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Conference netcad::hub_mgnt

Title:DEChub/HUBwatch/PROBEwatch CONFERENCE
Notice:Firmware -2, Doc -3, Power -4, HW kits -5, firm load -6&7
Moderator:NETCAD::COLELLADT
Created:Wed Nov 13 1991
Last Modified:Fri Jun 06 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:4455
Total number of notes:16761

1207.0. "Poor SNMP report for DEChub 90" by TROOA::BROWN (RPC - Really Practical Computing) Tue Jul 12 1994 05:03

  When presenting the DEChub 90, a customer pulled out a copy of a
  Communications Week test (Nov 1, 1993) which had less than stellar
  results on some of the SNMP Manageability Scorecard.  Have they results been
  refuted/corrected?
  
  =======================================================================
  How Many Agents Does It Take?
  Multislot hubs from Chipcom, Racal-Datacom and Asante strike the
  right balance, but DEC's 'superagent' and ODS' RMON fall short.
  
  Category                 DEChub 90    Avg    Highest
  ========                 =========    ====   =======
  Device Setup                 75        67       94
  SNMP Standards Support       77        68       78
  Configuration Reporting      92        82       95
  Traffic reporting acuracy    25        82      100
  Remote Controllability       70        81       84
  Overall                      68        76       89  
  Grade                        C                  A-
  
  The SNMP manageability of this hub is only marginally effective.
  Configuration reporting is superb, but this does not make up for the
  hub's very limited traffic-reporting capabilities. The agent appears to
  be overwhelmed by the task of managing the entire hub, including bridge
  and terminal-server modules.  Separate SNMP agents would probably help.
T.RTitleUserPersonal
Name		DateLines
1207.1An example of why I'm not in marketing.NACAD::GALLAGHERTue Jul 12 1994 14:4318
I was involved with these tests.  For the most part, testing was done
fairly and the results reported accurately.

The main knock against the DEChub platform was "very limited traffic-reporting
capabilities".  This is true.  However, the DECprobe was not used in the 
testing.  Traffic-reporting capability could be greatly enhanced by using 
the DECprobe.

Some of the DEChub's strength were not called out in the article.  For example,
one DECagent90 can manage multiple hubs.

The testing did not take pricing into account.  The DEChub90 platform is 
inexpensive and has limited management capability.  User who want more 
extensive management should consider the DEChub900.  The migration path
from the inexpensive DEChub90 platform to the DEChub900 platform also makes
for a good story.
						-Shawn
1207.2We would do better in the tests todayNAC::FORRESTMon Jul 25 1994 15:4213
	The shortcoming on Traffic Reporting was due to no fault of the 
	DECagent 90; the problem lies in the DECrepeater 90C, 90T, 90FA, and 
	90FL. The ASIC repeater chip in these modules allows you to read 
	only one counter - the number of times the port has partitioned due 
	to a fault.

	But that's the old story - we are getting ready to start shipping 
	the DECrepeater 90TS and 90FS, which have all the management bells 
	and whistles, including internal SNMP agents.

	Was the Communication Week article given to your customer by a 
	competitor? Or was your customer just doing his homework?