User Configurable Dashboards

Present the relevant data to the right audience. OptiView XG has extensively customizable dashboards that help transform collected data into an actionable presentation. The dashboard can be customized to a particular user or for the entire enterprise. Create dashboards for keeping a close eye on network and applications by site or even by business function. These dashboards can be saved and exported to different members of your team. The dashboard provides an at-a-glance overview of the current status of your network, with critical metrics from routers, switches, firewalls, servers, services, application, and other infrastructure devices.

Remote users can also set up dashboards to get their own view of network operations.

Performance Health Checks

Every day, your business depends on a reliable, secure and fast network. Already stretched IT resources are being asked to do more and network maintenance and optimization are often overlooked. The results are unhealthy networks that are improperly utilized, misconfigured and vulnerable to cyber threats.

At-a-glance visibility provided by Health Checks will help you put your critical infrastructure and applications back on track and keep their performance optimized and running smoothly.

Virtualization Health

Enterprises are virtualizing servers to obtain cost savings and flexibility. Along with the benefits of virtualization comes the new complexity of managing the virtualized network. OptiView XG has built-in capability to analyze Virtual Machines and their host VMware ESX servers. This gives you the capability to quickly track virtual server health at-a-glance and ensure your mission critical applications never fail. OptiView XG’s discovery also gives the capability to find and analyze new virtual machines that are added to ESX host servers.

Quickly check the health of your VMware ESX Server by monitoring CPU, memory utilization, number of virtual machines configured and running, and much more. View VM name, guest OS, and VM state, and detailed virtual machine health statistics including processor, memory, and network usage.

Network and Application Issue Reporting Engine

OptiView XG offers a number of built-in reports, making it quick and easy to report on application and network problems. These reports help you track performance and utilization statistics. While viewing a screen, pressing the Reports key will generate HTML or PDF reports on Protocols, Top Hosts, Top Conversations, Devices, Networks, Problems and many more.

The intuitive interface facilitates customizing the out-of-the-box reports and also enables creation of completely customized reports using the configurable dashboards in just a few clicks. The ability to choose what data to populate in a report enables users to quickly see data exactly the way they need. You can even create reports for specific user profiles, making it easy to generate reports for specific departments or recipients.

Granular Data for Proactive Analysis

Get granular, real-time data into network and application performance statistics and errors– essential for troubleshooting intermittent and past problems and determining if traffic bursts are the cause of performance problems. This granular data can be gathered proactively and stored for 24 hours so that you can go ‘back in time’ to analyze the data collected when the problem surfaced.

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Automated Problem Detection

OptiView™ XG automatically scans for errors in the network infrastructure. These errors are collected in a Problem Log that can be categorized and sorted. Examples of problems detected are: performance problems, duplicate IP addresses, incorrect subnet masks, default router not responding and many more.

Guided Troubleshooting

There are a lot of different errors and problems that can occur on your network and not having the probable cause and resolution readily available increases the time required to solve problems. The built-in “Guided Troubleshooting” engine reduces the time required to identify the root cause and fix the issue, increasing staff efficiency. Clicking on any problem in the problem log immediately shows you the probable cause, potential impacts, and possible solutions for the problem.

Application Infrastructure Analysis

Consistent application delivery is critical for business. OptiView™ XG makes it easy to identify and analyze the underlying network infrastructure of an application. This lets you become proactive about application performance issues. It also decreases the time required to isolate network vs. application problems

Path Analysis

Path Analysis helps you understand the exact path taken by the application to quickly resolve application performance issues due to infrastructure. Path Analysis easily identifies the devices that are critical for application performance. With Path Analysis you can monitor all the interfaces that are along the path of the application. It also provides packet loss, delay and response time at each device to identify the device causing any issues.

Path Analysis also enables you to keep a close eye on interface utilization along the path and any other system resources at the server.

