The increasing density, complexity and expanse of modern networking environments have fueled the ongoing debate around which network analysis and monitoring tools serve the needs of the modern engineer best – placing Packet Capture and NetFlow Analysis at center-stage of the conversation. Granted, both can be extremely valuable tools in ongoing efforts to maintain and optimize complex environments, but as an engineer, I tend to focus on solutions that give me the insights I need without too much cost on my resources, while complementing my team’s ability to maintain and optimize the environments we support.

So with this in mind, let’s take a look at how NetFlow, in the context of the highly-dense networks we find today, delivers three key requirements network teams rely on for reliable end-to-end performance monitoring of their environments.

A NetFlow deployment won’t drain your resources

Packet Capture, however rich in network metrics, requires sniffing devices and agents throughout the network, which invariably require some level of maintenance during their lifespan. In addition, the amount of space required to store and analyze packet data makes it an inefficient an inelegant method of monitoring or forensic analysis. Combine this with the levels of complexity networks can reach today, and overall cost and maintenance associated with packet sniffers can quickly become unfeasible. In the case of NetFlow, its wide vendor support across virtually the entire networking landscape makes almost every switch, router or firewall a NetFlow “ready” device. Devices’ built-in readiness to capture and export data-rich metrics makes it easy for engineers to deploy and utilize . Also, thanks to its popularity, NetFlow analyzers of varying feature-sets are available for network operations center (NOC) teams to gain full advantage of data-rich packet flows.

Striking the balance between detail and context

Considering how network-dependent and widespread applications have become in recent years, NetFlow’s ability to provide WAN-wide metrics in near real-time makes it a suitable troubleshooting companion for engineers. And with version 9 of NetFlow extending the wealth of information it collects via a template-based collection scheme, it strikes the balance between detail and high-level insight without placing too much demand on networking hardware – which is something that can’t be said for Packet Capture. Packet Capture tools, however, do what they do best, which is Deep Packet Inspection (DPI), which allows for the identification of aspects in the traffic hidden in the past to Netflow analyzers. But Netflow’s constant evolution alongside the networking landscape is seeing it used as a complement to solutions such as Cisco’s NBAR and other DPI solutions who have recognized that all they need to do is use flexible Netflow tools to reveal details at the packet level.

NetFlow places your environment in greater context

Context is a chief area where NetFlow beats out Packet Capture since it allows engineers to quickly locate root causes relating to performance by providing a more situational view of the environment, its data-flows, bottleneck-prone segments, application behavior, device sessions and so on. We could argue that packet sniffing is able to provide much of this information too, but it doesn’t give engineers the broader context around the information it presents, thus hamstringing IT teams from detecting performance anomalies that could be subscribed to a number of factors such as untimely system-wide application or operating system updates or a cross-link backup application pulling loads of data across the WAN during operational hours.

So does NetFlow make Packet Capture obsolete

The short answer is, no. In fact, Packet Capture, when properly coupled with NetFlow, can make a very elegant solution. For example, using NetFlow to identify an attack profile or illicit traffic and then analyzing corresponding raw packets becomes an attractive solution. However, NetFlow strikes that perfect balance between detail and context and gives NOCs intelligent insights that reveals broader factors that can influence your network’s ability to perform. Gartner’s assertion that a balance of 80% NetFlow monitoring  coupled with 20% Packet Capture as the perfect combination of performance monitoring attests to NetFlow’s growing prominence as the monitoring tool of choice. And as it and its various iterations such sFlow, IPFIX and  others continue to expand the breadth of context it provides network engineers, that margin is set to increase in its favor as time.

Thank you to NetFlow Auditor for this post.

According an article in techtarget.com “Your routers and switches can yield a mother lode of information about your network–if you know where to dig.” The article goes on to say that excavating and searching through endless traffic data and logs manufactured by your network system is a lot like mining for gold, and punching random holes to look for a few nuggets of information isn’t very efficient. Your search will be much more fruitful if you know where to look and what it will look like. Fortunately, the data generated by a NetFlow traffic reporting protocol yields specific information and you can easily sort, view and analyze the information into what you want to use or need. In contemporary networks, there is a need to collect and retain a good set of traffic records for several different purposes. These include the ability to monitor traffic for network planning, security and analysis as well as track traffic usage for billing purposes. Every business experiences network problems. The goal is to transform these “bad behaving” networks by investigating the data that is being generated by the routers, switches and other hardware that make up the system.

