Tools help users assess application performance

A couple of vendors are set to air products this week designed to give companies a better read on application performance by aggregating network and system management data.

NetQoS improved its ReporterAnalyzer application management appliance - which collects NetFlow routing data from Cisco routers - to gather, correlate and deliver analysis on that data across enterprise networks. The previous version collected data on a per-router basis; now it correlates data collected from multiple routers.

"NetFlow collections can provide deep visibility into application behavior," says Glenn O'Donnell, research director at Meta Group.

NetQoS uses a data collector that sits near core network routers, a data interpreter that is connected to a hub router and server reporting software. The collectors passively monitor NetFlow traffic, compress the data and send it to the interpreter, which analyzes the information. The interpreter then sends the data to the server, from which network administrators access traffic and application data via a Web browser. The upgraded version is priced at $50,000.

NetFlow is part of Cisco's IOS that collects and measures data as it enters specific routers or switch interfaces. The data can be used to monitor key applications, including accounting, billing and network planning, for corporate or service provider customers.

O'Donnell says if enterprise IT managers want more detailed data on where, how and by whom specific applications are being used and how that use affects the network, they need to enable NetFlow on their networks. Competitors such as Concord Communications and InfoVista also deliver this type of deep packet and application traffic-flow analysis. O'Donnell says NetQoS could improve on the analysis, but for NetFlow reporting at this time, the product reveals useful data for enterprise users.

In separate news, Shunra upgraded its Storm Solution Suite to integrate with third-party application testing tools such as Topaz from Mercury Interactive. The integration will let Storm pull in more performance data across enterprise data centers.

The product uses a combination of hardware with embedded software to emulate corporate networks for application testing in pre-production labs or for application performance troubleshooting on live networks.

Storm comes as an appliance with embedded software, which is plugged in to the network like an Ethernet switch. Rather than acting as a switch, the Storm appliance watches application packets and reports on performance metrics. Network engineers then can determine the network latency, response time and bandwidth utilization of an application on their network. With that information, network engineers might choose to reconfigure their networks or ask application developers to rewrite the software code.

"This is a tool that can do more than simulate, it can provide real-world testing for an application," Meta's O'Donnell says. He adds network engineers can use this type of application performance monitor to build better networks, but more so application developers would benefit from this when designing applications to run on specific networks.