Optimizing Applications on Cisco Networks

By Michael Hicks
Published Nov 11, 2004 by Cisco Press.

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Description

Sample Content

Updates

Copyright 2005
Dimensions: 7-3/8" x 9-1/8"
Edition: 1st

eBook (Watermarked)
ISBN-10: 1-58705-441-8
ISBN-13: 978-1-58705-441-9

Maximize the performance and availability of network applications and the network infrastructure with application performance management

Understand how to identify applications critical to your business model
Identify basic application characteristics and how they can be optimized for transmission
Understand the principle of proactive planning in order to maintain the delivery criteria necessary for your business critical applications
Improve service delivery and outsourcing decisions by utilizing meaningful SLAs
Identify and solve network application performance problems, saving valuable time and money
Includes real-world case studies that cover design and performance issues

The astounding growth of computer networking in recent years has been characterized by the struggle of network managers to keep pace with the demand for network resources. As more and more users, running more and more applications, demand increased network bandwidth and performance, network managers find themselves adding expensive capacity in an effort to satisfy the needs of their customers. Yet networks remain congested, and applications continue to run slowly. Moreover, new aggressive applications, an ever expanding set of business stakeholders, and demands for greater reliability and security compound this struggle.

Optimizing Applications on Cisco Networks takes a practical look at how application performance management can assist in the end-to-end application delivery model by proactively identifying hot spots within an organization. This book covers network dependent application delivery, with an emphasis on optimizing the underlying infrastructure, procedures, and methodologies to aid and measure delivery. The book also covers applications, delivery techniques, and QoS protocols.

Use Optimizing Applications on Cisco Networks to identify and profile business critical applications, define and establish service-level criteria, and ensure that these system configurations are continually assessed to maintain the desired level of service.

This book is part of the Networking Technology Series from Cisco Press¿ which offers networking professionals valuable information for constructing efficient networks, understanding new technologies, and building successful careers.

Introduction.

I. A COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH TO MANAGING NETWORKED BUSINESS APPLICATIONS.

1. The Case for Application Performance Management.

Why Application Performance Is Important.

Managing an End-to-End System.

Isolating Performance Problems.

Sharing Information in a Common Format.

Establishing and Monitoring Service Level Agreements.

A Life Cycle Approach to Managing Networked Applications.

Enterprise APM Needs.

Establishing an APM Strategy.

Areas of Responsibility.

Implementation Triggers.

The Benefits to the Enterprise.

Summary.

End Note.

II. ALIGNING THE NETWORK'S BUSINESS AND TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS.

2. Understanding Your Business.

Defining Your Business-Critical Applications.

Determining Total Cost of Ownership.

Defining Your Requirements.

Prioritizing Your Applications.

Business and Technical Alignment Methodology.

Summary.

3. Detailing the Business Transaction.

Understanding Profiling Terminology.

Latency.

Bandwidth.

Jitter.

Application (or TCP) Turns.

Protocol/Network Analyzer.

Advanced Protocol Analyzer.

Application Analyzer.

Conversation.

Flow.

Application Task or Transaction.

Cisco Service Assurance Agent.

Probe.

Agent.

Application Thread.

Classifying Applications.

Latency-Bounded Applications.

Bandwidth-Bounded Applications.

Profiling Methodology.

Define Base Transaction.

Determine Application Status.

Build Baseline Environment.

Characterize Application.

Simulate/Model the Effects of Users Traffic.

View the Results.

Baseline Overview.

The Value of a Baseline.

Producing a Baseline.

The New Application.

Virtual-Environment Modeling Methods.

Assessing New Application Impact Example.

The Deployed Application.

Comparing Lab Versus Production Environment for Capturing Data.

Locating Capture Points.

Optimizing the Application.

Optimizing the Latency-Bounded Application.

Optimizing the Bandwidth-Bounded Application.

Verifying Application Delivery.

Identifying the Metrics.

Considering the Time Period.

Monitoring the Metrics.

Amalgamating the Findings.

Summary.

End Note.

References Used in This Chapter.

4. Service Level Management.

Defining SLAs.

Constructing an SLA.

Importance and Limitations of SLAs.

Assessing Your Requirements.

Business Criteria.

Technical Criteria.

Cisco NetFlow Example.

Profiling Case Study.

Defining What to Monitor.

Summary.

5. QoS and MPLS: Tools to Manage Application Performance.

Background.

Allocating Network Resources.

Traffic-Handling Mechanisms.

Queuing Algorithms.

Routing Protocols.

Provisioning and Configuration Mechanisms.

MPLS.

Traffic Engineering.

Queuing Mechanisms.

FIFO.

