Session Four of InterMapper Training: Major Windows

The Map Window

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

The Title bar shows the map's title, its state, and has standard controls for zooming, minimizing, and closing the Window.

The Menu Bar

The Menu bar contains the map's menus.

For a complete reference for each menu, see the Command/Menu Reference.

The Toolbar

The Toolbar contains buttons to toggle the map's edit mode and to switch from one view to another.

	Map view Shows the map as individual icons, with their interconnections.
	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: With a server selected in the map list, , choose *Device List* from the Map List Window's menu. A list of all devices on the selected server appears.
	Notifier view This view lets you see which notifiers are attached to each device on a map. Another way to think of it is as a "responsibilities" view - what devices apply to a certain notifier.
	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
	Chart List view Shows the list of charts for the map

Switching Between Monitor Mode and Edit Mode

Click the Lock icon at the left end of the tool bar to switch the map between Monitor mode and Edit mode:

	In Monitor mode - The map is not editable, and status windows appear when you click and hold a device, link, or network.
	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.

The Map Legend

(covered in Module 3)

The Map Area

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

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.
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.

Device List View

Use the Device List Window to view

a global list of devices
a list of notifiers
a list of Layer 2 devices

List View

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

	Status:	The device's state. The icon's color matches its color in the map.
	Name:	The first line of the device's name as shown on the map
	Condition:	The most severe (i.e. worst) status for the device
	Date:	Shows when the device entered its current state
	Previous condition:	The device's status before it entered the current state
	Date & Time:	Shows when the device entered the previous condition
	Probe Type:	Shows the probe type for the device
	Address:	Shows the network address of the device
	Map Name:	The name of the map in which the device appears

Manipulating the Device List

There are a number of ways to interact with the Device List:

Select the device in the map - Double-click an entry in the Device List to switch to the proper map, and highlights the particular device with zooming rectangles.
Sort the list by clicking a column heading. Click again to re-sort in the opposite order.
Resize columns by dragging the separator between the columns to the proper size.
Re-order the columns by dragging a column to a new position in the Device List Window.

Notifier View

(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.

Chart List View

(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.

Expand the tree to view a chart's datasets.
Double-click a chart name to open the chart.
Right-click the Chart List button to open a particular chart without switching the view.
Right-click on a chart to:
- Show the chart
- Rename the chart
- Delete the chart
Right-click on a dataset to:
- Show the chart containing that instance of the dataset
- Show the device generating the dataset
- Raise the Status Window for the device generating the dataset
- Rename the dataset
- Remove the dataset
- Export data from the dataset
- Delete data from the dataset

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.

The Dataset view shows the following:

a list of devices on the current map
For a selected device (whose check box is selected) shows the dataset name, type, and current retention policy.
Any available interfaces and the available datasets associated with them.

Map Settings

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:

Make sure the map is in Edit mode.
From the Edit menu, choose Map Settings... The Map Settings Window appears. In the left pane is a menu tree. In the right pane are the settings for the selected section of the menu.

Setting a Map's Colors

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:

Clear the Use server defaults box.

Click the color box for the first color you want to change. The Color Picker Window appears.

Click to choose a color, then click OK. The new color appears in the color box you clicked.

Repeat steps 2 and 3 for each color you want to change.

Click OK.

To restore the current map to the default color settings:

Click to select the Use server defaults check box.

Click OK. The map uses the default colors. The colors you defined are still saved with the map.

Adding a Background Image

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.

Setting a Map's Default Device Thresholds

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.

Use Server Defaults - check this box to override the map settings and use the server default settings.

Down Thresholds - Enter the number of lost packets required to generate a Down state.

Other Thresholds - For each metric, in each column enter a value required to generate the a Warning, Alarm, or Critical state.

Setting a Map's Default Traffic Thresholds

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:

Some traffic - Choose Frames Per Second or Bytes Per Second and enter a value required to indicate some traffic.

High traffic - Enter a value in frames-per-second required to indicate high traffic.

Large frames - Enter a value in bytes-per-frame required to indicate large frames.

Trouble - Enter a value in errors-per-minute required to indicate trouble.

Specifying a Map's Default Data Retention Policy

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.

Specifying a Map's Default Notifiers

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:

For each map state, select the check box for each notifier you want to attach to that state. For more information, see Using Notifiers.

To edit the available notifiers:

Click Edit Notifiers... The Notifier List pane of the Server Settings Window appears, showing the available notifiers. For more information, see Using Notifiers.

