

•NAM type

•IP address

•Enabled status

•Description

Note Ensure that the Enabled box is checked if you want collection to begin after the NAM is added to the system.

Step 4 Enter or select the appropriate NAM Parameters including:

•SNMP version

•Community strings

•Port

•Time-out

Step 5 (Optional) Enter or select the appropriate information in the Switch/Router section including:

•Device name

•Device type

•IP address

•Enabled status

•Description

Note Ensure that the Enabled box is checked if you want collection to begin after the device is added to the system.

Step 6 (Optional) Enter or select the appropriate Switch/Router Parameters including:

•SNMP version

•Community strings

•Port

•Time-out

Step 7 Click OK.

The NAMs window appears, listing the new NAM.

Tip Clicking Cancel aborts the add operation and displays the list of NAMs without any changes. Clicking Reset > OK clears all entries you have made in the Add a New NAM window, and displays the default values.

Step 8 Find the new NAM by filtering the NAM List:

a. Enter the character string, name, or IP address with which you want to filter the list of NAMs in the Name or Address field.

b. Click Filter. The NAMs window displays the filtered list of NAMs.

Editing NAMs

The Cisco PVM GUI allows you to edit individual NAMs that have been loaded into the system. All NAM information is editable except for IP address and device type information for NAMs and their supporting switches and routers.

Timesaver Individual and multiple NAMs can be either enabled or disabled directly from the NAM home page without the need to edit individual NAMs. See Enabling and Disabling Devices for details.

Step 1 Open the NAM home page by either:

•Clicking the Setup tab, or,

•Clicking NAM in the navigation menu if you are already in the Setup GUI.

The NAMs window appears, showing the list of NAMs that have been set up in Cisco PVM.

Note The default window for the Setup tab is the NAM home page, entitled NAMs.

Step 2 Find the NAM you want to edit by either:

•Paging through the list of NAMs using the pagination links above the table,

•Sorting list pages by clicking on the column headers, or,

•Entering the NAM's name or IP address in the Name or Address field and clicking Filter to display only the desired NAM in the list of NAMs.

Step 3 Check the box next to the desired NAM device in the Name column on the NAMs window.

Note You can select only one NAM row to edit. If you select multiple rows, the Edit button becomes dimmed.

Step 4 Click Edit.

The Edit NAM window appears, displaying details for editing (see Figure 2-5).

Note The Device Type and Address fields are not available for editing.

Figure 2-5 NAM Details - Edit NAM

Table 2-3 describes the fields in the Edit NAM window.

Table 2-3 Edit NAM Field Descriptions

Field

Type

Description

NAM

Name

Text box

Allows text entry of the NAM device name (maximum 59 characters).

Note The Name field is user-defined and is not a DNS name used for reverse DNS lookup.

Device Type

Fixed field

Displays the NAM type:

•NM_NAM

•NAM_1

•NAM_2

Address

Fixed field

Displays the NAM IP address.

Enabled

Check box

Indicates whether Cisco PVM data collection from the NAM is on or off.

Note Enabling and disabling functionality is also available for individual or multiple NAMs directly on the NAMs window.

Description

Text box

Entry of a brief description of the NAM (including location, for example).

Switch/Router

Name

Text box

Entry of the name to use for the Cisco device.

Device Type

Fixed field

Displays the Cisco device type:

•NM_Router

•NAM_Router

•NAM_Switch

Address

Fixed field

Displays the device IP address.

Enabled

Check box

Indicates whether Cisco PVM data collection from the Cisco device is on or off.

Description

Text box

Text entry of a brief description of the Cisco device.

Parameters (NAM and Switch/Router)

Version

Drop-down list

Selection of the SNMP version number

Note Setting this option to v2 is recommended to prevent degraded performance for SNMP traps sent using "getBulk" requests.

RO Community String

Text box

Entry of the read-only community string (encrypted and displayed as "*" characters).

RW Community String

Text box

Entry of the read-write community string (encrypted and displayed as "*" characters).

Port

Text box

Numerical entry of the port on which the SNMP agent is running.

Timeout

Drop-down list

Drop-down selection of the timeout limit in 1/100 seconds.

User ID (NAM only)

Text box

Login ID to log in to the NAM Traffic Analyzer.

Note Entering this login information during NAM setup ensures that you can access the specific NAM directly from links available in Cisco PVM reports without having to enter login information.

Password (NAM only)

Text box

Password to log in to the NAM Traffic Analyzer.

Buttons

OK

Button

Adds the new NAM to Cisco PVM.

Cancel

Button

Aborts the current add operation and returns to the NAM List.

Step 5 (Optional) Click Add Switch/Router to enter supporting device information if the NAM was added to the system without its supporting switch/router information (see Figure 2-6).

Figure 2-6 Edit NAM - Add Switch/Router Information

Step 6 Edit the NAM by clicking in the desired fields for each of the sections: NAM, NAM Parameters, Switch/Router, and Switch/Router Parameters.

Note The Address fields are not available for editing.

Step 7 Click OK.

The NAMs window appears, containing changes to the selected NAM.

Tip Clicking Cancel aborts the edit operation and displays the list of NAMs without any changes.

Viewing NAM Details

Step 1 Open the NAMs window by either

•Clicking the Setup tab, or,

•Clicking NAM in the navigation menu if you are already in the Setup GUI.

The NAMs window appears, showing the list of NAMs that have been set up in Cisco PVM.

Step 2 Find the NAM you want to view by either

•Paging through the list of NAMs using the pagination links above the table.

•Sorting list pages by clicking on the column headers, or,

•Entering the NAM's name or IP address in the Name or Address field and clicking Filter to display only the desired NAM in the list of NAMs.

Step 3 Check the box next to the desired NAM device in the Name column on the NAMs window.

Note You can select only one NAM row to edit. If you select multiple rows, the Edit button becomes dimmed.

Step 4 Click Edit.

The Edit NAM window appears, displaying the details of the selected NAM.

Step 5 Review the details in the Edit NAM window without making any changes.

Step 6 Click Cancel.

The NAMs window appears without any changes to the selected NAM.

Importing NAMs

You can add multiple NAMs to the system using an import function available through the NAM GUI. All device information, including NAMs and their supporting devices, is contained in a comma-separated file (CSV) that you create before accessing the Cisco PVM import function. The import process involves:

1. Creating a CSV file, either user-defined or through the CiscoWorks export utility.

2. Storing the CSV file on the local file system.

3. Accessing the Cisco PVM import function through the GUI.

4. Uploading the file to Cisco PVM.

The system automatically uploads the file to a local directory on the Cisco PVM server. A background process periodically checks the contents of this directory and processes and deletes the file. Only devices that do not already exist in the system are imported. The file formats allowed include:

•DCR v3 and

•user-defined.

If Cisco PVM detected any problem with the information in the file you attempted to import, the system will generate an alert with the description, "Import Manager."

Note You must create the CSV file in the appropriate format before attempting to import NAMs into Cisco PVM. For more information, see Appendix A, "NAM Import File Formats." For more information regarding CiscoWorks files, see the User Guide for CiscoWorks Common Services 3.0.

Step 1 Click Setup on the Cisco PVM dashboard.

Step 2 Click NAM.

The NAMs window appears, showing all NAMs in the system (see Figure 2-7).

Figure 2-7 NAMs Window

Step 3 Click Import. The Import NAM dialog box (Figure 2-8) opens to allow browsing for the CSV file.

Figure 2-8 Import NAM Dialog Box

Step 4 Click Browse.

The Windows Choose File window opens, displaying the files of all types in the local file system.

Step 5 Select the appropriate file with the CSV extension from your local file system.

Step 6 Click Open.

