Resource Management & Operations

Redcell Management Center:

Advanced Multi-Vendor Infrastructure Administration

The Redcell Management Center (RMC) is a simple-to-install, comprehensive infrastructure administration system for multi-vendor environments. RMC increases efficiency and productivity while reducing network administration costs by providing an integrated system for configuring, monitoring, troubleshooting and managing any infrastructure device, including routers, switches and security devices.

RMC provides a common interface for; inventory discovery; event management; advanced scheduling, extensive device configuration management; physical, geographical and logical topology; security management, group management and performance monitoring for any networked resource in your environment.

Powered by Dorado's Redcell Device Drivers and Dorado's Redcell modular application architecture, this administration platform can manage equipment from multiple vendors and serves as a foundation for other Dorado Redcell applications including service assurance and provisioning.

Benefits

Management Center Benefits
Allows uniform management and control for your overall infrastructure	Vendor-specific deep discovery for precise element visibility Chassis, Interface cards, and ports Links and Interfaces
Offers enterprise-class management and one-to-many configuration capabilities for tailored network control
Automates labor-intensive tasks and routine operations to help free up your time
Simplifies management with the graphical interface along with wizard-based tools
Easily monitors, maintains and assists in troubleshooting
Displays potential network problems, even before they occur, so you can keep your network dependably healthy	Fault management for rapid triage and recovery  Elements can appear in topology views (both logical and geographic) with dynamic status and fault indicators  Flexible performance monitoring for specific tuning and diagnosis
Configuration management for easy deployment and ongoing maintenance	Real-time configuration management Default configuration templates Inventory attribute review and modification Firmware upgrade capability
Network inventory database	Physical and logical inventory Automatic Resynchronization

Features

Management Center Features
Deep Discovery	Takes the guesswork out of identifying the elements in your network. Perform discovery using IP address ranges, IP subnet and CIDR addresses Import a file listing of IP addresses Exclude elements from the discovery process if you do not want particular equipment included in your database -- Not only does this reduce network traffic during the discovery process, it also eliminates the need to delete these unnecessary items from your inventory Deep discovery options to find various open management interfaces, like SNMPv1/v2/v3, Telnet, SSH, HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, SFTP and SCP. Find subcomponents, supported management information bases (MIBs) and Ethernet link information, giving you access to vital, in-depth network and connectivity data
Inventory Management	View and manage resources like switches, routers, security appliances, servers, PCs and more. Manage settings and attributes through an easy-to-use interface View all configuration attributes such as security, SNMP, routing protocols, port configurations, multicast support, device audit history, and spanning tree and link aggregation from a single location Launch management interfaces via "cut-thru" to allow quick easy, and secure access to the Command Line and/or HTTP interface
Security Management	Advanced multi-level role-based security for single user and group administration and management Easily control access with predefined permission levels or permissions Granular down to the level of individual functions, for secure access to specific functionality within the application
Group Management	Organize devices into groups for automating group, or one-to-many operations Static grouping for specifically defining group membership Dynamic grouping automatically defines the group's membership based on filter criteria for both real-time or scheduled operations Nest groups to tier subnet groups within domain groups for added management control Nesting allows mixing collections that combine both static and dynamic organization in the same group Group devices according to product family and apply configuration changes or operations to the entire group, thereby dramatically reducing administration time and simplifying management
Event Management	Monitors traps and events as they come in from network devices so that the operator can anticipate potential problems. Categorizes these according to severity with a customizable color-coding display to help prioritize non-automated responses Define actions triggered by specific events - from simple email notification to the execution of complex scripts Dependable record of all events and traps that have occurred on your systems that you can forward to another network management station to keep your team apprised of your network's health
Advanced Scheduling	Trigger specified operations during times when your network is least busy to make the most of network availability and bandwidth Schedule configuration changes that may slow the network, during light-usage times like evenings or holidays Define schedules by time, date, date-and-time, number of recurrences and cycles Configure a schedule to recur hourly, daily, weekly, monthly or yearly
Real-time Device Configuration	Direct component attribute modification for quick and easy configuration of system information (name, location, date/time, etc.), DNS, SNMP, routing protocols, port configuration, VLAN creation, and ATM, Sonet, and Ethernet interface configuration
Performance Monitoring	Accurately chart network performance over time Take statistical samples based on feedback from network elements and create a customized, color-coded graph to help you track how well your network is performing, helping you determine if it meets your organization's needs Collect and graph any attribute available from a device's MIBs
Topology	Create and customize a variety of topology views (either geographical, logical or physical) Make geographic topology views representing network elements based on the physical location of networks spread over large distances Gain additional network knowledge by "drilling down" with a mouse click to components within those that appear in topology View your network based on its logical structure Diagram network subsegments to display logical connections between network devices. Alarm conditions appear in the color-coded equipment icons in both geographical and logical topologies Physical topology depicts high-quality images of the actual managed device Any active alarm associated with a device component is highlighted - allowing a user to immediately recognize the location of specific faults and remedy them accordingly.