Setting your Map's Layer 2 Features

Use the Layer 2 Settings panel to turn on Layer 2 features for a map and to choose how Layer 2 connections should appear.

Notes: To use the Layer 2 features, you must enable Layer 2 collection in the Layer 2 Features pane of the Server Settings Window.

One option allows InterMapper to make changes to the map based on Layer 2 data. This can cause significant changes to your map. We recommend that you back up the map before activating Layer 2 features.

Enable Layer 2 features for this map - select this check box to turn on Layer 2 mapping for this map.

Change Now - click this button to initiate the visual arrangement of connections on the map to reflect the most recent topology using Layer 2 data.

Automatically change this map to show Layer 2 connections - select this box to allow InterMapper to edit the map automatically to show Layer 2 connections.

Show interfaces when a connection is made - select this box to show Layer 2 interfaces when a connection is made.

Hide interfaces that have nothing connected - select this box to limit the interfaces shown to those that have something connected to them.

Hide propVirtual interfaces - select this box to hide interfaces whose ifType is propVirtual.

Server Settings

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:

From the Edit menu, choose Server Settings... The Server Settings Window appears, showing three sections of settings on the left. On the right is a panel in which the selected settings appear.

If necessary, click the plus sign (+) to expand the Server Preferences section. A list of available preference settings appears.

Click the subsection for the settings you want to edit. The selected settings appear in the right panel.

Info Windows

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:

Press Ctrl/Cmd-I to open the Info Window.

From the Monitor menu, choose Show Info Window.

Alternatively, right-click the device or network and choose Show Info Window.

Once the Window is open:

Click the pencil icon in the Window to change the map to Edit mode.

Click an underlined legend to change the parameter.

Double-click the icon preview to choose a new icon.

Device Info Window

Use the Device Info window to view and edit information about a device.

To use the device window:

Click a section on the left to edit that info type.
Edit the info as described below.
Click Apply to save your changes.
Click OK to save your changes and close the Info window.

General Pane

Use the Device Info window's General pane to edit general information about the device.

Editing General Info

Address - view or edit the device address. This is the address that is used when the device is polled.
Host Name - view or edit the device's host name. This is the host name that is used to resolve the address
Resolve - choose address to set name, name to set address, or neither.
IMID - view InterMappers internal device ID. (This info is read-only.)
Kind - choose from the dropdown menu to specify the type of device.
Retention Policy - choose a Retention Policy to specify how data for this device is saved.
Latitude - set the device's latitude.
Longitude - set the device's longitude.
Comment - enter text in the Comment box to add a comment to the device.

SNMP Pane

Use the Info window's SNMP pane to view available SNMP information. This is a read-only pane, so there are no options to edit.

Probes Pane

Use the Device Info window's Probes pane to view and edit the device's probes.

Editing Probe Info

From the Probes pane, you can add and remove probes, and edit a probe's information.

To edit a probe's information:

Make the map editable by clicking the Lock icon at lower left.
To change the probe, right-click (or Control-click) the probe you want to edit, and choose Set Probe... from the context menu. The Set Probe window appears.
Choose the probe you want to use and edit the settings as needed.
Click OK to close the Set Probe window.

To add a probe:

Click the plus icon (+) at the bottom of the Probes pane. The Set Probe window appears.
Click to choose a probe from the probe list on the left.
Edit the probe settings as needed.
Click OK to close the Set Probe window.

Note: When you add a probe, the device becomes a probe group.

Thresholds Pane

Use the Device Info window's Thresholds pane to view and edit threshold settings for the device.

Editing Threshold Info

Open the Info window for the device you want to edit.
Make sure the map is in Edit mode.
Click Thresholds to view the Thresholds pane.
Clear the Use Map Defaults check box.
Enter new values in the boxes you want to change.
Click Apply to activate the changes without closing the window or OK to activate and close the window. The selected device uses the new values.

Icon Pane

Use the Device Info window's Icon pane to change the icon for the device.

Editing Icon Info

To change the device's icon:

From the dropdown menu at the top of the pane, choose an icon set.
Scroll through the set and choose an icon. You can see what it looks like by clicking on it. You can see what it looks like in different states by clicking the colored buttons below the preview area.
When you have found an icon you want to use, click Apply to activate the icon without closing the window or OK to activate the icon and close the window.

Label Pane

Use the Device Info window's Label pane to edit the device's label.

Editing a 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.

Advanced Pane

Use the Advanced pane to choose the mapping behavior of a device, and whether to collect Layer 2 information.

