You view any map in a Map Window. Below is one of the example maps installed with Intermapper.
For an in-depth explanation of the elements that appear in the Map Window, what they mean, and how to use them, see Monitoring Your Network.
The Title bar shows the map's title, its state, and has standard controls for zooming, minimizing, and closing the Window.
The Menu bar contains the map's menus.
For a complete reference for each menu, see the Command/Menu Reference.
The Toolbar contains buttons to toggle the map's edit mode and to switch from one view to another.
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Map view |
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Device List view Shows the devices on the map as a list, with columns for the device's status, name, address, probe type, and current and previous condition. To view a global device list:
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Notifier view |
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Dataset view
This view shows the datasets available for charting and data collection in this map. With the map in edit mode, you can choose a retention policy for any dataset
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Chart List view
Shows the list of charts for the map |
Switching Between Monitor Mode and Edit Mode
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In Monitor mode - The map is not editable, and status windows appear when you click and hold a device, link, or network. |
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In Edit mode - The map is editable. Status windows can be opened with menu commands. |
Note: Press the Tab key to toggle between Monitor and Edit modes.
(covered in Module 3)
The Map area is the "canvas" on which you create your map. To get started, take a look at Creating Maps. It is full of information about starting your map. The Creating Maps section is full of information for creating, arranging, and making your map look just the way you want it to look. You'll also find a quick reference of editing shortcuts.
For an in-depth explanation of the elements that appear in the Map Window, what they mean, and how to use them, see Monitoring Your Network.
The Status bar contains controls for switching in and out of Map Edit mode, setting the polling interval, and zooming the map.
The Poll Interval drop-down menu sets the polling interval for the Map. |
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The Map Zoom drop-down menu sets the zoom factor for the Map. If you choose Auto, the Map zooms automatically when you resize the Window. |
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Use the Device List Window to view
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Use the Device List view to see a global list of devices used in all of the maps on the Intermapper Server. |
The Device List view
Device List Columns
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Status: |
The device's state. The icon's color matches its color in the map. |
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Name: |
The first line of the device's name as shown on the map |
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Condition: |
The most severe (i.e. worst) status for the device |
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Date: |
Shows when the device entered its current state |
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Previous condition: |
The device's status before it entered the current state |
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Date & Time: |
Shows when the device entered the previous condition |
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Probe Type: |
Shows the probe type for the device |
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Address: |
Shows the network address of the device |
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Map Name: |
The name of the map in which the device appears |
There are a number of ways to interact with the Device List:
(Notifiers are covered in detail in module 3)
View as a list of devices, networks and links, each showing the states that will send notifications.
Control when notifiers are sent, set delay prior to launch and whether and how often the notifications will be resent.
(Charting data is covered in detail in module 3)
View a list of charts associated with the map, and edit their properties.
Shows the list of charts for the map.
This view shows the datasets available for charting and data collection in this map. With the map in Edit Mode, you can choose a retention policy for any dataset.
The Dataset view shows the following:
Left pane of the
Map Settings Window
Use the Map Settings Window to specify colors for the map, to specify a background image, and to specify default thresholds and notifiers. Any changes you make are saved with the map, and do not affect any other maps.
To view the Map Settings Window:
The Colors pane of the Map Settings Window
To view and edit the colors for the current map:
From the Appearance section of the Map Settings Window, choose Colors... The current colors for the map appear.
Intermapper has a default color scheme that is controlled by the default color preference window. This color scheme applies to all new maps, and to those maps for which the Use server defaults box is checked.
To use a set of colors different from the global color scheme:
To restore the current map to the default color settings:
Background Image pane of the Map Settings Window
You can define a background image for any map. The background image appears behind the map contents - the devices, icons, and links on the map.
You might use a background image containing a floor plan of an office, and move the items on the map to show the locations of each device in the office. You might use an image containing street map of a city or topographic map of a county or state.
For more information, see Background Images.
The Device pane of the Map Settings Window
Intermapper can provide warnings or alerts when interface errors, packet loss, or round-trip times get too high. You can set default thresholds for all of these metrics from the Map Settings Window.
The Traffic pane of the Map Settings Window
Intermapper provides indicators for network traffic. You can specify the levels at which the different indicators are shown on links.
For each available metric, enter the value required to display the specified traffic indicator:
The Default Retention Policy pane of the Map Settings Window
If you are using Intermapper Database to collect device and network data, you can specify a default retention policy for a map. This setting overrides any default policy set in the Server Settings Window.