The file name and path appear in the Import NAM CSV File Name dialog box.

Step 7 Click OK.

If the upload is successful, the Import NAM dialog displays the message, "File was successfully uploaded." If the size of the file you attempted to upload is greater than 1MB, the Import NAM dialog displays the message, "Files greater than 1M cannot be uploaded." If you see this message:

a. Click Cancel to abort the import process and close the Import NAM dialog.

b. Recreate the CSV file or otherwise ensure that the file size is less than 1MB.

c. Save the file to your local file system.

d. Repeat the Cisco PVM import procedure.

Step 8 Click OK.

The NAMs and devices you imported into Cisco PVM appear on the NAM home page after one minute. If Cisco PVM detected a problem with file you attempted to import, you will not see the new devices appear on the NAM home page. If this happens:

a. Click the Alerts tab and search the list of alerts by typing "Import%" in the Description box; this will return a list of Import Manager alerts.

b. Open the Alert Detail and view the Log Content field to check for file errors.

c. Recreate the file in CSV 2.0 or 3.0 format.

d. Save the file to your local file system.

e. Repeat the Cisco PVM import procedure.

Note Data collection begins in the next system-wide collection cycle displayed at the top of the NAMs window.

Step 9 Verify that the new NAMs are loaded into the system by filtering the list of NAMs on the NAMs window:

a. Enter the character string, name, or IP address with which you want to filter the list of NAMs in the Name or Address field.

b. Click Filter.

The window refreshes to display the filtered list of NAMs.

Deleting NAMs

The Cisco PVM GUI allows users to delete one or more individual NAMs from the system. You can delete single or multiple NAMs in one operation. When a NAM device is deleted from the system, the supporting switch or router, if any, is also deleted.

Deleting a NAM from the system eliminates it from the NAM home page, and deletes the data sources associated with it from any Data Source Groups to which they have been assigned. Additionally, Thresholds that have been defined using the deleted NAM data sources will no longer generate alarms based on data from the deleted sources. Previous alerts and archived reports based on the NAM, however, are retained in the system.

Note To understand Data Source Groups, see Data Source Group Setup.

Timesaver Multiple NAMs can be deleted at the same time.

Step 1 Click Setup on the Cisco PVM dashboard.

Step 2 Click NAM.

The NAMs window appears, showing all NAMs in the system (see Figure 2-9).

Figure 2-9 NAMs Window - Delete NAM

Step 3 Find the NAM(s) you want to delete by either:

•Scrolling through the NAM List, or,

•Entering the NAM's name or IP address in the Name or Address field and clicking Filter.

Step 4 Click the check box next to the desired NAM device(s) in the Name column on the NAM List window.

Step 5 Click Delete.

The system prompts you to confirm the deletion

Step 6 Click OK in the confirmation window to delete the selected devices.

The selected NAMs are deleted from the database, and the NAM List appears without the selected NAM(s) with the message, "Deleted n NAM(s)" in the window header.

Tip Selecting Cancel in the confirmation window returns to the NAMs window without deleting any NAMs.

NAM Collection Settings

After you have imported or added NAMs to Cisco PVM, you can specify a global collection cycle that applies to all NAMs, switches, and routers in the system. Additionally, NAMs available in Cisco PVM can have data collections (and therefore aggregation statistics) turned on or off to isolate network traffic problems or analyze the hardware setup.

This section contains the following topics:

•Collection Overview

•Setting the Global Collection Cycle

•Enabling and Disabling Devices

Collection Overview

Cisco PVM uses both a NAM adapter and a switch/router adapter to collect data. The system allows users to set a system-wide collection interval that controls the frequency of the data collection by waiting for the interval between completion of a collection and the start of the next.

The adapters monitor performance data from all the data sources on devices that have been set up in Cisco PVM, such as SPAN and Netflow Data Export (NDE), on the NAMs as well as the VLANs and ports on the switches and routers. The MIBs supplying performance data includes:

•Interfaces

•RMON1

•RMON2

•SMON

•DSMON

•Application Response Time (ART)

Statistics collected by the NAM adapter include:

•Application-level conversation

•Client-Server Response Time

•Layer 3 host (IP host)

•Layer 2 host (MAC host)

•Application Protocol

•DiffServ

Statistics collected by switch/router adapters include:

•Interface statistics if the router is hosting the NAM or

•Ethernet and VLAN statistics if the switch is hosting the NAM.

Note The system collects raw data directly from SNMP MIBs hosted on NAM devices. The primary data collection method is SNMP getBulk.

Setting the Global Collection Cycle

A system-wide collection interval can be set in Cisco PVM under Setup > Preferences. Cisco PVM supports collection intervals of 1-60 minutes, with a default setting of five minutes. The global collection interval applies to NAMs, switches, and routers.

The collection interval setting is set through the Preferences option in the NAM GUI. See Preferences Setup for detailed procedures on setting the System-Wide Collection Interval on this Setup menu item.

Note The collection interval you set in Preferences appears as a read-only field on the NAM home page.

Enabling and Disabling Devices

Cisco PVM allows you to enable and disable NAMs and switches or routers added or imported into the system. You might want to disable a NAM or device for troubleshooting or other purposes, then re-enable it to restart data collection and aggregation.

Note Disabling a device in Cisco PVM does not change its configuration parameters set in the NAM Traffic Analyzer. However, disabled NAMs do not appear in Cisco PVM Monitoring, Reports, or ART.

Timesaver Multiple NAMs can be disabled (or enabled) at the same time directly from the NAM home page.

Disabling a NAM

To disable a NAM, complete the following steps:

Step 1 Click Setup on the Cisco PVM dashboard.

Step 2 Click NAM. The NAM home page opens.

Step 3 Find the NAM you want to edit by either:

•Paging through the list of NAMs using the pagination links above the table,

•Sorting list pages by clicking on the column headers, or,

•Entering the NAM's name or IP address in the Name or Address field and clicking Filter to display only the desired NAM in the list of NAMs.

Step 4 Check the box(es) next to the NAM device(s) you want to enable or disable.

The Enable and Disable buttons on the NAM home page are enabled (see Figure 2-10).

Tip You can see whether a NAM is enabled or disabled by checking the Status column on the NAM home page. You can also split the NAM list into enabled and disabled NAMs by clicking the Status column header.

Figure 2-10 NAM Home Page - Enable/Disable NAMs

Step 5 Change the status of the selected NAMs by clicking:

•Disable to inactivate data collection and aggregation, or,

•Enable to activate data collection and aggregation.

The NAM home page refreshes to display the new status of the selected NAMs, and the informational message appears in the window header, "Successfully updated the status for the selected NAMs."

Note You can also change the status of an individual NAM by checking or unchecking the Enabled box on the Edit NAM window. See Editing NAMs for specific editing steps.

Launching the NAM Traffic Analyzer

From the NAM GUI, Cisco PVM can launch the NAM Traffic Analyzer for:

•Viewing of NAM reports

•Configuration of NAM devices, switches, and routers

•Configuration of SPAN data collection

•Data capture

•Other NAM functions

Cisco PVM will launch traffic analyzer access for a specific NAM only if the setup information in Cisco PVM contains the NAM Traffic Analyzer user ID and password information for that NAM, or if your login credentials for Cisco PVM allow you to also access the traffic analyzer for a specific NAM. Otherwise, the traffic analyzer window will open to the login window, and Cisco PVM will write a message to the Security Log. Additionally, Cisco PVM automatically detects whether the NAM you are attempting to access uses SSL Authentication; if authentication capability is not available in the NAM, the system will open the Traffic Analyzer window in non-secure mode.

