CleverView for cTrace Analysis: Frequently Asked Questions

What does CleverView for cTrace Analysis do? Created to help your business manage its TCP/IP networks and other vital IT services in accordance with your business objectives, CleverView for cTrace Analysis allows you to leverage the full value of your technology investments, including your resources dedicated to resolving network problems quickly. TCP/IP component traces are notoriously cumbersome, time consuming, and difficult to read. CleverView for cTrace Analysis restores the value of the IP component trace as an essential in-house diagnostic tool. It provides an unsurpassed utility for network technicians, dramatically reducing time-consuming, tedious analysis and making inroads into TCP/IP network problem solving. What protocols does this product support for the IP packet trace of the mainframe component trace? CleverView for cTrace Analysis protocol support includes: APPN/HPR (EE) decoding: NLP, RTP, RTP Optional Segments, XID3, FID5, RH, Control Vector, GDS Variables Base protocols: IP, TCP, UDP, IPv6 Key applications: Telnet, TN3270, TN3270E, FTP, LPR Routing: OSPF, RIPv1, RIPv2, APPN/HPR (EE) UNIX remote calls: RSH, REXEC, RLOGIN Address resolution: ARP, RARP, DHCP Management: SNMP, ICMP, ICMPv6 Mail protocols: SMTP, POP3 Internet services: DNS, HTTP What unique features offered by CleverView for cTrace Analysis are not inherent in other trace decoding tools? CleverView for cTrace Analysis, the diagnostic tool of choice for SNA-TCP/IP hybrid network environments, puts component trace analysis in a whole new light. Here are just a few of the things you can do with this valuable tool: Access multiple error type reports quickly and easily with Exception Analysis Perform side-by-side trace analysis on one screen to compare protocol sequence and response times of similar transactions with the Trace Diff feature Decode APPN packet Request Headers and Response Headers, as well as XID3 packets and RTP Optional Segments (including all control vectors) with packet details and end point summaries for EE packets View packet and session end-to-end response time reports, as well as various performance reports Can CleverView for cTrace Analysis save me a lot of trace analysis time by offering a quick path to highlighting packets with exceptional condition? Does it make this information easily accessible to me? Most definitely. On the first pass of the trace analysis, you can choose to browse the �Exception Reports� which highlight packets with errors, exception conditions and special categories such as: Traffic Errors Response Time Threshold Session Errors Application Errors If I need to go to the detail packet and transaction level, does this product offer an easy way for me to digest the information with a good filtering capability? Absolutely. Our users finally enjoy running traces, because the analysis becomes so fast and easy with CleverView for cTrace Analysis. In addition to the �Packet Detail� report, we offer several packet summary results, such as: The Sequence of Execution report The Response Time Summary report Does CleverView for cTrace Analysis offer filtering capabilities that make it easier to find problem packets? Using other tools, it takes a long time to find the problem packets, since they are mixed in with other unrelated packets. Without an intelligent filtering capability, it is very challenging to decipher what is going on. That is why CleverView for cTrace Analysis offers intelligent filtering capabilities in the following categories, individually or combined: by protocol by IP addresses by exceptions by packet type (for example, INIT packets, TERM packets�) This illustrates why our users turn to this tool every time they detect a mainframe network problem; our tool saves over 90% of the time needed for more traditional analyses, and all information needed for fast resolution is readily available. We even provide a database that saves previous traces that can be used as reference points in side-by-side comparisons. Can I create my own filters? Yes, CleverView for cTrace Analysis does offer this very unique capability. Using "Query Builder", you can design and save your own filter definitions for quick plug-ins with different applications. Who would benefit from this tool in our IT organization? CleverView for cTrace Analysis improves the network service level for key applications, delivering business benefits across all departments. The entire IT organization enjoys faster and more reliable service deliveries helping, in turn, to improve the corporate bottom line. In addition to network system analysts, system programmers, and performance analysts, application developers are using this tool to diagnose connectivity and performance issues during the development, testing, and on-going maintenance of applications. With enterprise deployment, CleverView for cTrace Analysis becomes a must-have solution for IT professionals. Does CleverView for cTrace Analysis offer Sniffer® Trace Support? Definitely - CleverView for cTrace Analysis supplies the added benefit of Sniffer Trace Support for Network General™ Sniffer captured IP packet traces. This allows the mainframe system programmer to analyze traces collected from open systems. In addition, Sniffer traces provided by the network side can be compared side-by-side with CTRACE packets collected from the mainframe host side. Is there a simple way to compare traces with CleverView for cTrace Analysis? Yes, there is. CleverView for cTrace Analysis offers a feature known as Trace Diff that allows for side-by-side trace analysis on one Windows screen, instead of tediously comparing different printouts. This feature may be used to compare protocol sequence and response times of similar transactions, significantly reducing the time spent on network problem diagnosis or performance studies. Does CleverView for cTrace Analysis offer a real-time option for packet tracing and analysis? Yes, it does. CleverView for cTrace Analysis Real-Time Packet Trace provides the API functions for retrieving packet trace entries from the TCP/IP stack as they are collected in real time. These functions then provide you with a variety of options to decode the trace entries you have retrieved in real time. It is important to note that this is an option; the overhead of running continuous real-time traces can be eliminated if only snapshots of problem-related traces are required. Does CleverView for cTrace Analysis offer tools for component trace generation? CleverView for cTrace Analysis provides two ways to generate a trace automatically. From a Windows PC you can use the Packet Trace Generator Control; from a mainframe you can use the Interactive System Productivity Facility (ISPF) panel provided in Real-Time Packet Trace. What methods are available for transferring trace files to CleverView for cTrace Analysis? There are two ways to do this. The fastest method is to use the cTrace Transfer option offered by CleverView for cTrace Analysis. It utilizes compression technology, thus reducing overhead and accelerating the process. The second method is to use FTP to transfer the trace. The host portion of the product offers packet decoding in real time. This is available as an alternative to the expert analysis offered by the GUI interface. What is the size limit for trace files analyzed by CleverView for cTrace Analysis? There is no size limit for trace files analyzed by CleverView for cTrace Analysis. Is it possible to customize the CleverView for cTrace Analysis GUI for my own purposes? CleverView for cTrace Analysis offers configuration options that allow you to work with time zone, Packet Detail displays, report appearance, default applications, query management and other customizations. How does CleverView for cTrace Analysis handle Enterprise Extender? CleverView for cTrace Analysis provides in-depth diagnostic capability for SNA-TCP/IP hybrid network environments with EE/APPN Expert Analysis. Does CleverView for cTrace Analysis support OSPF? Yes, the Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) protocol for network routing is fully supported. Does CleverView for cTrace Analysis handle migrations to the IPv6 environment? CleverView for cTrace Analysis definitely provides the IPv6 and ICMPv6 support necessary for such migrations. If I generate a component trace manually under z/OS, can I use CleverView for cTrace Analysis to analyze it? Yes, you can use IP packet trace for the analysis of manually generated component traces. There is no difference between the trace outputs created with CleverView for cTrace Analysis vs. the trace outputs created by issuing z/OS Component Trace commands. Can I trial the product or see a demonstration before purchasing? Absolutely! You can submit your request for an evaluation or request a demonstration.