SAN JOSE, Calif. - April 6, 1998 - Cisco Systems, Inc. today announcedthe Cisco Netsys Baseliner Version 4.0 for the Windows NT operating system.Netsys Baseliner helps avoid costly network configuration problems byenabling network administrators to display, debug and validate networkconfigurations and test them offline before committing them to the live network. Cisco also announced today the Netsys Service-Level Management Suite forUNIX Version 4.1 at a new low price.
"Most network problems reported to technical support organizations areconfiguration related. As the network grows, configuration problems becomeharder to detect and avoid, causing downtime and time-consuming repair,"said Herb Madan, vice president and general manager for Cisco's Network andServices Management Business Unit. "The Netsys Baseliner creates a modelof the network based on actual Cisco router configuration files andanalyzes these configurations for more than 100 common, yet difficult toisolate configuration problems. Configuration changes can then be made on themodel and tested before implementing them on the live network."
Netsys Baseliner provides a graphical view of the network as configured,not as planned or discovered. Unlike most network management tools thatprovide a topology view based upon Simple Network Management Protocol(SNMP) discovery processes or manually entered information, the NetsysBaseliner graphical topology allows a network administrator to visually navigatethe network and gain a complete understanding of how it works. By usingactual router configuration files, Netsys Baseliner can display all physicaland logical relationships between routers on the network. The topologiesare drawn automatically, so the network administrator does not have tospend hours manually linking interfaces and grouping objects.
Netsys Baseliner also enables network administrators to proactivelymonitor configuration changes, saving valuable time. When network problemsoccur, recent configuration changes are often the cause. Netsys Baselinerprovides a historical record of changed configurations, allowing the user toquickly identify recently modified devices and isolate problems. NetsysBaseliner also provides the user with a way of tracking changes made tothe network by other parties. Numerous reports provide a quick healthoverview of the network, immediately isolating error sources and speedingproblem resolution.
"The Netsys Baseliner Web-based reports are an excellent way to track anddiscuss topology and configuration issues with administrators all overthe country," said Chris Hartmann, WAN specialist at National TechTeam, Inc. "The ability to determine the topology from configurations enables us toidentify problems that network monitoring tools would never realize. This capability combined with the ability to track network changes and testnetwork configurations, makes Netsys Baseliner an invaluable addition toour network monitoring system."
Pricing and Availability
Cisco's Netsys Baseliner 4.0 for Windows NT is available today for$6,995. Netsys Baseliner is also available as part of a Cisco Network Managementpromotion for the Windows NT operating system. The new NT promotion ispriced at $9,995 and includes Cisco Netsys Baseliner, Cisco ResourceManager (CRM) and CiscoWorks for Switched Internetworks (CWSI). Cisco's NetsysService-Level Management Suite for UNIX is now available at a price of$9,995 for support of up to 500 routers, and includes support for Solaris-J,the Japanese version of Sun Solaris.Cisco Systems
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