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Frequently Asked Questions

Business:

Technical:

Email technical support is also available via support@flukenetworks.com.

Q: What advanced capabilities/value can a NetFlow monitoring/analysis tool like NetFlow Tracker provide me in my network environment - how does it differ from other network management tools I am using?

A: Without the need for probes or appliances, NetFlow Tracker software gives you deep network traffic insight far beyond SNMP-based utilisation tools. NetFlow Tracker will provide answers to your most critical questions about your network traffic and the network conversations on your LAN, WAN or MAN

• Exactly what makes up my network traffic?
• Who are the users? What applications are they using?
• Who and what are consuming the bandwidth?
• Are there worms and viruses in my network, where are they, where did they come from, where are they going?

In addition, NetFlow Tracker will enable you to track your ToS/QoS-tagged traffic used for IP telephony and other applications. NetFlow Tracker is an excellent tool for MPLS environments, allowing you to see your changing network traffic patterns.

Functionally, NetFlow Tracker will provide you the very best tool for:

Network Forensics – who is doing what, where, when, with what applications and using how much bandwidth? Or, more importantly, who did what, where and when….

You will be able to answer questions that were previously almost impossible to answer:

• Yesterday between 3:00 p. m. and 4:00 pm users complained that the network was slow, what was happening?
• Our link between location A and location B was consistently 60% utilised and now it is 90% utilised, what changed?
• Are the users abiding by our network policies (i. e. not downloading large non-business-related files)?

Rapid Troubleshooting - now, when users report a network problem, you will be well armed with a tool that can quickly identify who and what is causing the issue. With NetFlow Tracker you will be able to identify the users and applications that are consuming the bandwidth – are there large file transfers occurring? Quickly you can pinpoint the culprit.

Security - Worms and viruses tend to be low utilisation activities, with high packet and connection characteristics – these most always fly under the radar when you are trying to detect or troubleshoot them with a utilisation tool. NetFlow Tracker allows you to drill down on all network conversations at the application port and individual IP address level - now you are able to identify and troubleshoot worm and virus activity effectively.

Reporting - NetFlow Tracker effectively records your network, capturing comprehensive details about your network traffic. Now you can easily identify the top users, applications, and business units or locations who are consuming your network bandwidth. NetFlow Tracker gives you the ability to report on all aspects of your network traffic through a wide variety of reports.

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Q: Exactly what is involved in implementing NetFlow Tracker - how does it work, what does it cost?

A: NetFlow Tracker is easy to implement, intuitive to use without any training and is reasonable priced, delivering huge benefits immediately upon evaluation/installation.

In just 10 minutes you can literally be up and running and viewing your live network traffic - without the use of probes or appliances.

NetFlow Tracker exploits Cisco IOS NetFlow, a feature in Cisco IOS. Simply turn on Cisco IOS NetFlow on your Cisco routers/switches and install NetFlow Tracker on a Windows server (Linux and Solaris are also supported). Enabling NetFlow on your routers or switches involves a few simple IOS commands and is completed in minutes. Installing NetFlow Tracker is straightforward and takes only minutes as well.

NetFlow will send details of your network traffic conversations to the NetFlow Tracker server. The NetFlow Tracker server will collect the information and store it in a MySQL database that ships and installs with the application. Through a very intuitive web-based interface you will then be able to view in-depth details about your network traffic.

NetFlow Tracker’s \'Filter Editor\' will allow you easily to customise different views of your network traffic, providing you with granular detail or high level reports on it, according to your preferences.

NetFlow Tracker makes available for review/reporting every network conversation, from what happened during the last minute to the past 999 years - from the smallest network conversations, like worms/viruses or IP telephony calls, to the largest of file transfers. This is not limited to just the top 50 or 100 conversations – insight to ALL network conversations is made available in a flexible, intuitive, web-based interface.

Thanks to this unique capability, NetFlow Tracker is the preferred tool for network managers, engineers and CCIEs of companies across all industries.

Using NetFlow and NetFlow Tracker puts near-zero overhead on your devices and requires only nominal network bandwidth for carrying the NetFlow data. A reasonably configured server will monitor and report on terabytes of network traffic. NetFlow Tracker licensing provides for monitoring unlimited devices/interfaces.

Contact your nearest Crannog Software office or reseller for competitive pricing information.  Education and Government pricing is available as well as periodic special package/promotional pricing.

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Q: How can I quickly evaluate NetFlow Tracker to discover its value in my network and develop a business case for purchasing it?

A: You can quickly and easily evaluate NetFlow Tracker in your environment. In 10 minutes from now you can be viewing your live network traffic.>

1. Download the full functioning version of NetFlow Tracker here
2. Install NetFlow Tracker on your server and enable NetFlow on your Cisco device(s) by using the following instructions here
3. Be sure to enable NetFlow on all interfaces on the device/s.

Crannog Software will work closely with you, providing personal support and assistance during your extended evaluation period. This includes assigning a personal NetFlow specialist to your evaluation, who will walk you through the key features/functions of NetFlow Tracker and how to apply those to your particular network environment. You will also have unlimited access to the software specialists and network engineers at Crannog Software – support@flukenetworks.com.

Almost as soon as you get into the evaluation of NetFlow Tracker, you will discover important and useful details about your network traffic. Quickly you will begin to solve problems on your network and discover exactly how Tracker can help you in the day-to-day tactical and strategic management of your network.

Through the evaluation, examples of NetFlow Tracker’s value in your environment will build a compelling business justification for purchasing the software:

• Rapid troubleshooting capability leading to increased network availability and performance (not to mention user/customer satisfaction)
• Network Forensic details providing accurate network information as to the true usage of the network and the ability to monitor user compliance with network policies
  (maybe you can avoid upgrading that expensive network link by making a simple network change, relocating/allocating server resources/locations or by firmly applying network policies on specific users or groups).
• Network Security – quickly pinpoint worm and virus behaviour to reduce outages and damage.
• Reporting – Understand who is using the network bandwidth? What applications are responsible for the network usage.