Note The NAM Traffic Analyzer allows configuration and data views for a single NAM only; Cisco PVM allows centralized management and data views for multiple NAMs. The NAM Traffic Analyzer opens in a browser window separate from Cisco PVM.

Accessing the NAM interface

Step 1 Click Setup on the Cisco PVM dashboard.

Step 2 Click NAM.

The NAMs window appears (see Figure 2-11).

Figure 2-11 NAMs Window - Launch NAM Traffic Analyzer

Step 3 Click Connect.

The NAM Traffic Analyzer opens in a new window (see Figure 2-12).

Note Changes you make in the traffic analyzer are external to Cisco PVM.

Figure 2-12 NAM Traffic Analyzer Window

Step 4 Perform any device configuration, viewing, or data capture setting changes in the new window.

Step 5 Click the Close button in the NAM Traffic Analyzer window.

Note The Cisco PVM system performs a check on all NAMs in the database up to once per minute to detect changes to hardware and settings external to Cisco PVM.

Data Source Group Setup

Cisco PVM automatically collects all the traffic statistics provided by NAMs or supporting devices as soon as they are added or imported into the system. To supply traffic information to the Monitor and Reports functions, Cisco PVM uses the concept of the Data Source Group (DSG), a logical collection of raw data sources that you can customize into groups for NAMs, switches, and routers. Cisco PVM uses DSGs for those system functions that require calculating statistics over multiple data sources, such as in thresholds and reports.

The DSG setup displays all existing data sources possible by NAM or supporting device, and you can specify only those sources you want to include in the group. It is possible, therefore, to combine similar data sources from multiple NAMs or supporting devices into a single DSG. You can then generate reports, including aggregated statistics, containing performance data from only those sources in the DSG.

Note Data sources are combined into DSGs for either NAMs or supporting devices; a single DSG cannot contain data sources from both NAMs and switches or routers.

For every switch that is added to Cisco PVM, the system automatically creates the following DSGs:

•SYSTEM_<IP_Address>_ALL_INTERFACES

•SYSTEM_<IP_Address>_ALLVLAN

When a new router is added to Cisco PVM, the system automatically creates the DSG SYSTEM_<IP_Address>_ALL_INTERFACES.

None of these DSGs can be modified in Cisco PVM.

This section contains the following topics:

•Viewing the List of DSGs

•Adding DSGs

•Editing DSGs

•Deleting DSGs

NAM and Switch/Router DSGs

You can add, edit, or delete a DSG under the Setup tab in the Cisco PVM GUI. The setup for both NAM and switch/router DSGs is available in the same window. Examples of data sources available for NAMs include:

•NetFlow

•WLAN-Monitor

•ERSPAN

•NDE (NetFlow Data Export).

Data sources for switches and routers are the interfaces in the SNMP interface table. They can be Ethernet ports, Ether Channels, or VLANs.

Note Whenever a switch is added to the system, Cisco PVM will automatically create two DSGs: one for ALLVLAN and one for ALL_INTERFACES. These DSGs are available for viewing using the Data Source Group > Edit function, but are not available for editing or deletion.

Tip For more information on DSGs and data views for reporting, see Understanding Data Views, page 1-13.

Viewing the List of DSGs

The DSG setup GUI provides a list of all the DSGs configured in the system, including names and descriptions. The list can be filtered by name and device type (NAM or Switch/Router).

To view a DSG list, complete the following steps:

Step 1 Click Setup in the Cisco PVM dashboard.

The NAM home page appears.

Step 2 Click DSG in the navigation menu.

The Data Source Groups window appears (see Figure 2-13).

Figure 2-13 Data Source Groups Window

Table 2-4 describes the fields in the Data Source Groups window.

Table 2-4 Data Source Groups Window Field Descriptions

Field

Type

Description

Name

Text box

Allows entry of DSG names, partial names, or the wildcard character for filtering the list.

Device Types

Drop-down list

Allows selection of device type for filtering the list, including:

•NAM Type

•Switch/Router Type

Filter

Button

Filters the list of DSGs according to entries in the Name and Device Type fields.

Clear

Button

Clears the entries in the Name and Device Type fields for re-entry of filtering criteria.

Name

Column header with check box

Displays the user-defined name of the DSG next to a check box for selecting specific DSGs.

Description

Column header

User-defined description of the group contents or purpose.

Type

Column header

Device type associated with the DSG:

•NAM

•Switch/Router

Add

Button

Opens the Add a New Data Source Group window.

Edit

Button

Opens the Edit a Data Source Group window.

Delete

Button

Deletes a DSG from the system.

Step 3 Review the list of DSGs by:

•Clicking the column header names to sort the list, or,

•Using the pagination links on the right side of the window header.

Filtering the Data Source Groups List

You can filter the list using either or both of the criteria at the top of the Data Source Groups window. You can use the wildcard symbols (% or *) in the Name field to broaden your search, or leave the field blank to return the list of all DSGs constrained by device type (if selected).

To filter a data source groups list, complete the following steps:

Step 1 Open the Data Source Groups window by:

•Clicking the Setup tab and

•Clicking Data Source Groups in the navigation menu.

The Data Source Groups window appears, showing the list of DSGs that have been set up in Cisco PVM.

Step 2 Enter the character string with which you want to filter the list in the Name field.

Step 3 Select the desired device type (NAM or Switch/Router) from the Device Types drop-down list.

Step 4 Click Filter.

The window refreshes to display the filtered list of DSGs matching the filter criteria.

Tip To clear the filter fields and begin a new search, click Clear.

Adding DSGs

The Add a New Data Source Group window allows you to create DSGs for multiple NAMs or switches and routers. The system will not allow creation of a DSG that:

•Has the same name as an existing DSG.

•Starts with the name SYSTEM_.

•Contains the same set of data sources as an existing DSG.

Note Cisco PVM will not allow creation of two DSGs with identical devices and data sources.

Timesaver The Cisco PVM GUI allows you to add data sources across multiple NAMs or switches/routers on a single window. After you assign data sources to the group from one device, you can select another device of the same type and add its data sources to the group also.

To add a DSG, complete the following steps:

Step 1 Click Setup on the Cisco PVM dashboard.

Step 2 Click Data Source Groups in the Setup navigation menu.

The Data Source Groups window appears, showing the list of DSGs currently defined in the system.

Step 3 Click Add.

The Add a New Data Source Group window appears (see Figure 2-14).

Figure 2-14 Add a New Data Source Group Window

Table 2-5 describes the fields in the Add a New Data Source window.

Table 2-5 Add a New Data Source Field Description

Field

Type

Description

Name

Text box

Entry of the user-defined name of the new DSG.

Note You must enter a name before you can select the device type.

Description

Text box

Entry of the user-defined description of the new DSG.

Type

Drop-down list

Selection of the device type of the new DSG:

•NAM Type

•Switch/Router Type

Select Device

List box

Selection of devices available to Cisco PVM, populated depending on the selection in the Type drop-down list.

Note Devices must have been added or imported into Cisco PVM from the NAM home page before they will appear in the Select Device list.

Workflow Arrow

Button

Populates the Select Data Source(s) list with available data sources from the device chosen in the Select Device list.

Select Data Source(s)

List box

Selection of data sources available for the selected device, populated depending on the selection in the Select Device list box.

Note Multiple data sources can be selected by pressing Ctrl or Shift while selecting, or by clicking and dragging over adjacent data sources.

Workflow Arrow

Button

Adds the data sources selected in the Select Data Source(s) list box to the Selected Device Data Source(s) list.

Selected Device Data Source(s)

List box

Displays all of the data sources selected in the Select Data Source(s) list box; individual data sources can be selected in this box for deletion if desired.