Use the Map Settings Window to specify the Retention Policy you want to use with new devices in this map. Data Retention Policies are defined from the Data Retention Policy page of the Intermapper DataCenter.
Retention polices, and handling chart database size, are covered in a separate training module.
The Default Notifiers pane of the Map Settings Window
Use the Map Settings Window to specify the notifiers you want to attach to new devices in this map by default.
To specify the default notifiers for the current Map:
To edit the available notifiers:
Use the Layer 2 Settings panel to turn on Layer 2 features for a map and to choose how Layer 2 connections should appear.
Use the Server Settings Window to view and edit the settings of an Intermapper server. You must have administrator privileges to access the Server Settings Window.
The Window is divided into three sections: Server Information, Server Preferences, and Server Configuration.
Use the Server Preferences section of the Server Settings Window to view and edit default Intermapper's server settings.
To view and edit Intermapper server settings:
Use the Info Windows, available from the Monitor menu, to view and edit information about a selected device or network.
The appearance and content of an Info Window varies, depending on whether the selected object is a device or network. If the object is a device, the information varies, depending on the device's probe type.
To open an Info Window:
Click the device or network whose info you want to view and do one of the following:
Alternatively, right-click the device or network and choose Show Info Window.
Once the Window is open:
Use the Device Info window to view and edit information about a device.
Use the Device Info window's General pane to edit general information about the device.
To add a probe:
Note: When you add a probe, the device becomes a probe group.
Use the Device Info window's Icon pane to change the icon for the device.
To change the device's icon:
Use the Device Info window's Label pane to edit the device's label.
A label can contain any combination of text, variables, and JavaScript. For detailed information on editing labels see Editing Labels and Dynamic Label and Alert Text.
Use the Advanced pane to choose the mapping behavior of a device, and whether to collect Layer 2 information.
Network Info Window
Intermapper shows detailed status about any item on a map (a device, a network, or a link) in a Status Window, as shown in the Device Status Window below.
To view device, network, or link status:
To keep a Status Window open:
If you are using a custom TCP or SNMP probe, you can override the default contents of a Status Window. For more information, see Custom Probes and Customizing Status Windows in the Developer Guide.
Note: The map must be in Edit mode to reset the Packet Loss value.
The Window shows the device name, network address, device status, the probe used to poll it, up-time (i.e., SNMP sysUptime, if available), availability (the percentage of the time the device was available based on the number of packets lost while testing), round-trip time (in msec), and spanning tree status (if available).
When the device reports a problem, the reason for the most important error is shown in red at the bottom of the Status Window.
The Network Status Window shows the network's IP address and subnet mask, (if available) and information about the amount of traffic flowing on that network segment. This data comes from all the SNMP devices attached to that network
oval.
Note: The traffic statistic shown are only for devices connected to this network that speak SNMP: Ping/Echo, or TCP-based devices (such as HTTP, FTP, etc. probes) do not have this information and are ignored when computing the sums and maximums displayed in the Status Window.
The Link Status Window shows the link's interface name and description, its type (10 or 100 Mbps, 1.5 Mbps T-1, etc.), its status and up-time, its IP, AppleTalk, and MAC addresses (when available), traffic statistics (transmitted from and received by the interface), and the time since the last poll.
Tip: Certain devices do not report their link speed accurately in their SNMP responses. This causes Intermapper to report a value which is not actually correct. To work around this, switch the map to Edit mode, then right-click the link and choose Set Link Speed... The Set Link Speed Window appears, allowing you to set Transmit and Receive speeds.
Intermapper can show the interfaces of a particular router or switch. This is convenient for viewing the specifics of those interfaces (for example, the ifAlias or Name assigned to each individual port) or for viewing the status of the port.
To view the Interfaces Window:
Note: You may open as many Interfaces Windows as you like. Each Window is updated at the device's poll interval.
The Interfaces Window displays one row for each port/interface on the device. It shows the following information in columns:
- This Map View Window, although identical to the global view covered in item 3, allows for per device inclusion.
Use the Flows Window to view and analyze traffic at a very detailed level. Intermapper Flows acts as a NetFlow/sFlow collector; the Flows Window provides a view of Flows data collected from supported hardware and software exporters.
To open the Flows Window:
When you first open the Flows Window, the Hosts tab is selected.
Click a tab to choose one of these Flows Window pages:
When collecting data from both NetFlow and sFlow exporters, you can tell at a glance what kind of exporter the data is coming from.
