Network Management as a Service

Collection

The Analytics Statistics Collection Screen is used to create Custom Collection Profiles that specify specific devices and variables (e.g., CPU usage, port utilization) that you want to monitor. The List of Collection Profiles displays all configured Custom Collection Profiles (as well as the Default Profile) and is used to create, edit, and delete profiles. It is also used to schedule profiles and start and stop profiles. Click here for an overview of the Statistics application, including setup and basic workflow.

Important Note: The IP source address of the SNMP Service on a device must be the same as the IP address discovered for the device by OmniVista. Statistics cannot collect data if the IP source of the SNMP Service on the device is different than the discovered IP address for the device.

Statistics can be generated for the following statistics attributes:

Switch Health (e.g., Rx Utilization, Tx Utilization, CPU Utilization)
Module Health (e.g., Rx Utilization, RxTx Utilization, CPU Utilization)
Port Health (e.g., Rx Utilization, RxTx Utilization)
Ethernet Ports (e.g., Rx Bytes, Rx Unicast Frames, Tx Lost Frames, Tx Error Frames)

Note: Not all attributes are supported on all device types. When you generate statistics for a device, OmniVista automatically detects which attributes are supported for a device.

Using the Statistics Feature

OmniVista generates statistics data for all switches on which Statistics is enabled. Statistics can be enabled on individual switches on the Managed Devices Screen; and statistics can be enabled on a specific switch(es) by creating a Custom Collection Profile. A Collection Profile specifies the switches and attributes (e.g., CPU usage, port utilization) that you want to monitor, as well as the polling intervals and statistics data retention requirements. Profiles are created on the Collection Screen and data is displayed (for any switch on which Statistics is enabled) on the Chart Views Screen.

Creating a Collection Profile

To start collecting data, create a Collection Profile containing the devices and variables that you want to monitor. Click on the Add icon at the top of the screen to open the Create Collection Profile Screen, complete the screens fields described below.

Name - The profile name. It is advisable to use meaningful names and/or descriptions for profiles, so that when glancing at the List of Collection Profiles list you will be able to distinguish one from another. For example, you may want to add a device name or IP address, and the type of variable you are monitoring, such as CPU or port utilization.
Description - An optional profile description.
Poll Devices Periodically- Enables (On)/Disables (Off) automatic polling for the profile. OmniVista will continuously poll the devices in the profile based on the Poll Interval and Data Retention Period. Disabling automatic polling performs the same function as stopping a profile on the Collection Profile List Screen. There may be times when you want to temporarily disable automatic polling. For example, if you wish to spend more time viewing and analyzing a certain group of statistics, automatic polling will interfere by updating these statistics when the next polling cycle is performed. To prevent this, you can edit the profile to disable automatic polling (Default = On).
Poll Interval - When automatic polling is enabled, specify the desired polling rate, in minutes (Range = 1 - 60, Default = 5).
Data Retention Period - The amount of time Statistics Data is saved on the OmniVista Server. You can specify the retention period in Days or Hours. When the specified data retention period is reached, new incoming data will overwrite the oldest data. For example, if you specify a data collection size of 30 days, new incoming data will begin to overwrite the oldest data after 30 days of data have been saved to the server. (Range = 1 - 180 Days, Default = 30 Days).
List of Selected Devices - Click on the Add button and use the Switch Picker or Topology Map option to select the switch(es) you want to monitor.
Attributes - Select the attributes you want to monitor with the profile. All of the available attributes are displayed. By default, all of the attributes are selected. You can change the default attribute settings by clicking on the "Go To Settings" link to go to the Analytics Settings Screen.

After completing the fields above, click on the Create button. The profile will then appear in the List of Collection Profiles. You can go to the Chart Views Screen to view statistics in graphical or table format.

Editing a Statistics Profile

Click on a profile in the List of Collection Profiles and click on the Edit icon. The Edit Collection Profile Screen will appear. Edit any parameters as described above and click on the Apply button. You cannot edit the profile name.

Deleting a Statistics Profile

Click on a profile(s) in the List of Collection Profiles and click on the Delete icon. Click on OK at the Confirmation Prompt. Note that deleting a profile also deletes all statistical data associated with the profile.

Scheduling a Profile

You can schedule a profile to start at a specific time in the future, run for a specific period of time, or run at regular intervals. If you schedule a profile to start at a specific time (set the Start Time only), the profile will start at that time and continue running. If you set a profile to run for a specific time period (set Start Time and End Time), the profile will only run during the specified time period and then stop.

If you schedule a profile to run at regular intervals, the profile will run and collect data for the profile's configured Data Retention Period, stop, and then restart at the scheduled interval. For example, if you schedule a profile with a 30-day Data Retention Period to begin running on the current date and set the Interval for 60 days, the profile will run for 30 days, and then stop. The profile will then automatically re-start after 60 days and run again for 30 days.

To schedule a profile, you must first stop the profile by selecting the profile in the List of Collection Profiles and clicking on the Stop icon, then click on OK on the Results screen. Once the profile has stopped, select it and click on the Schedule button. The Schedule window will appear. Configure the fields as described below to configure the profile schedule and click on OK. After creating the schedule, you must restart the profile.

Start Time - Enter/select the date and time you want the scheduled profile to start running. If you set only a Start Time, the profile will start at the specified time and continue running. If you do not set a Start Time, the scheduled profile will begin running immediately.
End Time - Enter/select the date and time you want the scheduled profile to stop running. The profile will run only for the configured time period and then stop. If you do not set an End Time, the schedule profile will continue running.
Interval - Use the fields to enter a regular interval for the job to repeat (e.g., 45 days, 60 days). The profile will stop running when the Data Retention Period is reached. The profile will then automatically re-start at the specified interval. The Interval cannot be less than the Data Retention Period configured for the profile.
Repeat - If you want to repeat the configured interval, enter the number of times you want it to repeat (Range = 0 - 999).

Note: You can view details of any scheduled Statistics Profile job in the User Defined Jobs tab of the Scheduler Jobs Table (Administrator - Control Panel - Scheduler Jobs).

Starting/Stopping a Profile

A profile starts collecting data as soon as it is created. You can stop a profile by selecting the profile(s) in the Profile Statistics List and clicking on the Stop icon at the top of the list. Click OK on the Results Screen. The profile will stop collecting data. You will not lose previously-collected data. The data will be stored on the OmniVista Server based on its Data Retention Period.

To restart a profile that has been stopped, select the profile(s) and click on the Start icon at the top of the list. Click OK on the Results Screen. The profile will begin collecting data and the data will be stored on the OmniVista Server. However, there will be a gap for the period during which the profile was stopped.

List of Collection Profiles

Name - The user-configured name of the profile.
Status - The running status of the profile (Running, Stopped). If a profile is "Running", it is collecting data. If a profile is "Stopped" it is not currently collecting data.
Running Mode - Indicates whether the profile is "Manual" or "Scheduled". A Manual Profile runs continuously. A Scheduled Profile runs at specified intervals.
Start Time - The most recent time the profile was started and began collecting data. A profile begins collecting data when it is created.
End Time - The most recent time the profile was stopped. If a profile has been continuously running since the last time it was started, the field will be blank.
Interval - The profile polling rate, in seconds (Range = 20 - 60, Default = 60).
Data Retention - The amount of time Statistics Data is saved on the OmniVista Server. (Range = 1 - 180 Days, Default = 30 Days).
Owner - The user who created the profile.
Created Time - The date and time the profile was created.
Description - The user-configured description for the profile.