Network Monitoring System - Recommendations?

Hi – I was interested in finding out what software applications other ISPs are using for network monitoring? For example:

  1. Overall network health – uptime reports

  2. Backup router config automatically

  3. Bandwidth reporting (or integration with an MRTG-type app)

  4. SNMP trap support (BGP/OSPF session drops – emails out)

  5. Database back end (port info into or over to other apps)

I’m just looking for something well rounded for a small ISP. I’ve heard about OpenNMS and other apps but I’d like to get everyone’s feedback. Thanks!

-Charlie

Hi - I was interested in finding out what software applications other ISPs
are using for network monitoring? For example:

1) Overall network health - uptime reports

2) Backup router config automatically

3) Bandwidth reporting (or integration with an MRTG-type app)

http://cricket.sourceforge.net/

4) SNMP trap support (BGP/OSPF session drops - emails out)

5) Database back end (port info into or over to other apps)

I'm just looking for something well rounded for a small ISP. I've heard
about OpenNMS and other apps but I'd like to get everyone's feedback.
Thanks!

Nothing all in one place, that I'm aware of. But with a little work, you
could probably integrate it all into nagios. After all, you can make the
host names or descriptions URLs that link to bandwidth and error graphs or
other tools.

Andy

Net-Policy does 1, 3, and 5... It collects traps and lets you view
them, but doesn't currently email (trivial addition though). #2 isn't
done, though it does collect data and put it in a postgres database,
thus you could say it collects it, just not in a way in which you can
send it back out again :-/

3) Bandwidth reporting (or integration with an MRTG-type app)

http://cricket.sourceforge.net/

You can also do this with Nagios now too.. with APAN.

http://apan.sourceforge.net/

It's kind of cool. :smiley:

-Jonathan

I use

http://snmpstat.sf.net

for bandwidth, links monityoring, router's cpu usage, etc etc; and

http://cricket.sourceforge.net/

for additional parameters.

First (developed in Moscow for few ISP) monitors abd adapted here for
Enterprise (and shows everuything on the single scree, with traffic bars)
300 - 600 links without any problems (using approx 5% of servers cpu);
second allows to monitor non standard parameters), have tickets, reports,
alerts; second is very flexible (even to flexible).

Btw, we implemented per-usert view (user can open his link and see traffic,
tickets, usage reports etc for HIS link only)
in snmpstat.

(In reality, we use portal based on snmpstat, with few different tools
integrated tiogether, such as Cisco Configuration Repository, ProBIND2 ,
inventory database, alert alias system with archive and so on).

I generated config for 'snmpstatd' automatically, from user;'s database (it
was simple; all I need was Router, Interface, User-name, number for this
user, priority).

For automated config backups, I use CCR (fully web based Cisco
configuration -> CVS system).

APAN looks pretty sweet, going to have to try that one out myself :slight_smile:

Checkout http://perfparse.sourceforge.net/ lets you
graph the data from the nagios plugins...

Nothing all in one place, that I'm aware of. But with a little work, you
could probably integrate it all into nagios. After all, you can make the
host names or descriptions URLs that link to bandwidth and error graphs or
other tools.

I'll second this part. Whether you use cricket or MRTG, or even Nagios itself, you can use a little "notes_url" command to create a link from, say, the "ping" service of your core router to the MRTG charts of bandwidth usage.

Rob Nelson

Rob Nelson
ronelson@vt.edu

3) Bandwidth reporting (or integration with an MRTG-type app)

http://cricket.sourceforge.net/

You can also do this with Nagios now too.. with APAN.

http://apan.sourceforge.net/

It's kind of cool. :smiley:

There's more than one way to do it with Nagios:

http://www.nagiosexchange.org/Charts.1720.0.html

I'm using nagiostat myself, which churns out graphs like:

I just set it up yesterday so there's not much polling data yet. I like it with MRTG/cricket better, actually - you can see a few blank spots where checks got delayed due to other outages, and then there's no info to use. MRTG/cricket just runs off cron, which means it hardly misses a beat.

Rob Nelson

Rob Nelson
ronelson@vt.edu

>Nothing all in one place, that I'm aware of. But with a little work, you

snmpstat have hardcoded set of monitored parameters, but creates all graphs
anb links automartically, including customer-only view of customer's links,
link to the database record about this link, and link to the router's config
@ CCR.

This is why we use combination - for 99% of partameters, snmpstat, and for
the rest, hand-configured cricket (but I recommend nagios).

>could probably integrate it all into nagios. After all, you can make the
>host names or descriptions URLs that link to bandwidth and error graphs

or

>other tools.

I'll second this part. Whether you use cricket or MRTG, or even Nagios
itself, you can use a little "notes_url" command to create a link from,
say, the "ping" service of your core router to the MRTG charts of

bandwidth

Dear all

Thank you for your info

but

Do you know there are any softwares to support MAC?