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NetFlow Data |
This icon is shown when viewing data from a NetFlow exporter. Depending on the version, the icon shows a 1, 5, 7, or 9. |
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sFlow Data |
This icon is shown when viewing data from an sFlow exporter. |
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J-Flow, |
These exporters implement a Flows format that is identical to NetFlow v5, so they appear as NetFlow v5 in the Flows Window. |
Use the filter tools to view a subset of the data, selecting from available exporters, talkers, listeners, ports or sessions collected by Intermapper Flows.
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Previous/Next view |
Click the left arrow to view the current tab with a previous set of filters. If you have clicked a previous set of filters, click the right arrow to view the current tab with the next set of filters in the view history. |
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Exporter |
Choose a different exporter from the dropdown menu to view traffic from that exporter. You can also choose a specific interface on an exporter from the dropdown menu. |
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Host |
Enter an IP address or subnet (x.x.x.x/#) to view traffic from that host or subnet or choose from the dropdown menu. |
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Port |
Enter a port from the dropdown menu to view traffic from that port or choose from the dropdown menu. |
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Talkers/Both/Listeners |
Click the left arrow to view Top Listeners (receivers) only, the right arrow to view Top Talkers (senders) only, and the button with both arrows to view Top Hosts by the total traffic sent and received by each host. |
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Context Menu |
Right-click or Ctrl-click an area of host activity in the Stack chart, Pie chart, or list and choose from the context menu. The menu changes depending on which area of the Window you right-click. Get more detail in the Top Hosts, Top Ports, or Top Sessions tab. |
Use the time range selection controls to view and select a range of time for which you want to view.
To select a time range:
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Back in Time |
Click the left arrow to view the previous Windowful of data. The amount of data shown is determined by the current setting of the time range dropdown menu. |
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Forward in Time |
Click the right arrow to view the next Windowful of data. The amount of data shown is determined by the current setting of the time range dropdown menu. |
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Forward to Now |
Click the Now button to view the latest data. The amount of data shown is determined by the current setting of the time range dropdown menu. |
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Zoom Out |
Click the Zoom Out button to reset the time range to the most recent setting in the Time Range dropdown menu. |
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Refresh |
Click the Refresh button to view the most recent data, based on the setting of the time range dropdown menu. |
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Auto-refresh Interval |
Choose a refresh interval from the Auto-refresh dropdown menu. |
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Time until refresh |
The time to the right of the Auto-refresh Interval button indicates the time until the next refresh of the Window. |
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Save Report |
Click this button to save the report to disk. A standard file dialog appears. The report is saved in PDF format, and contains the Top Hosts, Top Ports, and Top Sessions tabs. |
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Print Report |
Click this button to print a report using the current time range and filter settings. A standard print dialog appears. |
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Open Settings Dialog |
Click this button to open the Intermapper Flows Settings dialog. For more information, see the Intermapper Flows Settings topic. |
13. Reports Window
- covered in Module 3
Note: the layer 2 subsystem requires that Intermapper DataCenter be installed and running.
In the Edit Menu, Server Settings panel, use the Layer 2 Features panel to enable Layer 2 features and specify how you want to use them.
Note: In order to use the Layer 2 features in your map, after enabling Layer 2 features in the Server Settings Window, you must enable them in the Map Settings Window for each map that contains Layer 2 devices.
With Layer 2 discovery enabled, it is possible to use the information in your maps.
Use the Layer 2 view of the Device List Window to view information about your Layer 2 devices and the devices they are connected to. With the Layer 2 view, you can answer questions like:
The Layer 2 Window contains three main panes:
Note: The connections pane is collapsed by default. Drag the top of the pane up to reveal the pane.
Use the Layer 2 Device (Filters) pane to choose the switch, VLAN and NIC Manufacturer combination that matches the devices you want to view.
The Switches section lists each switch by name, and shows the number of active ports on that switch.
The VLANs section lists all VLANS and the number of ports on each.
The NIC Manufacturers section lists all unique NIC Manufacturers connected to devices.
Use the Filter control, located at the top of the Device Pane (Filter pane), to limit the devices you see in the Connected Devices pane (Endpoints pane).
The Endpoints pane lists all devices that match the combination of switch, VLAN, and NIC Manufacturer checked in the Layer 2 Device pane. The devices that appear are also affected by the setting of the Filter and Seen dropdown menus in the Layer 2 Device pane.
The Layer 2 Connections pane lists all switches, the switches they are connected to, and the ports through which they are connected.
