Polling tasks

Network Manager has a default set of polling policies. These polling policies include simple device or interface pings and more complex threshold polls against specific MIB variables. Network administrators can configure polling policies to poll a more restricted set of devices, to change polling frequency, to change the data collected, and to make other custom changes. Administrators can also enable and disable polling policies. They can also set a device or component to an unmanaged state to suspend it from Network Manager network polling

Polling tasks fall into the following categories:

  • Configuring polling policies
  • Configuring the multiple poller feature
  • Suspending polling of specified devices

Configuring polling policies

Network administrators can customize how Network Manager polls discovered devices by modifying polling policy parameters. These parameters include the following:

  • Polling frequency
  • Whether to store historical data for the poll to be used in performance reporting
  • The set of devices or interfaces to poll. Devices can be selected based on device class. In addition, the network administrator can create an SQL filter to poll a more restricted set of devices or interfaces.
  • Which data to collect from the polled devices. The data to poll for is defined using poll definitions.

Network administrators configure ping, link-state, and threshold polls using poll definitions. The poll definition specifies whether the polling policy should simply ping a device or interface, or should apply a threshold value to a MIB variable within the device MIB. A threshold violation causes Network Manager to generate a network event, which network operators can view in the Event Viewer.

Configuring multiple polling engines

Network Manager provides a mechanism to help distribute the load due to polling, by configuring multiple polling engines . If the default Polling engine cannot handle the polling demands for your network, then the network administrator can configure multiple polling engines on the Network Manager server. Administration tasks here include the following:

  • Deploying additional pollers on the Network Manager server
  • Removing pollers if these are no longer being used to poll the network

Suspending polling of specified devices

Network administrators can suspend polling of devices and specific interface types. Administrators can specify files containing lists of devices for which polling is to be suspended. Network operators can suspend polling of individual devices.