L3 Network Discovery From a Seed Device

Using NetBrain's model-driven discovery algorithms, you only need to input one IP address to discover entire network, whether the target network is 10 devices or 10,000 devices. For the fastest and most accurate discovery, simply configure Operator Edition with all possible log-in credentials and launch from a machine that has SNMP/CLI access to the operational network. Key discovery differentiators include:

• Discovery of routers, switches, firewalls, IP-Phones from most major vendors
• Extremely fast - up to 3000 network devices per hour with standard hardware
• Very accurate - reaching 99% with iterative discovery logic turned on
• Device finger-print field upgradable

Discover L2 Port-to-Port Connectivity

Figuring out the L2 port-to-port connectivity between devices is a labor-intensive task, usually involving tracing physical cables and deciphering results of the show command on every device. The NetBrain L2 discovery engine completely automates this process. The key capabilities of L2 discovery include:

• Discovery of switch-to-switch, switch-to-router, server-to-switch connectivity
• Discovery output is searchable - Search any IP or MAC address to find detailed connectivity information including switch port connectivity
• Build L2 SmartMap on-demand to visually represent full port-to-port and VLAN connectivity

Scheduled Network Rediscovery

A network is constantly changing. You can use scheduled NetBrain discovery to keep the data model synchronized with the operational network. NetBrain discovery engine will leverage the known devices to speed up re-discovery and automatically add newly discovered devices into the central repository. For un-responsive devices during re-discovery, a list is created so that the administrator can verify the de-commissioned devices and confirm their removal.

Drag and Drop Configuration Files to Generate a SmartMap

Do you have a set of configuration files for router, switches or firewalls handy? If you do, you can create a SmartMap in a few seconds. Simply by drag-and-drop the folder containing the configuration files directly into the NetBrain workspace and it's done. Now you can access and view a wealth of information about your entire infrastructure including; switched and routed architectures, full port-to-port connectivity, configured VLANs and routing tables, as well as WAN and MPLS clouds directly within SmartMaps.

Now you can:

• Create a map for your network design instantly
• Document a network problem in a map to clearly describe it before escalation
• Quickly document customer network from a set of configuration files

   

Map Traffic Flow between Two End Points

Is it the application or the network? Your users complain about a slow application - where do you start to troubleshoot the problem? With scores of applications and hundreds of traffic flows in your network, most likely you don't have a ready-made network map for each traffic flow. You may have to piece together the problem area from a stack of static maps...

Leverage NetBrain's on-demand mapping capability! Enter point A and point B, the round-trip traffic flow is mapped out instantly based on the live or historical network data. The traffic path could be in the format of:

• L3 traffic path, which is built from live or cached routing tables along the path
• L2 traffic path, which interpolates the L3 traffic path with additional port-to-port connectivity

   

Search Creation of a Map

You need to troubleshoot a network problem but only have a minimum amount of information such as: an IP address, a MAC address or a hostname. Entering the information you have into the search dialog, you can quickly find the relevant network device and its port-to-port connectivity. Then immediately create a L3 or L2 network map by dragging and dropping the search result into the map workspace.

Search lets you build detailed network maps from a single piece of information allowing you to build and then diagnose and troubleshoot in either an L3 or L2 network map:

• Centered on a problematic device
• Detailing port-level connectivity for a slow server

   

L3/L2 Data Center Map

Documenting your data center is greatly simplified. For example, you can start with a controlled discovery and then construct a network map for a specific data center in one-click.

Any data center map created has additional information embedded in it, including:

• A device group and a L3 network map with the group of devices for the specific data center
• A switch group and a L2 network map with full port-to-port connectivity

   

One-Click Visio Network Diagram

From any L3/L2 NetBrain SmartMap to an editable Visio network diagram, all you need is one-click. Engineers can easily:

• Build and maintain an up-to-date network documentation library
• Collaborate with members of the network team
• Share a network map with customers
• Ensure compliance with corporate documentation standards

   

Visual Network Troubleshooting Console

Each SmartMap is a self-contained independent troubleshooting console. Engineers can launch and dock a CLI console directly to a SmartMap, or create a SmartMap from within a CLI console. The visual troubleshooting console features:

• Smart Telnet/SSH - Clicking on any device within a SmartMap will automatically enable a CLI console and login to the device using credentials configured in the credentials library
• IP Detector - Mouse over an IP or MAC address inside any CLI text window (including user's own telnet tool), the relevant network device will be mapped out, which allows engineers to continue troubleshooting directly in the network map
• Graphic trace route - Run a trace route from any device , and map out the result instantly within a SmartMap

   

Monitor Operational Networks using HeatMap

NetBrain's HeatMap provides you with a real-time diagnostic view of a problem area. Each device in the HeatMap is color-coded based on its current status. Enabling monitoring from within a L3/L2 SmartMap creates a HeatMap. Live performance data for devices and links are overlaid directly in the map. From simple up/down, to advanced analysis of performance metrics along a path, HeatMap instantly identifies the hot spot.

Key HeatMap capabilities include:

• Up, down and flapping status for any device or link
• Display of SNMP based performance data for devices and interfaces; Setting customizable thresholds and alerting when thresholds are exceeded
• Measurement and display of jitter, packet loss and delay on any link
• Enabling or disabling real-time network monitoring with one-click

   

With a HeatMap you can:

• Quickly detect link congestion and CPU/Memory bottlenecks
• Visually identify the unstable network elements
• Intuitively analyze the overall network health and performance
• Be alerted when conditions change in the network

Decode Configuration Files with Design Reader

After problem area is mapped out, use "Design Reader" to decode the configuration of the network quickly and intuitively. For example, if you are troubleshooting a multi-casting problem, select the built-in multicasting filter to extract the multicasting related information from configuration files, and add them into your network map. You can develop additional customized filters for other protocols such as MPLS.

Each design filter also includes a sample map and sample configuration files to provide guidance. Organizations can use custom design filters to share troubleshooting best practice, or provide cross-training for specific technologies.

Data Collection and Change Analysis for Routing, Configuration and Traffic Paths

During network troubleshooting, engineers usually collect show-command results across multiple devices, and manually document network changes between different sample points. Using the historical data stored by Operator Edition on the Enterprise Server, engineers can now compare this data against the operational network to quickly understand if any changes have impacted the network's performance or reliability. Using network change analysis, engineers can quickly derive the root cause of any misconfiguration as well as more advanced analysis to expose:

• Route flapping
• IP addressing or sub-netting conflicts
• Changes to device configurations
• Sub-optimized traffic paths, including asymmetric paths
• Rapid increase of counters such as interface error rates

   

Periodical Routing and configuration benchmark

Based on the size of network, administrators can set up one or an array of distributed NetBrain Enterprise Servers to benchmark the routing and configuration files for the entire network. The frequency can be customized based on the typical rate of network change.

As all the benchmark data is stored in one place, multiple engineers can transparently access the information to view it from any Operator Edition Workstation.

Routing Table Analyzer

Routing Table Analyzer is a powerful tool to understand and visualize the dynamics of routing table change. Additionally, troubleshooting connectivity will be much faster with these capabilities.

NetBrain routing table analyzer can be used to:

• Map out routing table entry from current hop to the next
• Discover routing table oscillation by sorting entire routing table against the "age" field
• Locate any changes to routing tables, such as next-hop change, metric change or routing source change by comparing live routing table against historical data

   

Configuration File Analyzer

Configuration File Analyzer provides side-by-side comparison of configuration files. This allows you to understand changes between a running or startup configuration file and a previously stored file. Changes between the current configuration and the historical file are highlighted providing a detailed trail of any changes.