Working with the Edge Monitor Web View

This chapter describes how you can use the Edge Monitor web view feature to access the Edge Monitor's data with a web browser. The chapter includes details about:

• Verifying the location of the web files

• Accessing the Edge Monitor data

• Using the Java applications

Once you have the Edge Monitor installed (along with the required services and protocols), you can verify that the default location for the documents and files for the Edge Monitor web view is as follows:

c:\winnt\system32\dRMON\www

Though not recommended, if you need to relocate any or all of the web view files, you must edit the registry to inform the Edge Monitor of the new location.

Edit the following key in the registry with Regedit to enter the new pathname in the area indicated by the bold type:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\3Com\dRMON Edge Monitor\

CurrentVersion\WWWPath <newpathname here>

The Edge Monitor forwards its collected and aggregated RMON data to Java applications on the dRMON web view pages. You can use a Java-enabled browser from any workstation on your network to view the data collected by the Edge Monitor. Additionally, you can use the Edge Monitor web view to securely manage your network, even from a dial-up connection.

The Transcend dRMON Edge Monitor System home page is shown in Figure 4-1.

You can use the buttons at the top of the page to navigate through various types of data or visit the 3Com World Wide Web page.

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Figure 4-1 Home Page of the Transcend dRMON Edge Monitor System

Using Browser Secure Login Features

You can limit access to the Edge Monitor web view using the built-in security features of the browser.

To create a password for logging in to the Edge Monitor web view, follow the basic procedure outlined below, using the User Manager utility in Windows NT Administration Tools.

1 .   Create a New User account for each user you want to authorize.

You could also create a general-purpose user account to be shared.

2 .   Enter the appropriate information in the User fields and click OK.

3 .   In Groups, double-click the desired group to open the Local Group Properties dialog box.

4 .   Add the users to the group and click OK.

5 .   In the Policies menu, click User Rights and select Log on Locally.

6 .   Add the group of users for Edge Monitor web view access.

7 .   Verify that only the authorized users appear in the local group.

8 .   In the Peer Web Services dialog box, select the WWW option.

9 .   Clear all the boxes for Password Authentication except the Basic box.

This setting allows all users to browse the web page after typing their user name and password, without encryption. For details on the other choices, consult the documentation shipped with the HTTP software you are using.

10 .   In the Advanced tab, ensure that by default, all users are granted access. Otherwise, you must approve each access by authorizing the IP address of the user's computer.

How the Edge Monitor Web View Works

Whenever you view the data through a browser instead of a network management application, the data remains on the Edge Monitor computer rather than being "pulled" to the browser.

To access the Edge Monitor web view, enter the IP address or host name of your Edge Monitor workstation in the address area of your browser. The line should resemble to the following, but with the IP address or host name of the computer running the Edge Monitor web view:

http://255.85.62.243/dRMON/WebView/default.htm

Depending on the HTTP directory setup, you may only need to specify the IP address or host name and no additional directory path.

RMON statistical data collected and collated by the Edge Monitor is dynamically displayed in six graphs and four tables. The graphs and tables can be viewed with any Java-enabled browser.

Through the Edge Monitor web view, you can watch the Edge Monitor dynamically update the RMON statistical graphs and tables. Table 4-1 shows the data you can view using the Edge Monitor web view:

Table 4-1 RMON Data Viewable Through the Edge Monitor Web View

Statistic Type	Display Form	Data Represented
Packet Size Distribution	Pie chart	Displays the typical packet sizes that have crossed the network in the last sample period.
Packet Rates	Bar graph	Displays how many packets per second have been broadcast and how many errors and collisions have been detected.
Network Statistics	Graph	Charts a time line of the number of packets, errors, and collisions to reveal spikes in traffic.
Top 10 Hosts	Bar graph	Displays the 10 busiest hosts generating traffic on the network. You can further view host conversation data by clicking on a bar to display a detail window.
Top 10 Host/Errors	Bar graph	Displays the 10 hosts generating the most error packets.
Network Throughput	Graph	Tracks the actual bandwidth consumed (in Mbps) over a given period to reveal the busiest periods.
Statistics	Table	Displays a combination of packet statistics for the whole domain.1
Host	Table	Shows host activity information such as number of incoming/outgoing packets, errors, and outgoing multicasts, based on the host address.
Host Matrix	Table	Creates a table of packet statistics based on source and destination addresses of conversation pairs of hosts.
Events Log	List	Records a listing of events on the domain.

1 Jabbers and Fragments are not tracked by the dRMON SmartAgents.

Each of the graphs displayed on the TdEMS home page represents an active Java application. The Edge Monitor regularly relays the collated data it gathers to each of the applications.

When you click the Window button in the upper left corner of a graph (Figure 4-2), the graph becomes a separate window on your screen, distinct from the browser window. You can minimize or resize the graph window or expand it to fill the entire screen.

Figure 4-2 Java Application in Separate Window

Once the graph is in a separate window, you can minimize the browser window. The graph window remains visible and dynamic as the Edge Monitor forwards more data. You can have all the graphs running in distinct windows simultaneously. However, the browser must also be running, whether open or minimized, for the graphs to be visible. The graphs remain displayed if you direct the browser to other URLs.

The Top 10 Hosts graph has an additional feature. Whenever you click any of the colored bars in the graph, two additional windows open to display additional details of communication (a conversation matrix) between the selected node and its host-directed traffic, as shown in Figure 4-3.

For additional details about using the Java applications, click Help on the home page button bar.

Figure 4-3 Conversation Matrix Details in Java Application Windows