Chapter 10: Collecting Data for Real-Time Performance Management

Table Of Contents

Collecting Data for Real-Time Performance Management

Understanding RTPM Data Collection

RTPM Data Collection Process

Real-Time Data Collection Example


Collecting Data for Real-Time Performance Management


Performance management (PM) involves the configuration and measurement of network traffic for the purpose of providing a consistent and predictable level of service. PM provides network and system performance reporting for determining acute and chronic problems, service level reporting, and performance optimization.

PM ensures that the network delivers services with the promised quality. PM data is useful for fine-tuning the performance of the device, and proactively monitoring for catastrophic failures before they occur.

PM includes:

Collecting, storing, and forwarding data to characterize the integrity of transmission

Determining when connections fail to meet committed integrity thresholds

Measuring performance can help identify:

Normal baseline network performance, which can then be compared to abnormal network behavior

Current or potential utilization problems

Slow response time

Application, server, and network availability

Optimum data transfer times

Performance data collection is the process of collecting performance-related data from network devices and storing them in a database or data file. This information can then be used for locating, diagnosing, and correcting network problems to increase network reliability and effectiveness, and to ensure that fault management can be more than just handling emergencies. The data can also be used to increase the productivity of network users.

PM data collection may be intended to collect:

Historical performance data

Real-time performance data


Note Cisco ANA supports real-time performance management data collection only. This feature is supported only for Cisco IOS XR devices.


Historical performance analysis provides trend information, but captures data only several times per hour. Therefore, it lack the capability to show what is happening in real time on the network. Real-time performance management (RTPM) provides a more accurate picture.

The flexible real-time performance-analysis capabilities allow you to select the sample size and the sampling interval. Real-time performance monitoring helps to capture data for a specific entity instance for the specified sampling period.

Related Topics

Understanding RTPM Data Collection

RTPM Data Collection Process

Real-Time Data Collection Example

Understanding RTPM Data Collection

Cisco ANA supports RTPM data collection. Performance data is collected for a given interval and sample size that you configure in the data collection template. See RTPM Data Collection Process for details.

To enable RTPM, Cisco ANA supports the collection of RTPM counters for the entities as generated by Cisco IOS XR devices. As a part of RTPM threshold data collection support, Cisco ANA supports the following counters:

Interface Generic Counters. See Table 10-1 Interface Generic Counters Supported for details.

Interface Data Rate Counters. See Table 10-2 Interface Data Rate Counters Supported for details.

BGP Counters. See Table 10-3 BGP Counters Supported for details.

MPLS-LDP Counters. See Table 10-4 MPLS-LDP Counters Supported for details.

Node CPU Counters. See Table 10-5 Node CPU Counters Supported for details.

Node Memory Counters. See Table 10-6 Node Memory Counters Supported for details.

Node Process Counters. See Table 10-7 Node Process Counters Supported for details.

OSPFv2 Counters. See Table 10-8 OSPFv2 Counters Supported for details.

Table 10-1 Interface Generic Counters Supported 

Interface Generic Counter
Description

InBroadcastPkts

Number of inbound broadcast packets.

InMulticastPkts

Number of inbound multicast packets.

InOctets

Number of inbound octets/bytes.

InPackets

Number of inbound packets.

InUcastPkts

Number of inbound unicast packets.

InputCRC

Number of inbound packets discarded with incorrect CRC.

InputFrame

Number of inbound packets with framing errors.

InputOverRun

Number of inbound packets with overrun errors.

InputQueueDrops

Number of input queue drops.

InputTotalDrops

Number of inbound correct packets discarded.

InputTotalErrors

Number of inbound incorrect packets discarded.

InputUnknownProto

Number of inbound packets discarded with unknown protocol.

OutBroadcastPkts

Number of outbound broadcast packets.

OutMulticastPkts

Number of outbound multicast packets.

OutOctets

Number of outbound octets/bytes.

OutPackets

Number of outbound packets.

OutUcastPkts

Number of outbound unicast packets.

OutputTotalDrops

Number of outbound correct packets discarded.

OutputTotalErrors

Number of outbound incorrect packets discarded.

