Glossary

ANS.1
Abstract Syntax Notation One is OSI language for describing data types independent of particular
com puter structures and representation techniques.
ARP
T he Address Resolution Protocol is used to bind an IP address to a M AC address.
ATM
Asynchronous Transfer M ode
av ailability
T he percentage of tim e during a given interval that a network object or interface is available to perform its
function. Availability is m easured by a poller. T he poller tracks how long an elem ent or sub-elem ent is
unavailable and the percentage of tim e that it is available. Tivoli Netcool Perform ance M anager
DataM art lets you m onitor end-to-end network availability.
bandw idth
A m easure of the capacity of a com m unications link.
bps
Bit per Second is a m easurem ent that expresses the speed at which data is transferred between com puters.
bridge
A device that connects one physical section of a network to another, often providing isolation.
broadcast
A packet destined for all hosts on a network.
burst rate
A circuit data transm ission rate above the Com m itted Inform ation Rate (CIR) that can be used to increase
data throughput if it is available.
collector
T he collector stores data for m onitoring elem ents and sub-elem ents on your network. Tivoli Netcool
Perform ance M anager DataM art enables the collection, consolidation, storage and archiving of critical
network perform ance and service analysis data. T his data can be integrated into Tivoli Netcool
Perform ance M anager DataView or the reporting tool of your choice.
Committed Information Rate (CIR)
T he specified am ount of guaranteed bandwidth (m easured in bits per second) on a Fram e Relay service.
Typically, when purchasing a Fram e Relay service, a com pany can specify the CIR level they want. T he
Fram e Relay network vendor guarantees that fram es not exceeding this level will be delivered. It is
possible that additional traffic m ight also be delivered, but it is not guaranteed. See also burst rate.
daemon
A process that executes a program autom atically in background m ode when the system is initially started.
Dashboard
A real-tim e graphic display of one or m ore form ulas or M IB objects on one or m ore hosts.
Data Link Connection Identifier (DLCI)
Fram e relay allows users to segm ent physical ports into m ultiple logical interfaces. Each of these logical
interfaces is identified by its DLCI.
default
An operation or value that the system or application assum es unless you m ake an explicit choice.
delay (also know n as latency)
A m easurem ent from one end of a network or device to another. Higher latency indicates longer delays.
discov ery
Lets you analyze your network and gather inform ation about T CP/IP network elem ents and sub-elem ents
and how they are interconnected.
Domain Name Serv ice (DNS)
T he system that translates between internet IP addresses and internet host nam es.
Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP)
A protocol that provides dynam ic IP address allocation and autom atic IP configuration.
element
 An addressable, m anaged node or host.
exception
An exception is an event that is not considered norm al and requires your im m ediate attention. For
exam ple, router outages or network response tim e failures.
formula
A set of m athem atical instructions and SNM P queries.
frame relay
A packet-oriented com m unication m ethod for connecting com puter system s on WANs. Fram e Relay is
digital-data-com m unications protocol provided by a carrier. Connections into a fram e relay network require
a router and a line from the custom er site to a carrier's fram e relay port entry.
group
Custom ized, virtual association that contains one or m ore network elem ents.
hop
A hop represents a transm ission of a data packet through a router in a network of interconnected segm ents
or subnetworks. In m any networks, there are m any routers connecting m any segm ents, thus form ing a
num ber of paths that a packet can travel to get to its destination. A m easure of this path is the hop count,
or the num ber of routers the packet m ust pass through to get to its destination.
hub
A com m on connection point for devices in a network. Hubs are com m only used to connect segm ents of a
LAN. A hub contains m ultiple ports. When a packet arrives at one port, it is copied to the other ports so that
all segm ents of the LAN can see all packets.
HyperText M arkup Language (HTM L)
Used for developing Web docum ents.
HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP)
A protocol that allows Web clients to retrieve inform ation from Web servers.
