NetWlves Managed Netwrk Services White Paper Versin 1 Published 8/2013 CORPORATE OFFICE 4710 Eisenhwer Blvd. Suite E-8 Tampa, FL 33634-6337 855-638-9658 (NET-WOLV) www.netwlves.cm MK2129
Metrics That Matter Maintaining a netwrk infrastructure requires a team f dedicated prfessinals with the expertise and knw-hw t manage all the inherent design cmplexities. The cst f ding this is expensive. NetWlves ffers a csteffective, n-nnsense business apprach with metrics that matter. NetWlves measures the hlistic quality f a netwrk (NHQ) by analyzing and reprting n the fllwing areas: Netwrk availability Netwrk nde perfrmance Utilizatin User behavir Traffic trending By aggregating these metrics, NetWlves can prvide true insight int yur netwrk infrastructure and demnstrate the benefits f using ur services. Netwrk Availability Netwrk availability is measured at the facility level by prviding a percentage f time that users r services are accessible frm the WAN. This can be accmplished using different methds depending n the Custmer Premises Equipment (CPE), netwrk design, and the level f mnitring yu chse. Fr basic netwrks where nly a single circuit and base mdel CPE are suitable fr yur cnnectivity requirements, NetWlves mnitrs netwrk availability using ping requests t the WAN interface f the edge device. The default plling time is every minute. When SNMP capable ndes are serving as the WAN edge devices, NetWlves requires read-nly access t these devices fr mre accurate mnitring and sampling. All equipment prvided by NetWlves is SNMP capable. In mre rbust netwrk designs, NetWlves can mnitr the WAN edge devices and circuits, and mnitr an internal prbe as well. This mre intrusive mnitring mdel prvides an verall availability metric fr yur facility, which incrprates the value f resilient netwrk design. Fr these situatins, NetWlves supplies a device (such as the WlfPac ) at the facility t serve as the internal prbe target. In additin t netwrk availability, NetWlves als mnitrs respnse times t the device r facility frm ur Netwrk Cmmand and Cntrl Center (NC 2 ) lcated in Tampa, Flrida. All mnitred statistics are stred n ur redundant NMS (Netwrk Management System) clusters fr ne year. Netwrk Nde Perfrmance Netwrk Nde Perfrmance (NNP) includes peratinal metrics that are captured and recrded fr a specific nde. The fllwing metrics are sampled under the NNP categry: Average CPU utilizatin Average memry utilizatin Netwrk backbne interface errrs Netwrk backbne interface packet drps String and analyzing this infrmatin in real-time prvides NetWlves with the data necessary fr advanced trubleshting and issue reslutin at the device level. These metrics are gathered via SNMP, and all statistics are stred n ur redundant Netwrk Management Systems (NMS) fr ne year. 2
Utilizatin Utilizatin is primarily based n WAN circuit utilizatin, which is typically the thrughput bttleneck n a netwrk. All primary transprt path (backbne) interfaces are mnitred. The fllwing metrics are sampled and recrded n each mnitred interface: Maximum transmitted bits per secnd (bps) Maximum received bps Average transmitted bps Average received bps The frequency in which these metrics are plled is dictated by the WAN circuit type, as described previusly in the Netwrk Availability sectin. These metrics are btained via SNMP, and all statistics are stred n ur redundant Netwrk Management Systems fr ne year. User Behavir User behavir is what a netwrk device is accessing ver the WAN. NetWlves prprietary WlfPac device is used t mnitr and reprt n these metrics. The WlfPac can be deplyed in ne f three ways: In-line: The WlfPac is placed in-line between the facility edge ruter prvided by NetWlves and the LAN layer 2/3 device. This cnfiguratin rutes all traffic thrugh the WlfPac. In this deplyment style, the WlfPac is cnfigured fr bypass and permits traffic t flw in the event f a pwer failure. Span: The WlfPac is cnnected t the facility main/cre layer 2/3 device. This deplyment methd depends n span capabilities in the cre. VLAN bridge: When the cre device is nt span capable, the WlfPac can act as a bridge between tw VLANs. All traffic is ruted between the LAN and the facility edge ruter thrugh the WlfPac. Each f these deplyment scenaris captures all IP traffic that traverses the WAN. The WlfPac recrds this traffic and categrizes it using the netwrk user s NetBIOS name. Additinally, the WlfPac stres the traffic type (HTTP, email, VIP, etc.) and the quantity f each type in bytes that each netwrk user is accessing. 3
