Types of path
Read about the differences between system paths and user-defined paths.
System paths
System paths are MPLS TE paths and Virtual Circuits. These are automatically added during the discovery process and cannot be edited or deleted.
User-defined paths
You can create IP paths from the Path Views GUI or from the Path View Administration GUI, using the Trace IPv4 network path window to define the path trace.
You can also select a device in the Network Views , Network Hop View , or Event Viewer, and launch the Trace IPv4 network path window with that device already defined as the start point of a path. If you select two devices before launching the Trace IPv4 network path window from these interfaces, the end point will also be populated.
You can specify a device to be included on the path between a start and end device by using the Via field, and you also have the option to trace a return path back to you start device. By using the 'ping-verify each hop' option, you can ping each device encountered on the route between two selected devices. This is especially useful in troubleshooting the network path once a failure has occurred.
While paths are usually traced inside a network domain, you can trace a path between an interface inside your domain and one outside, an option that is referred to as an out-of-band trace.
You can retrace user-defined IP paths on demand by selecting the path and pressing the retrace button. The Elapsed time column displays the time that has elapsed since the path was last traced.
In some cases, when creating a user-defined path, it is not possible to trace the full path between start and end devices. This can occur when path trace prerequisites are not met; for example, one of the devices along the path might not provide SNMP access. Another reason why it might not be possible to trace the full path is that one of the devices along the path does not provide routing information. If Network Manager is unable to trace a full path, then it will create a partial path made up of a subset of the nodes along the path. Partial paths are highlighted in the Path View Administration GUI by means of a warning icon in the Trace Status column.