Any Status on this yet?
John Koebel
Yeah - status please!
Currently, we are leveraging SNMP to help identify how devices on the network are connected. Depending on how the network is configured, devices may be included in several devices' arp tables. This is the several devices may be listed in the connectivity list.
We are currently evaluating other methods for determining connectivity. Are there any tools out there that you feel are very useful for identifying port connectivity?
Are there any tools out there that you feel are very useful for identifying port connectivity?
Yes Haley, we have Cisco Works and it does a great job. The problem is we are phasing it out. With Cisco Works we don't have to wade through rankings which don't are not presented in an order which is useful. I don't want to pretend to know how to fix it but I will throw some crazy ideas out there for you.
Since you are using a ranking system and you are showing us pretty much any switch thats got the layer 2 address (of the host we are trying to find) in its mac table, why not give us the option to filter the results down. For example, give us the option to filter out ports that are configured as trunks. With this type of filter in place that should narrow the results down considerably. In fact with several of the searches I have done that would give me exactly what i am looking for. Once you have the list narrowed why not have cirrus go to the remaining device(s) in the list and parse the mac tables as a final confirmation.
Thanks
Agreed - after filtering out non 'access' ports (trunks), a well designed switched network should only have one port left on the list - the port where the MAC address actually resides. Don't know how CiscoWorks did it, but it managed to filter out trunks. Alternatively, you could discount any port with more than one MAC address associated to it (as opposed to checking trunk vs. access status). Again, in a switched environment MOST ports out there are access ports, and only one should have a given MAC address associated. Doesn't need to be perfect.
Any update on this yet Haley?
This is a request development is still looking into for the next major release.
Under pressure..... ;-)
What is the anticipated release date of the next major release? This is something that is going to make life a lot easier.
An update to the Device Tracker is slated for either later this year or in the first half of next year. In the meantime, another great tool for identifying switch port connections is the LANsurveyor product. This solution will discover your network, diagram your network, continuously scan for updates, and provide switch port connectivity. If you haven't checked it out, you can download it from http://www.solarwinds.com/downloads/index.aspx.
Haley, thanks for the update on when we might expect an update for Cirrus. However, I can't say I'm happy with the time frame. Also, as for the mention of Lansurveyor and the thought of having to spend more money to fill the gap created by a poorly implemented feature, I am at a loss for words. We bought Cirrus for config archiving, change management, and user tracking. Lets face it, user tracking in Cirrus is broken right now. This should be fixed or patched. We should not have to wait for that functionality because it is to be rolled up with other new features in some new release that we may not see for 6-9 months.
John,
Thanks for your feedback. LANsurveyor is very complimentary with Cirrus in that it provides a visual diagram of your network. Many customers not only want to see which port a device is connected to but also see a diagram of the entire network. This additional functionality is the primary reason for recommending LANsurveyor as an addition to the Cirrus solution.
In regards to user tracking, what type of information would you like to see in Cirrus?
