Conference netcad::hub_mgnt

 Hello Roger,

  64 devices equal approximatly 8 X Dechub90 fully populated (depends if you    
    have or not Snmp Device on it),if you add more devices/Communities on the
    DECagent90 , have you no fear about performance issue??

   Jean-Yves 

No, I am not concerned about the issue of performance (although if there is an
issue I have not heard it from customers).  I am just trying to get a rough idea
on how many communities and devices the typical DECagent is managing in a
customer environment.  We are evaluating the resource usage in the DECagent
(specifically, how much information is being stored in non-volatile storage) and
would like to know if there are many (if any) customers who are using the
DECagent to manage a number of communites and devices which approaches the
currently specified limits of 16 communities and 64 modules.

...Roger...

Wow, the silence is deafening!  Nobody has any input on the base note?

I guess I only get to answer questions in here and not ask them.  :-(

...Roger...

    Sincere appologies, we complain about engineering never listening to us
    bods in the field, when we don't reply when asked for feedback.
    
    My customers are a very mixed bunch I'm afraid, to summarise:
    
    The majority of those using DECagent 90's are managing between 1 and 30
    modules from a single module. Most of these are not using a DECagent to
    manage more than three hub's worth. This has no doubt been due to the
    earlier code restrictions of the DECagent, 4 hubs I seem to recall.
    I can only think of one customer that was excited by the support for
    further communiies/hubs in the latest rev although they have all liked
    the hub master functionality.
    
    I do however have a minority of customers where their predominate
    DEChub modules are DECservers. These customers have configured up
    to 8 DEChubs with HUBwatch using this single agent even though these
    hubs do not have DECbridges installed in them. They have then manually
    configured into these hubs the DECservers. I believe one of these
    customers has somewhere near 50 odd DECservers configured like this.
    nb. The DECservers are all 90TL's so they directly manage them.
    
    
    Finally a wish. .... The DECrepeater 90TS and 90FS need DECagent
    functionality. In particular the ability to autodiscover modules and
    left hitchcock support.
    
    ross

Thank you Ross.  That's exactly the kind of information I am interested in.

As for your wish, this is actually in the works!  The DECrepeater 90FS and 90TS
will soon be gaining the functionality to manage all of the so-called "dumb
repeaters" (90C, 90T, 90T+, 90FA, 90FL, plus any new ones that come along) via
Left Hitchcock.  In addition, they will also do "slot management" to the extent
that they can discover modules in the same hub (specifically the DEChub 90,
since the hub manager does this in a DEChub 900) or in the same "stack" (when
the stringable/stackable configuration is available).  However, the 90FS and
90TS will not be gaining the proxy capabilities of the DECagent 90 to manage the
DECbridge 90/90FL, DECserver 90L/90L+ and remote communities.

...Roger...

    Roger,
    
    in your previous response, are you alluding to some future product
    "stringable/stackable..." which will be TRULY stackable (two boxes
    count as ONE repeater only)?
    
    I am asking this because we are seeing a lot of RFPs these days where 
    customers DEMAND stackable repeaters, and define "stackable" just like 
    I did a few lines back, and won't even talk to us if our products are 
    not truely stackable (even though their configuration would never require 
    that particular feature!)
    
    In Netacademy earlier this year there was talk about Dechub900 modules
    being potentially stackable, IF a new version of Onehub would bring the 
    IMB out on a connector. Any development along these lines?
    
    Greetings
    
    Rolf (DEC Brazil)
    

Hi Rolf...

I knew someone would ask about that, but you'll have to ask product management
for any further details about the stackable offerings that are planned.

As for the topic at hand, thanks again to Ross (in .4) for responding.  As for
the rest of you, don't be afraid to enter your feedback.  I can handle more than
one response in a single day (or week, or...).  Really.  Honest.  I mean it.

...Roger...

    Roger,
    
    Most of my customers are not into network management in a big way.
    Hardware so good that just plug it in and forget it.  8^)
    
    The highest number of hubs managed by a single DECagent 90 is 4.
    One of the school boards has about 50  90TL's across 12 remote schools
    but they can be managed directly. Since the Brouter 90 cannot become
    the hub master, they are not willing to put DECagents or DECbridges
    in the 12 hubs just so they can manage the hub and repeaters.

    So for my customers the counts are low.
    
    dave

Thanks Dave.  Good info.

BTW, do your customers know we just dropped the price of the DECagent 90?  :-)

...Roger...

    Guess I should get them to buy some 90T's or 90C's so they have
    something to manage in all their hubs.  8^)
    
    dave