Thank you

--- Rob Nelson <ronelson@vt.edu> wrote:

>>>3) Bandwidth reporting (or integration with
an MRTG-type app)
>>
>>http://cricket.sourceforge.net/
>
>You can also do this with Nagios now too.. with
APAN.
>
>http://apan.sourceforge.net/
>
>It's kind of cool. :smiley:

There's more than one way to do it with Nagios:

http://www.nagiosexchange.org/Charts.1720.0.html

I'm using nagiostat myself, which churns out graphs
like:

I read document of these tools and find they work with
Cisco products. But, how about Juniper M160 or M320,
Unishpere's BRAS products? Where can I find Juniper's
OID on its tempreture, chassis, CPU, bandwidth ? Does
anyone have a running configuration for M160 or
Unishpere's BRAS products?

On configuration bankup, rancid use telnet (ssh). But,
I take this a not-secure methode as it has to code
password in login script. Is there any tool to get
configuration file from read-only SNMP cumminity?

Joe

--- Jon Lyons <jlyons30@yahoo.com> wrote:

I read document of these tools and find they work with
Cisco products. But, how about Juniper M160 or M320,
Unishpere's BRAS products? Where can I find Juniper's
OID on its tempreture, chassis, CPU, bandwidth ? Does

They use standart MIB2 and a little of Cisco specific MIB's. As I already
said, it is a good tool to view and monitor traffic, utilisation, errors,
and use additional tiool to deep monitor vendor specific parameters. We use
'snmpstat' to monitor routers, switches, ports and interfaces (and bgp) and
cricket to watch few additional parameters (to configure alerts, we use
aliases and mhonarc mail archives with auto expiration - for alerts,
warnings, reports and audits, and for 'root' and 'oracle' e-mail.

anyone have a running configuration for M160 or
Unishpere's BRAS products?

CCR can work with anything which (1) allow telnet or ssh, and (2) can 'write
net' config (in any syntax).
You can use encrypted password file (using passphrase) if you want. Using
SNMP was rejected, because it is absolutely device-specific, impossible in
many cases, and we never saw it as a security problem, because all devices
are restricted to allow ssh or telnet from 2 or 3 servers only, because
passwords are encrypted, and because automated config reading and web access
aree much more important vs very abstract possibility of hacking (in
reality, problem can come from insiders, not from hackers, so no extra
accounst are allowed on monitoring server).

You can get configuratuion (initialize tftp transfer) using some snmp
(WRITE) variable and pre-configured tftp parameters, but it works on a very
few Cisco devices only.

As I said, CCR uses 3 methods:
- password file encrypted by public key
- password file encrypted by 3des passphrase;
- explicit password.

In all cases, problem is with root user only - root can alway decrypt
password or interseipt web session. User, who have permission to edit CCR
config and know passphrase, can (in theory) see passwords as well. Other
users can not, even if they know passphrase - they can only initiate config
reading.

Network admins do not know enable passwords, if they do not need it - they
use passphrase

To have automated config reading, any of first 2 methods can be used
(passphrase must be written into special file, if method 2 is used,
root-only readable). For manual reading, any methgod can be used, without
any file with passphrase.

In reality, it is not serious security problem because all devices can be
accessed from a very few servers only, and because we can use 'ssh' instead
of 'telnet' (CCR can be configured or select ssh/telnet automatically). You
can, in turn, play with security level , but it (again) does not work on
generic case (any cisco device) and is very tricky.

For Juniper or other device - you can try to program 'expect' script, or use
'snmp' initiated transfer - all other things will work.

Hi,

I googled with "CCR" but it seems nothing useful in 5
pages. Would you please do me a favor to give the URL
of that tool ?

I tried to set up MRTG monitoring Unishpere BRAS 1400
and M160, but I failed with data collection because
wrong OID used ( CPU, mem, tempreture, BW etc ) :frowning:

regards

--- Alexei Roudnev <alex@relcom.net> wrote:

Nagios is one of the best systems (and widely used).

CCR is part of snmpstat (but separate installation tar), see http://snmpstat.sf.net

Here:

http://sourceforge.net/projects/snmpstat

and docs are here

http://snmpstat.sourceforge.net/CCR-config.htm

Hi Charlie -

We use JFFNMS here (http://www.jffnms.org/).

We have it monitoring BGP with our 6 backbone providers, all of our T1's
(300 or so), DSL lines, dedicated servers, backing up all of our router
configs, talking to our F5s, pretty much everything you are asking for.
We use it extensively to grab traps and notify my NOC of any problems.
Overall I would say that it is monitoring over 15,000 connections and
pieces of hardware.

We have its bandwidth monitoring and tracking talking directly to our
billing engine and allow our customers the ability to log into it and
view all of their stats as well.

We don't use it to monitor uptime as we utilize different hardware for
that but my guess is that with some minor tweaking it could do that as
well.

Hope this helps.