SNMP Research International, Inc.

Secure Your Network

CIAgent Features

MIB documents supported by CIAgent:

CIAgent Product Sheet

CIAgent®, a member of the SecureIntelligence® Product Family, is comprised of the EMANATE® Master Agent and multiple extensions for system and application management. This intelligent agent supports SNMPv1, SNMPv2c, and SNMPv3.

Architecture

The following diagram shows how CIAgent interacts with subagents (represented by small boxes), DR-Web™ Extensible Agent, and the network.

CIAgent Architecture

Products Included with CIAgent

CIAgent includes a comprehensive package of tools useful for network monitoring and troubleshooting. These tools include:

These tools are described in the sections below.

Using CIAgent

CIAgent can be used in many ways. Some examples are provided below.

Monitor Important Applications

The Critical Application Monitor can be configured to carry out suitable actions when the application terminates, such as sending a trap or restarting an application.

Monitor System and Application Logs

The Log File Monitor examines log files and performs actions when user defined patterns are encountered or when the log file exceeds a certain size.

Monitor Available Capacity of File Systems

The File System Monitor shows current file systems and sends notification when the file system reaches near capacity. In addition, it adds the ability to perform actions based on file system problems. Other functions include execution of programs or scripts and/or sending traps.

Monitor the Apache Web Server

The Apache Server Monitor instruments the Apache Server so that an operator may monitor the overall health and performance of their Web servers from their SNMP-based management systems. Apache Server Monitor is especially useful to identify situations when Web server parameters deviate from established norms. It may then be used as a powerful tool for troubleshooting problems related to delivering quality Web services.

Manage information via Web browsers

The DR-Web™ Extensible Agent enhances the EMANATE Master Agent, providing EMANATE with an HTTP interface. This allows Web access to the management information of CIAgent. Also, Web pages that retrieve and display customized sets of management data can be created using HTML editors.

Collect Network Statistics

The original MIB-II (RFC 1213), a core component of SNMP agents, provides almost 200 objects of information about the performance and statistics of the TCP/IP stack.

The IP-neutral MIB-II includes RFCs 1213, 2863, 3418, 4001, 4022, 4113, 4292, 4293, and 4898. It encompasses both IPv4 and IPv6 interfaces, providing even more performance and statistics data.

Monitor TCP Connections To and From a System

CIAgent is a tool for monitoring the status of mission-critical network components, hardware/operating system components, and software applications. CIAgent provides an early warning system for both detecting problems and notifying operations personnel.

Network managers who need to monitor or log TCP/IP connections for problem diagnosis or security concerns use the TCP Extended Statistics MIB in the IP-neutral MIB-II to generate SNMP Traps when a new connection is established (tcpEStatsEstablishNotification) and when an existing connection has recently closed (tcpEStatsCloseNotification). The payload of the Trap message is a MIB object called tcpEStatsConnectIndex that identifies the row in the TCP Connection Table associated with the TCP connection that was established or closed. A MIB object called tcpEStatsConnTableLatency controls how long after a connection has closed that its information remains in the TCP Connection Table. This feature of the TCP Extended Statistics MIB (RFC 4898) allows the network manager to reliably obtain information about a TCP connection that has already closed.

Monitor Which Applications Are Currently Running

The System Application MIB (RFC 2287) supports configuration, fault detection, performance monitoring, and control of application software. This agent creates tables that define an application as a series of processes and services. This includes tables that show applications installed on the system, elements and processes that are included in an application, and current and previously run applications.

Monitor Resources on a System

The Host Resources MIB (RFC 1514 and RFC 2790) provides useful information about the system and applications running on the system. There are approximately 85 different objects available, including the following:

System

Storage & File System

Software

Launch Any Script

The Script MIB allows any script, application, or other executable to be launched using an SNMPv3 Set operation from any SNMP manager directed to any CIAgent implementing the Script MIB. The executable can be found through the System Application MIB.

Reduce the Load on Centralized Managers

The Mid-Level Manager (MLM) [DisMan] reduces network traffic by shifting the continual management of a machine from the enterprise manager to the local machine. The MLM uses scripts to aggregate, summarize, and transform data into useful information. This information is then reported to the enterprise manager. The MLM can be used in conjunction with any of the included MIBs to monitor objects, based on time intervals.

Reduce the Polling Load on Centralized Managers

The Event MIB [DisMan] monitors MIB objects and performs actions that are based on given conditions, such as exceeding a threshold. Event MIB allows the user to configure traps that are either standard or enterprise specific. This product is based on the alarm and event tables from the RMON MIB.

Schedule Activities

The Schedule MIB [DisMan] provides scheduling of actions either periodically or at specified dates and times.

Build in a Transition Plan

The Native Agent/Subagent Adapters allow for the smooth coexistence of CIAgent and the native SNMP agent, which is provided by the underlying operating system. However, the adapters are not necessary for platforms that use EMANATE as the default SNMP agent, such as HP-UX.

Troubleshoot

The Trapsend utility allows traps to be sent from the command-line or from shell scripts. Trapsend supports SNMPv1, SNMPv2c, and SNMPv3.

Monitor Network Services

The Service Monitor (optional) is an agent that allows the user to monitor network services. It is designed to determine whether a service, such as a Web server or FTP server, is operating properly. The services that can be monitored are as follows: DNS, FTP, HTTP, POP3, PING, TraceRoute, NsLookup.

Build Custom Extensions

The Subagent Development Kit (optional) makes it easy to create custom subagents that support new MIB modules.

CNN CIAgent Field Test Status Report

For information on the CNN CIAgent Field Test Status Report, please see the white paper.

Available Platforms

CIAgent is available on the following platforms:

If a particular system is not listed, please contact Sales. We are happy to work with customers to port our products to new systems.

Please note: When a product is licensed, the product will support one platform of your choosing. If you need a product to run on two or more platforms, then a separate license must be acquired for each platform.

Request an evaluation copy of CIAgent.

Sales Inquiries

For more information, please call +1 865 579-3311, or send email to info@snmp.com. You can also fill out a Sales Query and one of our sales people will respond to your request quickly.

Licensing terms are available from info@snmp.com.