26 | Prepare the network
Network Discovery
What happens if a device with directed community strings is not configured
with the IP address of the Peregrine appliance?
Network Discovery will behave as though the device does not have SNMP
management turned on. Network Discovery will appear to work, but you’ll
eventually notice that it is working poorly. Once Network Discovery is up and
running, the Exceptions reports can advise you of problems.
(Optional) Adjust bridge aging
To improve the reliability and speed of Network Discovery, adjust bridge aging
on your bridges, routers, switches, and concentrators. Turn bridge aging on, and
set the bridge aging interval to 2-6 hours. Smaller networks can use shorter
intervals; larger networks will need longer intervals. Network Discovery’s
Exceptions reports can tell you which devices should have their bridge aging
adjusted.
Plan the device and port to which the Peregrine appliance will be attached
Plan to attach the Peregrine appliance:
behind your corporate firewall
to an Ethernet port on a device close to the top of your network. Network
Discovery works best if the port is SNMP managed.
Note: Attach a management workstation to the same device as the Peregrine
appliance. This will make the setup process smoother. It also ensure that
the management workstation does not become isolated from Network
Discovery in the event of device failures.