Creating custom network technology verification
Expressing networking concepts in a standard manner can be very challenging to downright impossible. For example, a simple question “Are any of the STP bridges in my network interconnected by multiple STP links?” can send you into into a downward spiral into figuring out which ports are connected to which, especially if you’re not running link layer discovery protocols. The sheer amount of information that must be processed in a sizable network to answer such a question is beyond human effort and can’t be achieved even using advanced scripts.
Just like Feynman diagrams can answer complex mathematical interactions using pictorial representations, the best way to work with network technologies is using graph theory of mathematics, because the network is essentially a graph.
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Instead of having to painstakingly reconstruct active STP topology, and then running custom algorithms to check the consistency, you can simply find the predefined graph check in NIMPEE and look at drill down to the topology.
Granted, there are cases where multiple spanning tree links can be desired, such as when you want to segregate traffic types between physical links without dwelling into Layer 2 QoS, for example by trunking surveillance camera feeds over one link, and business applications over another. However, having multiple links between bridges for a single STP instance is always something you should be aware of, because one of the basic principles of L2 is a loop free topology, and link aggregation protocols such as etherchannels are usually a desired way to accomplish this. That’s why it’s possible to drill down to a specific VLANs of an STP failure domain (overlapping VLANs) to visually check all STP virtual port state of an STP instance in a single glance.
Verifying network technology is great, but you’re not always in the mood for clicking, especially when the phone starts ringing before you’ve had your morning coffee, and you remember that the inbox is still over 9000.
That’s why we made it simple to add your custom checks to the dashboard, so you can see all of the problems that require your attention, before deciding what you’re going to click on next.