Why not put NetFlow Tracker to the test - download a full working version now to get your evaluation started?

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Q: Can I move a NetFlow Tracker installation? 

A:  The following instructions assume the MySQL feature of NetFlow Tracker was installed on c: and is being moved to d:, possibly on a new server. Change the paths as required.
NOTE: [drive letters may be different on your installation]

• Ensure you have the CD or download to install the same version of NetFlow Tracker as you are already running.
• Open a command prompt from Start - Programs - Accessories.
• Stop NetFlow Tracker:
  net stop nftracker
• Stop MySQL:
  net stop mysql
• Copy the folder c:mysqldatacrannog_ulysses to a safe place on the new partition or server (not the same folder, or you risk losing your data). Similarly, copy any files in c:mysqldata with names starting with "ib" to a safe place.
• Use regedit to export the following registry key to file (you may skip this step if you are unsure of how to modify the registry; however you will not retain all of your custom settings if you do):
  HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\JavaSoft\Prefs\
  com\crannogsoftware\ulysses\webserver
• Restart MySQL:
  net start mysql
• Uninstall NetFlow Tracker using the Control Panel.
• Reinstall NetFlow Tracker on the new server or partition. Ensure that you pick the correct partition for both the features, particularly MySQL.
• Stop NetFlow Tracker:
  net stop nftracker
• Stop MySQL:
  net stop mysql
• Replace the contents of the folder d:mysqldatacrannog_ulysses with your backed-up copy. Also replace any files in d:mysqldata with names starting with "ib" with your backed-up copies.
• Use regedit to import the previously exported settings into the registry.
• Restart MySQL and NetFlow Tracker:
  net start mysql
  net start nftracker

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Q: Can I use another database server or an existing MySQL installation with NetFlow Tracker?

A: NetFlow Tracker does not support any database server other than MySQL, due to its taking advantage of some non-standard features.

While it can be configured to use a non-local MySQL installation, it is not supported, nor is it advisable, since the ideal way to configure MySQL for NetFlow Tracker, combined with the heavy load it puts on the server, will lead to very poor performance in both NetFlow Tracker and any other application using the shared database server.

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Q: Can NetFlow Tracker run on the same server as another Crannog Software Product?

A: NetFlow Tracker does not work when installed on the same server as NetWatch, NetFlow Monitor or ResponseWatch due to requiring a more recent version of a key component.

In any case, the load put on the system by NetFlow Tracker means that it requires a dedicated server to run effectively.

Install the product on a dedicated server. If you need to run both NetFlow Tracker and another NetFlow product (such as NetFlow Monitor) you can use a free tool to duplicate the flows generated by your devices download from here

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Q: Instead of a report or a configuration page, an error page is shown with a first line similar to: java. sql. SQLException: General error: Can\'t open file: \'*.MYD\'. (errno: 145)

A: The database has become corrupted and needs to be repaired.

1. Open a command prompt (Start - Programs - Accessories)
2. Stop NetFlow Tracker and MySQL
   net stop nftracker
   net stop mysql
3. Repair the database
   c:\mysql\bin\myisamchk -f -r c:\mysql\data\crannog_ulysses\*.MYI
4. Restart MySQL and NetFlow Tracker
   net start mysql
   net start nftracker

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Q: No data is visible after installing NetFlow Tracker.

A:

1. Have you enabled NetFlow Data Export on your devices?

   You must enable NetFlow on each of your devices by following the instructions in the User's Guide or on the web site

2. Have you waited at least three minutes?

   It can take about three minutes for NetFlow Tracker to store its first data for a device.

3. Are the NetFlow exports getting to the software? Ensure your devices appear in the Performance Counters settings page - if they don\'t, there is probably a network problem or the devices are not configured correctly.
   
   
4. Is NetFlow Tracker able to use SNMP to query interface information? Check the Device Settings page to ensure the SNMP settings for each device are correct. You can change the default SNMP settings used for a new device in the SNMP Settings page.

    

If the settings are correct but the device is still marked with an exclamation mark, ensure that the router\'s access lists allow the server to use SNMP - you could try running a MIB browser installed on the server to test your configuration.

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Q: The user wants to change the port on which NetFlow Tracker\'s embedded web server runs.

A: Run regedit. exe from the Start menu and open the following key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\JavaSoft\Prefs\com\ crannogsoftware\ulysses\webserver

You will see a string value called port which you can change to any number between 1 and 65535.

In order for the change to take effect you must restart the NetFlow Tracker service using the Control Panel.

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Q: Is it possible to have Tracker run its database over a NAS / SAN or have the Database run on a separate server?

A:

1. A SAN or NAS is designed to perform very well when used by hundreds of users simultaneously; NetFlow Tracker on the other hand needs to read and write very large amounts of data that would affect the performance of your network, the NAS and NetFlow Tracker itself.
2. NetFlow Tracker uses its database to process and return very large result sets and thus it is not possible to run both NetFlow Tracker and a traditional DBMS application on the same server without serious performance problems. The volume of network traffic between the DBMS and the NetFlow Tracker server would also be very high.

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Email technical Support is also available via support@flukenetworks.com.

Upgrade Information

Note to users of Tracker V1.x & V2.x - If you download Version 3.x and install it over your existing version, you will need to obtain a new licence key immediately, as the new version will only work in evaluation mode for 7 days  without it. It is therefore recommended that you carry out the installation during business hours GMT/UTC.