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Interop New York
“Start spreading the news…” We’re coming quickly upon the time for Interop New York (October 24-25). As you’re making plans for the show, be sure to stop by the Network Instruments® booth (#329). You can roll to win an iPod Shuffle® as well as see the GigaStor™ Expandable platform which can store up to 48 TB of data for retrospective analysis. Learn more about the latest features of Observer®, including Application Profiling, and the additions to the Observer Reporting Server. In your planning, be sure to get your free expo pass from Network Instruments.
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In Practice: Observer Reporting Server
Summary
Learn how to get a handle on network performance problems across your distributed network with Observer Reporting Server (ORS). ORS provides a consolidated view of an entire network by connecting and aggregating information from multiple Observer Suite consoles. ORS also provides web-based reporting which can be used by management to evaluate performance across the organization. |
Regardless of the innumerable tasks a network engineer may be required to do, their primary purpose is to ensure the prompt delivery of applications to network users. Failure to quickly spot and resolve performance problems can unleash a flurry of e-mails and phone calls from upper-management and users that bury the engineer.
Observer Reporting Server (ORS) was created to provide a high-level network view on a single console to help administrators quickly pinpoint problems, create and share reports on enterprise-wide network performance, and allow management to pull reports easily from their web browser.
High-Level Reporting and Drill Down
The ORS connects to multiple Observer Suite consoles and aggregates critical network performance metrics into an overall view of network health. In addition to providing an easy-to-access view of network performance, reports can be segmented by individual business units, user groups, or infrastructure types. This means network engineers and managers can quickly view bandwidth utilization or application use by department. |
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For example, if managers notice unexpectedly high bandwidth use from a department, they can also quickly and seamlessly drill down on the report to the individual link or user detail using the Observer Reporting Server and Observer. Root Cause and Expert Analysis can then be performed using Observer.
Integrated Enterprise Reporting with RNA
In addition to drilling into Observer for real-time Expert Analysis, ORS now integrates with GigaStor in Observer 12.1, adding the power of retrospective network analysis (RNA) to high-level reporting. This allows the engineer, upon discovering a problem presented by the ORS, to seamlessly drill into GigaStor to review and analyze network traffic transmitted before, during, and after the problem occurred.
Share Web-based Reports with Management
ORS allows the network engineer to grant managers and consultants access to the reporting server via their web browser. The network engineer sets the level of access for the manager, who can create live reports online or have reports delivered on a scheduled basis via e-mail.
Tech Tip: Setting up Application Analysis Profiles
Within Application Analysis in Observer 12.1, network engineers can create multiple profiles, which allow them to select and monitor a group of network servers and devices within a designated subset. For example, profiles can be set up to monitor multi-tiered applications across a distributed network or application performance by department.
To set up an Application Analysis Profile, you will need to:
- From the main Observer page, select Trending/Analysis from the main menu and choose Application Analysis from the drop-down menu.
- On the Application Analysis page, click the Settings icon which will display the Application Analysis Settings window.
- The profiles are set to Default. Add a new profile of network servers and devices by selecting the “Edit profiles” button and then the “Create new” button. You’ll then be able to name the profile and select devices you’d like to designate within the profile. A single network device may be added to multiple profiles.
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October 2007 
