Cisco Cisco Application Performance Assurance Network Module Information Guide
Q&A
© 2008 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public Information.
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Cisco Application Performance Assurance Network Module
2.0
2.0
Q.
What is Cisco
®
Application Performance Assurance (APA) Network Module?
A.
Cisco APA Network Module provides a router-integrated form factor for identifying, analyzing,
and, in conjunction with the router, controlling application traffic on a per user basis. Cisco
APA Network Module is available in two separate SKUs, Cisco NME-APA-E2 for the 2800
Series Integrated Services Routers (ISRs) and Cisco NME-APA-E3 for the 3800 Series ISRs.
Q.
With which routers does Cisco APA Network Module work?
A.
Cisco APA Network Module is designed to work with Cisco 2800 and 3800 Series Integrated
Services Routers. The router models that support APA Network Module include Cisco 2811,
2821, 2851, 3825, and 3845 Integrated Services Routers.
Q.
How many APA Network Modules can an ISR support?
A.
Cisco 2800 or 3800 Series ISRs are capable of supporting only one APA Network Module.
Q.
What levels of performance does Cisco APA Network Module deliver?
A.
Cisco APA Network Module is designed to provide aggregated (from all ports) sustained
unidirectional throughput of 45 Mbps (T3 rate) for the view-only version of the solution. The
system is capable of supporting concurrently up to 500 users and 5000 flows (that is, 10 flows
per user). The control version of the module provides a performance level of approximately
half of the throughput available with the view-only solution.
Q.
What kind of high availability/redundancy scheme does the module offer?
A.
Cisco APA Network Module does not offer high availability and does not support a redundancy
scheme. In case of APA Network Module failure, the ISR stops traffic diversion to the module.
Defective modules can be removed and replaced with a functioning module by the network
operator. Since the module is not directly inline, it will not become a point of failure on the
network.
Management
Q.
How is Cisco APA Network Module managed?
A.
The Cisco APA Network Module is managed by a standalone application called APA Device
Console (APADC). It is a web-based application that performs various functions such as
device management of APA Network Modules or engines (individually or as a group), service
configuration, user management, and report generation.
Q.
How does the management application interface with APA Network Module?
A.
APADC supports a number of management protocols to interface with APA Network Module
such as Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP), FTP, command-line interface (CLI),
and the Cisco proprietary Remote Procedure Call (PRPC). Using SNMP, the module is able to
integrate with third-party fault/device management solutions, such as HP OpenView and
others.