Network Monitoring

Native Capability

As open source network monitoring tools have become available and widely used, GroundWork has integrated them into the Enterprise product, adding value and flexibility. GroundWork Monitor Enterprise is now equipped to monitor network devices using a number of methods.

Our current releases include Cacti, a powerful open source engine for polling network devices. We have installed and configured Cacti in GroundWork Monitor Enterprise to allow rapid polling of up to thousands of metrics, such as interface statistics, connection counters, and security alarms. Cacti produces graphs in convenient trees, allowing the administrator to delve into troubleshooting data in a highly visual context.

Integration with other components of GroundWork Monitor allows Cacti to be the source of alerts, leading you to trouble spots in the network without having to sift through the graph trees looking for them — the relevant graphs are presented in context with the alerts in a unified interface. Consolidation of alerts allows you to monitor large numbers of metrics efficiently, maximizing your monitoring capacity.

See a video on setting up the Cacti integration here.

Adding to GroundWork Monitor Enterprise Network Monitoring

The following additional modules are available to a standard GroundWork Monitor Flex subscription at no additional cost:

Network Asset Discovery

Adding the NeDi (Network Discovery) add-on to your GroundWork Monitor Enterprise deployment is an optional way to extend your management reach, allowing you to automatically find and monitor network devices and nodes. NeDi finds each router and switch inside its scan radius, and discovers connections, interface by interface. It will tell you where nodes are connected, down to the switch and port. Every host and dependency NeDi discovers can be imported to GroundWork Monitor, simplifying and accelerating expansion of monitoring.

Packet Capture and Analysis

GroundWork Monitor Enterprise can be equipped with NTOP, a popular packet capture and analysis package. You can use NTOP to see where traffic is flowing to and from, what ports and systems are getting used, and when the activity occurs. Adding in netflow or sflow information makes this capability function across multiple network segments, letting you quickly trace and optionally capture selected traffic, all without spending outrageous amounts.

Traffic Mapping

Adding to the already powerful Views application included natively in GroundWork Monitor Enterprise, the WeatherMap integration lets you construct stratified topological maps of network connections. Dynamic updating of traffic flows gives instant visual feedback on link congestion, and overlays can show you contextual data from the Cacti component in easily understood graphs. Weathermap integration includes the Cacti Weathermap plugin and the Weathermap editor, accessible from the Advanced menu.