Path Insight (Add-on)

General

The Path Insight add-on provides highly detailed information about network traffic paths between Netreo remote agents and configured destination endpoints, providing complete end-to-end network path visibility.

Details

Destination endpoints are configured in Netreo, and one or more Netreo remote agents are assigned to monitor them, creating a traffic path (anything with a reachable IP address can be configured as a destination endpoint). The remote agents send bursts of test traffic at 15-minute intervals to your configured destination, collecting network performance data about that path, such as network hops, latency, and packet loss (both end-to-end and per hop). Netreo then takes the data from the network hops and, by combining various TraceRoute methodologies with built-in Netreo features, builds a complete map of the paths taken by the test traffic. This map can be shown in the Path Insight dashboard, providing you with a visual display of the path.

The data gathered for each individual burst of test traffic for each path is stored for 7 days.

Threshold checks can also be configured for the various elements in the path to automatically alert you to unacceptable values.

Path Insight Dashboard

This dashboard is available to users of all access levels.

A Path Insight Overview dashboard widget is available if you would like to add Path Insight data to a custom dashboard.

To navigate to the Path Insight Dashboard, go to the main menu and select Quick Views > Path Insight Dashboard.

The Path Insight dashboard consists of multiple pages meant to be viewed in sequence. The pages (main page, path list page, and path details page) are explained below in the sequence in which they are viewed.

Main Page

The main page is the page that is initially displayed when the Path Insight dashboard is first opened. Its data display is broken up into three subsections, as follows.

Overall Check Status

The upper left section displays the aggregate status of all Path Insight threshold checks for all paths. That is, of the combined total of all checks, how many are in each state right now. The image above shows two checks in the healthy (OK) state and two checks in the critical state.

Check Status by Statistic

The lower left section displays the aggregate status of Path Insight threshold checks (for all paths) broken down by statistic type (latency, packet loss, and network hops). The number to the left of the statistic name is the total number of checks monitoring that statistic. The thermometer-style gauge below it visually depicts the number of checks in each state relative to each other. The colored badges below the gauge show how many of the checks monitoring that statistic are in each state. (See Threshold Check for color codes.)

Tactical Overview

The right section displays a Tactical Overview-style table listing either destination endpoints or source agents (click the labels at the top of the table to pivot the table). For each endpoint/agent listed, the table displays the aggregate status of all threshold checks associated with that endpoint/agent broken out by statistic type. Clicking on an endpoint/agent in the table allows you to drill in for more detail by opening the path list page for that endpoint/agent, described below.

Path List Page

The path list page is displayed when you click on either a source agent or destination endpoint in the Tactical Overview section of the main page. It displays a table of associated paths, identified by a source agent and the destination endpoint it connects to, with (end-to-end) performance values for latency, packet loss, and network hops specific to each path. The timestamp indicates when the displayed values were collected for that path.

Clicking on a path in the table allows you to drill in for more detail by opening the path details page for that path.

Path Details Page

The path details page is displayed when you click on a path in the table from the path list page. It displays the Packet Loss and Latency graph and Path Insight Map (each is explained below) for the most recent test traffic for the selected path.

Clicking on any previous data point on the graph displays the Path Insight Map for that time stamp.

Packet Loss and Latency Graph

The Packet Loss and Latency graph shows average packet loss and latency data for the most recent 24-hour period. Use the arrows to page back and forth through the graph in 24-hour increments. Destinations are tested every 15 minutes.

Each blue bar represents the average latency for that time stamp (right-side scale), while the red line plots the average packet loss (left-side scale). (If the average packet loss is consistently 0%, the red line might not be visible, as it remains at the bottom of the graph.)

Hover the mouse cursor over any bar on the graph to see:

• Timestamp
• Minimum latency
• Maximum latency
• Average latency for the past 24 hours
• Packet loss

The values measured are total, end-to-end values for each statistic.

Path Insight Map

The Path Insight Map displays a visual, interactive, hop-by-hop depiction of network traffic between source agents and destination endpoints, providing path analysis for your entire infrastructure. It can aid IT engineers in identifying problem areas down to the network node.

The map shows the network path taken by the test traffic for the time stamp selected in the Packet Loss and Latency graph. (The selected time stamp is shown at the top of the map.)

