Corvil » Questions and Answers
Questions & Answers
View our archive of the most common questions and answers.
Data Sheet
Installation and Usage
Q. How can I integrate CorvilNet with other OSS and network management products?
A. CorvilNet provides both an SNMP MIB and an XML API giving access to all of its performance monitoring metrics. The MIB provides access to the last 5 minutes of data for all measurements, while the XML API provides access to all of the historical data and to 1-second measurement updates. Both APIs are standards-compliant and easy to integrate with third party products.
Q. What happens if my CorvilNet appliance fails?
A. CorvilNet is not in the data path, and therefore in the event of device failure traffic will continue to flow without any interruption. Only monitoring and analysis of the network will stop.
Q. Does CorvilNet require any client configuration?
A. No client configuration or software installation is required. CorvilNet is accessible through a standard web browser and is completely transparent to end users.
Q. How long are event traces kept?
A. Event traces, including packet captures and corresponding event analytics are retained for up to 1 year.
Q. Will CorvilNet slow down my network and applications?
A. CorvilNet is not in the data path and will not affect the normal operation of your network or applications. CorvilNet Service Channels do generate correlation traffic between CorvilNet appliances. However, the overhead involved is low (12 bytes per measured application packet) and can be carried out–of–band on a separate network if desired.
Q. Does CorvilNet use simulated traffic?
A. No. CorvilNet monitors your application traffic as it travels across the network. All application packets are tracked.
Q. Does CorvilNet capture packets?
A. CorvilNet has an optional license to provide full packet capture and export in standard format (PCAP) for analysis in external tools. Packet captures can be triggered or manually started and stopped, and can be configured per Service Channel.
Q. Is CorvilNet difficult to use?
A. No, CorvilNet is a next–generation network management system designed for low operational overhead. It delivers the following benefits:
- Easy to use – CorvilNet includes a Web-based user interface and dashboards for easy access to relevant information. Instant PDF reports with up to 60–day histories allow network managers to easily share information with other departments and management.
- Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) traps for quality alarms to integrate with existing network management and operations systems.
- Easy to deploy – CorvilNet can monitor remote sites from a single appliance in the data centre. It supports up to four ports to enable easy connectivity in redundant router/switch configurations. It provides the same command–line interface (CLI) and modular QoS CLI (MQC) structure that network managers use in their Cisco routers.
Q. What types of network topology does CorvilNet support?
A. CorvilNet can be deployed in LAN, WAN, and mesh topologies. Service Channels provide ease-of-configuration and easy access to results regardless of the network topology. CorvilNet also specifically supports WAN deployments involving remote sites which have no deployed appliances.
Q. What interface types and speeds can CorvilNet monitor?
A. CorvilNet supports Ethernet connectivity from 10/100/1000 Base–T, and both 1 and 10 Gbps optical.
Q. Does CorvilNet support IP/Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) networks and VLANs?
A. Yes, it can model IP/MPLS and VLAN sites.
Q. Can CorvilNet monitor traffic encapsulated with GRE?
A. Yes. GRE encapsulated traffic may be monitored either at the top IP/GRE layer or at the encapsulated (GRE payload) layer.
Q. Can CorvilNet monitor FIX and FAST encoded traffic?
A. CorvilNet is equipped with both FIX and FAST layer–7 application signatures to automatically identify all FIX and FAST traffic on the network.
Q. Can CorvilNet monitor custom applications?
A. Yes, CorvilNet supports definition of custom applications based on IP addressing information, generic class-maps mechanisms, and URLs.
Q. How much data does CorvilNet store?
A. CorvilNet appliances are available in several hardware configurations, with storage ranging from 250 GB to 900 GB. Each hardware configuration stores up to 60 days of monitoring data, and the larger configurations can hold up to seven billion event-trace packet records.