MENLO PARK, Calif., Sept. 14, 1992 -- CiscoWorks, a comprehensive set of router-management applications that offersadvanced real-time operations tools, has been introduced by CiscoSystems. CiscoWorks initially will run on SunNet Manager 2.0, theindustry's most widely used network management platform fromSunConnect.

CiscoWorks is the newest generation of Cisco's NetCentralnetwork management software, first introduced in 1990 running onCisco's own SNMP platform. CiscoWorks now includes not only anintegral relational database, historical analysis tools andsophisticated configuration management functions but also real-time operations tools that simplify the monitoring of networkactivities by network administrators and operators.

Heidi Iacurto, Cisco product manager for router management,said, "Now that definitive industry standards have emerged forSNMP-based network management platforms, Cisco can focus itsefforts where it can add most value: in applications for managinginternetwork routers. The new applications allow networkoperators to monitor routers and paths and reduce time-consumingadministrative tasks. And because SunNet Manager is a de factostandard, CiscoWorks and other SunNet Manager applications areintegrated on a common platform."

CiscoWorks offers two series of applications: an operationsseries to simplify day-to-day router monitoring, trouble shootingand administration; and a management series to facilitate off-lineanalysis of network traffic patterns and trends.

Operations Toolkit for Real-Time Network Monitoring

The Operations Toolkit, the most significant new feature ofCiscoWorks, offers a series of real-time tools for networkoperators. A health monitor gives the user a device overview at aglance, graphically showing the logical configuration, interfaceand protocol utilization.

A show commands feature lets users simply point-and-click toview in-depth information about a device or interface, rather thanhaving to Telnet to the device, enter a password and then enterthe appropriate Cisco "show" command. For example, "show trafficmix" displays traffic by protocol per interface (e.g., 10 percentAppleTalk, 50 percent TCP/IP, and 40 percent DECnet), "showinterface" displays the status of a selected device interface, and"show AppleTalk" displays AppleTalk traffic statistics by router.

The CiscoWorks path tool permits users to visually monitorthe status of critical network routes and quickly pinpoint troublespots. The path tool visually displays a path for IP protocoltraffic between any two devices, showing each router in the path,specific interfaces in the routers, and transmission media andspeeds. Color coding is used to indicate interface utilizationand/or error rate for every interface along the path.

Real-time graphs let the user construct dynamic graphs ofrouter system usage, interface statistics and protocol usage.This application takes advantage of SunNet Manager Grapher, buteliminates the graph setup step. The poll rate for the graphs canbe set by the user.

The security manager allows network personnel to protectnetwork management data by assigning levels of access to the user,the application, or both. Five levels of "permission" give theadministrator maximum flexibility in limiting access to sensitivedata. A given individual or group can be permitted to view only,or view and modify, application data or passwords, or can be keptfrom system data altogether.

The environmental monitor is the first application that letsthe user view and monitor key router environmental statistics. Itprovides a graphical display of the router's internal and airflowtemperatures (Fahrenheit or Centigrade), as well as voltageindicators.

CiscoWorks also includes Configuration File Management,introduced last year, which maximizes network administratorproductivity through the use of a central data archive maintainedfor each router. The administrator can access configurationinformation by device, try out and compare differentconfigurations, and automatically detect changes in any router onthe network.

SQL Relational Database for Off-Line Trend Analysis

CiscoWorks also includes a management tool to collecthistorical network data for off-line analysis of performancetrends and traffic patterns. A Sybase SQL relational databaseserver stores designated SNMP MIB variables -- e.g., byte count,packet count, broadcast packet count, input and output errors --from which the user can make ad hoc queries and generate graphs.This lets the user determine, for example, when a device or anetwork segment is too heavily loaded, in order to takeappropriate action before a breakdown occurs.Pricing/Availability

Users of NetCentral software can be upgradedto CiscoWorks free of charge if they are enrolled in Cisco'ssoftware maintenance program.

Pricing/Availability

Available beginning in November, CiscoWorks is priced at $9,995 (U.S.list). Users of NetCentral software can be upgraded to CiscoWorks free ofcharge if they are enrolled in Cisco's software maintenance program.

Cisco Systems, Inc., is the leading global supplier of high-performance, multimedia and multiprotocol internetworkingproducts, including routers, bridges, communication servers androuter management software. Cisco technology can be used to buildenterprise-wide networks linking an unlimited number ofgeographically dispersed LANs, WANs and IBM SNA internetworks.Cisco is publicly traded over the counter under the NASDAQ symbolCSCO.

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Posted: Dec 15 14:56:13 1992