Remote Network Monitoring (RMON) Set-Up Evaluation

RMON Probes

Introduction

Remote Network Monitoring (RMON) will allow monitors and consoles in Roadster Corp.’s network to monitor data by following standards specifications. RMON operates under a client-server model whereby the probes act as servers while the monitoring agents as clients. It is critical to have a set up that will monitor the network efficiently (Dees & Rahman, 2015).

Location of probes

The RMON probe will be installed in collision domains to monitor each network remote collision domain. This will ensure real-time monitoring data or statistics can be captured. In Roadster Corp.’s network, the probes will be installed in switches to monitor each port in the switch (Guo et al., 2019).

In-line traps will be also used whereby they are inserted into a network line directly. In this case, the traps have probes attached to them to monitor the network within the link. This process will be applicable in Roadster Corp. since the internal network will be utilizing Ethernet cables which provide coper connection which is easy to trap.

The diagram below shows where the RMON probes are located:

Figure 2: Author’s diagram showing the locations of RMON Probes

In this case, Severs do not have the probes configured since their interfaces are monitored from the switch. However, the host can have the probes configured too if need be. In-line tap is used in the link between the modem and external firewall. The inline is used since the modem may not be supporting the probes because in most cases it is supplied by the internet service provider. For that reason, it becomes easy to use the In-line tap.

Monitored Parameters

The probes will monitor various parameters from ports. A probe in a switch can monitor all ports of the switch and determine uptime and traffic. Through the traffics one can determine the number of packets sent and received.

The probes capture the network traffic bandwidth which is critical. This means that the network administrator can set thresholds in the SNMP manager. Alarms are set off when the threshold is exceeded and the administrator is notified.

Communication Process

The network management will have the SNMP manager installed that will enable communication with the RMON probes. It is important to note that RMON probes are an extension of the SMNP. That means they utilize the same communication process as used by SNMP.

The RMON rely on Server-Client model where the monitoring agents capture data and send it to the managers. The RMON probes will be placed in network positions such that they can communicate with the network management stations that is the SNMP manager server. The firewall will be reconfigured to allow to and from communications (Guo et al., 2019).

The diagram below shows communication between the RMON probe and management station:

Figure 3: Author’s diagram showing communication between the management station and RMON probe

Information to be captured

RMON probes capture key information which is used in network management. This information is used to make key decisions in network management. For example, one can predict a problem before it occurs by checking the network trend from the probes.

By capturing traffic in ports it becomes easier to detect traffic congestion, excessive collisions and number of packets dropped.  In case of congestion the network administrator will have to clear it and upgrade the network devices if possible to make sure it doesn’t occur again. The same applies to excessive collisions (Dees & Rahman, 2015).

RMON allows sampling of monitoring data over time. This provides history which can be used for reference in case a problem occurs allowing the network manager to establish the real cause of the problem. Events such as network spikes can also trigger alarms that notify administrators on matters that need to be attended to. In this way, it becomes easier to solve problems in the network and prevent potential incidents which could take the network down.

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RMON has features that systematically classify data making it easy to use. The administrator can access statics for the network interfaces. The interfaces provide key information such as the number of packets through the network as well as the type of packets. Through this information, the administrator can determine the interfaces which are not communicating and the protocols that are in use in the network.

Generally, RMON information will help Roadster Corp to manage the entire network. It will be easier to detect bottlenecks, network congestions within the network, unusual collisions and errors, bandwidth usage, downtime and interfaces which are down. By having this information at hand it becomes easier to troubleshoot the network than going to each device and trying to establish where the problem is. Proactive management becomes possible since the network manager will be able to obtain the device information in advance.

References

• Dees, K., & Rahman, S. (2015). Enhancing Infrastructure Security in Real Estate. arXiv preprint arXiv:1512.00064.
• Guo, Y., Lin, T., Liang, K., & Chen, G. (2019, March). Network Quality Monitoring for Typical Power Services. In 2019 IEEE 3rd Information Technology, Networking, Electronic and Automation Control Conference (ITNEC) (pp. 1437-1441). IEEE.