Network Monitoring Techniques and Tools

1. Introduction to network monitoring
Network monitoring challenges

• Architecture: networks, servers and clients.
• Heterogeneous systems and equipment.
• LAN and WAN networks.

What are network monitoring and control?

• What should be monitored?
• Which tools should be used?

Monitoring approaches

• The stealth approach.
• The cooperative approach.

Examples of approaches in open-source tools

• The SNMP approach.
• The OSI approach.
• Proprietary approaches.

2. Network observation tools

• Observing network traffic.
• Quantitative and qualitative approaches.
• Example tools: Wireshark and ntop.
• Network performance monitoring tools: SmokePing.
• Network testing tools: Nmap.

3. Simple Network Management Protocol

• History: origins of SNMPv1.
• The agent-manager paradigm.
• SNMP requests and responses.
• Polling agents versus unsolicited notifications.
• Traps and notifications.
• Using SNMP-based monitoring applications.

4. Management Information Base and Structure of Management Information

• Defining and identifying management information.
• Using ASN.1.
• Organising data into MIB modules.
• Standard and proprietary MIBs.

5. SNMP developments

• Security: authentication and confidentiality.
• Versions 2c and 3.

6. Implementation issues

• Choosing a version.
• Configuring equipment.
• Supported agents and MIBs.
• Alarms and notifications.
• Extending agents.

7. Monitoring applications

• Which applications should be used?
• Open-source versus commercial tools.
• Monitoring application examples: Munin, Nagios, Big Brother and OpManager.

8. Practical exercises

• Planning, configuring and testing a network.
• Implementing SNMP agents on systems: Windows and/or Linux servers, switches and routers.
• Command-line queries and use of MIB Browser.
• Analysing the encoding of exchanged information.
• MIB analysis.
• Configuring SNMP versions 1 and 2c.
• Using SNMPv3 security.
• Using Munin and SmokePing.
• Using Wireshark.
• Using Nmap.
• Configuring and using NET-SNMP.
• SNMP-based open-source software: MRTG and CACTI.
• Monitoring applications: Nagios, Big Brother and OpManager.