The fllwing image prvides a view f the ten heaviest netwrk users r tp talkers, and the amunt f data that is traveling t and frm the netwrk endpints. 4
The fllwing image illustrates a particular user, in this case the netwrk s tp talkers and what applicatins they have accessed in the last 24 hurs. It als shws the amunt f each applicatin prcess, bth t and frm this particular nde n the IP netwrk. 5
Traffic Trending Traffic trending answers the questin, what is ging n in my netwrk? NetWlves can aggregate and classify all the traffic that traverses cstly WAN circuits, and measure the quantity f each traffic type in rder t imprve capacity planning. The fllwing image shws an aggregated view f the tp 20 applicatins and their quantities traversing a particular custmer data center cre. 6
Pwerful Mnitring Optins NetWlves Managed Netwrk Offering prvides several netwrk mnitring ptins fr yu t chse frm based n yur peratinal requirements. Each ptin crrespnds directly t the NetWlves Netwrk Hlistic Quality categries, and prvides flexibility as required by yur business needs. All metrics being mnitred are managed arund the clck at NetWlves Netwrk Cmmand and Cntrl Center (NC 2 ), and can be prvided t ur custmers at any time. NHQ Categry Silver Gld Platinum Netwrk Availability Netwrk Nde Perfrmance Utilizatin User Behavir Traffic Trending Silver Level Mnitring This service ffers basic up r dwn mnitring per circuit, r a single device. NetWlves pings the remte sites every minute. If the site fails t respnd after three attempts, an alert is sent t the NetWlves Netwrk Cmmand and Cntrl Center (NC 2 ) triggering the apprpriate standard perating prcedure fr the custmer and circuit. The device is cnsidered t be perating nrmally when it respnds t ur mnitring system fr five cnsecutive minutes. NetWlves can mnitr mst circuit types terminated n a device that is capable f respnding t a ping request. Bradband circuits may require a device in additin t Telc prvided CPE that is capable f respnding t a ping request. Gld Level Mnitring This service ffers mre rbust mnitring f netwrk CPE. NetWlves mnitrs interface statics alng with CPU and memry utilizatin. All the devices being mnitred and prvided by NetWlves r the custmer must be accessible frm ur netwrk cmmand and cntrl center. The infrmatin being mnitred and recrded is gathered by the lcal device, and then retrieved every minute by NetWlves plling systems. If ur systems fail t cnnect t a device, they will reattempt every 60 secnds. The device is cnsidered dwn until cnnectivity is restred. In additin t availability and cnnectivity, NetWlves mnitrs interface errrs and packet drps. An alert ccurs if any backbne interface reprts 5% packet lss ver the span f five minutes, r 500 errrs are received within five minutes. NetWlves will fllw the apprpriate standard perating prcedure fr the alert when this ccurs. NetWlves als mnitrs real-time and histrical utilizatin fr all netwrk backbne interfaces and circuits, as well as rund-trip respnse times between ur management system and each mnitred device. Alerts are triggered when an interface reaches 90% utilizatin fr five minutes, and when a device s respnse time exceeds tw secnds fr mre than five minutes. All NetWlves r CPE mnitred devices must be SNMP V2 capable, and accessible frm ur Netwrk Cmmand and Cntrl Center (NC 2 ). All nn-netwlves prvided Custmer Prvided Equipment (CPE) requires apprval frm NetWlves. Equipment prvided by NetWlves is available at an additinal charge. 7
Platinum Level Mnitring This service ffers all the functinality f ur Gld Level Mnitring plus the added benefit f using ur prprietary WlfPac mnitring device. The WlfPac can capture, recrd, and validate nearly anything n yur netwrk. Service Features Security Scanning can detect ver 25,000 different ptential security risks n a particular hst. Prviding a vulnerability reprt is a very demanding exercise and will be evaluated n a case by case basis. The detectin f a full r partial list f variables is available n certain devices. By analyzing the results f a netwrk device scan, NetWlves can develp a list f supprted Management Infrmatin Bases (MIBs) and btain full descriptins f the variables and pssible