Mapping Behavior

Determine network information for each port separately - use this option when mapping Routers.
Propagate all network number information from one port to all ports - use this option when mapping switches.
Do not propagate network information about the ports - use this option when mapping hubs and end systems.

Layer 2

Poll this address for Layer 2 information - clear this box to prevent this device's IP address from being polled for Layer 2 information. This is equivalent to the Remove switch from Layer 2 database command, available when you right-click a switch in the Layer 2 view's Filter pane.
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.

Network Info Window

Status Windows

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:

Make sure your map is in Monitor mode (click the padlock at the upper left of map window until there is a slash through it, or press the Tab key.)

Click and hold a device, network, or link on the map, or right-click the device, network, or link, then choose Status Window. The Status Window for the selected device appears.

Release the mouse button to hide the Status Window.

To keep a Status Window open:

Make sure your map is in Monitor mode.

Click and hold the device, network, or link on the map.

Drag to a new location. As you drag, the cursor (Windows) or a transparent Window appears.

Release the mouse. You have "torn" the Window off; it remains open, located where you released the mouse.

Customizing a Status Window

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.

Device Status Window

Open the Window - Click and hold the mouse on a device to open its Device Status Window, or right-click the device and choose Status Window.

Keep it open - Click and drag to tear the Window off and leave it open.

Reset link - Click the underlined Reset link to set Packet Loss to zero. This also resets the device's availability measurement.

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.

Network Status Window

Click and hold the mouse on a network oval to open its Network Status Window, or right-click the network and choose Status Window.

Click and drag to tear the Window off and leave it open.

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.

Top Tx - tells which device is transmitting the most data

Top Rx - tells which device is receiving the most data

Top Err - tells which device is reporting the highest error rate for the link

Sum In/Sum Out - the sum of all the transmitters and receivers connected to that network.

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.

Link Status Window

View link status - Click and hold the mouse on a link, or right click the link and choose Status Window. to open its Link Status Window.

Leave the Window open - Click and drag to tear the Window off and leave it open.

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.

Interfaces Window

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:

Right-click the router or switch for which you want to view the Interfaces Window.

From the contextual menu, choose Interfaces Window.

or

From the Monitor menu, choose 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

The Interfaces Window displays one row for each port/interface on the device. It shows the following information in columns:

Show/Hide Checkbox When checked this interface will be visible on the map. Unchecking this box will hide the interface.

ifAlias The ifAlias assigned to the interface.

Name The name assigned to the interface.

Description The description assigned to the interface.

Type The type of the interface, as defined in MIB-II.

Status The status of the interface as determined by ifAdminStatus and ifOperStatus. A green dot means the interface is operational. If ifOperStatus is 1, then a red "X" appears. If ifAdminStatus is 1, then a blue "X" is shown.

TX Speed The Transmit Speed reported by the interface, in bits per second.

RX Speed User-settable value that is used when InterMapper computes the utilization of the receive side of the interface. If the value is not set, InterMapper uses the TX Speed for the calculation. This is useful when the transmit and receive speeds are different (for example, in asymmetric DSL links). You can set change both the RX Speed and TX speed using the Set Link Speed... command, described below.

Index The ifIndex of the interface.

VLAN Contains the VLAN ID that has been assigned to the interface.

Display unnumber interfaces

Notifiers Window

- This Map View Window, although identical to the global view covered in item 3, allows for per device inclusion.

Flows Window

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:

To see network traffic data from any device, Right-click or ctrl-click a device that shows an exporter badge and choose Flows Window.

To see the traffic through an exporter's interface, Right-click or ctrl-click a link and choose Flows Window.

Understanding the Flows Window

When you first open the Flows Window, the Hosts tab is selected.

Filter tools - select the subset of Flows data you want to view.
InterMapper Flows Settings - view and edit InterMapper Flows settings.
Time Range Selection tools - select and navigate Flows data over a specified period.
Refresh button - click to refresh the current view of Flows data.
Set Graph Scale - choose a scale to use for viewing data in the Stack Chart.
Stack Chart - view current Host, Port, or VLAN data in a stacked area chart.
Hosts, Ports, or VLANs pie chart - view current Host, Port, or VLAN data as a percentage of total data flow in a pie chart.
Hosts, Ports, or VLANs list table - view details about a specific host, port, or VLAN.
Page Selection tabs - Click a tab to choose a Flows Window page. (see below.)

Click a tab to choose one of these Flows Window pages:

Top Hosts tab - view a list of top talkers, listeners, or both, with stack and pie charts showing the relative activity of each.

