Cisco announces intriguing Netsys bundling

Recently, Cisco Systems announced the Cisco Netsys Baseliner Version 4.0 for Windows NT. The product helps avoid costly network configuration problems by enabling users to display, debug and validate network configurations and test them offline before committing them to the live network.

Baseliner provides a graphical view of the network as configured, not as planned or discovered. Its primary differentiator is its rendering of the entities that actually exist in the network vs. those preconfigured within the tool. Using actual router configuration files, Baseliner can display all physical and logical relationships between routers on the network.

The product's support for Windows NT is an important extension to Cisco's management offerings. Many enterprise network managers are moving their management platforms from Unix to Windows NT to reduce the number of platforms with which their support staffs need to interface.

In addition, Cisco is announcing a bundling of Baseliner with its current Cisco Resource Manager and Cisco Works for Switched Internetworking products for $10,000 - a price point typically associated with individual management products.

Functionality such as that found in Baseliner is crucial to the day-to-day operation of most enterprise networks. According to recent statistics provided by both Cisco and Bay Networks, configuration issues account for as many as half the calls placed to their technical assistance centers. The ability to detect and eliminate these problems before they impact the network is a valuable feature that can easily pay for itself. The cost of the Baseliner bundle will likely result in a payback period of a few months for many shops, thus making it even more attractive.