Speed up troubleshooting application and network performance issues by automatically validating that network services such as DHCP, and DNS are available and operating correctly, ensuring that server and application connectivity is accessible by opening specific TCP IPv4 and IPv6 ports on servers and reporting the round trip time as a combination of network latency and server connection set up time. Ensure servers are operating efficiently by viewing resources including number of users, processor, memory and disk utilization and services and process that are running.

Trace SwitchRoute™

Trace SwitchRoute allows you to see the exact path two devices use to communicate through your switch and router fabric. During Path Analysis, a combination of layer 2 and layer 3 trace routes identifies the entire network path between the application client and the application server, speeding problem isolation. During the discovery, if a switch is discovered in the path, Trace SwitchRoute starts its switch path discovery. The displayed results include the DNS name and IP address, the inter-switch connections by port number, together with link speed and VLAN information. Highlighting any device in the Trace SwitchRoute name column and selecting Device Detail allows you to view that device’s network configuration information.

Real-time NetFlow finds bandwidth hogs

OptiView XG uses NetFlow to give you valuable insight into bandwidth usage in your enterprise without the complexity and expense involved in a traditional NetFlow analysis setup. The Application Infrastructure Analysis tests in the OptiView XG can collect NetFlow data from flow-enabled routing devices, and uses it to analyze network traffic and report on bandwidth usage across the network. Get instant real-time bandwidth usage reports on top applications, conversations, and hosts using bandwidth, for fast troubleshooting.

The ONLY tablet with 10 Gbps “On-The-Wire” analysis

OptiView XG provides line rate, real-time application and traffic analysis and troubleshooting on 10/100/1000 Mbps or 10 Gbps links. Identify top talkers, multicasters and broadcasters or select top conversations to determine which hosts may be over-utilizing resource bandwidth. Tap or span key links to determine who is using server bandwidth by viewing top conversations to a single host. Analyze protocol mix to identify top protocols being used and also discover unwanted and custom protocols and see which protocols are being used by each host. These real-time statistics for traffic “on the wire” enable you to understand how network resources are being used and increase user satisfaction with faster response times for networked applications.

OptiView XG automatically discovers all protocols and sub protocols from the MAC layer to the application layer. This enables IT staff to identify applications (including those that use dynamically assigned port numbers) utilizing link bandwidth to see and validate the impact of applications on network resources and also identify illicit applications. Deep packet inspection differentiates between specific audio, video, image, and data applications, and shows the level of bandwidth usage for each.

VLAN Visibility and Trunk Analysis

Only “on the wire” analyzers can provide vision into actual VLAN trunk traffic. When connected to a switch trunk port, the OptiView XG will detect all VLANs available on that trunk, measure the traffic distribution across all the VLANs and provides the user with the capability of selecting a specific VLAN.

If an individual VLAN is selected, device discovery, traffic statistics and packet capture data will be displayed only for that VLAN.

Application issues are difficult to solve and slow performance or outages have serious implications for the business. It is critical to get a view of traffic captures in terms of applications on the network to easily identify bottlenecks. OptiView™ XG provides a comprehensive, high-level overview of the health of applications on your network with easy to use drill down capabilities to gain access to more detailed information.

Full line-rate capture ensures complete analysis

Get 10 Gbps line-rate packet capture and filtering to troubleshoot problems where packet level analysis is required and perform advanced troubleshooting when deploying and analyzing applications.

Sophisticated capture filters allow collection of more relevant data and limit the amount of traffic to analyze by filtering on individual addresses or conversation, IPv4 address range or subnet, or IPv6 prefix and protocols. The capture size can be up to 4GB.

The capture process may be started or stopped through a user defined trigger event – capture the traffic before, after or around an event occurrence without being present. This ensures you capture the event the first time and avoids initiating random traffic captures that may not contain anything of interest. OptiView XG’s unique user interface makes the complex task of setting up filters and triggers as simple as touching the devices or protocols of interest, eliminating errors that result from misconfiguration.

