3com 2500 User Guide

C

HAPTER

 15: R

EMOTE

 M

ONITORING

 (RMON) T

ECHNOLOGY

From a network management console, traditional network management 
applications poll network devices such as switches, bridges, and routers 
at regular intervals. The console gathers statistics, identifies trends, and 
highlights network events. The console polls network devices constantly 
to determine if the network is within its normal operating conditions.

As network size and traffic levels grow, however, the network 
management console can become overburdened by the amount of data 
it must collect. Frequent console polling also generates significant 
network traffic that itself can create problems for the network.

An RMON implementation offers solutions to both of these problems:

■

The RMON probe examines the network without affecting the 
characteristics and performance of the network. 

■

The RMON probe reports by exception rather than by gathering 
constant or frequent information. That is, the RMON probe informs 
the network management console directly if the network enters an 
abnormal state. The console can then use more information gathered 
by the probe, such as historical information, to diagnose the abnormal 
condition.

CoreBuilder 2500 Extended Switching software offers full-time 
embedded RMON support using SNMP for seven of the RMON groups. 
When combined with the Roving Analysis Port (RAP) function, RMON 
support for these groups provides a comprehensive and powerful 
mechanism for managing your network.