• Trace and repair network misconfigurations

Problems with networks can run the gamut from mismatched applications and hardware to wireless access points opened to accommodate BYOD users and other business uses. While there is always talk about software flaws and news about the latest internet threat, those things often distract IT pros from the real, every-day threat of unstable networks that have been configured to accommodate legacy hardware and a multitude of software applications.

The increasing complexity of the Internet itself, with the interconnection of lots of different devices and device types adds to the challenge of operating a computer network. Even though developing protocols to respond to unpredicted failures and misconfigurations is a workable solution, these out-of-date configurations can still cause frequent problems and denial of service (DOS). With many modern network devices monitoring functions and gathering data, retrieving and utilizing the NetFlow information makes tracing and repairing the problem of misconfigurations possible, easier and efficient.

• Detect security breaches

There are many uses for NetFlow but one of the most important is the benefit of network security. This quote from an article by Wagner and Bernhard, describing worm and anomaly detection in fast IP networks, bears out the security problems facing governments, businesses, and internet users today.

“Large-scale network events, such as outbreaks of a fast Internet worm are difficult to detect in real-time from observed traffic, even more so if the observed network carries a large amount of traffic. Even during worm outbreaks, actual attack traffic is only a small fraction of the overall traffic. Its precise characteristics are usually unknown beforehand, making direct matching hard. It is desirable to derive parameters that describe large amounts of traffic data in such a way that details are hidden, but the type of changes associated with worm outbreaks and other network events are visible.”

NetFlow provides a 24/7 account of all network activity. There is an “unblinking” eye observing anything and everything that happens within the network boundaries. All the data needed to identify and enact a clean-up is recorded in the flow and this is invaluable to a security pro trying to reduce the impact of a breach in the network. NetFlow provides a visible, “what’s happening right now” view that other systems cannot provide. Most security systems alert after something has been detected, while NetFlow is constantly gathering information even when things seem to be just fine. In addition, NetFlow-based analysis relies on traffic behavior and algorithms which provides rapid detection of breaches that other technologies often miss.

Thanks to NetFlow Auditor for the article.

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We’ve been doing a lot of blogging around here lately about NCCM and the importance of having an automated configuration and change management system. We’ve even published a Best practices guide for NCCM. One of the main points in any NCCM system is having consistent and accurate configuration backups of all of your “key” devices.

When I ask Network Managers to name their key devices, they generally start with WAN / Internet routers and Firewalls. This makes sense of course because, in a modern large-scale network, connectivity (WAN / Internet routers) & security (Firewalls) tend to get most of the attention. However, we think that it’s important not to overlook core and access switching layers. After all, without that “front line” connectivity – the internal user cannot get out to the WAN/Internet in the first place.

With that in mind, today’s blog offers up 5 Reasons Why You Should Include LAN Switches in Your NCCM Scope

1. Switch Failure

LAN switches tend to be some of the most utilized devices in a network. They also don’t generally come with the top quality hardware and redundant power supplies that core devices have. In many cases, they may also be located on less than pristine locations. Dirty manufacturing floors, dormitory closets, remote office kitchens – I have seen access switches in all of these places. When you combine a heavy workload with tough conditions and less expensive part, you have a recipe for devices that will fail at a higher rate.

So, when that time comes to replace / upgrade a switch, having its configuration backed up and a system which can automate the provisioning of the new system can be a real time and workload saver. Just put the IP address and some basic management information on the new device and the NCCM tool should be able to take off the rest in mere minutes.

2. User Tracking

As the front line connectivity device for the majority of LAN users, the switch is the best place to track down user connections. You may want to know where a particular user is located, or maybe you are trying to troubleshoot an application performance issue; no matter what the cause, it’s important to have that connectivity data available to the IT department. NCCM systems may use layer 2 management data from CDP/LLDP as well as other techniques to gather this information. A good system will allow you to search for a particular IP/MAC/DNS and return connectivity information like which device/port it is connected to as well as when it was first and last seen on that port. This data can also be used to draw live topology maps which offer a great visualization of the network.

3. Policy Checking

Another area where the focus tends to be on “gateway” devices such as WAN routers and firewalls is policy checking. While those devices certainly should have lots of attention paid to them, especially in the area of security policies, we believe that it’s equally as important not to neglect the access layer when it comes to compliance. In general terms, there are two aspects of policy checking which need to be addressed on these devices: QoS policies and regulatory compliance policies.