Note Multiple data sources can be selected by pressing Ctrl or Shift while selecting, or by clicking and dragging over adjacent data sources.

Remove

Button

Deletes any device data sources selected in the Selected Device Data Source(s) list box.

OK

Button

Saves the new DSG to the system

Reset

Button

Clears the entire Add a New Data Source Group window without aborting the add process.

Note Clicking Reset displays a confirmation dialogue stating that all fields will be cleared; clicking OK in the confirmation window clears all fields.

Cancel

Button

Aborts the add DSG process and returns to the Data Source Groups window.

Step 4 Enter the name of the new DSG in the NAM field.

Step 5 (Optional) Enter a brief description of the DSG in the Description field.

Step 6 Select the device type from the Type drop-down list:

•NAM Type

•Switch/Router Type

The Select Device list is populated with the devices available in the system based on the device type you selected (see Figure 2-15).

Note If you select the device type from the Type drop-down list and add data sources to the group, you cannot change the device type without losing the data sources you have already assigned. To change the type, click OK and add new data sources to the group. Clicking Cancel in the confirmation window aborts the device type change and keeps the data sources you have already added to the group.

Figure 2-15 Add a New DSG - Available Devices

Step 7 xxxSelect a single device from the Select Device list and click the workflow arrow button.

The Select Data Source(s) list is populated with the data sources available for the device you selected (see Figure 2-16).

Note You can select only one device at a time to populate the Select Data Source(s) list. Each time you select a new device and click the workflow arrow button, the Select Data Source(s) list refreshes to display only those data sources associated with the selected device.

Figure 2-16 Add a New DSG - Available Data Sources

Step 8 Select the data source(s) you want to include in the new DSG from the Select Data Source(s) list box.

Tip You can select multiple data sources by pressing Ctrl or Shift while making your selections, or you can select individual data sources and add them one at a time.

Step 9 Click the workflow arrow button.

The data source(s) you selected are moved to the Selected Device Data Source(s) list (see Figure 2-17).

Figure 2-17 Add a New DSG - Selected Device Data Sources

Step 10 (Optional) Continue to add data sources from other devices of the same type by repeating Steps 7 through 9.

Step 11 Review the list in the Selected Device Data Source(s) and delete any unwanted data sources from the list by selecting the data sources and clicking Remove.

The window refreshes to display the Selected Device Data Source(s) list without the data source(s) you selected for removal. The removed data source(s) reappear in the Select Data Source(s) list when that list is populated from the associated device in the Select Device list (see Figure 2-18).

Figure 2-18 Add a New DSG - Data Source Removal

Step 12 Click OK. Cisco PVM adds the new DSG to the system and the Data Source Groups window appears with the new DSG and the message, "Successfully added new Data Source Group" in the window header.

Note Clicking Cancel displays the Data Source Groups window without saving a new DSG. Clicking Reset > OK clears the entire Add a New Data Source Group window.

Editing DSGs

You can edit all elements of a DSG except for the device type, including addition of new devices and assigned data sources. Whenever a switch is added to the system, Cisco PVM automatically creates DSGs for VLANs and ports. The names of these DSGs begin with "SYSTEM" and are unavailable for editing. If you select a system-generated DSG for editing, you can review the data sources included in the group, then click Cancel to return to the Data Source Groups window.

To edit a DSG, complete the following steps:

Step 1 Click Setup on the Cisco PVM dashboard. The NAM home page appears.

Step 2 Click Data Source Groups on the Setup navigation menu. The Data Source Groups window appears.

Step 3 Find the DSG you want to edit by:

•Reviewing the displayed Data Source Groups window,

•Clicking column headers to sort the list,

•Filtering the list, or,

•Using the pagination links on the right side of the window header.

Step 4 Check the box next to the DSG you want to edit.

The Edit button is enabled on the Data Source Groups window.

Note The Edit button becomes dimmed if you select more than one DGS on the Data Source Groups window; you can edit only one DSG at a time.

Step 5 Click Edit.

The Edit a Data Source Group window appears, showing the list of devices available for the DSG's device type and the data sources currently assigned to the group (see Figure 2-19).

Figure 2-19 Edit a Data Source Group Window

Step 6 Enter any desired changes to the DSG name in the Name field.

Step 7 Enter any desired changes to the DSG description in the Description field.

Step 8 Review the Selected Device Data Source(s) list at the bottom of the window to decide which data sources and associated devices need to be removed or added to the DSG.

Step 9 If desired, remove Selected Device Data Source(s) by selecting items in the list and clicking Remove.

Note You can select multiple items in the list using Ctrl or Shift.

The selected data sources and associated devices are removed from the Selected Device Data Source(s) list, and therefore from the DSG.

Caution If a device is removed from Cisco PVM, its data sources are also removed and will no longer appear in the DSG GUI. However, it is possible that a DSG will still exist without any data sources. In this case, you can update the DSG by adding at least one data source to the group from a device that still exists (is listed) in Cisco PVM.

Step 10 If desired, add new devices or data sources to the DSG as follows:

a. Select a single device from the Select Device list and click the workflow arrow.

The Select Data Source(s) list is populated with the data sources available for the device you selected (see Figure 2-20).

Figure 2-20 Edit a DSG - Available Device Data Sources

b. Select the data sources you want to add to the DSG from the Select Data Source(s) list box.

Tip You can select multiple data sources by pressing Ctrl or Shift while making your selections, or you can select individual data sources and add them one at a time.

c. Click the workflow arrow.

The data sources you selected appear in the Selected Device Data Source(s) list (see Figure 2-21).

Figure 2-21 Edit a DSG - Add New Device Data Sources

d. Review the list in the Selected Device Data Source(s) and delete any unwanted data sources from the list by selecting the data sources and clicking Remove.

The window refreshes to display the Selected Device Data Source(s) list without the data sources you selected for removal. The removed data sources reappear in the Select Data Source(s) list when that list is populated from the associated device in the Select Device list.

Tip In the example above, if NAM 151 - ERSPAN is removed from the Selected Device Data Source(s) list, the ERSPAN data source will re-appear in the Select Data Source(s) list because the NAM 151 device is already selected in the Select Device list. If nam101_test - ERSPAN is removed, that ERSPAN will not re-appear in the Select Data Source(s) list because the nam101_test device is not currently selected.

Step 11 Add data sources from another device of the same type by repeating Steps 7 through 10

Step 12 Click OK.

Cisco PVM saves the DSG changes to the system and displays the Data Source Groups window with the message, "Successfully updated Data Source Group."

Note Clicking Cancel displays the Data Source Groups window without saving any changes.

Deleting DSGs

You can delete multiple DSGs from the system in one operation. After a DSG has been deleted, you can no longer select it to run reports. However, archived reports based on the deleted DSG remain in the system.

Complete the following steps to delete a DSG:

Step 1 Click Setup on the Cisco PVM dashboard.

The NAM home page appears.

Step 2 Click Data Source Groups on the Setup navigation menu.

The Data Source Groups window appears.

Step 3 Find the DSG(s) you want to delete by:

•Reviewing the displayed Data Source Groups window,

•Clicking the column header names to sort the list, or,

•Using the pagination links on the right side of the window header.

Step 4 Check the box(es) next to the DSG(s) you want to edit.

The Delete button is enabled on the Data Source Groups window.

Step 5 Click Delete. The system prompts you to confirm the deletion.

Step 6 Confirm the DSG deletion(s) by:

a. Verifying that any associated thresholds can be deleted without negatively affecting monitoring of Alerts (see Understanding Threshold Settings to review how alerts are affected) and,

b. Clicking OK in the confirmation dialog.