The meanings of flags in the Layer 2 view depend the pane in which they appear.
In the Filter and Endpoints panes, flags indicate the following:
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Switch-to-Switch connection - Connected to another switch |
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Interior device - The device is attached to a hub or switch that is connected between ports of two managed switches. The left or right arrow points away from the spanning tree root. |
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Down - This port is not operating. |
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Multi-homed device - A single MAC address has multiple IP addresses. Each IP addresses is shown as a separate row in the Endpoints pane. |
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Ghost- Port is not active, and the Endpoint (device with this MAC address) has not been seen elsewhere in the network. It was last seen on the indicated switch port. |
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Not present on Map - Port is connected to a managed switch, but that switch is not present on a Layer 2-enabled map. |
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Fuzzy - The Layer 2 process cannot determine the exact port where the device is attached. See Understanding Fuzzy Devices below. |
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Duplicate MAC address detected - The Layer 2 process has found the same MAC address on two separate switch ports. |
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IP conflict - The Layer 2 process has found the same IP address on two separate switch ports. |
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Spanning tree root - This switch is the root of the spanning tree. |
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Loop - a port is connected to another port on the same switch. |
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Wireless (assigned manually) - a port or VLAN has been tagged as Wireless. The Wireless flag appears next to the port in the Filters and Endpoints panes. See Manual Tagging below. |
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Virtual machine (assigned manually) - All NICs from this manufacturer with this OUI (organizationally unique identifier) are virtual machines. The Virtual Machine flag appears next to the OUI and any endpoints that use NICs with that OUI. See Manual Tagging below. |
The following flags may be present in the Flags column of the Connections pane.
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Confirmed connection - will be exported to map. |
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Not present on Map - Port is connected to a device that is not present on a Layer 2-enabled map. |
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Loop - Indicates a direct port-to-port connection on this switch. |
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Both ends see each other's CDP/LLDP advertisements. |
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The left end of the connection sees the right end's CDP/LLDP advertisements. |
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The right end of the connection sees the left end's CDP/LLDP advertisements. |
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Connected to a device that is not present on any map. |
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Confirmed connection -will be exported to map. |
STP column: In the STP column of the Connections Pane, arrows indicate the direction of travel of STP bridge information.
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Right switch is the left switch’s path to root for one or more of the left switch’s spanning trees. (Right switch's port may be in blocking state, if there are loops.) |
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Left switch is the right switch’s path to root for one or more of the right switches’ spanning trees. (Left switch's port may be in blocking state, if there are loops.) |
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Right switch is left switch's path to root for one or more spanning trees and left switch is right switch's path to root for other spanning trees. (Either switch's port may be in blocking state for one or more spanning trees, if there are loops.) |
A device with a MAC address whose location in the Layer 2 topology cannot be completely determined is considered a "fuzzy” device by Intermapper.
Fuzzy devices are quite common, and can occur for a number of reasons. The Layer 2 engine attempts to collect information from all the switches nearly simultaneously. However, some time can elapse between the times that two switches finishes collecting Layer 2 information. During this time period, a MAC address collected from one switch may "age out" of another switch. Alternatively, a device may connect to the network during Layer 2 collection, so its MAC address is reported in one switch's forwarding tables, but not in the edge switch (due to the difference in scan times for the two switches).
Devices may be classified as fuzzy due to bugs in certain switch models. For example, Dartware has a small managed desktop switch that doesn't report its complete forwarding table via SNMP. The extra un-reported devices appear as fuzzy, because the upstream switch reports the MAC address, but the downstream switch never reports them (even though the switch is otherwise perfectly functional.)
Fuzzy devices are distinct from Interior devices. A fuzzy device appears to be in the middle of the network (between two switches) because Intermapper doesn't have complete information. An interior device appears to be in the middle of the network because there is actually another switch or hub located there, but it's not part of the Layer 2 information.
For certain kinds of connections, you may want to tag a port or endpoint device so you can see easily what kind of device it is.
Here are some tagging options:
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Wireless (assigned manually) - Right-click a switch port or VLAN in the Filters pane and select as Wireless from the Tag submenu. The Wireless icon appears next to the port or VLAN. |
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Virtual machine (assigned manually) - Right-click a port in the NIC manufacturer's section of the Filters pane (one that is associated with a virtual machine ), and select as Virtual Machine from the Tag submenu. The Virtual Machine icon appears next to the OUI and any endpoints that use NICs with that OUI. |
- covered in Module 3
- covered in Module 3
The context menu for a device on an editable map contains a configuration tool labeled Set Info, which may be used to alter the information specific to that device, customizing the way it is monitored in Intermapper.
