IP Availability Manager

IP Availability Manager diagnoses connectivity failures in multi-vendor, switched, and routed networks by discovering and monitoring Layer 2 (data-link) and Layer 3 (network) systems. Switches are examples of Layer 2 systems, and routers are examples of Layer 3 systems.

In an MPLS Manager deployment, IP Availability Manager:

• Discovers and monitors through SNMP the underlying transport domain in the MPLS network.

• Analyzes the network connectivity to identify the root-cause problems and impacts of connectivity failures.

• Exports network topology, problem, and impact information to the Global Manager.

• Exports router and switch topology and status information to MPLS Manager.

• Exports command line interface (CLI) device-access objects to MPLS Manager.

  When MPLS-BGP cross-domain correlation is enabled, IP Availability Manager also exports router and switch topology and status information to Network Protocol Manager for BGP.

  CLI device-access objects are required by MPLS Manager when performing CLI discovery or executing LSP ping requests. The CLI device-access objects carry the login credential information that is needed by MPLS Manager to access the routers and switches in the managed MPLS network, and to invoke CLI commands from the devices.