perfSONAR Multi-Domain Monitoring

perfSONAR MDM (multi-domain monitoring) is a service that addresses the need for transparent cross-domain network monitoring capability, helping operations personnel to ensure seamless network performance for end-users.

To provide the fast, reliable and uninterrupted data communication that network users within the GÉANT Service Area rely on, it is vital that network problems can be located and fixed quickly and efficiently. However, while problems in local network domains can be identified relatively easily, methods to track issues across multiple domains are limited and time-consuming. For end-users, this inevitably leads to disruption and dissatisfaction.

perfSONAR MDM neatly addresses this, using out-of-the-box or easily customised web-interfaces to provide a transparent view of the network – providing information such as available bandwidth, connection status, and any delays between points across multiple domains.
Operations personnel can utilise this information to identify and trace network problems and performance bottlenecks, rapidly addressing these before service disruption occurs – ensuring end users enjoy seamless, high performance connectivity.

Empowered end users also benefit from access to this information, avoiding large data transfers at peak traffic times and aiding optimum use of the network. In giving end users network visibility, unnecessary support calls can also be avoided – reducing the burden on network operations personnel at institutional and national level. Furthermore, historical information can be accessed and used by operations personnel for highlighting trends and identifying areas for improvement.

perfSONAR MDM facilitates efficient and seamless data movement across vast networks that is vital to collaborative research projects. 

 

NREN	network operations personnel are able to monitor their own network and networks to which they are connected, enabling proactive identification of problems before they become an issue for customers
Institution	problems on the network can be identified and easily located, thereby allowing resources to be targeted at the right place before issues arise, and ensuring a seamless service for end-users.
End-users	empowered users now have a transparent view of the network through an easily customised interface, assisting them in making best use of the available bandwidth

What is perfSONAR?
The perfSONAR project is carried out by a consortium of organisations (GÉANT, ESnet and  Internet2 in USA, and RNP in Brazil) and aims to design and build network performance middleware (the perfSONAR web services) and visualisation tools that assists the analysis of local or remote interconnected network domains. One of the project’s main goals is to make it easier to solve end-to-end performance problems on paths crossing several networks 

perfSONAR stands for performance Service Orientated Network monitoring Architecture.