Thresholds and threshold groups

You use the settings in a threshold group to assign threshold parameter values to a particular group of managed devices, interfaces, or ports.

The IP Manager provides the following categories of threshold groups, each of which contains default threshold groups:

• System resource groups

  Parameters can be set to monitor connectivity, environmental devices such as power supplies, fans, voltage sensors, and so on.

• Interface groups

  Parameters can be set to monitor port performance, port flapping, backup support, and dial-on-demand support.

• Port groups – trunk ports

  Parameters can be set to monitor port performance and port flapping. A trunk port connects to another port or interface on a device that participates in the Layer 2 bridging protocol.

• Port groups – access ports

  Parameters can be set to monitor port performance and port flapping. An access port is any port that is not a trunk port.

  It is difficult to adjust performance thresholds before gaining experience with the deployment and the network components being monitored. Judicious choice for thresholds can allow proactive rather than reactive network management, but poor choices can result in hundreds of inappropriate notifications.

  You should analyze failures of network components to determine whether performance degradation was a precursor to failures. Based on the analysis, adjust the thresholds accordingly. This analysis should become an ongoing process with constant adjustment as failures and performance notifications occur.

  Notifications from backup interface thresholds and dial-on-demand interface thresholds are some of the more common issues, as these threshold groups are particularly unique to an individual network and its administrators.