A couple of thoughts.
Netview V5.1 would help. You are probably using a restrictive seedfile that
only allows the nodes
you list so that you can keep out things you don't want. With V5 this
became a lot easier. You
can exclude non-snmp devices, and you can exclude snmp devices by type (eg
various brands
of printers). You can also exclude by address range. So your seedfile can
become less restrictive,
allowing new network devices to pop in automatically. Less administration.
(And more support!)
Also, V5 has an option on netmon (-y) to tell it to revisit the seedfile
without a stop/start.
Disconnected elements are often the result of making a seedfile too
restrictive too soon. Or else
it is the result of not having snmp access to certain devices that would
otherwise connect them. The
IP Internet submap should have networks connected by routers. If you drill
down into a disconnected
network, you should be able to find the device that network was drawn for.
Then you should be able
to find the routers connecting your management station to that network.
Maybe they are not all on the
map. Maybe they are on the map, but are not recognized as router so are not
at the top level. If this
is not the case. There there are sometimes extra networks that are drawn
for temporary interfaces,
maybe for dialup situations. Those are usually empty, and I just hide
them.
One customer I know of has a very strict change control process for
networking devices. The new
devices are added to DNS first. Their seedfile is generated from a DNS
extract nightly. Any devices
that are going to be taken offline are cut and pasted into a special
location icon ahead of time, so
the operators know not to investigate them when they go red. The next day
they delete them.
Notification of the operations staff is a critical element in their change
control process.
The IBM Systems Journal had an article a few years ago about how they did
software development
for the manned space program in the early days of NASA. It said that a good
change control process
is one that you rely on in an emergency, not one that you circumvent. I
believe that networking
professionals have a lot to learn from systems professionals in that
regard.
Cordially,
Leslie A. Clark
IBM Global Services - Systems Mgmt & Networking
(248) 552-4968 Voicemail, Fax, Pager
---------------------- Forwarded by Leslie Clark/Southfield/IBM on 02-23-99
02:29 PM ---------------------------
Rob Wilkinson <Rob.Wilkinson@MBS.GOV.ON.CA> on 02-23-99 10:09:06 AM
Please respond to Discussion of IBM NetView and POLYCENTER Manager on
NetView <NV-L@UCSBVM.UCSB.EDU>
To: NV-L@UCSBVM.UCSB.EDU
cc: (bcc: Leslie Clark/Southfield/IBM)
Subject: Netview 4 with cisco routers
Hi,
We use Netview for monitoring 1600 cisco routers. The environment is very
dynamic in that there are constant changes to the network such as removal,
upgrading, additions of cisco routers daily.
Netview maps are always wrong because they contain the old information and
it is always necessary to go and update them manually. We use a seed file
so we need to add the new entries to this and bounce netmon. When a router
is removed physically we need to go and remove it manually from the maps.
We always have disconnected elements on our root map and have tried
deleteing them and they always come back..
Does anyone have a similar situation and how do you manage this or automate
it?
Thanks,
Rob
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