Isilon Node Protocol Connections Test

Users access the nodes on the target storage system via the communication protocols such as NFS, SMB/CIFS, HTTP/HTTPS, FTP, REST API, and SWIFT. These connections are a good indicator of the load on the storage system. If users complain about the poor connectivity to the storage system, administrators may want to check the protocol connections to figure out whether the storage system is stressed due to an overload condition. If so, administrators may also want to identify the protocol thorough which the maximum load is received by the storage system. This where the Node Protocol Connections test helps administrators!

This test not only reports the number of connections established through each protocol but also reveals the count of active connections. This way, the test measures the connection load on the storage system and points to those protocols that are responsible for overloading the storage system with numerous connections. In the process, this test also indicates to administrators the connections that are currently active on the storage system.

Target of the test : An EMC Isilon Storage System

Agent deploying the test : A remote agent

Outputs of the test : One set of results for the each protocol connected to the target storage system being monitored.

Configurable parameters for the test
Parameter Description

Test Period

How often should the test be executed.

Host

The IP address of the host for which this test is to be configured.

Port

The port at which the host listens. By default, this will be NULL.

Timeout

Specify the time duration (in seconds) beyond which this test should time out in the Timeout text box. The default is 10 seconds.

Use SUDO

By default, this parameter is set to No. This indicates that, by default, the eG agent will not require any special permissions to execute the commands. However, in some highly secure environments, this command cannot be executed directly as the eG agent install user is different from the root user who has the privileges to run all commands on the target storage system. In such cases, create a sudo user using the steps discussed in the Pre-requisites for Monitoring the EMC Isilon Storage System. Credentials of such a user should be specified in the Username and Password text boxes in the COMPONENTS page.

Set the Use Sudo parameter to Yes. This will enable the eG agent install user to execute the commands.

Connected Protocol

By default, this text box is populated with a default set of protocols separated by semi colons. The protocols listed are: cifs;ftp;hdfs;http;iscsi;ndmp;nfs;nlm;papi;siq;smb. This implies that the eG agent monitors the protocols mentioned in this text box alone and reports metrics. You can remove one/more protocols from this text box and add them back but will not be allowed to add a new protocol.

Active Protocol

By default, this text box is populated with a semi-colon-separated list of protocols that are currently active on the target storage system. For instance, the protocols listed are: cifs;ftp;hdfs;http;iscsi;ndmp;jobd;Isass_out;nfs;nfs3;nfs4;nlm;papi;siq;smb2. This list will only include one or more protocols or the variants of the protocols mentioned in the Connected Protocol text box.

Measurements made by the test
Measurement Description Measurement Unit Interpretation

Connected

Indicates the number of connections established through this protocol.

Number

This measure is a good indicator of the load imposed through each protocol on the storage system.

Active

Indicates the number of connections that are currently active.

Number