Work-Conserving Queuing Mechanisms.

Non-Work-Conserving Queuing Mechanisms.

Integrated Services.

Resource Reservations Protocol.

Differentiated Services.

Summary.

End Notes.

References Used in This Chapter.

III. DEPLOYING AND MONITORING NETWORK APPLICATIONS.

6. Application Deployment.

Baselining Your Infrastructure.

Allocating Quality of Service Resources.

Understanding Policy Management Architecture.

Sharing Responsibility with Policy Domains.

The Pilot.

Verification Process.

Predictive Modeling.

Big Bang vs. Staged Rollout.

Building a Contingency Plan.

Acquiring the Technical Criteria.

Deciding on the Business Criteria.

Building a Disaster Recovery Plan.

Reporting.

Summary.

End Note.

Reference Used in This Chapter.

7. Beyond the Boundaries.

Business Requirements Overview.

Assessing Demarcation Points.

Recognizing Your Limits.

Meeting Service Needs.

Assigning the Correct QoS System.

Summary.

End Note.

References Used in This Chapter.

8. Monitoring the Delivery.

The Pyramid Model.

Classifying Management Systems.

OSS.

Clarifying Network Management Classification Terms.

Classifying Management Systems by Function.

Element Management.

Operations Management.

Service Management.

Business Management.

Operating Multiple Systems.

Defining Metrics.

Choosing the Right Number of Metrics.

Balance Metrics Between Business and Technical Objectives.

Collecting Metrics.

Data-Collection Methods.

Deciding What Data to Poll.

Reporting Mechanism.

The Delivery Circle.

Summary.

End Note.

References Used in This Chapter.

IV. PLANNING AND TROUBLESHOOTING NETWORK APPLICATIONS.

9. Proactive Planning.

Baselining Performance Levels.

The Dynamic Enterprise.

Diagnosing Problems.

Validating Changes.

Enabling Technologies.

Scenario Modeling.

Capacity Planning.

Reviewing SLAs.

End-to-End Delivery.

Starting Points to Building an End-to-End View.

Monitoring the End-to-End System.

Summary.

Reference Used in This Chapter.

10. When Applications Fail.

QoS Troubleshooting Tools.

Network Monitoring.

Application Monitoring.

Diagnostic Tools.

CLI Tools.

GUI Tools.

Troubleshooting Methodology.

Step 1: Define the Problem.

Step 2: Gather the Facts.

Step 3: Assess the Data.

Step 4: Make a Plan.

Step 5: Implement the Plan.

Step 6: Observe the Results.

Identifying Responsibility.

Fault Processing.

Reporting Hierarchy.

CNS Delay Reporting.

Resolving Performance Problems.

Transaction- or Task-Oriented Applications.

Interactive and Multimedia Applications.

Application Architecture.

Fault-Conditions Guide.

Redefining Delivery Requirements.

Redefining Service Level Criteria.

Summary.

End Note.

References Used in This Chapter.

V. PRACTICAL IMPLEMENTATIONS.

11. Business Aligning Case Studies.

Case Study 1: Profiling the Business Transaction.

Defining Base Transaction.

Capturing a Trace.

Merging Existing Network Statistics with This Application

Transaction.

Case Study 2: Defining SLAs.

Defining the Location of Metric Collection Points.

Defining Transaction Targets.

Collecting the Data.

Case Study 3: Optimizing the Business Transaction.

Checking Window Size.

Checking for Retransmissions.

Checking Application Architecture.

Checking Queries.

Verifying Performance Increase.

Deploying Changes and Updating SLA.

Case Study 4: Implementing QoS in a VoIP Environment.

Summary.

Reference Used in This Chapter.

12. Optimizing Application Delivery in Storage-Based Networking, Wireless LANs, and an End-to-End Model.

Storage-Area Networks.

Comparing Network-Attached Storage with Storage-Area Networks.

Matching Application Characteristics with Relative Storage Solution.

Identifying Flows.

Optimizing SAN Traffic Delivery.

Wireless LANs.

WLAN Site Survey.

Supporting Voice Traffic.

Complete End-to-End Model.

Network and Application Performance Management.

End-to-End Optimization Process.

Establishing a Baseline.

Tuning.

Application Classification.

End-to-End QoS.

Network Transmission Path.

Applying QoS Policies.

Summary.

End Notes.

References Used in This Chapter.

VI. APPENDIXES.

Appendix A. QoS-Related Requests For Comments.

Appendix B. Guide to QoS Standards.

IETF QoS Standards.

ITU QoS Standards.

ETSI QoS Standards.

Glossary.

Reference Used in Glossary.

Index.

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