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Chapter 4

Alarm Configuration
Accessing the Basic and Advanced Alarms windows; creating a bas ic alarm; creating an advanced
alarm; creating events; assigning actions to events; viewing the event log
Through the RMON Alarm and Event functionality supported by your SmartSwitch 6000
or Matrix E7 series module, you can configure alarms and events (and, where appropriate,
actions) for each available interface.

About RMON Alarms and Events

Although Alarms and Events are defined as separate RMON groups, neither one can
function properly without the other: you can define an alarm threshold, but if it doesn’t
point to an event, there will be no indication that the threshold has been crossed; similarly,
you can define an event, but unless it is attached to an alarm threshold, it won’t be
triggered. Each is an essential part of the same notification process: the alarm defines a set
of conditions you want to know about, and the event determines the means of letting you
know those conditions have occurred.
Events are also an integral part of the filter and packet capture functionality: you can start
and stop packet capturing in response to events, or a successful packet capture can
generate its own event.
NetSight Element Manager provides two means for configuring RMON alarms: using the
Basic Alarms window, you can define both rising and falling alarm thresholds for up to
three pre-selected MIB-II variables per interface; based on the options you select, the
application automatically creates the necessary events (to log alarm occurrences, generate
a trap, or both) and — for devices which support the Actions MIB — adds the requested
actions to those events (to enable or disable bridging at the selected interface).
TIP
The Alarm, Event, and Actions windows described in this chapter are identical to those
provided via the RMON utility. For more information about other features of RMON, see
the Element Manager RMON User’s Guide.