Route Explorer Applications

Enhanced IP Routing Operations and Management

Route Explorer provides network operators and engineers with the ability to understand and see, for the first time, the dynamic routing operation of their IP network, improving network availability and performance, while reducing operating costs. Route Explorer enables them to monitor their routed (layer-3) network in real-time, become aware of and pinpoint the root cause of problems sooner, analyze historical routing events to troubleshoot intermittent or past problems, and ensure that their network is operating as intended.

Below are some examples of common ways in which our customers use Route Explorer on a day-to-day basis to monitor, maintain, troubleshoot and analyze their IP networks. These brief animated examples provide annotated, step-by-step Route Explorer screen shots that walk you through using the product to resolve some typical networking challenges.

Monitoring and Alerting on Changes in Redundancy
Network redundancy is critical to service availability. Redundancy is achieved by connecting critical servers and workgroups to multiple routers. When a primary route fails, an alternative, redundant route takes over to provide connectivity. But how do you know when a route has failed or when only one path to a destination remains? The best way to look for impaired redundancy is at the IP layer. The routing protocols provide the fastest and most accurate reflection of connectivity in the network. This application example shows how Route Explorer can help you monitor the redundancy in your network. View Flash Demo

Detecting and Alerting on Flapping Routes
Flapping routes are bad for network availability and bad for business. IP networks are generally very robust. If a link or router should fail, traffic would be rerouted automatically. But when a route repeatedly goes up and down (“flaps”), traffic will be rerouted continuously. Network and application performance may be impacted, leading to lost productivity and customer dissatisfaction. While SNMP-based device managers might detect flapping routes, their polling cycle may result in detection of the flap after it has been occurring for some time, or the flap could go completely unnoticed. Detecting flaps at the IP layer is the most timely and accurate method. This application example shows how Route Explorer can alert you to flapping routes as soon as they happen. View Flash Demo

Verifying Proper Network Operation After Maintenance Activities
Routine maintenance is a fundamental part of keeping your network running smoothly. But maintenance activities can make the network susceptible to the introduction of configuration errors. A conservative estimate by Yankee Group puts misconfiguration-induced network outages at 30% of all network problems. Manual verification of proper network operation after a maintenance window is equally prone to human error, and waiting for trouble tickets to highlight configuration errors is not good operating practice. This application example shows how Route Explorer can provide the quickest and most effective way to ensure that your network is back up and running as intended after a maintenance window. View Flash Demo

Download "Route Explorer and Routing Operations Best Practices" and other white papers

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