Redcell NetConfig:

Global configuration file management -- create, backup and restore -- and OS management

Redcell NetConfig is a comprehensive configuration management product that automatically retrieves, maintains and restores device configuration files and firmware, eliminating inefficient and error-prone manual tasks.

Using a simple GUI, network administrators can generate, save, compare, edit and restore configuration files. Complete or partial device configurations can be generated from XML-based templated with variable substitution. In addition to managing configuration files, Redcell NetConfig also deploys firmware and operating system patches to individual, or groups of devices.

Redcell NetConfig accesses a repository of logical and physical configurations and backs up files on either a scheduled or on-demand basis so that devices can be restored at any time with the file version of choice. Files can be created and obtained by Redcell NetConfig, or any third party repository, as well as directly from the device based on a schedule, a business rule, or on-demand.

With Redcell NetConfig, you can send initial installs to individual (or groups of) devices and back up the original files, as well as retrieve configurations from devices for comparison. In the event of any interruption, such as service interruption, device failure, security breach, or circuit disconnect, Redcell NetConfig will automatically retrieve the backed-up files so that they can be immediately deployed and used to restore the device to its desired state, a function similar to common back-up and restoration processes used for databases, servers and PCs.

Redcell NetConfig offers an API for synchronization with other applications used to effect device roles, for example a provisioning action. It synchronizes with that action and updates the current configuration file of the device to match the provisioning action initiated against the device.

Key Features

• Define valid configuration file data (configs or configlets) with easy-to-follow templates and schemas
• Manage configurations by equipment class, role, or location
• Schedule, or ad hoc, configuration file changes
• Back-up & restore configuration files
• Firmware configuration, deployment & backup
• Manage mass deployment and archiving
• Troubleshoot using comparison functions
• Automate Operations -- apply to one device, groups of devices, multi-vendor devices

Redcell Inventory Manager:

Strategic visibility of your IT assets and configuration

An accurate and complete inventory is the basis for maximizing the value of your IT environment's assets. A comprehensive physical and logical inventory of both deployed and un-deployed equipment arms you with information to make business-critical decisions on network usage and planning, device upgrades, compliance, equipment purchases and deployment, and cost reduction. The challenge is maintaining a current inventory of your dynamic and constantly evolving heterogeneous environment.

Redcell Inventory Manager gives you the big picture - tracking what's actually out there, how the network is connected, how equipment is being used, who owns each device, and who is impacted -- with physical and logical assets all accessible in one tool. Only Inventory Manager offers the level of deep discovery necessary to identify logical entities such as interfaces, sub-interfaces, ports, links, services, users and even passwords. Redcell is your in-depth guide to a total understanding of your network and its operation.

The Redcell Inventory Manager is a fully automated inventory lifecycle management solution that can change the way you visualize and leverage your resources. Redcell Inventory Manager is supported by Dorado's powerful automatic deep discovery and resynchronization engine that recognizes any network- aware device including routers, switches, wireless access points, servers, PCs, printers, etc. Comprehensive device configuration data is supplied by Redcell's extensive device driver library covering thousands of the most popular networked equipment.

Redcell Inventory Manager allows you to view your environment from various perspectives, so you can quickly query aspects of the network and find components that meet a certain criteria. Its comprehensive reporting lets you tailor inventory, asset and usage data to the appropriate decision-making audience - administrators, managers, planners, purchasing, or the help desk.

Understanding your complete IT inventory is essential for managing and leveraging it today and planning for its growth tomorrow. Redcell Inventory Manager empowers you to make informed decisions, maximize IT asset return on investment, accurately plan for future capacity needs, and increase IT environment's quality of service.

Redcell Inventory Manager enables you to:

Improve IT Visibility and Control:

• Automated deep discovery and resynchronization for precise inventory
  • Physical resources - memory, cpu, interfaces, ports, etc.
  • Links and sub-interfaces
  • Software and firmware
• View assets from different perspectives
  • Filter on any key attribute(s) of the environment
  • Display topology views (both logical and geographic) or tabular
• Maintain a central Configuration Management Database that all users can use
  • Understand how everything is connected and configured
  • Present critical low-level configuration data to guide decisions

Report on Inventory and Configuration management data:

• Define, create, populate and distribute meaningful reports of all assets for the correct audience
  • Report types include tabular and charts
  • Output formats include .html, .csv, .pdf, .xml
• Store report generation templates so that consistent information is always presented

Automated Equipment Discovery

The Equipment Discovery Wizard takes the guesswork out of identifying the assets in your network. Automated discovery can be scheduled by using IP address ranges, IP subnet and CIDR addresses, hostname -- or you can import a file listing of IP addresses. Using the same parameters, you can also exclude elements from the discovery process if you do not want particular equipment included in your database. Not only does this reduce network traffic during the discovery process, it also eliminates the need to delete these unnecessary items from your CMDB inventory.