Top Ports tab - view a list of ports with the highest activity, with stack and pie charts showing the relative activity of each.

Top Sessions tab - view a list of sessions, with start and end IP addresses and the start and end time of each session.

Flow Type Icons

When collecting data from both NetFlow and sFlow exporters, you can tell at a glance what kind of exporter the data is coming from.

	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.
	sFlow Data	This icon is shown when viewing data from an sFlow exporter.
	J-Flow, CFlow	These exporters implement a Flows format that is identical to NetFlow v5, so they appear as NetFlow v5 in the Flows Window.

Filter Tools

Use the filter tools to view a subset of the data, selecting from available exporters, talkers, listeners, ports or sessions collected by InterMapper Flows.

	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.
	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.
	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.
	Port	Enter a port from the dropdown menu to view traffic from that port or choose from the dropdown menu.
	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.
	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.

Time Range Selection

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:

Drag - Select by dragging across an area of the stack chart.

Enter times - For precise control, enter times in the Showing data from Start and End time fields.

Click the calendar icon to set a Start or End date.

Preset time range - Use the dropdown menu to choose a preset time range. When you change this value, the current End time is preserved.

Move back or forward - Use the time navigation controls shown below to jump back or forward by the amount shown in the time range dropdown menu or jump to now.

	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.
	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.
	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.
	Zoom Out	Click the Zoom Out button to reset the time range to the most recent setting in the Time Range dropdown menu.
	Refresh	Click the Refresh button to view the most recent data, based on the setting of the time range dropdown menu.
	Auto-refresh Interval	Choose a refresh interval from the Auto-refresh dropdown menu.
	Time until refresh	The time to the right of the Auto-refresh Interval button indicates the time until the next refresh of the Window.

Reports and Settings

	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.
	Print Report	Click this button to print a report using the current time range and filter settings. A standard print dialog appears.
	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

Layer 2 Window

Enabling and using the Layer 2 feature set

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.

Enable Layer 2 features on this server - select this check box to turn on Layer 2 features.

[NN] Maps Enabled - Click this link to choose the maps for which Layer 2 is enabled. The Layer 2 Enabled Maps Window appears as shown below.

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.

Discovery Options

Layer 2 discovery period - select a discovery period from the dropdown menu to specify how often to initiate discovery requests. Choose Manually to collect Layer 2 information only when you choose.

Now - click the Now button to perform a discovery and collect Layer 2 data immediately.

Collect complete information about devices on the network - select this option to collect detailed information from SNMP devices. This may place significant CPU load on your switches and routers during discovery.

Limit Layer 2 discovery to CDP and LLDP only - select this option to request only CDP and LLDP information from Layer 2 devices. This option reduces the CPU load on your switches during the discovery process.

With Layer 2 discovery enabled, it is possible to use the information in your maps.

Enable Layer 2 features for this map - select this check box to turn on Layer 2 mapping for this map.

Change Now - click this button to initiate the visual arrangement of connections on the map to reflect the most recent topology using Layer 2 data.

Automatically change this map to show Layer 2 connections - select this box to allow InterMapper to edit the map automatically to show Layer 2 connections. This action will cause wholesale changes to your map. We recommend you make a copy of the map first.
Show interfaces when a connection is made - select this box to show Layer 2 interfaces when a connection is made. This action will cause wholesale changes to your map. We recommend you make a copy of the map first.

Hide interfaces that have nothing connected - select this box to limit the interfaces shown to those that have something connected to them.

Hide propVirtual interfaces - select this box to hide interfaces whose ifType is propVirtual.

Using the Layer 2 View

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:

What port is this computer connected to?

What computer is on this port?

What port on this switch is that other switch connected to?

The Layer 2 Window

Understanding the Layer 2 Window

The Layer 2 Window contains three main panes:

The Endpoints pane - the upper right pane lists all switch ports and the devices connected to them. It contains only those ports and devices that match the filter criteria in the Filter pane.

The Filter pane - the left pane provides criteria for showing or hiding endpoints based on their presence on a particular switch, VLAN, or the endpoint's manufacturer. lists available switches, the VLANs in which they appear, and manufacturers of network interface cards of the devices connected to them. Use the check boxes to select or hide endpoints in the Endpoints pane, and type additional criteria to help select the endpoints you want to view.

The Connections pane - the lower right pane provides details about switch-to-switch connections.

Note: The connections pane is collapsed by default. Drag the top of the pane up to reveal the pane.

Understanding and Using the Layer 2 Filter 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.

Default view - All boxes checked by default, so all devices are shown.

