[Techtalk] Re: Network Uptime Performance

[Raven, corporate courtesan]

Heya --

Quoth Kath (Mon, Oct 08, 2001 at 06:06:19PM -0400):
> Now with MRTG, would I have to setup a Linux router or could it just listen
> on the network and count the packets on one interface?

	MRTG works by querying your existing devices via SNMP.  So
although you can run the MRTG server on a Linux box, you query your
Cisco routers, or whatever other devices you were looking to monitor.
The Linux box has to have a recent Perl and the .png libraries on it...
there are full requirements and such on the home page.  Usually people
look at the MRTG output via a web page.

	So you'll have to configure your Ciscos to send the SNMP
community strings that MRTG looks for, and configure MRTG to query the
routers with those community strings every [desired interval].  A cron
job is the normal way to accomplish this.
 
> I'm just really looking to deploy a few dinky 486/low pentiums at various
> sites and have them send information to a main page to tell me how the
> network is doing.

	With MRTG, you only need one low pentium box, and it can query
your whole network.  Because it uses the SNMP strings, it's not
depending on the speed from it to them, or anything.  It asks the router
about its interfaces directly.
 
	And it's GPL.  What more do you want? 
 
Cheers,
Raven
 
"But at least now I have a batcat."
"Batcat!"
 -- me and Paul, discussing this weekend's shopping expedition