values. Traffic Trending Applicatins A web brwser is available t analyze traffic infrmatin in rder t btain netwrk usage, including: Srt netwrk traffic accrding t several prtcls and criteria. Determine traffic statistics. Identify the identity f cmputer users (email address). Passively identify the hst perating system (withut sending prbe packets). Determine IP traffic distributin amng varius prtcls. Analyze and srt IP traffic by surce/destinatin. Determine the IP traffic subnet matrix (wh s talking t wh). Reprt IP prtcl usage srted by prtcl type. Netflw exprt: All netwrk traffic analytics can be exprted t a third party applicatin. Real-time netwrk traffic capturing and displaying f packet headers fr all netwrk interfaces r a particular interface. Traffic cunter and estimatr that keeps a lg f netwrk traffic fr the selected interface(s): Thrughput statistics. Mnitr multiple interfaces at nce. Several utput ptins including summary, hurly, daily, mnthly, weekly, and tp 10 days, as well as ptinal image utput. Mnths can be cnfigured t fllw a billing perid. Netwrk Perfrmance Applicatins Thrughput testing tl fr creating data streams and measuring the thrughput f a netwrk. 8
The fllwing table summarizes the mnitring levels ffered by NetWlves. Optin Silver Gld Platinum Basic up/dwn mnitring f device r circuit (ICMP) Mnitring f mst circuit types (DSL, cable, Ethernet, T1, T3, etc.) Practive netwrk management thrugh perfrmance threshlds SNMP mnitring Mnitring f interface status, CPU and memry utilizatin fr netwrk ndes Mnitring f circuit quality (errr detectin and availability) Real-time mnitring f circuit bandwidth utilizatin, reprting and archiving Custmized reprts n a weekly, mnthly, and annual basis Offsite nde cnfiguratin backup On-demand vulnerability reprting On-demand packet capture capability Onsite nde cnfiguratin backup Real-time traffic flw statistics NetWlves WlfPac with prprietary SRM 2 mnitring platfrm On-demand thrughput testing between sites 9
Reprting Optins The NetWlves Managed Netwrk Services (MNS) reprting ptins include the fllwing: Weekly WAN circuit utilizatin reprt. Quarterly Managed Services Reprt (QMSR). NetWlves als ffers an SRM 2 prtal fr ur MNS custmers (see the Managed Netwrk Optins belw). This prtal prvides yu with real-time access t all mnitred infrmatin via the Internet. The Weekly WAN circuit utilizatin reprt is autmatically generated frm ur SRM 2TM -S mnitring system. The reprt is prvided t yu every Mnday befre 12:00 PM EST, and summarizes maximum and average circuit utilizatin during yur business hurs. Our MNS custmers receive the Quarterly Managed Services Reprt. The details f this reprt will depend n which mnitring level yu select. It will include the fllwing sectins: Executive Summary: Prvides a cpy f yur Statement f Wrk with NetWlves. Managed Services: Summarizes yur NetWlves services. NHQ: Prvides bth a summary and details f yur netwrk design. Managed Netwrk Optins In additin t mnitring and reprting, ur Managed Netwrk Offering prvides these ther majr services: Incident Management Time T Repair Critical Prblem Review Reviews, Mves, Adds, and Changes Existing Client Prject Incident Management Incident Management (IM) includes the prcesses and prcedures that NetWlves uses t identify, analyze, and crrect current and ptential issues affecting ur custmers in rder t minimize dwn-time. The extent f these prcesses and prcedures are tied t the level f mnitring included in the custmer cntract, hwever any/all levels f trubleshting are available t any custmer n a time and material basis. Incident tickets are created t trublesht and track custmer utages r issues frm inceptin t reslutin. These tickets are the primary methd f cmmunicatin t ur custmers regarding the status f their utage r issue. NetWlves recgnizes three levels f severity when managing custmer issues. Level Urgent Descriptin Site is dwn withut cnnectivity r failver. NetWlves r the custmer declares an emergency. High Site is in a degraded state and failed ver t backup circuit, but perating in a limited capacity. Mderate Site is in a degraded state r experiencing an intermittent issue, fr example slwness, packet lss, r circuit bunced. 10