Here are short descriptions of these device configuration options:
Enter a host name or address - Enter a DNS name or IP address here. Intermapper uses this address to probe the device.
Resolve Name to Update Address - Intermapper queries the DNS for the given name, and uses the result to change the address it uses to poll the device.
Resolve Address to Update Name - keeps the specified IP address fixed, but may update the name from the DNS server if one is found.
Choose from this dropdown menu to set the poll interval for selected devices. This interval is independent of and takes priority over the map's poll interval.
If the device's poll interval is set to "Default", the map's poll interval is used.
If a map is set to "No polling" the device poll intervals are ignored, and no devices are polled for that map.
Map Device as - By default, Intermapper attempts to determine the device type automatically. If Intermapper cannot correctly distinguish whether a device is a router or switch, you can use this control to force the proper behavior. Choose one of the following:
Display unnumbered interfaces - check this box to see all the unnumbered interfaces on a switch. By default, Intermapper does not display unnumbered interfaces.
Ignore AppleTalk port information - check this box to prevent inclusion of AppleTalk network numbers for this device.
Ignore interface discards - check this box to prevent discards from counting as errors. Certain equipment does not correctly report discards via SNMP, and causes the device to be shown in alarm.
Ignore interface errors - check this box to prevent interface errors from marking the device as in alarm.
Ignore outages - check this box to poll a device and alert to problems when it's operating, but ignore it (without alarm) when it becomes unresponsive. This can be useful for network administrators to monitor desktops that get shut off overnight, or laptops that get taken home.
Allow periodic reprobe - check this box to choose whether or not a device is to be automatically reprobed every 12 hours.
Poll this address for Layer 2 information - clear this box to prevent this device's IP address from being polled for Layer 2 information.
Allow Layer 2 connection - clear this box to prevent Intermapper from making a connection from this device to other devices on the map using Layer 2 information.
The comment is seen in the Device's Status Window. Sets the comment for all the selected devices. (See the Device Status Window for details on the comment field.)
This information is saved as part of the map. Use the Comment field to save the model and serial number for a device, telephone numbers, circuit numbers, or other information related to the item.
Sets the read-only community string for all selected devices.
The default community string for most SNMP devices is "public".
Selects the Data Retention Policy to use when storing data to the Intermapper Database. Data Retention Policies are defined using the Retention Policies pane of the Server Settings Window.
For each device whose data is stored in the Intermapper Database, you can set a device kind. This can be useful during data reporting or analysis. Use the Set Device Kind dialog to choose the device kind you want to store with the device data.
Enter valid latitude and longitude values in the text boxes and click OK. The device is moved to the appropriate location in the map, based on existing benchmarks.
Device Threshold Window.
Set the criteria for sending a notification that a device is down, in an alarm state, or in a warning state. These settings apply to all the devices on the map.
Sets the probe timeout for all selected devices. This opens the Set Timeout Window, as shown.
The default timeout for Intermapper is 3 seconds. See the Probe Reference chapter for details on the probe timeouts.
A Vantage Point
Set the selected device as the Vantage Point from which Intermapper views all other devices on the map. If a device (such as a router or switch) between the Vantage Point and other devices fails, notifications are sent only for the failed device. The other devices are in the "shadow" of the failed device, and appear dimmed on the map.
The Vantage Point specifies Intermapper's virtual point of presence - as if the Intermapper server were directly connected to that item. When the Vantage Point is set on a device, a star appears next to the icon, as shown.
The Vantage Point is used in conjunction with Intermapper's Notification Dependencies, which suppress notifications for devices that are assumed to be down because some other failure hides or shadows them. For full details, see Using Vantage Points.
Intermapper counts the number of dropped packets out of the last 100. This applies to all packets sent to the device (networks and links are not involved).
The Short-term packet loss is displayed in the Device's Status Window as a percentage of the number of dropped packets in the last 100. Use this command to reset the current value to zero.
Select a device, then choose from this submenu to launch a helper application, or choose customize to configure your helper applications.
Select one or more map items, then choose from this submenu to specify what action is taken when any of the items is double-clicked. Use double-click actions to launch an Helper Application, URL, or Menu item.
For more information on Double-Click actions, see Using Double-Click Actions.
Still have questions? We can help. Submit a case to Technical Support.