Free String Match to find and capture anything

Match any set of words or phrases when detected (regardless of the position in the packet – payload or header) in real-time to trigger the OptiView XG to start or stop capturing and/or filter traffic. Use Free String Match to capture traffic around any application error message, detect traffic containing certain words or phrases in non-encrypted emails, web pages, file transfers or documents to identify illicit use of the network or detect downloading of restricted documents based on content or filenames (.doc, .xls, .pdf). Additionally, use Free String Match to identify and track applications that are not allowed on the network such as streaming media that may consume valuable bandwidth, or P2P traffic that may pose a security risk. A total of eight sets of triggers or filters can be defined to trigger a capture unattended for later analysis, allowing analysis when you have time, not when the event occurred.

Simplified troubleshooting of application problems

Once traffic is captured, launch the Integrated ClearSight™ Analyzer (iCSA) to see an application-centric view of the trace file. Through a simple and intuitive front page, iCSA presents a comprehensive, high-level overview of the health of applications on your network. From that framework, you can drill down to gain access to more detailed information. For example, you can display all the activity for HTTP applications, then drill down to see activities on each server, and further down to the server flow to observe the actual media content of the flow. iCSA also provides time-based analysis providing detailed trending and statistical information for fast analysis of large capture files. This unparalleled level of control and visibility speeds time to application problem resolution and minimizes overall network downtime.

Automated problem/issue detection

The CSA Expert Alert function automatically detects communication faults in captured packets and displays them with color coded icons. The specific application, server, or flow that has a problem can be seen at a glance from the Application Summary Home screen. Alerts detected by CSA are classified as issues (faults in the communication sequence) or problems (faults that exceed a threshold value) and can be listed separately. Lists can be sorted by simply clicking on a column header. You can drill down to the associated communication flow by right-clicking on an alert.

Unique and powerful bounce chart illustrates application flow

CSA application bounce chart views reveal conversations between client and server in the application command language without having to decode packets manually. It provides an extremely powerful way to understand protocol interactions between various network elements.

Content reconstruction and playback

You can recreate audio and video content from VoIP or video flows, either during real-time monitoring or from a trace file. In addition, Microsoft® Exchange® email, Fax over IP, Instant Messages and HTTP-based web pages can also be reconstructed. This is very valuable as proof of compliance violation or visualization of multimedia quality.

Troubleshoot 10 Gbps network and application performance problems from the data center to the access layer – fast

When problems happen, your job is to fix it – fast – and perform deeper analysis for determining the root cause. The OptiView XG Network Analysis helps you resolve network and application performance issues in real-time using unique features such as proactive analysis, path analysis, and application-centric analysis, vendor-independent infrastructure analysis, on-the-wire traffic analysis, and full line-rate packet capture/decode. Expert-assisted application centric protocol analysis provides guidance – not just data – to solve tough application and network problems, even if you’re not a packet decode expert.

Wireless Infrastructure Analysis

OptiView™ XG adds details about the wireless devices on the network via SNMP discovery of wireless controllers, access points, and wireless clients from the wired-side discovery of the network. Expand your wireless analysis power with three optional capabilities:

Wi-Fi Analysis

The AirMagnet WiFi Analyzer option gives OptiView XG total visibility into your wireless network. It’s a solution that simplifies key wireless network tasks such as:

• Wi-Fi based discovery of wireless access points and clients.
• Detection and location of rogue APs.
• Active client-based connectivity testing
• Channel monitoring.
• Packet captures and decode for complete analysis of 802.11 a/b/g/n WLAN’s.

Spectrum Analysis

The AirMagnet Spectrum XT option provides in-depth RF analysis combined with real-time
WLAN information for quicker and more accurate troubleshooting of performance problems. Spectrum Analysis offers real-time detection and identification of a number of non-WLAN sources that interfere with WLAN networks and their performance.

Survey and Planning

The AirMagnet Survey and Planner option on the OptiView XG platform ensures optimal wireless network performance, security and compliance using the Survey capabilities in the OptiView XG to collect "live and real-world" signal, performance, and spectrum data during wireless network site surveys, allowing the IT staff to measure wireless network performance and RF coverage in the most scientific way possible to design the WLAN network for an optimal AP count, placement and configuration.

