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Application visibility and enforcement on OmniVista 2500 NMS and OmniVista Cirrus

Groupe_887Nov. 13, 2019

1. OmniVista 2500 NMS and OmniVista Cirrus: various functions

OmniVista 2500 NMS and OmniVista Cirrus provides a network-wide management system for Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise Unified Network Management System for Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise OmniSwitch LAN switches and OmniAccess Stellar Access Points (APs).

For Application Visibility and for identifying applications that are used by users, OmniVista automatically downloads Signatures Files as they become available, as long as OmniVista has internet access (either directly or through proxy). A user can also manually import a Signature File into OmniVista.

A Signature File contains application signature information that is used to create Signature Profiles.

It provides a comprehensive set of components and tools for campus mobile infrastructure configuration, monitoring, security, device configuration, alert management, topology animation, heat-map, audit to accelerate downtime resolution and overall management. OmniVista 2500 NMS performs various functions as configuration of application analytics profiles, visualization of application analytics monitoring data, automatic retrieval and update of signature kit files.

This article is related to Switches but it’s also valid for AP groups, the procedure is the same for Switches and Stellar APs.

Let’s see the configuration steps.

2. Configuration steps

a. How importing a Signature File into OmniVista

When Signature Auto Update is enabled on the Application Visibility Screen, which is available for a System User, OmniVista automatically checks the Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise Signature File Repository and updates downloads Signature Files. There should be no need to import these Signature Files into OmniVista. If necessary, you can download a Signature File and click on the import button to import the file into the Application Visibility application.

On the OmniVista GUI, go to Home > Network > Application Visibility > Signature Files

Click “Import” and “Browse” to locate the signature kit downloaded from the Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise support website. Click OK to accept.

The signature kit is the set of rules used to match applications by the Signature Matching Software (SMS). Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise regularly updates the Signature Kit.

OmniVista 2500 NMS OmniVista Cirrus

b. How creating and updating a signature profile.

OmniVista regularly checks the Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise Signature File Repository for newer Signature Files versions. The update check frequency is configured on the Application Visibility Settings Screen (System User). If OmniVista detects that a new Signature File version is available, OmniVista automatically downloads the file. However, you can manuallu upgrate a Signature File at any time by selecting the file and clicking on the Upgrade button.

Step to create a signature profile:

On the OmniVista GUI, go to Home> Network> Application Visibility> Signature Profiles and click “+”.

OmniVista 2500 NMS OmniVista Cirrus

Assign a profile name and a description.

Click “Next”, select the previously uploaded signature file and click “Next” again.

OmniVista 2500 NMS OmniVista Cirrus

Within the signature profile, we will have two kinds of applications or groups of applications:

  • Monitoring groups or applications: Those applications or groups of applications within monitoring groups/apps will be monitored for flow count. Flow count is different form Byte or Packet count. For instance, a file transfer may involve a single flow but many bytes and packets.
  • Enforcement groups or applications: Those applications or groups within enforcement groups/apps will be available for enforcement policies within a QoS Policy List or UNP (User Network Profile). Enforcement policies include allow/block, priority and bandwidth settings. In addition to this, applications or groups within enforcement groups/apps will be monitored for byte and packet count.

c. How to apply to devices?

On the OmniVista UI, go to Home > Network > Application Visibility > Signature Profiles, select the desired profile and click “Apply to Devices”.

OmniVista 2500 NMS OmniVista Cirrus
OmniVista 2500 NMS OmniVista Cirrus

You can select switches form a list using the “Switch Picker” or you can pick switches from the Topology map.

Once you have selected the switches that the profile will be applied to, select the ports where application analytics will be enabled by clicking on “Add Port”.

OmniVista 2500 NMS OmniVista Cirrus
Click “Apply” when finished.
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