The vast majority of VoIP and Video systems will connect to the network via a traditional LAN switch. These switches, therefore, must have the correct VLAN and QoS configurations in order to accurately forward the traffic in the appropriate manner so that Quality of Service is maintained.

If your organization is subject to regulatory compliance standards such as PCI, HIPAA etc then these regulations are applicable to all devices and systems that are connected to or pass sensitive data.

In both of these cases, it is incredibly important to ensure policy compliance on all of your devices, even the ones on the “edge” of your network.

4. Asset Lifecycle Management

Especially in larger and more spread out organizations, just understanding what you have can be a challenge. At some point (and always when you are least prepared for it) you will get the “What do we have?” question from a manager. An NCCM system is exactly the right tool to use to answer this question. Even though NCCM is generally considered to be the tool for change – it is equally the tool for information. Only devices that are well documented can be managed and that documentation is best supplied through the use of an automated inventory discovery system. Likewise, when it is time for a technology refresh, or even the build out of a new location or network, understanding the current state of the existing network is the first step towards building an effective plan for the future.

5. New Service Initiatives

Whether you are a large IT shop or a service provider – new applications and services are always coming. In many cases, that will require widespread changes to the infrastructure. The change may be small or larger, but if it needs to be implemented on a number of systems at the same time, it will require coordination and automation to get it done efficiently and successfully. In some instances, this will only require changes to the core, but in many cases it will also require changes to the switch infrastructure as well. This is what NCCM tools were designed to do and there is no reason that you should be handcuffed in your efforts to implement change just because you haven’t added all of your devices into the NCCM platform.

Networks are complicated systems of many individual components spread throughout various locations with interdependencies that can be hard to comprehend without the help of network management tools. While the temptation may be to focus on the core systems, we think that it’s critical to view all parts, even the underappreciated LAN switch, as equal pieces to the puzzle and, therefore, should not be overlooked when implementing an NCCM system.

Thanks to NMSaaS for the article.

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Network performance management is something that virtually every business needs, but not something that every business is actively doing, or even aware of. And why should they?

While understanding the technical side of things is best left to the IT department, understanding the benefits of a properly managed network is something that will help get the business managers on board, especially when good performance management solutions might be a cost that hadn’t been considered. So what are the benefits?

1. Avoiding downtime – Downtime across an entire network is going to be rare, but downtime in small areas of the network are possible if it gets overloaded. Downtime of any kind is just not something that business can tolerate, for a few reasons:

• it leaves that area of the network unmonitored, which is a serious security issue
• shared files won’t be accessible, nor will they be updating as users save the files. This will lead to multiple versions of the same file, and quite a few headaches when the network is accessible again
• downtime that affects customers is even worse, and can result in lost revenue or negative customer experiences

2. Network speed – This is one of the most important and easily quantified aspects of managing netflow. It will affect every user on the network constantly, and anything that slows down users means either more work hours or delays. Obviously, neither of these is a good problem to have. Whether it’s uploading a file, sending a file to a coworker, or sending a file to a client; speed is of paramount importance.

3. Scalability – Almost every business wants to grow, and nowhere is that more true than the tech sector. As the business grows, the network will have to grow with it to support more employees and clients. By managing the performance of the network, it is very easy to see when or where it is being stretched too thin or overwhelmed. As performance degrades, it’s very easy to set thresholds that show when the network need upgraded or enlarged.

4. Security – Arguably the most important aspect of network management, even though it might not be thought of as a performance aspect. An unsecured network is worse than a useless network, and data breaches can ruin a company. So how does this play into performance management?

By monitoring netflow performance, it’s easy to see where the most resources are being used. Many security attacks drain resources, so if there are resource spikes in unusual areas it can point to a security flaw. With proper software, these issues can be not only monitored, but also recorded and corrected.

5. Usability – Unfortunately, not all employees have a working knowledge of how networks operate. In fact, as many in IT support will attest, most employees aren’t tech savvy. However, most employees will need to use the network as part of their daily work. This conflict is why usability is so important. The easiest way to minimize training costs with any network management program is to ensure that it is as user-friendly as possible.

The fanciest, most impressive network performance management system isn’t worth anything if no one knows how to use and optimize it properly. Even if the IT department has no issues with it, the reports and general information should be as easy to decipher as possible.

Is your network as optimized as it could be? Are you able to monitor the network’s performance and flow, or do network forensics to determine where issues are? Don’t try to tackle all of this on your own, contact us and let us help you support your business with the best network monitoring for your specific needs.

Thanks to NetFlow Auditor for the article.