Observer® Reporting Server (ORS) serves as the center of the Network Instruments® performance management platform, and combines flow technologies, captured packets, and expert analysis to provide an overall view of network health. Obtain integrated views of application, network, and infrastructure performance critical to ensure that business processes function smoothly and IT supports organizational goals.

Highlights:

• Manage performance across the enterprise
• Obtain aggregated views of network, application, and device health
• Navigate from high-level monitoring to root-cause analysis
• Baseline and optimize performance metrics

Observer Platform Profile

The combined Observer Platform provides seamless visibility into network, application, and device health for performance management.

MANAGE GLOBAL PERFORMANCE

ORS customizable dashboards allow network managers to track critical applications and services at the highest level. They provide current application status to quickly assess service quality, and respond to degrading performance before it impacts users. When a problem is detected, the network manager can drill down to the problem device or packet.

Performance Dashboards

1. Monitor server health via Observer Infrastructure (OI)
2. Investigate application metrics and errors
3. Drill to GigaStor™ for root cause

BASELINE CRITICAL APPLICATIONS

In addition to high-level views of critical business services, ORS baselines all performance and time-based metrics. Set alarms to be alerted to degrading performance. ORS establishes baselines for normal performance and looks for deviations of degraded and unacceptable performance. Baseline performance on time-of-day, day-of-week, or day-of-month. Once optimal baselines are established, lock baselines to eliminate issues of baseline drift.

RESOLVE PROBLEMS IMMEDIATELY

The strength of ORS is the speed and accuracy with which it helps resolve problems. Its unique solution-centered, user-defined workflows offer an intuitive approach to investigate and resolve performance problems. The platform’s over 600 experts reduce troubleshooting time by automating the process and quickly pinpointing problems and causes. The integration with GigaStor, a long-term packet-capture solution, provides the ability to reconstruct and review events.

Solution-Centered Workflows

• Custom design and save common investigation paths
• Navigate from dashboards to problem resolution

TRACK NETWORK AND INFRASTRUCTURE

ORS offers an in-depth and fully integrated view of network, application, and infrastructure performance unmatched in the industry. Rely upon the ORS platform to track performance for every network environment through real-time statistics, long-term trending, SLA and QoS metrics, and expert analytics. Go beyond network metrics, using ORS in conjunction with OI to track performance of the underlying infrastructure. Leverage SNMP, WMI, WSD, IP SLA, WAAS, and NBAR metrics to monitor devices, routes, and IP services.

Ensure Network Health

• Monitor network conversations in depth
• Track infrastructure health with flow technologies

ASSESS APPLICATIONS IN DEPTH

The ORS platform provides extensive analysis for traditional and custom applications that are key to optimizing performance, rolling out new applications, and capacity planning. Application analysis goes beyond traditional response time to include tracking specific application performance metrics and errors. Track and troubleshoot critical applications including Citrix, e-mail, financial, network management, Oracle, SQL, UC/VoIP, web, and more.

DEPLOYMENT AND SCALABILITY

ORS works seamlessly with Observer consoles, Observer Infrastructure software and appliances, and the GigaStor appliance. It can be deployed as a stand-alone or combination appliance with Observer Suite. Deploy in single, two, or three tier structures to collect data from probes and NetFlow devices.

Thanks to Network Instruments for the article.