Network Device Monitoring FAQs

The Checks run every five minutes.

All monitored devices receive a Ping Check, devices that respond to our SNMP queries with details of their monitorable components automatically receive additional Checks where supported: Cartridge Level and Paper Level Checks for printers, the Interface Check for routers, switches and firewalls.

Where the SNMP scan detects support for our extended monitoring set (based on the device type and manufacturer) additional Network Device SNMP Checks are also added to the device.

We have also included the ability to add Custom SNMP Checks to through the Custom SNMP Check Library and automatically apply them to devices.

You can configured Network Device Management to send failure and/or recovery alerts (email or SMS) when a Check fails then subsequently passes. This is configurable globally or on individual devices.

Not all Check failures are immediately solvable and you can clear a Check so it no longer appears as failed on the Dashboard, for example when you are waiting on a part to resolve the issue.

Once monitoring is enabled we continually check the device’s connectivity to determine whether it is reachable over ARP (Address Resolution Protocol). Where the device loses connectivity, it is reported as offline in the North-pane of the Networks Devices tab and an Alert generated (if configured).

The section extended monitoring set lists the manufacturers and the additional Checks available for their products.

We have included the option to create and add your own SNMP Checks on a device. This is covered in Add Custom SNMP Checks.

This generally occurs when the SNMP scan is unable to retrieve details of the monitorable components from the device and can be related to the configuration on the device itself, network restrictions or the security settings entered for Network Discovery. As such, we would suggest checking the following:

• Is SNMP enabled and configured on the Device?

Although a device supports SNMP, SNMP may not necessarily be enabled and configured by default. In these case it is necessary to enable and configure SNMP before the device will begin to accept SNMP requests.

• Are the SNMP security settings correctly configured on the Device?

The device's SNMP security settings control where SNMP requests are accepted from on the network, either any or specific hosts. There should not be a problem where requests (packets) are accepted from any host, but where specific hosts are entered you must ensure that these include the host names, IP or IPX addresses (where supported) for devices running Network Discovery Agents to ensure they can retrieve information from the target device.

Please be aware that although a preferred network discoverer is selectable, where this device is unavailable an alternative discoverer is used.

The SNMP security settings also cover the level of permissions assigned to the SNMP requests (Community rights). We require at least Read Only to retrieve information from the target device.

Additionally you can configure the Community name (password) used to authenticate the SNMP queries. This is set to public by default.

• Does the Dashboard Network settings include the Device's Community name?
• Where discovered Devices use SNMP Community names other than public (the default) these names must be entered as a SNMP Community Strings for the Network in the Dashboard.

Log into the Dashboard, go to Networks, right-click on the network in the North-pane, choose Edit selected network, Add, select SNMP Community String, populate the required details (case sensitive) then Save and OK to apply.

Where these SNMP Community Strings are already configured in the Dashboard, check the Community String is entered correctly and matches the case sensitivity of the Community Name of the product.

As SNMP setup and settings configuration can vary between devices, we would suggest referring to the device's instructions or vendor's website on how to enable and configure SNMP.