The Data Source Groups list refreshes without the deleted DSG(s) and the message, "Deleted n Data Source Group(s)."

Threshold Setup

You can configure and modify performance threshold values for Data Source Groups (DSGs), Application Response Time (ART) Groups, statistics, and metrics that generate alerts once those values have been violated. Alerts appear as individual events under the Alerts tab in the Cisco PVM dashboard, but thresholds are customized under Setup > Thresholds.

This section contains the following topics:

•Understanding Threshold Settings

•Viewing the List of Defined Thresholds

•Adding Thresholds

•Editing Thresholds

•Deleting Thresholds

•Enabling and Disabling Thresholds

Understanding Threshold Settings

Threshold values are relative to a baseline and standard deviation. The Cisco PVM server automatically determines the baseline for each traffic type and metric (or measurement) combination based on previous data collection statistics. Deviations from the baseline are translated into alerts, increasing in severity with the degree of deviation from the baseline. The threshold value is actually a percentage of standard deviation above the sum of baseline and standard deviation. When you define a threshold, you are specifying the minimum severity at which the Alert Viewer will notify you of the violation.

Fixed Thresholds

Cisco PVM allows users to define threshold values in two ways: Fixed and Dynamic. Fixed threshold values remain static over time based on a set value for a selected metric (such as Packets), allowing you full control of alert notifications for the severity levels they assign to individual thresholds. Cisco PVM uses fixed metric values for each severity level and will raise alerts when these values have been exceeded. The system triggers an alert if the fixed value you have assigned has been crossed. Fixed thresholds therefore do not use baselines to trigger alerts.

Information entered in the Fixed Threshold Value fields depends on the metric you are monitoring. For fixed thresholds, these values represent the fixed values for each severity level, starting with the level indicated in the Severity field. For example, if you select Major, then the system will only show the fixed percentages for Major and Critical, and will raise alerts when only these values have been exceeded. Fixed Values can have any value greater than zero, including fractional values up to 24 characters long.

Dynamic Thresholds

With dynamic thresholds, you assign severity percentage values that represent the percentage deviation from the baseline for each severity level, starting with the level indicated in the Severity field. Dynamic thresholds adapt automatically to typical traffic patterns, then generate alerts at default percentages set under Setup > Preferences or using percentages you assign when you create or edit a threshold.

When using dynamic thresholds, the Cisco PVM server will perform automatic baselining for each statistic-specific attribute and metric combination based on previous data collection. Deviations from the baseline will be translated into alerts, increasing in severity with the degree of deviation. Over time, the dynamic threshold values will change based on the accumulated historical data and will automatically adjust the alerts to notify you of anomalies.

Information entered in the Threshold Severity Percentage fields depends on the type of threshold you are creating. For dynamic thresholds, these values represent the percentage deviations for each severity level, starting with the level indicated in the Severity field. Dynamic threshold severity percentage values must be between 0 - 100, including fractional values up to 24 characters long.

Aggregation Periods and the System-Wide Collection Cycle

When defining a threshold, you'll set an Aggregation Period that represents the time interval used for aggregating the statistic measurements. This value is constrained by the System-wide Collection Cycle in the following ways:

•When you create a threshold, the system automatically lists the appropriate multiples of the Collection Cycle in the Aggregation Period drop-down list.

•The aggregation period that you set for individual thresholds must be greater than or equal to the collection cycle.

•The system will not aggregate threshold data for time intervals that are less than the system-wide setting for data collection from the NAMs.

If the System-wide Collection Cycle is reset to a value higher than the Aggregation Periods for currently defined thresholds, the system will automatically set the Aggregation Periods equivalent to the Collection Cycle. If you edit a threshold that was originally defined with a setting lower than the new collection setting, you'll see the error messages:

•"Aggregation Period must be greater than Collection Cycle"

•"Aggregation Period must be a multiple of Collection Cycle"

In this case, the Edit Threshold window reflects the old Aggregation Period. You can change the Aggregation Period for the threshold to a value that is greater than or equal to the new Collection Cycle and click OK to clear the error messages.

If the Aggregation Period has been set too low for the amount of traffic generated by a given statistic (such as VLAN), the system might not be able to calculate a baseline value. In this case, at least one time interval over the last 24 hours has no data. If you set the Aggregation Period to a higher value for that statistic, the system will automatically recalculate the baseline for the last 24 hours. The baseline value appears in the list of thresholds under Setup > Thresholds and in the Edit Thresholds window for each dynamic threshold you have defined.

Note For more information on setting the System-Wide Collection Cycle, see NAM Collection Settings or Preferences Setup.

Standard Deviations and Baselines

Using standard deviations (SDs) in generating threshold violations helps to avoid alerts for short spells of traffic spikes. The baseline as defined in Cisco PVM is a rolling average of hourly data over a group of data sources specific to the traffic type and its associated metric. The baseline calculation period is the moving average of data collected during the rolling interval. The hourly data is the average metric value for all the collections in that hour, further averaged for all the data sources in a Data Source or ART Group. The final threshold value is therefore a percentage of standard deviation:

•Above the sum of the baseline and SD, or,

•Below the difference between the baseline and the SD.

For every data aggregation period, Cisco PVM calculates the baseline and the standard deviation for each threshold you have defined in the system. The data for computing the baseline and standard deviation is the average of the measured value (metric) for all the collections in that period of time, further averaged for all the data sources in the Data Source Group.

Because dynamic thresholds adapt to the typical traffic pattern, these threshold types are set as a percent of standard deviation, where 100% equals the calculated standard deviation. Dynamic thresholds also involve the severity level definition, which will interpret different threshold percentages as different severity levels. For example, 150% of the standard deviation may represent the Major severity level, whereas 200% of the standard deviation may represent the Critical level.

Note For a discussion of Data Source Groups, see NAM and Switch/Router DSGs. For a discussion of ART Groups, see Understanding ART Groups, page 5-2.

The duration of the Baseline Period (the rolling interval used to calculate the moving average) can be set in the Preferences window. See Preferences Setup for detailed procedures.

Threshold Alerts

Threshold alerts are raised during collection of data from devices; hence, they are raised for individual data sources and not for Data Source Groups. The Cisco PVM Alerts tab displays violated threshold data source, traffic type, metric, severity, baseline and current value of the metric that caused the alert to be raised. Alert severity levels and their default percentage deviation values for dynamic thresholds include:

•Critical - 100%

•Major - 80%

•Minor - 60%

•Warning - 40%

•Cleared (normal)

•Indeterminate (unknown) and

•Information.

For fixed thresholds, an alert is raised when the user-defined minimum value for a specific metric has been exceeded. When defining a threshold, specify a minimum severity level at which you want the violation to appear in the Alert Viewer, as well as percentage values other than the defaults for each severity level. You can also specify whether you want an SNMP trap to be generated for a specific threshold, and can enable and disable thresholds directly in the GUI.

Statistics and Metrics

Cisco PVM is able to monitor a variety of performance statistics, or traffic types, and their associated metrics, or units of measure. After you have selected the statistic type for a threshold, Cisco PVM automatically populates the Metric drop-down list with the measurements available for that statistic. Depending on the statistic selected, you can configure a threshold for the following specific statistics:

•Applications

•ART (Application Response Time)

•Data Source Traffic

•MAC

•Host

•Switch/Router and

•VLAN.

The metrics available for creating thresholds are relevant to the selected traffic type. The Metric list is populated with different units of measure depending on the statistic you select for threshold monitoring, as shown in Table 2-6.

