Data Sheet
The Cisco® Branch Routers Series Network Analysis Module, a powerful network monitoring solution integrated in the Cisco Integrated Services Routers, offers visibility into network and application usage for troubleshooting and maintaining network availability.
PRODUCT OVERVIEW
The Cisco Branch Routers Series Network Analysis Module (NAM) is designed to give you more visibility into your network than ever before. It shows you what applications are running on your network and how they are performing to help you proactively resolve problems before they affect users, plan for changes in resource usage, and manage valuable network resources. Because the Cisco NAM provides visibility for unparalleled traffic monitoring and simplified troubleshooting, it is ideally suited for today's dynamic, evolving enterprises.
The innovative design of the Cisco NAM combines a rich set of embedded data collection and analysis capabilities with a remotely accessible, Web-based management console, all of which reside on a single network module that is easily installed into the Cisco 2600XM Modular Multiservice Module, Cisco 2800 and 3800 Series Integrated Services Routers, Cisco 3660 Multiservice Platform, Cisco 3700 Series Multiservice Access Routers, or the Cisco 2691 Multiservice Platform router. The Cisco NAM includes a Traffic Analyzer GUI, which provides quick access to the configuration menus and presents easy-to-read performance reports on data, voice, and video traffic.
Figure 1. Cisco Branch Routers Series NAM
Integrated LAN and WAN Monitoring for the Full Service Branch
The Cisco Branch Routers Series NAM can be deployed in the Cisco 2600XM, 2800, 3660, 3700, and 3800 Series, and the Cisco 2691 at WAN edges or at remote branch offices. It uses features from local and remote switches and routers to monitor LAN and WAN environments in a Full Service Branch office. Traffic from selected WAN ports can be copied by the router using a special packet-monitoring feature in Cisco IOS® Software and sent to the integrated Cisco NAM for analysis. Traffic from LAN ports in the router or from nearby switches can be sent to the Cisco NAM using an external Fast Ethernet interface. In addition, the Cisco NAM collects and analyzes NetFlow Data Export (NDE) from local and remote devices to provide broad application-level visibility. Figure 2 highlights the deployment of the Cisco Branch Routers Series NAM to enable comprehensive traffic monitoring in a branch office.
Figure 2. Deploying the Cisco Branch Routers Series NAM to Build Intelligence into Branch Office Networks
Easy to Deploy and Use
The Cisco NAM includes an embedded, Web-based Traffic Analyzer GUI (Figure 3) that can be accessed from any desktop, eliminating the need to send personnel to remote sites or haul large amounts of data over WAN links to the central site. Using Management Information Bases (MIBs) for Remote Monitoring II (RMON II), Differentiated Services Monitoring (DSMON), and others to analyze and store the collected data, the Cisco NAM Traffic Analyzer delivers a complete view of network and application performance, providing actionable information on data, voice, and video traffic, DiffServ configurations, hosts, conversation pairs, application usage, and application response time (ART) (Figure 4). To enhance security, role-based access can be assigned and Web-browser access can be secured with up to 168-bit encryption.
Figure 3. Web-Based Traffic Monitoring with the Embedded Cisco NAM Traffic Analyzer
Figure 4. Cisco Branch Routers Series NAM Architecture Overview
KEY APPLICATIONS
The wealth of data collected by the Cisco NAM can be used for many vital performance management activities, including real-time and historical application monitoring, response-time monitoring, fault isolation and troubleshooting, and planning. The Cisco NAM can also monitor IP-based services such as voice, video, and quality of service (QoS).
WAN Usage Monitoring at the Application Layer
One of the foundations of the Cisco NAM is its capability to look inside the packet in real time at the upper protocol layers to extract host and conversation-pair information. This information indicates bandwidth consumption per host. It also identifies which hosts are talking to each other and how much traffic is generated between every conversation pair. The applications that are generating the packets can be identified as well. Application monitoring not only offers valuable application distribution statistics (that is, every application that has consumed bandwidth and how much), but it also provides the ability to see which network hosts are using which applications. Host, conversation, and application usage statistics can help in identifying acute performance problems because they point to hosts that are using server and switch resources and how much they are using them. These statistics also support network planning efforts because this information can be used to identify usage patterns for users as well as router, interface, server, and application resources. Monitoring application-layer protocols helps to optimize network traffic to ensure that network bandwidth is being best used to fulfill business needs.
Besides providing the user with a real-time snapshot of bandwidth utilization and consumption, the Cisco NAM can also be configured to save these snapshots and graph them together to show a continuous historical view of how the bandwidth was utilized, providing trending information to facilitate important decisions on when and where to expand network resources. Data can also be collected over a select period of time and then analyzed post-event to discern when an anomaly has occurred so it can be readily resolved (Figure 5).