OutputUnderRun

Number of outbound packets with underrun errors.


Table 10-2 Interface Data Rate Counters Supported 

Interface Data Rate Counter
Descriptions

Bandwidth

Bandwidth in kb/s.

InputDataRate

Input data rate in kb/s.

InputPacketRate

Number of input packets per second.

InputPeakPkts

Maximum number of input packets per second.

InputPeakRate

Peak input data rate in kb/s.

OutputDataRate

Output data rate in kb/s.

OutputPacketRate

Number of output packets per second.

OutputPeakPkts

Maximum number of output packets per second.

OutputPeakRate

Peak output data rate in kb/s.


Table 10-3 BGP Counters Supported 

BGP Counter
Description

ConnEstablished

Number of times the connection was established.

ConnectionDrops

Number of times the connection was dropped.

ErrorsReceived

Number of error notifications received.

ErrorsSent

Number of error notifications sent.

InputMessages

Number of messages received.

InputUpdateMessages

Number of update messages received.

OutputMessages

Number of messages sent.

OutputUpdateMessages

Number of update messages sent.


Table 10-4 MPLS-LDP Counters Supported 

MPLS-LDP Counter
Description

AddressMsgsRcvd

Number of address messages received.

AddressMsgsSent

Number of address messages sent.

AddressWithdrawMsgsRcvd

Number of address withdraw messages received.

AddressWithdrawMsgsSent

Number of address withdraw messages sent.

InitMsgsRcvd

Number of init messages received.

InitMsgsSent

Number of init messages sent.

KeepaliveMsgsRcvd

Number of keepalive messages received.

KeepaliveMsgsSent

Number of keepalive messages sent.

LabelMappingMsgsRcvd

Number of label mapping messages received.

LabelMappingMsgsSent

Number of label mapping messages sent.

LabelReleaseMsgsRcvd

Number of label release messages received.

LabelReleaseMsgsSent

Number of label release messages sent.

LabelWithdrawMsgsRcvd

Number of label withdraw messages received.

LabelWithdrawMsgsSent

Number of label withdraw messages sent.

NotificationMsgsRcvd

Number of notification messages received.

NotificationMsgsSent

Number of notification messages sent.

TotalMsgsRcvd

Total number of messages received.

TotalMsgsSent

Total number of messages sent.


Table 10-5 Node CPU Counters Supported 

Node CPU Counter
Description

AverageCpuUsed

Average CPU utilization, in percentage.

NoProcesses

Number of processes.


Table 10-6 Node Memory Counters Supported 

Node Memory Counter
Description

CurrMemory

Current memory in use, in bytes.

PeakMemory

Maximum memory used, in kilobytes.


Table 10-7 Node Process Counters Supported 

Node Process Counters
Description

AverageCPUUsed

Average CPU utilization, in percentage.

NumThreads

Number of threads.

PeakMemory

Maximum memory used since startup time, in kilobytes.


Table 10-8 OSPFv2 Counters Supported 

OSPFv2 Counters
Description

ChecksumErrors

Number of packets received with checksum errors.

InputDBD

Number of DBD packets received.

InputDBDsLSA

Number of LSA received in DBD packets.

InputHelloPackets

Number of Hello packets received.

InputLSAAcks

Number of LSA acknowledgements received.

InputLSAAcksLSA

Number of LSA received in LSA acknowledgements.

InputLSAUpdates

Number of LSA updates received.

InputLSAUpdatesLSA

Number of LSA received in LSA updates.

InputLSRequests

Number of LS Requests received.

InputLSRequestsLSA

Number of LSA received in LS requests.

InputPackets

Total number of packets received.

OutputDBDs

Number of DBD packets sent.

OutputDBDsLSA

Number of LSA sent in DBD packets.

OutputHelloPackets

Number of Hello packets sent.

OutputLSAAcks

Number of LSA Acknowledgements sent.

OutputLSAAcksLSA

Number of LSA sent in LSA acknowledgements.

OutputLSAUpdateLSA

Number of LSA sent in LSA updates.

OutputLSAUpdates

Number of LSA updates sent.