Table 2-6 Threshold Metrics

Selected Statistic

Available Metrics

Applications

•Bytes

•Bytes / Second

•Packets

•Packets / Second

ART

•Average Response Time

•Minimum Response Time

•Maximum Response Time

•Client Bytes

•Server Bytes

•Client bytes / Second

•Server Bytes / Second

•Retries

•Timeouts

•Total Responses

Data Source Traffic

•Bytes

•Packets

•Broadcast Packets

•Multicast Packets

MAC

•In Bytes

•In Packets

•Out Bytes

•Out Packets

•Broadcast Packets

•Multicast Packets

Host

•Total Bytes

•Total Packets

•In Bytes

•In Bytes / Second

•In Packets

•In Packets / Second

•Out Bytes

•Out Bytes / Second

•Out Packets

•Out Packets / Second

Switch/Router

•Total Bytes

•Total Packets

•In Bytes

•In Bytes / Second

•In Packets

•In Packets / Second

•Out Bytes

•Out Bytes / Second

•Out Packets

•Out Packets / Second

•Discarded Outs

•Discarded Ins

•Incoming Non-Unicast Packets

•Outgoing Non-Unicast Packets

VLAN

•Bytes

•Packets

•Non-Unicast Packets

•Non-Unicast Bytes

Viewing the List of Defined Thresholds

The Threshold Setup GUI displays a list of all the thresholds configured in the system by name, associated Data Source Group, statistic type, associate metric, severity, and status (enabled/disabled). The list can be filtered by:

•Name

•ART / Data Source Group

•Statistic

•Severity

To view a list of defined thresholds, complete the following steps:

Step 1 Click Setup in the Cisco PVM dashboard.

The NAM home page appears.

Step 2 Click Thresholds in the navigation menu.

The Thresholds window appears (see Figure 2-22).

Figure 2-22 Thresholds Window

Table 2-7 describes the fields in the Thresholds window.

Table 2-7 Thresholds Window Field Descriptions

Field

Type

Description

Name

Text box

Allows entry of threshold names, partial names, or the wildcard character for filtering the list.

Statistic

Drop-down list

Allows selection of the type of threshold statistic for filtering the list.

ART / Data Source Group

Text box

Allows entry of the Application Response Time (ART) Group or Data Source Group (DSG) for filtering the list.

Severity

Drop-down list

Allows selection of the Severity level for filtering the list.

Name

Column Header

Tip The table can be sorted by clicking any of the column headers.

Displays the name of the defined threshold.

ART / Data Source Group

Displays the ART or Data Source Group associated with the threshold.

Statistic

Displays the statistic associated with the thresholds, including:

•Application Statistics

•Application Response Time

•Data Source Traffic

•MAC

•Host

•Switch/Router

•VLAN

Metric

Displays the Metric - or measurement - associated with the Statistic assigned to the defined threshold, such as bytes or packets.

Severity

Displays the minimum Severity Level assigned to the threshold:

•Critical

•Major

•Minor

•Warning

Baseline

Displays the current calculated value for the baseline, based on the statistic, metric, and severity level for dynamic thresholds only.

Note The baseline value and its associated standard deviation are calculated based on hourly data for the Baseline Period set under Preferences Setup, with a default value of 24 hours. The frequency at which the Baseline value is updated is also set in the Preferences GUI as the Observation Period.

Status

Indicates whether the threshold is actively being monitored (Enabled) or has been switched off (Disabled).

Add

Button

Opens the Add a New Threshold window.

Edit

Opens the Edit a Threshold window.

Delete

Deletes a threshold from the system.

Enable

Enables selected threshold(s).

Disable

Disables selected threshold(s).

Step 3 View the list of thresholds by:

•Clicking the column header names to sort the list, or,

•Using the pagination links on the right side of the window header.

Filtering the Thresholds List

You can filter the list using any or all of the criteria at the top of the Thresholds window. You can use the wildcard symbols (%) or (*) in the Name field to broaden your search, or leave the field blank to return the list of all thresholds constrained by any other filter fields used.

To filter a threshold list, complete the following steps:

Step 1 Open the Thresholds window by:

•Clicking the Setup tab and

•Clicking Thresholds in the navigation menu if you are already in the Setup GUI.

The Thresholds window appears, showing the list of thresholds that have been set up in Cisco PVM.

Step 2 Enter the character string which you want to filter the list of thresholds in the Name field.

Step 3 Select the desired traffic statistic from the Statistic drop-down list.

Step 4 Enter the desired ART or Data Source Group in the ART / Data Source Group field.

Step 5 Select the desired severity level from the Severity drop-down list.

Step 6 Click Filter.

The window refreshes to display the filtered list of thresholds.

Tip To clear the filter fields and begin a new search, click Clear.

Adding Thresholds

When adding a threshold, Cisco PVM prompts you to specify the threshold name, description, associated Data Source Group, statistic, metric, and severity. You can also designate whether you want the threshold to send an SNMP trap, as well as specify custom dynamic or fixed metric values.

To add a threshold, complete the following steps:

Step 1 Click Setup on the Cisco PVM dashboard.

Step 2 Click Thresholds in the Setup navigation menu.

The Thresholds window appears, showing the list of thresholds currently defined in the system.

Step 3 Click Add. The Add a New Threshold window appears (see Figure 2-23).

Figure 2-23 Add a New Threshold Window

Table 2-8 describes the fields in the Add a New Threshold window.

Table 2-8 Add a New Threshold Field Descriptions

Field

Type

Description

Name

Text box

Allows text entry of the user-defined name of the new threshold.

Description

Text box

Allows text entry Entry of the user-defined description of the new threshold.

Severity

Drop-down list

Allows selection of the Severity Level assigned to the threshold:

•Critical

•Major

•Minor

•Warning

Fixed Threshold

Check box with expansion box

Allows you to specify that customized metric values be used for the threshold definition, and automatically opens the Fixed Value expansion box for entry of metric values.

Note The Severity levels that appear in the expansion box are only those equal to or greater than the minimum level selected in the Severity drop-down list.

Severity Percentage

Expansion box

Allows you specify the percentage values to use for a dynamic threshold by clicking on the expansion icon in the right side of the box.

The values that appear in the Percentage column are the default percentages set in Setup > Preferences. Each Percentage field allows entry of percent values in whole numbers from 1 - 100.

Note The Severity levels that appear in the expansion box are only those equal to or greater than the minimum level selected in the Severity drop-down list.

Data Source Group or ART Group

Drop-down list

Displays a list of Data Source Groups or ART Groups defined in Cisco PVM, depending on the Statistic selected for threshold monitoring.

Statistic

Drop-down list

Displays the list of statistics for selection and populates the Metric, Data Source, and other lists that depend on the selected Statistic, as well as displays search options where necessary.

Metric

Drop-down list

Displays the list of metrics for selection, based on the selected Statistic.

SNMP Trap

Check box

Activates the SNMP trap trigger whenever the threshold is violated and opens the Trap Community String box.

Trap Community String

Check box-dependent field [hidden]

Appears only if you check the SNMP Trap check box, and allows entry of the Community String associated with the SNMP trap.

Note The default configuration file is located at: <installation directory>/server/etc/agentconfig/sp_thresholdMonitor. config. The file can be modified to include the desired trap IP address and port, for example:

[snmptarget]

trapCommunity = public

trapDestination = 172.26.111.161

trapPort = 162

Aggregation Period

Drop-down list

The time interval used for aggregating the statistical data in minutes. The list is populated with values that are dynamically calculated as multiples of the current System-Wide Collection Cycle.

Note The Aggregation Period is not applicable to ART statistics.

OK

Button

Saves the new threshold to the system.

Reset

Button

Clears all entries and selections in the Add A New Threshold window, including Statics and Metrics, for re-defining the new threshold.

