Customizing Protocol Monitor

Introduction

Modification Process

Introduction

This appendix tells you how to customize Protocol Monitor to display domains of your choice.

Caution To customize the protocol monitor, you need a knowledge of protocol structure. Before making changes to the default configuration file, you should first experiment with Protocol Monitor customization by creating and changing a new configuration file, such as ipmon.cfg. Practice with it until you understand the process completely. Only then should you modify the default configuration file, $NSHOME/usr/protmon.cfg.

Modification Process

The domains used in the Protocol Monitor tool are determined by an ASCII configuration file. The name of this file is passed as an argument to the grdommon application. The top-level TrafficDirector window launches Protocol Monitor using the file protmon.cfg. The configuration file is assumed to be located in the $NSHOME/usr directory.

The default configuration file contents are:

# # Configuration file for Protocol Monitor # title: "Protocol Monitor" parent: RMON children: IP NOVELL

The title field determines the window title that is displayed.

Each of the children domains corresponds to a data set of the graph. The parent domain also serves as the basis for an "Other" data set, that also appears on the graph. In the default configuration, the "Other" data set is defined as the remaining contents of RMON after the children have been removed:

RMON -- (IP + NOVELL)

Ideally, in order to make the "Other" values meaningful, there should be no overlap between the children.

Note For some variables, such as "Number of Hosts," "Other" is not meaningful and is omitted from the graph.

You can change the domains displayed by Protocol Monitor in one of two ways.

Create a new configuration file, such as ipmon.cfg, and launch the Protocol Monitor from the command line. This is recommended as a way to practice Protocol Monitor customization.
Modify the default configuration file, $NSHOME/usr/protmon.cfg. This method is not recommended until you've practiced with a new file.

If you modify protmon.cfg, your changes are effective the next time Protocol Monitor is launched from TrafficDirector.

Here is an example of a configuration file that provides an "IP Monitor":

# # Custom configuration file for Protocol Monitor # title: "IP Monitor" parent: IP children: TCP UDP ICMP

If you create a new configuration file, such as ipmon.cfg, you can launch it from the command line as follows:

% $NSHOME/bin/grdommon agent-group ipmon.cfg

where


agent-group

is the name of one of the configured agent groups.

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