OutputLSRequests

Number of LS requests sent.

OutputLSRequestsLSA

Number of LSA sent in LS requests.

OutputPackets

Total number of packets sent.


Commands that enable RTPM data collection are available as system-defined commands in Command Builder. Table 10-9 lists the system-defined commands that support RTPM data collection.

Table 10-9 System-Defined Commands for RTPM Data Collection 

Commands
Counters
Create and Activate a Template to...

AddOrModifyInterfaceGenericTemplate

ActivateInterfaceGenericTemplate

DeActivateInterfaceGenericTemplate

DeleteInterfaceGenereicTemplate

Interface Generic

Monitor generic counters on an interface.

AddOrModifyInterfaceDataRateTemplate

ActivateInterfaceDataRateTemplate

DeActivateInterfaceDataRateTemplate

DeleteInterfaceDataRateTemplate

Interface Data Rate

Monitor data rates on an interface.

AddOrModifyBGPTemplate

ActivateBGPTemplate

DeActivateBGPTemplate

DeleteBGPTemplate

BGP

Enable Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) monitoring

AddOrModifyMPLSLDPTemplate

ActivateMPLSLDPTemplate

DeActivateMPLSLDPTemplate

DeleteMPLSLDPTemplate

MPLS-LDP

Enable MPLS Label Distribution Protocol monitoring.

AddOrModifyNodeCPUTemplate

ActivateNodeCPUTemplate

DeActivateNodeCPUTemplate

DeleteNodeCPUTemplate

Node CPU

Monitor the central processing unit on a node.

AddOrModifyNodeMemoryTemplate

ActivateNodeMemoryTemplate

DeActivateNodeMemoryTemplate

DeleteNodeMemoryTemplate

Node Memory

Monitor memory utilization on a node.

AddOrModifyNodeProcessTemplate

ActivateNodeProcessTemplate

DeActivateNodeProcessTemplate

DeleteNodeProcessTemplate

Node Process

Monitor a process on a node.

AddOrModifyOSPFV2Template

ActivateOSPFV2Template

DeActivateOSPFV2Template

DeleteOSPFV2Template

OSPFv2

Monitor an Open Shortest Path First v2 (OSPFv2) process instance.


Related Topics

Collecting Data for Real-Time Performance Management

RTPM Data Collection Process

Real-Time Data Collection Example

RTPM Data Collection Process

You can use Command Builder to add, modify, activate, deactivate, and delete RTPM templates. Cisco ANA provides system-defined commands that enable these tasks.


Note System-defined commands for RTPM data collection are available only for devices running Cisco IOS XR software.


See Chapter 8, "Managing and Deploying Configuration Changes" for information on Command Builder.

RTPM data collection involves the following steps:

1. Configuring PM templates—You can configure a new RTPM template using the Command Builder feature. Commands that enable RTPM data collection are available as system-defined commands in Command Builder.

When you select a Cisco IOS XR device from the device selector, the system-defined commands are automatically populated in the Command browser. Also, from the Objects view, you may right-click the network element to get a list of system-defined commands supported. You can configure these commands to create RTPM templates by specifying the input parameters required. See Table 10-9 for system-defined commands that enable RTPM data collection.

To start configuring the data collection template, click the desired command. See Running a Command, page 8-13 for procedural information on running commands using Command Builder.

To configure a template you should provide:

Template name.

Sample size—Number of repetitions for which the counters will be sampled. Value can range from 1 to 60.

Sample interval—Polling interval at which to collect data from the Cisco IOS XR device. Value can range from 1 to 60.

2. Enabling the template on the entity —You can apply the configured RTPM template using the Command Builder feature. See Running a Command, page 8-13 for procedural information on running commands using Command Builder.

3. Collecting the data counters—After the template is applied, Cisco ANA starts collecting data until the collection stops on the router after the time specified in the template.

4. Deactivating the template—You may deactivate the template after the data has been collected.


Note The data is not stored in the Cisco ANA database. It is deleted when the RTPM template is deactivated. Also, the data is deleted if the VNE is removed.