Multiple Radios

Multiple radios on the OptiView XG enable you to run AirMagnet WiFi Analyzer and Spectrum XT together to view non-WLAN interference for every channel in the RF spectrum. The multiple radios also let you run Spectrum Analyzer along with Survey Pro to detect interference during surveying eliminating a second walk through for interferences after surveying.

Note: For additional information, see the detailed data sheets for AirMagnet Spectrum XT, AirMagnet WiFi Analyzer and AirMagnet Survey and Planner.

Advanced network discovery – finds devices, networks and problems in seconds

As soon as OptiView XG is connected to the network, it automatically begins to discover devices on the network, with no interaction required, by monitoring traffic and actively querying hosts. IT staff can immediately see what is on the network and where it is connected, by switch, slot and port number. They can investigate and quickly locate “suspect” devices and with minimum effort and identify problems associated with device misconfigurations.

The OptiView XG categorizes devices by type: interconnect (routers, switches), servers, hypervisors, virtual machines, printers, SNMP agents, VoIP devices, wireless devices, and other hosts. Additionally, networks are classified by IPv4 and IPv6 Subnets, VLANs, NetBIOS Domains and IPX Networks, and Wireless Networks together with host membership within each classification. Network devices that may be experiencing problems are also discovered.

Most network analyzers and troubleshooting tools have limited visibility in today’s networks: usually a single broadcast domain or VLAN, but the OptiView XG Network Analysis Tablet can also be configured to perform a discovery of up to 30,000 devices on an off-broadcast domain subnet to extend its discovery beyond the broadcast domain or local VLAN boundaries, across your enterprise network, into remote sites and users. Generate up-to-date HTML and PDF format inventory reports of devices both on the attached network and also on networks at remote sites.

Discover and test through wireless connections

OptiView XG has the unique capability for fast discovery through a wireless connection. This keeps you aware of the network around you even when you moving through your site. You can unplug from the network and still be confident that the tablet is analyzing your critical devices through a wireless connection, even when moving to a different location – without losing any data. This offers a perfect solution for testing roaming handoffs.

VoIP and wireless device discovery

The OptiView XG will discover VoIP devices including call managers and IP phones from Cisco®, Nortel®, Avaya® and Mitel®. Device capabilities and configurations may be viewed, allowing the user to easily identify and correct configuration issues during VoIP deployment.

The OptiView XG also discovers and categorizes wireless LAN controllers, lightweight access points, intelligent access points and wireless clients. Detailed device information is provided from Cisco Wireless LAN controllers and LWAPs, including the wireless networks associated with the controller, the SSIDs, security and QoS parameters, the lightweight APs being controlled and the 802.11 protocol in use.

IPv6 Discovery

The OptiView XG will discover and display complete IPv6 network and device inventory including routers, switches, wireless AP's, DHCP6 servers and hosts. It enables you to identify active IPv6 devices in the network and those that may have problems in single-stack IPv6 networks. Router advertisements are analyzed and the OptiView XG displays detailed router information and settings. Easily identify applications that may be communicating using both IPv4 and IPv6 protocols.

Detect devices using tunneling mechanisms and identify the tunnels in use. Undetected or unauthorized tunneling could represent a serious security risk.

Real-time in- depth infrastructure device analysis speeds troubleshooting

Get granular, real-time (updated every 30 seconds) interface utilization and errors for determining if excessive traffic is the cause of performance problems. This granular data can be collected for 24 hours. Interfaces can be quickly sorted by I/F index, utilization, broadcasts, errors, or collisions.

In-depth analysis, including:

• A tabular view of all switch port configurations, including the identity of each host and where it is connected.
• A graphical view of utilization and error rates on each switch port to see over-subscribed or error ports at a glance.

Quickly determine if performance problems are related to link speed or duplex misconfigurations, over-utilization or excessive hosts on a port.

VLAN discovery and analysis
Determine if connectivity problems are related to VLAN configuration by seeing information such as:

• VLANs that are configured on the switch
• Interfaces that are members of each VLAN
• Identification of trunk or uplink ports, together with the trunking protocol in use
• Identification of which hosts are members of each VLAN.