If the network path is very large and/or complex, the map can be panned by clicking and dragging on the map and zoomed in or out by using the mouse scroll wheel. Click the Reset Position button to re-center and zoom the map.

Hover the mouse cursor over a map node or link in the path to view detailed data about that element.

The data available includes the following:

For nodes

• Hostname or IP address
• Node type
  • External = reachable from outside the network
  • Private = not reachable from outside the network
  • Managed = a managed device (typically also Private)
  • Unreachable = node has timed out
  • Unknown = node cannot be identified as one of the other node types
• Device availability status (if the node is a managed device)

For links

• Link type
  • Inbound = from external node to internal node
  • Outbound = from internal node to external node
  • Internal = from internal node to internal node
  • External = from external node to external node
• Minimum latency
• Maximum latency
• Average latency for the past 24 hours
• Packet loss (%)
• Likelihood (%) - How likely traffic is to take this path.

Configuration

Prerequisites:

• The Netreo Path Insight add-on requires its own separate (purchased) license to be activated.
• At least one Netreo remote agent must be deployed before configuration.

After Path Insight is activated and at least one Netreo remote agent is deployed, destination endpoints can be added to Path Insight for monitoring.

How to Add a Destination

Destination endpoints can be added to Netreo by following the procedure below.

1. Log in to Netreo as a user with the SuperAdmin access level.
2. Go to the Netreo main menu and select Administration > Modules > Path Insight to navigate to the Path Insight Administration page.
3. Select Create New Path Insight.
4. In the Create Destination dialog box that appears:
   1. In the NAME field, enter a name for the destination. This is the name that appears in the Path Insight dashboard.
   2. In the HOST NAME OR IP ADDRESS field, enter the FQDN or IP address of the destination.
   3. In the PORT field, specify the port of the destination to be used.
   4. In the MONITORING AGENTS table select one or more remote agent(s) to be used for monitoring the destination by setting their ENABLED switch to ON. This associates that agent with the destination. (An agent can monitor multiple destination endpoints.)
   5. Select Save.

The new destination appears in the Destinations table and Netreo will begin collecting data for it using the selected remote agents.

Collected destination performance data can be viewed on the Path Insight dashboard (Quick Views > Path Insight Dashboard from the main menu). It typically takes 5 to 15 minutes before data begins to appear in the dashboard.

How to Stop Monitoring a Destination

You can temporarily or permanently stop testing a service destination without deleting it from Netreo, as indicated below.

1. Log in to Netreo as a user with the SuperAdmin access level.
2. Go to the Netreo main menu and select Administration > Modules > Path Insight to navigate to the Path Insight Administration page.
3. In the Destinations table, locate the destination that you want to stop testing.
4. Set its switch in the ENABLED column to OFF. (Set to ON to re-enable testing.)

The Netreo remote agents associated with that destination will no longer test it (although their association with that destination remains). Stopped destinations can be re-enabled at any time. (There is necessarily a gap in the recorded data for the time period during which the destination was disabled.)

How to Delete a Destination

A service destination can be permanently deleted from Netreo and its remote agent associations removed as indicated below.

1. Log in to Netreo as a user with the SuperAdmin access level.
2. Go to the Netreo main menu and select Administration > Modules > Path Insight to navigate to the Path Insight Administration page.
3. In the Destinations table, locate the destination that you wish to delete.
4. In the ACTIONS column, select the destination's delete icon. Note: This action is permanent and cannot be undone.

The destination and all of its recorded data are permanently deleted from Netreo, and all remote agent associations are removed.

How to Add/Remove Agents from a Destination

A service destination can have additional remote agents assigned to test it or have currently used agents disassociated from it, as indicated below.

1. Log in to Netreo as a user with the SuperAdmin access level.
2. Go to the Netreo main menu and select Administration > Modules > Path Insight to navigate to the Path Insight Administration page.
3. In the Destinations table, locate the destination that you want to add/remove agents to/from.
4. In the ACTIONS column, select the edit icon.
5. In the edit dialog box that appears:
   1. Locate the agent that you want to add/remove in the agent table.
   2. In the ENABLED column for that agent, set the enable switch to ON to add the agent to the list of agents testing this destination or to OFF to remove the agent from the list of associated agents testing this destination.
   3. Select Save to save your changes.

When saved, any agents set to ON will test the destination (and appear on the path insight map), and any agents set to OFF will not.