5. Deleting the template—If you do not want to reuse the template, you may delete it. You can run the entity-specific delete command to delete the data collection template. See Real-Time Data Collection Example for details.

After you start the data collection, the counters are listed in the DataCollectionService pane in the Logical Inventory view. The data shown and the time for which it is collected are dependent on the sample time and interval you configure in the RTPM template. More than one RTPM entity template can be active at one time in the Cisco IOS XR device. Cisco IOS XR devices also support multiple RTPM templates active at any time for the same entity, for those that collect counters for a particular interface or node.slot.port instance.


Note You can use Router CLI to create, activate, deactivate, or delete templates. This document does not include information on using Router CLI to perform RTPM related tasks. See the Router CLI documentation available on Cisco.com.


Related Topics

Collecting Data for Real-Time Performance Management

Understanding RTPM Data Collection

Real-Time Data Collection Example

Real-Time Data Collection Example

The following example explains collecting BGP-related RTPM data using system-defined commands provided in Command Builder.


Note See Chapter 8, "Managing and Deploying Configuration Changes" for detailed information on Command Builder. See Understanding the Command Browser User Interface, page 8-4 and Running a Command, page 8-13 for information on Command browser and on running commands.


The first task is to configure the RTPM template. To configure the template, do the following:


Step 1 Select the Cisco IOS XR device from the device selector. The system-defined commands are populated in the Command browser.

Step 2 Right-click AddorModifyBGPTemplate, and click Run. The Add Command Instances dialog box is displayed.

Step 3 Click Add >. The Input Parameters dialog box is displayed.

Step 4 Enter the following details:

Template—The template name.

Size—The sample size. This value determines the number of times the counters will be sampled. The value can range from 1 to 60.

Interval—The polling interval to collect the data. The value can range from 1 to 60.

Step 5 Click OK. An instance of AddorModifyBGPTemplate is added to the Created Instances pane.

Step 6 Click Next. The Job Schedule and Policy Settings page is displayed.

Step 7 Specify the values, and click Finish.


The next task is to activate the template. To activate the template, do the following:


Step 1 Right-click ActivateBGPTemplate from the Command browser, and click Run. The Add Command Instances dialog box is displayed.

Step 2 Click Add >. The Input Parameters dialog box is displayed.

Step 3 Enter the following details:

Template—The template name you specified while adding the template.

Neighbor IP—The IP address of the BGP neighbor.

Step 4 Click OK. An instance of ActivateBGPTemplate is added to the Command Instances pane.

Step 5 Click Next. The Job Schedule and Policy Setting page is displayed.

Step 6 Specify the values, and click Finish.

Cisco ANA starts collecting the data based on the parameters specified in the template. The details are displayed in the DataCollectionService pane of the Logical Inventory view.


After the data is collected, you may deactivate the template. When you deactivate the template, Cisco ANA removes all the data from the DataCollectionService pane.

To deactivate the template:


Step 1 Right-click DeActivateBGPTemplate, and click Run. The Add Command Instances dialog box is displayed.

Step 2 Click Add >. The Input Parameters dialog box is displayed.

Step 3 Enter the following details:

Template—The template name you specified while adding the template.

Neighbor IP—The IP address of the BGP neighbor.

Step 4 Click OK. An instance of DeActivateBGPTemplate is added to the Command Instances pane.

Step 5 Click Next. The Job Schedule and Policy Setting page is displayed.

Step 6 Specify the values, and click Finish. The data is removed from the DataCollectionService pane after the scheduled deactivation job is complete.


You may also delete the template you have created if you do not want to reuse it.

To delete the template:


Step 1 Right-click DeleteBGPTemplate from the Command browser, and click Run.

Step 2 Click Add >. The Input Parameters dialog box is displayed.

Step 3 Enter the template name you specified while adding the template, and click OK. An instance of DeleteBGPTemplate is added to the Command Instances pane.

Step 4 Click Next. The Job Schedule and Policy Setting page is displayed.

Step 5 Specify the values, and click Finish. The template is deleted after the job is run.


Related Topics

Collecting Data for Real-Time Performance Management

Understanding RTPM Data Collection

RTPM Data Collection Process