CleverView™ for cTrace Analysis v4.0 The Unsurpassed Business Service Management Tool to Accelerate TCP/IP Network Problem Diagnosis

Your business needs to manage its TCP/IP networks and other vital IT services in accordance with your business objectives in order to leverage the full value of your technology investments. Those investments include your resources dedicated to resolving network problems quickly.

TCP/IP component traces are notoriously cumbersome, time consuming, and difficult to read. CLEVER cTrace restores the value of the IP component trace as an essential diagnostic tool, making inroads into TCP/IP network problem solving by accelerating resolution and providing an unsurpassed z/OS-based utility for network technicians.

CleverView for cTrace Analysis protocol support includes:

• EE/APPN decoding: HPR/RTP, RTP Optional Segments, XID3, FID5,
  RH, Control Vector, GDS Variables

• Base protocols: IP, TCP, UDP, IPv6

• Key applications: Telnet, TN3270, TN3270E, FTP, LPR

• Routing: OSPF, RIPv1, RIPv2, EE/HPR

• Mail protocols: SMTP, POP3

• Web services: DNS, HTTP

• Management: SNMP, ICMP, ICMPv6

• Address resolution: ARP, RARP, DHCP

• UNIX remote calls: RSH, REXEC, RLOGIN

• Provide IPv6, ICMPv6 support to assist migrations from IPv4 to IPv6

• Provide diagnostic capability for SNA-TCP/IP hybrid network environments with support for EE/HPR, TN3270, and TN3270E protocol decoding

• Provide session performance summary, sequence and execution reports with response times and transfer rates

• Analyze session summaries between local and remote IPs, yielding averages for packet size, throughput, and session durations

• Analyze activity generated by a multitude of diverse protocols

• Create filters with Query Builder to isolate component parts of trace data and expedite problem analysis

• Quickly identify key events such as SYN (socket session initiation), FIN (termination), and packet retransmissions allowing you to detect network congestion

• Real-Time Packet Trace provides real-time packet tracing and formatting on the host using the documented z/OS API. This option allows real-time snapshots of problem-related traces without running traces continuously

• Exception Reporting offers quick access to multiple types of error reports

• Trace Diff allows for side-by-side trace analysis on one Windows screen

• Provides critical session performance reports, such as sequence of execution reports with response times and transfer rates
   

Highlights of CleverView™ for cTrace Analysis v4.0

The Session Response Time Reports summarize all sessions between a local and remote IP communicating through the same protocol. These reports provide averages for packet size and throughput, as well as documenting session start/end and elapsed times.

The Sequence of Execution Report provides details of the packets exchanged during a given session, specifying all communication between two specific nodes. Entries are shown in sequence with session start, session stop, and resubmitted packets (indicative of packet loss) highlighted for easy reference.

The Integrated Access Database allows for formatting and searching of print files, selection of individual records, reformatting of records, or re-specification of subset criteria. You can also access a wide variety of quick views for various trace characteristics through a standardized set of query definitions and print selected records.

Selective Trace Filtering Options provide concurrent record selection criteria, including record selection by IP addresses (to, from, and/or between address partners), protocol type, port number, record range, and time interval.

Flexible Viewing Options allow viewing of data related to specific needs, e.g. component trace headers, IP headers (in hex), or any other datagram type headers (such as TCP, UDP and ICMP). When needed, you can also view the message data in hexadecimal characters.

Easy Viewing of Message Data from different sources, including both EBCDIC and ASCII. CLEVER cTrace automatically interprets all ASCII and EBCDIC characters in the RU Data accordingly.

The optional Real-Time Packet Trace provides an easy, direct way for solving network problems as they occur (in real time, on demand), using the documented z/OS API to provide real-time packet tracing and formatting on the host. This gives CleverView for cTrace Analysis the unique ability to deliver a view of TCP/IP network traffic as it occurs, with the Windows portion of the product providing expert analysis and correlations. Users can generate different types of reports, including session-based, packet detail, trace summary, and tally. Extensive filtering options are also provided. The overhead of running continuous real-time traces can be eliminated if only snapshots of problem-related traces are required.

Exception Reporting provides access to multiple error report types with just the click of a button. All defects are grouped into such categories as Traffic, Threshold, Session, or Sense Code Errors. Customizable highlighting in the Sequence of Execution and Packet Summary Reports allow you to see prevalent categories at a glance.

Trace Diff allows for side-by-side trace analysis on one Windows screen, instead of tediously comparing different printouts. This may be used to compare protocol sequence and response times of similar transactions, significantly reducing the time spent on network problem diagnosis or performance studies.

Decoding is provided for APPN packet Request Headers and Response Headers, as well as XID3 packets and RTP Optional Segments (including all control vectors found within each).

Other enhancements include real-time system messages look-up, and a time zone option that lets you select how packet time stamps are displayed. These enhancements significantly accelerate global network problem diagnosis.

PC Workstation: Pentium® PC or compatible, 500MHz or above w/128MB RAM and 200Mb available disk space; Microsoft® Windows® 98, ME, 2000, NT V.4.0 w/ SP6, or XP.

CLEVER cTrace Mainframe Requirements: CLEVER cTrace supports the generation of the component trace for OS/390 V2R10, or z/OS V1R1 or later. Raw cTrace data can be analyzed in real time in the host. In addition, cTrace data can be downloaded to the CLEVER workstation for expert analysis.