Figure 5. Monitoring the Top Interfaces on the Network
Response Time Monitoring
The Cisco Branch Routers Series NAM provides essential information on application performance as experienced by the clients in branch offices. Using the Application Response Time (ART) MIB, the Cisco NAM tracks response times at different points in the network to isolate application performance problems either to the network or to the application server. Having these measurements that reflect the user's experience of network performance helps to quickly identify the source of performance degradation and resolve problems before users even notice.
The Cisco NAM collects response-time statistics for TCP-based client/server requests, to report on response-time statistics for critical devices attached to any port or interface. Response-time analysis and reporting is fully customizable; the time increments by which applications and servers are measured are user-definable, offering full control over response-time reporting. Response-time data can also be trended over time. Thus, changes in network and application usage can be correlated with fluctuations in response times to predict how changes in user populations will impact application performance (Figure 6).
Figure 6. ART Monitoring
Fault Isolation and Troubleshooting
Using the Cisco Branch Routers Series NAM, you can set thresholds and alarms on various network parameters such as increased utilization, severe application response delays, and voice quality degradation and be alerted to potential problems. When a potential problem area is identified, the packet can be captured and decoded to help resolve the problem before it impacts users. Captures can be performed using a Web browser from any desktop, and decodes can be viewed via the Traffic Analyzer GUI while the data is still being captured. The Cisco NAM's capture and decode capability provides depth and insight into data analysis using trigger-based captures, filters, decodes, and a capture analysis toolset to quickly pinpoint and resolve problem areas (Figure 7).
Figure 7. Capturing and Decoding Packets with the Cisco Branch Routers Series NAM
VoIP, Video, and QoS Monitoring
The Cisco NAM can analyze voice traffic flows in near real time to collect critical performance information, including call setup details and voice quality metrics, and can generate alerts when voice quality degrades. It can also monitor video packet quality to help assure a high rate of packet delivery so users get the quality they expect and demand.
The Cisco NAM can help in both the planning and management of QoS deployments for voice and other critical IP services. It supports the Differentiated Services Monitoring (DSMON) MIB, which monitors traffic by differentiated services code point (DSCP) allocations defined by QoS policies. Using the Cisco NAM's DiffServ monitoring capabilities, hosts, conversations, and applications participating in each grouping of DiffServ classes can be identified. This information can be used to validate and tune planning assumptions and QoS allocations. It can also be used to detect incorrectly marked or unauthorized traffic (Figure 8).
Figure 8. QoS Monitoring Using DSMON
Planning and Reporting Networkwide
Data from Cisco NAMs deployed across the network can be collected by the Linux-based Cisco Performance Visibility Manager (PVM) software application to provide performance monitoring, reporting, and planning networkwide. Cisco PVM collects data from Cisco NAMs to provide an intuitive and integrated end-to-end view of network traffic, protocol types, and application and host bandwidth usage. It provides a centralized view of application performance, correlates application response times, localizes the cause of application performance problems, and accounts for the impact of other traffic on application performance (Figure 9).
Figure 9. Using PVM to Correlate ART Data Collected from Cisco NAMs
BUSINESS BENEFITS
Most users do not care about how they get the data, whether it is text, voice, or video-so long as they can get it. However, networks that offer limited or no visibility into network and application usage and the users' experience of the network can lead to downtime and loss of access to important data, making users painfully aware that their data depends on a network. And every little glitch will now be blamed on the network, amplifying the need for network monitoring.
With the Cisco NAM, the key to decision making is the visibility within the network. A well-planned and implemented traffic-management strategy provides users with a consistent and secure high level of network services, increasing productivity. The data that the Cisco NAM collects can also be used to maximize return on network investment and quantify change and growth-leading to an overall increase in network reliability, security, and effectiveness, as well as cost savings. Table 1 provides an overview of the business benefits that the Cisco Branch Routers Series NAM offers:
Table 1. Business Benefits of the Cisco Branch Routers Series NAM
PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS
Table 2 provides the specifications for the Cisco Branch Routers Series NAM.
Table 2. Product Specifications
ORDERING INFORMATION
The Cisco Branch Router Series NAM is available for purchase through regular Cisco sales and distribution channels worldwide. To place an order, visit the Cisco Ordering Home Page at: http://www.cisco.com/en/US/ordering/index.shtml. Table 3 provides ordering information for the Cisco Branch Routers Series NAM.
Table 3. Ordering Information for Cisco Branch Routers Series NAM
SERVICE AND SUPPORT
Cisco Systems® offers a range of services programs to accelerate customer success. These innovative services programs are delivered through a unique combination of people, processes, tools, and partners, resulting in high levels of customer satisfaction. Cisco services help to protect your network investment, optimize network operations, and prepare the network for new applications to extend network intelligence and the power of your business. For more information about Cisco Services, see Cisco Technical Support Services. Services and support for Cisco Branch Routers Series NAM is covered under the service contract for the router platform.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
For more information about the Cisco Branch Router Series NAM, visit http://www.cisco.com/go/nam or contact either your local account representative or the CiscoWorks product-marketing group at ciscoworks@cisco.com.