The Discovery Wizard also offers additional deep discovery options to help you discover subcomponent information via various management interfaces, like SNMPv1/v2/v3, Telnet, SSH, HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, SFTP and SCP. It can even find Ethernet and other link information, giving you access to vital, in-depth network and connectivity data. The automated resynchronization process guarantees that the discovered asset inventory is always up-to-date by capturing all physical and logical configuration changes.

Accurate Inventory and Configuration Database

Redcell lets you easily view the details of all networked resources such as switches, routers, security appliances, servers, PCs, storage devices, printers and more. It allows you to view only those assets that are of interest, by applying appropriate filters to the inventory & configuration management database. In addition, you can view specific or all configuration attribute data for hardware, software and logical parameters such as: cpu, memory, ports, NICs, line cards, F/W version, OS version, patch levels, processes, security settings, communication protocols, routing protocols, sub-interfaces, users - and many more.

All inventory and configuration data is exportable in common formats for use within other third party or in- house systems.

Comprehensive Reporting

Redcell Inventory Manager lets you define, create, populate and post meaningful reports that present the data most appropriate for decision-making. Report templates can be defined, created and stored for on- going report generation with multiple datasets. This gives the ability for many users to be able to run reports on pre-defined templates in order to maintain consistency of presentation. All reports can be scheduled for future and/or on-going execution. Report types include tabular or various chart forms and output formats include .html, .xml, .pdf, or .csv.

Advanced Scheduling

Through Redcell's Advanced Scheduler, you are able to define and automate the execution of discovery, resynchronization and report generation operations to accurately maintain your critical asset base. You can define schedules by time, date, date-and-time, number of recurrences and cycles. You also can configure a schedule to recur hourly, daily, weekly, monthly or yearly. In addition, scheduled operations can be triggered by internal or external events.

Topology

With Redcell, operators can create and customize a variety of topology views of their IT inventory (either geographical, logical or physical). Operators can make geographic topology views representing network ed devices based on the physical location of networks spread over large distances. All views lets you gain additional network knowledge by "drilling down" with a mouse click to components within those that appear in topology.

Similarly, you can view your network based on its logical structure. You can diagram network subsegments to display logical connections between network devices.

Redcell Change Manager:

Proactive change monitoring and enforcement of network compliance

Knowledge is power --- and knowledge about compliance is the power to control your network. This means knowing when changes in compliance occur, reacting to those changes quickly and effectively, and preventing unauthorized changes.

Compliance is the foundation of network stability, whether it is compliance to your internal corporate IT policies, government regulations such as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and HIPPA, best practices such as NSA guidelines, or other standards specific to your industry. IT compliance enables you to do business efficiently, effectively and securely.

Redcell Change Manager ensures compliance by delivering knowledge of what you have, when it changes, and how to react.

First, Redcell Change Manager discovery provides you with a detailed inventory of your entire network and how it is configured, and enables you to establish a compliance baseline to validate changes against, as well as implement a change approval process and control unwanted access to prevent non-compliant changes.

Second, Redcell Change Manager provides visibility across the entire network, empowering you to control change. Redcell's granular monitoring and ProScanTM technology detects every change to IT configuration and identifies any non-compliance. For critical changes, Redcell Change Manager notifies you in real time through your choice of method, enabling you to respond rapidly and/or restore the network to a known compliant and secure state.

Redcell Change Manager also streamlines how you report on change, providing essential details on all changes including what the specific change was, who made the change, when it was made, and whether it was authorized.

Guaranteeing service means controlling change, and this requires Redcell Change Manager. Only Redcell Change Manager has the capabilities to take you through the complete lifecycle of compliance, from setting policies through enforcement and restoration.

Redcell Change Manager lets you:

• Detect changes to the IT environment through event-driven or via Redcell ProScan proactive change monitoring
• Automated Notification when specific changes ocur that you need to know about
• Comprehensive Reporting of Configuration Changes -- meaningful reports on what changed, who made the change, when the change was made and authorization status
• Proactive Change Detection & Redcell ProScanTM

Redcell Change Manager detects configuration changes throughout your network through event-based change monitoring and proactive scanning. Event-based detection may originate from SNMP trap processing and/or Syslog monitoring. Redcell's ProScan technology allows users to define a compliant or last known certified state (including the ability to look for very specific parameters and attributes such as access control/firewall entries, routing parameters, etc.) and proactively scans the selected device groups for non-compliance.

Automated Notification and Actions

Once non-compliance is detected, Redcell Change Manager automates the appropriate actions to be taken in your network. Based upon the specific non-compliance, any pre-defined action may be taken, such as alarm generation, notification via email or pager or the initiation of a configuration restoration operation.

Comprehensive Change Reporting

Redcell Change Manager's reporting lets you define, create, populate and post meaningful change reports that present the data most appropriate for decision-making and root-cause analysis. Report templates can be defined, created and stored for on-going report generation. This gives the ability for many users to be able to run reports on pre-defined templates in order to maintain consistency of presentation. All reports can be scheduled for future and/or on-going execution. Report types include tabular or various chart forms and output formats include .html, .xml, .pdf, or .csv.