Note Clicking Reset displays a confirmation dialogue stating that all fields will be cleared; clicking OK in the confirmation window clears all fields.

Cancel

Button

Aborts the add threshold process and returns to the Thresholds window.

Step 4 Enter the name of the new threshold in the Name field.

Step 5 Enter a brief description of the threshold in the Description field.

Step 6 xxxSelect the minimum severity level at which you want the system to generate an alert from the Severity drop-down list.

Note Alerts will appear in Alerts after the minimum severity level has been crossed, and for all higher severity levels, until the metric being monitored returns to baseline.

Step 7 (Optional) To use fixed threshold values for each severity level (rather than the dynamically calculated baseline method) to raise alerts:

a. Check the Fixed Threshold check box.

The drop-down Severity Fixed Value window opens to display fields for entry of fixed metric values for the minimum severity level you selected (in step 6) and above. For example, if you selected the minimum level at which you want the system to raise an alert as Major, then the Severity Fixed Value box displays text entry boxes for Major and Critical severity levels only.

b. Enter the fixed metric value you want to use to raise an alert for each of the severity levels listed in the Severity Fixed Value list box.

Note Fixed values can be any value greater than zero, including fractional values up to 24 characters long. The system will only use fixed metric values for alert monitoring if the Fixed Threshold box is checked.

Tip If desired, you can select the Statistic and Metric on the right side of the window before you enter the Fixed Threshold metric value for each Severity Level. Choosing the metric first may enable you to decide more clearly what the fixed values should be.

Step 8 (Optional) To customize the percentage values used in calculating the dynamic baseline (that is, to use different dynamic threshold percentage values than the system-wide values set under Setup > Preferences):

a. In the Severity Percentage box, click the expansion icon (Figure 2-24):

Figure 2-24 Expansion Icon

The drop-down Severity Percentage window opens to display the current, system-wide dynamic percentage values in fields for entry of custom dynamic percentage values for the minimum severity level you selected in Step 6 and above. For example, if you selected the minimum level at which you want the system to raise an alert as Minor, then the Severity Percentage box displays text entry boxes for Minor, Major, and Critical severity levels only.

b. Enter the custom percentage values you want to use for dynamic baseline calculation in each of the fields in the Severity Percentage drop-down window.

Note Dynamic percentage values must be between 0 - 100, including fractional values up to 24 characters long. The values you enter in the Severity Percentage drop-down window affect dynamic baseline calculations for the new threshold only; these changes do not affect the system-wide percentages set under Setup > Preferences.

Caution Verify that the Fixed Threshold box remains unchecked to use the dynamic threshold calculation method for alert monitoring.

Step 9 (Optional) If you want the threshold to send an SNMP trap when the new threshold is violated:

a. Check the SNMP Trap box.

b. Enter the character string in the Trap Community String field.

Step 10 Select the Aggregation Period, which is the time interval used for aggregating the statistical data in minutes.

Note The the drop-down list is populated with values calculated dynamically as multiples of the System-Wide Collection Cycle set in Setup > Preferences.

Caution This Aggregation Period does not apply to Application Response Time statistics.

Step 11 Select the Statistic you want monitored for violations from the drop-down list.

Depending on the Statistic you select, the Add a New Threshold window displays different selection and entry boxes for parameters such as IP address or application, as shown in Figure 2-25.

Figure 2-25 Add a New Threshold: Parameter Selections

Note The parameter selection fields displayed depend on the statistic selected.

Table 2-9 displays the different fields available for the different threshold statistics selected.

Table 2-9 Add a New Threshold - Available Fields for each Statistic

Statistic

Available Fields

Application Statistics

•Metric

•Data Source Group (NAM groups only)

•Application keyword entry with Filter button

•Search results drop-down list

Application Response Time

•Metric

•ART Group

•Server IP Address

•Application keyword entry with Filter button

•Search results drop-down list

Data Source Traffic Statistics

•Metric

•Data Source Group (Switch/Router groups only)

MAC Statistics

•Metric

•Data Source Group (NAM groups only)

•MAC Address

Host Statistics

•Metric

•Data Source Group (NAM groups only)

•IP Address

•Application keyword entry with Filter button

•Search results drop-down list

Switch/Router Statistics

•Metric

•Data Source Group (Switch/Router groups only)

VLAN Statistics

•Metric

•Data Source Group (Switch/Router groups only)

•VLAN

Step 12 Select the metric you want associated with the statistic in the Metric drop-down list.

Note The Metric list is populated with the units of measure associated with the selected Statistic

Step 13 Select the Data Source or ART Group whose data collection you want to monitor for the new threshold

Note This list is populated with the Data Source or ART Groups defined in Cisco PVM under either Setup or ART.

Step 14 Enter the IP, Server IP, or MAC Address you want to monitor for this threshold, if prompted.

Step 15 Assign the application you want to monitor for this threshold, if prompted:

a. Enter a keyword or partial keyword with a wildcard character (% or *) in the Application field.

b. Click Filter.

c. Select the specific application from the search results drop-down list.

Tip If you want to monitor all Applications, you can select the blank line at the top of the drop-down list.

Note Attempting to search by using only a wildcard character in the Application box can unnecessarily prolong the time it takes to populate the search results list.

Step 16 Enter the VLAN whose data you want to monitor for this threshold, if available.

Step 17 Click OK.

Cisco PVM adds the new threshold to the system, begins monitoring of the baseline values and displays the Thresholds window with the confirmation message, "Successfully added new Threshold."

Note Clicking Cancel aborts the Add a New Threshold process; clicking Reset > OK clears all entries in the Add a New Threshold window and resets the default values for Severity Percentages and Aggregation Period.

Editing Thresholds

All threshold parameters are available for editing in the Edit a Threshold window. To edit threshold parameters, complete the following steps:

Step 1 Click Setup on the Cisco PVM dashboard.

Step 2 Click Thresholds in the Setup navigation menu.

The Thresholds window appears, showing the list of Thresholds currently defined in the system.

Step 3 Find the Threshold you want to edit by:

•Reviewing the displayed Thresholds window,

•Clicking the column header names to sort the list, or,

•Using the pagination links on the right side of the window header.

Step 4 Check the box next to the Threshold you want to edit.

The Edit button is enabled on the Thresholds window.

Note The Edit button is dimmed if more than one threshold is selected.

Step 5 Click Edit.

The Edit a Threshold window displays the current baseline value for dynamic thresholds only (see Figure 2-26).

Figure 2-26 Edit a Threshold Window

Note If an error message appears at the top of the window indicating a problem with the Aggregation Period, you must select a new period from the drop-down list that is less than the current System-Wide Collection Cycle, or the system will not save any edits to the Threshold.

Step 6 Make the desired changes to the threshold using the fields, drop-down lists, and check boxes.

Note Refer to Table 2-8 and Table 2-9 for details on all available fields.

Step 7 Click OK.

Cisco PVM saves the changes to the system and displays the Thresholds window with the message, "Successfully updated Threshold."

Deleting Thresholds

You might want to delete a Threshold if:

•Its data sources no longer need to be monitored for alerts.

•You have removed devices from the system.

•The Data Source or ART Group being monitored no longer exists.

Caution You can delete multiple thresholds from the system from the Thresholds window. However, if you delete a threshold and then recreate it, both the baseline and standard deviation values are deleted from the system.

To delete a threshold, complete the following steps:

Step 1 Click Setup on the Cisco PVM dashboard.

The NAM home page appears.

Step 2 Click Thresholds from the navigation menu.

The Thresholds window appears, showing all thresholds available in the system.

Step 3 Find the threshold(s) you want to delete by:

•Reviewing the displayed Thresholds window,

•Clicking the column header names to sort the list, or,

•Using the pagination links on the right side of the window header.