Time T Repair Time T Repair (TTR) is the length f time frm event ntificatin by NetWlves mnitring r custmer t issue reslutin, as verified by the custmer and NetWlves. Critical Prblem Review Critical Prblem Review (CPR) is fr critical prductin utages affecting multiple custmer sites fr tw r mre hurs. A CPR can be generated by NetWlves r requested by the custmer, and prvides the fllwing: Detailed descriptin f the utage including a timeline f events. Actins perfrmed by NetWlves t reslve the issue. List f persnnel invlved in the utage and reslutin. Reviews, Mves, Adds, and Changes Reviews, Mves, Adds, and Changes (RMAC) includes any requests that must be cmpleted, and estimated t require up t eight (8) hurs fr NetWlves t design and implement fr an existing custmer with peratinal managed devices. Fr example, a custmer with Platinum Level Mnitring requests a bandwidth reprt fr the tp user at ne lcatin. NetWlves evaluates the request and determines it will take apprximately fur hurs t prvide the infrmatin. This wrk effrt is classified as an RMAC, scheduled, and executed. RMACs d nt require any prject management r a statement f wrk. RMACs d require tw business days fr scheduling (if required) and can be executed between 6:00 a.m. and 12:00 a.m. EST, Mnday thrugh Friday. Off-hur exceptins may be scheduled with apprval frm the NetWlves resurce manager. All RMAC estimates are tracked by the NetWlves accunt manager. Existing Client Prject Existing Client Prject (ECP) includes any changes that must be cmpleted, and estimated t take mre than 8 hurs fr NetWlves t design and implement fr an existing custmer. ECPs require a dedicated prject manager, lead engineer, and accunt manager. All ECPs als require a signed Statement f Wrk between NetWlves and the custmer. Levels f Service fr Every Need NetWlves ffers three standard levels f netwrk management ranging frm basic transprt t a fully managed, zer-tuch netwrk infrastructure. All levels can be further custmized as necessary t fit yur requirements. Basic Management This service ffers an entry level slutin fr businesses with simple cnnectivity needs, and includes a cnvenient pay as yu g cst structure. The Basic Management service cmes standard with Silver Level Mnitring and Internet access cnfiguratin supprt fr NetWlves prvided equipment. In additin, yu get arund the clck Incident Management (IM) services fr identifying, analyzing, and reslving netwrk issues. 11
Advanced Management This service prvides the next level f management fr rganizatins with mre cmplex cnnectivity and security requirements. The Advanced Management service includes Gld Level mnitring with the ptin t step up t Platinum Level mnitring, and access t the SRM 2 -S prtal with self-service and weekly bandwidth reprting capabilities. In additin, yu get full cnfiguratin supprt fr all NetWlves prvided equipment and arund the clck Incident Management services. This service als includes up t fur Review, Mve, Add, and Change (RMAC) executins per calendar mnth as well as Critical Prblem Review (CPR). Enterprise Management This service is targeted fr large rganizatins with a high change rate. The Enterprise Management service cmes standard with all MNO services including uncapped RMAC executin, Existing Client Prject (ECP) executin with up t 500 prject hurs per calendar year, and bth in-scpe and n-demand CPR. In additin, yu get NetWlves tp f the line Platinum Level Mnitring, and access t the SRM 2 -S prtal with self-service and weekly bandwidth reprting capabilities. Cnfiguratin supprt fr all equipment prvided by NetWlves and a Quarterly Managed Services Reprt (QMSR) cmpletes this ffering. Service Features Silver Level mnitring. Basic Basic Internet access cnfiguratin supprt fr NPE. Arund the clck (24 x 7 x 365) IM services. All ther Managed Netwrk Services are billable. Gld Level mnitring. SRM 2 -S prtal with self-service reprting and aut generated weekly bandwidth reprting. Advanced Full feature set cnfiguratin supprt fr all equipment prvided by NetWlves. Arund the clck IM services. Fur (4) RMAC executins per calendar mnth. In scpe CPR (ut f scpe CPRs are billable). All ther MNO services are billable. Platinum Level mnitring. SRM 2 -S prtal with self-service reprting and aut-generated weekly bandwidth reprting. Enterprise Full feature set cnfiguratin supprt fr all equipment prvided by NetWlves. Arund the clck IM services. Uncapped RMAC executin. ECP executin up t 500 prject hurs per calendar year. Bth in-scpe and n demand CPR. QMSR executin. 12