Filter the view - Clear check boxes to get the combination of switch, VLAN, and NIC Manufacturer that matches the devices you want to view.

Show only this one - Double-click a check box to select it and clear all other check boxes in the section.

Expand the Switch tree to view and select switch ports.

Expand the VLANs tree to view and select VLANs.

Expand the NIC Manufacturer tree to view and select NIC models from those available.

Enter a hostname in the Filter box to limit the devices shown in the Connected Devices pane.

Flags add information - Certain flags appear to the left of entries. See Understanding Layer 2 flags below.

Using the Filter control

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).

Filter by host - Enter a host name or address to view only devices connected to that domain or address.

Endpoints only? - From the Filter dropdown menu, select or clear Endpoints Only to include or exclude entries for ports with switches, unknown devices, and devices identified as "fuzzy" (see Understanding Layer 2 Icons, below) in the Endpoints pane.

Filter from map - In the map Icon view, or List view, select a device, then use the Layer 2 command, available from the Monitor menu and the context menu, to view that device's connections in the Layer 2 Window.

Understanding and Using the 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.

Sort - Click a column heading to sort by that column. Click again to reverse the sort.

Choose columns - Click the sprocket icon at the right end of the column heading bar to select the columns that appear in the list.

Understanding and Using the Layer 2 Connections Pane

The Layer 2 Connections pane lists all switches, the switches they are connected to, and the ports through which they are connected.

Sort - Click a column heading to sort by that column. Click again to reverse the sort.

Choose columns - Click the sprocket icon at the right end of the column heading bar to choose the columns that appear in the list.

Understanding Layer 2 Flags

The meanings of flags in the Layer 2 view depend the pane in which they appear.

Flags in Device Filter and Endpoints panes

In the Filter and Endpoints panes, flags indicate the following:

	Switch-to-Switch connection - Connected to another switch
or	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.
	Down - This port is not operating.
	Multi-homed device - A single MAC address has multiple IP addresses. Each IP addresses is shown as a separate row in the Endpoints pane.
	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.
	Not present on Map - Port is connected to a managed switch, but that switch is not present on a Layer 2-enabled map.
or or	Fuzzy - The Layer 2 process cannot determine the exact port where the device is attached. See Understanding Fuzzy Devices below.
	Duplicate MAC address detected - The Layer 2 process has found the same MAC address on two separate switch ports.
	IP conflict - The Layer 2 process has found the same IP address on two separate switch ports.
	Spanning tree root - This switch is the root of the spanning tree.
	Loop - a port is connected to another port on the same switch.
	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.
	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.

Flags in the Connections pane

The following flags may be present in the Flags column of the Connections pane.

	Confirmed connection - will be exported to map.
or	Not present on Map - Port is connected to a device that is not present on a Layer 2-enabled map.
	Loop - Indicates a direct port-to-port connection on this switch.
	Both ends see each other's CDP/LLDP advertisements.
	The left end of the connection sees the right end's CDP/LLDP advertisements.
	The right end of the connection sees the left end's CDP/LLDP advertisements.
	Connected to a device that is not present on any map.
	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.

	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.)
	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.)
	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.)

Understanding Fuzzy Devices

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.

Manual Tagging

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:

	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.
	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.

Set Probe Window

- covered in Module 3

Acknowledging Device Problems

- covered in Module 3

Setup of Device Information

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:

Set Address

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.

Set Poll Interval

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.

Set Behavior

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:

Router:InterMapper determines network information for each port separately.

Switch: InterMapper propagates all network number information from one port to all ports.

Hub and End System:InterMapper does not propagate network information about the ports.

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.

Set Comment

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.

Set Community

Sets the read-only community string for all selected devices.

The default community string for most SNMP devices is "public".

Set Data Retention

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.

Set Kind

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.

Set Latitude & Longitude

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.

Set Thresholds

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.

Down: This is the most serious condition. It means the device is no longer responding to probes. Specify the number of packets that may be lost before declaring the device down.

Critical: This is the most serious condition in which response are still being received. Specify the number of interface errors (per minute) allowed before marking the device as critical.

Alarm: This is next most serious condition. Specify the number of interface errors (per minute) allowed before marking the device in alarm.

Warning: The least serious error state. Specify the number of interface errors (per minute) allowed before showing the device in warning.

Set Timeout

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.

Set Vantage Point

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.

Reset Short-term Packet Loss

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.

Helper Apps

Select a device, then choose from this submenu to launch a helper application, or choose customize to configure your helper applications.

Set Double-click

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.