Router and WAN link analysis

In-depth device analysis identifies router ARP cache or routing table errors and also provides visibility to manage and troubleshoot costly

WAN links. See WAN link configuration, a graphical display of utilization and error rates and identification of specific error types on ISDN, Frame Relay, T1/E1, T3 and ATM links.

Built-in telnet and web browser allow reconfiguration of devices directly from the OptiView XG.

Network connectivity and link validation

Get an ultra-fast read on where you are connected, the type and speed of link, nearest switch, local traffic, DHCP/DNS services, and whether you have a viable internet connection. This dashboard is ideal for quickly validating moves, adds and changes.

Traffic generation

Assess network readiness for new deployments by determining the impact of a new application, or the addition of network users, by stressing your network with simulated traffic – up to full 10 Gbps.

Protocol type, frame size, frame rate, percentage utilization and number of frames to transmit are user configurable, along with the type of traffic: Broadcast, Multicast or Unicast.

Selectable protocols include: Benign Ethernet, Benign LLC 802.2, NetBEUI, Benign IP, IP ICMP Echo, IP UDP Echo, IP UDP Discard, IP UDP NFS and IP UDP NetBIOS. Selecting an IP protocol allows you to select Time to Live (TTL) parameters and TOS (QOS) parameters such as Minimum Delay, Maximum Throughput, Maximum Reliability, Minimum Monetary Cost and Maximum Security to ensure correct routing configurations

Throughput Testing

The throughput test measures bidirectional data flow between two Fluke Networks’ devices to validate LAN and WAN throughput capabilities. The throughput test requires a second device to communicate with on your network. That second device can either be an OptiView XG Network Analysis Tablet (for 10 Gbps throughput) or OptiView Management Appliance, or an EtherScope™ or OneTouch™ Network Assistant, or LinkRunner™ Pro Reflector (up to 1 Gbps).

The Throughput test allows you to configure the following parameters:

• Data speed (up to10 Gbps) – maximum rate is determined by the link speed and duplex.
• Frame size – choose from seven different frame sizes or select sweep to run the test on seven preset frame sizes. OptiView XG provides support for jumbo frames up to 9000 bytes.
• Content – select payload for all 1s, all 0s, alternating 1s and 0s or random.
• Test duration can be 2 seconds to 18 hours.

Test results can be viewed in a tabular or graphical format. The Rate Format tabular view indicates the local and remote transmit and receive rates together with the total percentage of frames received by both devices. Switching to tabular Frame Format view shows the number of local and remote frames transmitted and received, together with the total percentage of frames received by both devices.

Remote user interface and access

Simply point a web browser at the IP address of a correctly configured OptiView XG Tablet to retrieve saved reports and capture files. You can also install a Remote User Interface (UI) and use your PC to remotely access an OptiView XG over a TCP connection. Once the Remote UI is installed, simply give the interface the IP address of the OptiView XG and see the default dashboards. You can then create your own remote dashboards to get your own view of the network.

Communications between the OptiView XG and Remote UI can be encrypted. A single portable OptiView XG will support thirty-two remote sessions for collaborative troubleshooting or opening of multiple sessions on a PC to provide a remote “NOC” view. The OptiView XG features a separate management port for “out-of-band management” independent of the network under test port. When using the remote interface, all dashboards created are stored on the user’s PC, allowing further customization for each remote user.

User accounts

Through the user accounts screen, you can add and modify security information for each individual OptiView XG user to prevent unauthorized use of certain features for compliance with regulatory requirements. This also allows users access to powerful troubleshooting features such as SNMP, while keeping the community strings hidden. Features that can be disabled include packet capture and decode, traffic generation, remote user interface and OptiView XG configuration.

Context sensitive help

Help is contextually linked to each screen in the OptiView XG. While that help screen is displayed, you may select other information from the table of contents, choose an index entry, or perform a full text search on any help topic or term.