Step 4 Check the box(es) next to the threshold(s) you want to delete.

The Delete button is enabled (see Figure 2-27).

Figure 2-27 Thresholds Window - Delete Threshold(s)

Step 5 Click Delete.

The system prompts you to confirm the deletion.

Step 6 Click OK in the confirmation dialog box.

Cisco PVM deletes the selected threshold(s) from the system and refreshes the Thresholds window with the message, "Deleted n Threshold(s)."

Enabling and Disabling Thresholds

Instead of deleting a threshold, you might want to temporarily disable it so that alerts based on that threshold are no longer generated. For example, depending on the data source, a new threshold might generate alerts that are not pertinent to system troubleshooting until at least 24 hours of data collection and baseline calculations have passed. You can re-enable a threshold at any time.

Tip You disable or enable multiple thresholds from the Thresholds window. New thresholds are enabled by default unless you change the setting in the Add a Threshold window.

To disable a threshold, complete the following steps:

Disabling a Threshold

Step 1 Click Setup on the Cisco PVM dashboard.

The NAM home page appears.

Step 2 Click Thresholds from the navigation menu.

The Thresholds window appears, showing all thresholds available in the system.

Step 3 Find the threshold(s) you want to disable by:

•Reviewing the displayed Thresholds window,

•Clicking the column header names to sort the list, or,

•Using the pagination links on the right side of the window header.

Step 4 Check the box(es) next to the threshold(s) you want to disable. The Enable and Disable buttons are activated (see Figure 2-28).

Figure 2-28 Thresholds Window - Enable/Disable Threshold(s)

Step 5 Click Disable.

The Thresholds window refreshes to display message, "Disabled n Threshold(s)." All selection boxes are cleared, the Enable and Disable buttons are dimmed, and the Status column reads "Disabled" for all thresholds that are disabled.

Enabling a Threshold

To enable a threshold, complete the following steps:

Step 1 Click Setup on the Cisco PVM dashboard. The NAM home page appears.

Step 2 Click Thresholds from the navigation menu. The Thresholds window appears, showing all thresholds available in the system.

Step 3 Find the threshold(s) you want to enable by:

•Reviewing the displayed Thresholds window,

•Clicking the column header names to sort the list, or,

•Using the pagination links on the right side of the window header.

Step 4 Check the box(es) next to the threshold(s) you want to enable.

The Enable and Disable buttons are activated (see Figure 2-29).

Figure 2-29 Thresholds Window - Enable/Disable Threshold(s)

Step 5 Click Enable.

The Thresholds window refreshes to display message, "Enabled n Threshold(s)." All selection boxes are cleared, the Enable and Disable buttons are dimmed, and the Status column reads "Disabled" for all thresholds that have been disabled.

Preferences Setup

The Preferences window allows Cisco PVM users to view and edit system-wide configuration parameters. These parameters are used throughout Cisco PVM for data collection, threshold setup, and Application Response Time (ART) reports. These settings are available in Cisco PVM as part of the Setup GUI to allow easy access to system-wide defaults. Settings such as the system-wide collection cycle and threshold severity levels can be customized through other Setup menu items, such as NAM and thresholds.

This section contains the following topics:

•Viewing the Preference Settings

•Editing Preferences

Viewing the Preference Settings

All of the fields displayed in the View Preferences window are read-only. The Cisco PVM Setup GUI allows you to quickly view the current default system configuration settings, allowing you to easily target certain parameters for troubleshooting your network components or adjusting data collections and periods. All of the fields displayed in the View Preferences window are read-only.

To view the Cisco PVM preferences settings, complete the following steps:

Step 1 Click Setup in the Cisco PVM dashboard.

The NAM home page appears.

Step 2 Click Preferences in the navigation menu.

The View Preferences window appears (see Figure 2-30).

Figure 2-30 View Preferences Window

Table 2-10 describes the fields in the View Preferences window.

Table 2-10 View Preferences Window Field Descriptions

Field

Description

System-Wide Parameters

Collection Cycle

Contains the value for the system-wide NAM collection cycle. The default value is five minutes.

Note This value matches the System-wide Collection cycle on the NAM home page.

Number Graph Bars

Specifies the number of bars that appear in TopN report view, which is the method Cisco PVM uses to allow configuration of the value of N in TopN reports.

Note The system default is a value of 10 for TopN reports, but you can assign values of 1 - 15. See Editing Preferences for details.

Threshold Parameters

Baseline Period

Displays the duration, in days, in which the baseline for setting thresholds is calculated. The default value is one day.

Observation Period

Displays the frequency at which the baseline will be re-calibrated: at the end of each Observation Period, the values for the last baseline period are examined, and the baseline value is updated accordingly. The default value is 60 minutes (1 hour).

Note The Baseline Period (in days) must be greater than the Observation Period (in minutes) and an even multiple of it. For example, the system will reject an Observation Period of 1500 minutes if the Baseline Period is 1 day.

Default Severity Levels

Note These parameters serve as the defaults for all new thresholds you create in the system. You can customize these parameters for individual thresholds under Setup > Thresholds. See Editing Thresholds for details.

Threshold Critical

Contains the default percentage for the Critical threshold severity level.

Threshold Major

Contains the default percentage for the Major threshold severity level.

Threshold Minor

Contains the default percentage for the Minor threshold severity level.

Threshold Warning

Contains the default percentage for the Warning threshold severity level.

Edit

Opens the Edit Preferences window.

Editing Preferences

You can customize the Preferences Settings using the Edit button in the View Preferences window, following these rules:

•The Baseline Period must be greater than the Observation Period.

•The Baseline Period must be a multiple of the Observation Period.

•Valid Severity Level percentage values are any value between 0 - 100, including fractional values up to 24 characters long.

To edit the Cisco PVM preferences, complete the following steps:

Step 1 Click Setup in the Cisco PVM dashboard.

The NAM home page appears.

Step 2 Click Preferences in the navigation menu.

The View Preferences window appears.

Step 3 Click Edit.

The Edit Preferences window appears (see Figure 2-31).

Figure 2-31 Edit Preferences Window

Note All fields on the Edit Preferences window are available for editing, and all fields must contain a value. For a description of each field, see Table 2-10.

Step 4 Select the desired system-wide collection cycle, in minutes, from the Collection Cycle drop-down list. Available values are 1, 15, 30, 45, or 60 minutes.

Note Changes to this setting also appear on the NAM home page in the System-Wide Collection Cycle field.

Step 5 Set the value of N for all TopN report views by selecting a value from the Number Graph Bars drop-down list. Available values are 1 - 15.

Note All chart reports throughout Cisco PVM use this setting to determine the title and number of items displayed in TopN reports. For example, if you specify 7 as the number of graph bars, the TopN Hosts report will be entitled "Top 7 Hosts" and will include seven bars.

Step 6 Under Threshold Parameters, enter the values for the

•Baseline Period—The duration in days used for calculating threshold baselines.

•Observation Period—The frequency in minutes at which the baseline period is examined and updated.

Note The baseline period (in days) must be greater than the observation period (in minutes) and an even multiple of it.

Step 7 Under Default Severity Levels, enter the percentage value you want to assign for each threshold severity level, using numbers from 0 - 100, including fractional values.

Note The percentage you enter represents a deviation from the baseline. The system generates an alert for a threshold Severity Level if the deviation is greater than the percentage you assign to that level. These Dynamic threshold values can be customized for individual threshold definitions you create under Setup > Thresholds.

Step 8 Click OK.

The system returns to the View Preferences window displaying the new values, and displays the informational message, "Preferences parameter values were successfully edited."