RMON

Remote Monitoring (RMON) is a network management protocol that allows network administrators to monitor and analyze network traffic. RMON provides comprehensive network monitoring capabilities and is defined by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) in a series of RFCs.

Overview

RMON was developed to address the limitations of the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) by providing more detailed and proactive network monitoring. It enables the collection of network traffic data from various points in the network, allowing for better analysis and troubleshooting.

RMON Groups

RMON is divided into several groups, each focusing on different aspects of network monitoring:

• Statistics Group: Collects basic statistics on network traffic, such as packet counts and error rates.
• History Group: Provides historical data on network performance over time.
• Alarm Group: Allows administrators to set thresholds for network performance metrics and generate alerts when these thresholds are exceeded.
• Host Group: Monitors traffic to and from individual hosts on the network.
• HostTopN Group: Identifies the top N hosts generating the most traffic.
• Matrix Group: Tracks traffic between pairs of hosts.
• Filter Group: Allows for the creation of filters to capture specific types of traffic.
• Capture Group: Enables the capture of packets for detailed analysis.
• Event Group: Manages events and actions triggered by alarms.

RMON Versions

There are two main versions of RMON:

• RMON1: The original version, defined in RFC 1271 and later updated in RFC 2819. It focuses on monitoring at the data link layer.
• RMON2: An extension of RMON1, defined in RFC 2021. It adds monitoring capabilities at higher layers, including the network layer and application layer.

Implementation

RMON is typically implemented using RMON probes, which are hardware or software agents that collect and report network data. These probes can be embedded in network devices such as routers and switches, or they can be standalone devices.

Benefits

RMON provides several benefits for network management:

• Proactive Monitoring: Allows administrators to detect and address network issues before they impact users.
• Detailed Analysis: Provides comprehensive data on network performance and traffic patterns.
• Scalability: Can monitor large and complex networks.
• Flexibility: Supports a wide range of monitoring and analysis functions.

Related Pages

• Simple Network Management Protocol
• Network management
• Internet Engineering Task Force
• Request for Comments
• Data link layer
• Network layer
• Application layer
• Router
• Switch