Internet Control M essage Protocol (ICM P)
Used to handle error and control m essages sent when datagram s are discarded or system s are congested.
Part of the IP protocol.
interface
T he network connection between two system s or devices.
Internet
A collection of autonom ous system s interconnected by bridges, routers, or gateways.
Inv entory profile
Lets you define your network inventory. You can create different profiles for different resources in your
network.
Inv entory Tool
Provides you with a report of network elem ents and sub-elem ents on your network.
IP
Internet Protocol is a com m unications protocol that allows com puters of any m ake to com m unicate when
running IP software.
IP address
An identifier for a com puter or device on an IP network. Networks using the IP protocol route m essages
based on the IP address of the destination. T he form at of an IP address is a 32-bit num eric address written
as four num bers separated by periods. Each num ber can be zero to 255. For exam ple, 1.160.10.240.
KB
Kilobyte is a data unit of 1,024 bytes.
latency
M easures the tim e it takes for a packet to travel from one point to another point and back.
Local Area Netw ork (LAN)
A com puter network that is lim ited to a sm all geographic area. For exam ple, an office building.
M AC
T he M edia Access Control protocol governs the m ethod by which a station can access a network.
M anagement Information Base (M IB)
A data repository used by an SNM P agent to store m anagem ent data about a m anaged object. All M IB
inform ation is defined in ASN.1 form at. M IB variables are organized in groups such as system and
 interfaces. An SNM P agent m anages only the part of the M IB that the M IB references.
M eta-Data
Control inform ation about the collected data. Tivoli Netcool Perform ance M anager uses m eta data to
describe resources, collection and aggregation schedules, and M IBs.
M etric
T he result of a form ula applied to resources. T hese results are displayed in the reports viewed through a
Web browser.
M etric-Data
Data collected on resources that is (optionally) transform ed by form ulas, im ported, or sum m arized by an
aggregation policy.
millisecond
One thousandth of a second.
netw ork
A system of com puters, hardware, and software that is connected over which data, files, and m essages can
be transm itted and end users com m unicate. Networks can be local or wide area. Network users can share
the sam e data and application files, send m essages between individual workstations, and protect files with
an extensive security system .
netw ork administrator
T he person who installs, configures, and deploys Tivoli Netcool Perform ance M anager on an enterprise
network. T his includes creating and m anaging users profiles and assigning rights and privileges.
netw ork monitoring system
An integrated set of software that m easures and analyzes com m unications-related param eters in a
network.
netw ork traffic
T he data that flows on a com m unications device or system .
NIS
Network Inform ation Service is a protocol for adm inistering network-wide databases.
node
T he endpoint of a network connection or a junction com m on to two or m ore lines in a network. Nodes can
be processors, controllers, or workstations.
NOC
Network Operations Center
Open Database Connectiv ity (ODBC)
ODBC is a specification designed to give users access to a variety of m ultiple desktop databases and file
form ats.
OSI
T he Open System s Interconnection m odel is a layered architecture plan that standardizes levels of service
and type of interaction for com puters exchanging inform ation through a network.)
packet
Also known as a fram e, single unit of data transm itted over a packet-switching network. A packet contains
source and destination address in addition to the data.
peak
T he highest level or greatest degree as represented in graphical reports.
Permanent Virtual Circuits (PVC)
A pathway through a packet-switched or cell-switched network.
PID
Protocol Identifier.
PING
(Packet INternet Groper) a utility to determ ine whether a specific IP address is accessible. A source IP
device sends a packet to a destination address and waits for a reply.
port
A physical connection on a network device.
probe
A packet sent to the rem ote end of a network. T he probe requests an acknowledgm ent from end nodes.
profile
 See Inventory profile.
Properties
Any attribute or characteristic that defines a resource m ore precisely and provides additional inform ation
on it. Properties can be custom er attributes and technical attributes including:

Custom er nam e for which the resource is deployed

VPN
IP address
Interface nam e
Site
Class of service (Silver, Gold, Platinum )
Geographical properties (city, building, floor)
Custom er properties (division, business departm ent, branch office)
Service properties (applications)
SLA value (thresholds, burst threshold, availability threshold, CIR, and SLA contract type)

protocol
A standard set of rules by which network elem ents trade inform ation to com m unicate including the form at,
tim ing, sequencing, or error checking.
Quality of Serv ice (QOS)
A guaranteed throughput level from the provider to its custom ers.
Read-Only mode
Provides only viewing access to Tivoli Netcool Perform ance M anager DataM art m odules. You cannot
m ake m odifications to any m odule in "read-only" m ode. T he Read-Only icon is as follows:

repeater
A device that lets you extend the length of your network by am plifying and repeating the inform ation it
receives.
resource
A type of physical or logical object m anaged by the Tivoli Netcool Perform ance M anager system . Any
m anaged physical interface or port is a resource, any m anaged logical circuit is also resource. For
exam ple, a Fram e Relay DLCI, an AT M PVC, and a CE-CE itinerary (VPN Custom er Edge). Any object
from which Tivoli Netcool Perform ance M anager can get identification (a nam e and a label) and related
m etrics can be m odeled in the DataM art, using the resource concept.
rights
User privileges assigned by the network adm inistrator for access to Tivoli Netcool Perform ance M anager.
report
A form atted and organized presentation of data.
response time
T he am ount of tim e that takes one endpoint to respond to a request from another endpoint on a network.
router
T he equipm ent that receives an internet packet and sends it to the next m achine in the destination path.
segment
A protocol data unit consisting of part of a stream of bytes being sent between two m achines.
serv er
A com puter that runs services. Also refers to a piece of hardware or software that provides access to
inform ation requested from it.
Serv ice Lev el Agreement (SLA)
is a contractual guarantee that stipulates the specified m inim um level of network capacity and service
support that a custom er will receive. An SLA establishes realistic expectations for consistent service
delivery and articulates com pensatory m easure in the case of service delivery failure.

You can develop an aggressive SLA, both internally and externally, that delivers priority, availability, and
bandwidth required by business applications.
Serv ice Lev el M anagement (SLM )
provides the m easurem ent and evaluation of network perform ance against business m etrics. A
com prehensive flexible SLM plan that m onitors perform ance effectively can result in increased user
satisfaction.
Simple Netw ork M anagement Protocol (SNM P)
A com m unications protocol used to control and m onitor devices on a network. An SNM P agent m anages
parts of a M IB.
SM I
Structure of M anagem ent Inform ation (RFC 1155) specifies rules used to define m anaged objects in a
M IB. See also M IB.
SNM P Av ailability
is the percentage of tim e during a given interval that a network object or interface is available to perform
its function. Availability is m easured by a poller. T he poller tracks how long an elem ent or sub-elem ent is
unavailable and the percentage of tim e that it is available. Tivoli Netcool Perform ance M anager
DataM art helps you increase end-to-end network availability.
SNM P Response Time
is the am ount of tim e that takes one endpoint to respond to a request from another endpoint on a network.
Tivoli Netcool Perform ance M anager DataM art helps you im prove response tim e.
SNM P trap
An SNM P trap lets you forward one or m ore exceptions for a network object to a designated com puter on
your network. T he destination com puter needs to have a third-party packet capturing software program
installed. You use this program to view the exception m essage.
SNM P Utilization
is the percentage of bandwidth that an elem ent or sub-elem ent is in use during a given period of tim e. For
exam ple, 30% to 40% signifies a low utilization and 80 to 90% signifies a high utilization.
Sub-Element
A sub-com ponent of an elem ent, such as a port, interface, virtual circuits, user, or a DLCI.
subnet
A portion of a network that shares a com m on address com ponent. On IP networks, subnets are defined as
all devices whose IP addresses have the sam e prefix. For exam ple, all devices with IP addresses that start
with 100.100.100. would be part of the sam e subnet. IP networks are divided using a subnet m ask.
subnet mask
A 32-bit value that distinguishes the network ID from the host ID of an IP address.
sw itch
A device that filters and forwards packets between LAN or WAN segm ents. Switches operate at the data
link layer (layer 2) of the OSI Reference M odel and therefore support any packet protocol. LANs that use
switches to join segm ents are called switched LANs or, in the case of Ethernet networks, switched Ethernet
LANs.
target
T he object to which a form ula applies
threshold
A value that is com pared against m etrics to determ ine if the m etrics exceed or drop below a critical lim it.
traceroute
A utility that traces a packet from source IP to destination IP address, showing how m any hops the packet
requires to reach the host and how long each hop takes.
traffic
See network traffic.
TCP
Transm ission Control Protocol is a layer 4 protocol that provides a level of connection-oriented reliability
to an IP network.
URL
Uniform Resource Locator is the addressing system used in the Web that can reference any type of file on
the Internet, enabling a Web client to access that file.
utilization
T he percentage of tim e that a network object or interface is in use for a given period of tim e.
VLAN
A virtual LAN is a group of devices on one or m ore LANs that are configured so that they can
com m unicate as if they were attached to the sam e wire, when if fact, they are located on a num ber of
different LAN segm ents.
v olume
T he num ber of bits that flowed through a network interface over a period of tim e.
Web brow ser
A software program that lets you view and access HT M L docum ents. For exam ple, Internet Explorer and
Netscape Navigator.
Wide Area Netw ork (WAN)
A network of geographically dispersed com puters.
Write mode
Provides you with full access to Tivoli Netcool Perform ance M anager DataM art m odules. You can m ake
m odification to any m odule in "write" m ode. T he write m ode icon is as follows:

Parent topic: Configuring and Operating DataM art