About Intermapper | FAQs

At this point we don’t support federation. You can have each server feed into one central database, but if you set multiple servers up—each with their own database—there’s no federation. So each IM server has its own database. You can point many IM servers to one IMDC server. The IMDC server can use an internal or external PostGres DB. But the IMDC server controls the database, not the IM server.

Yes, data retention policies are available and configurable.

It depends on the type of probe used, the number of SNMP objects polled, the polling frequency, and 32 vs. 64-bit executable. When the server functional limit is reached, scale by adding additional Intermapper server instances. We currently do not support a clustered environment.

Just like anything else, the more work you ask Intermapper to do, eventually you will have performance implications. If you have 1000 devices that are fairly quiet and you’re not using IMDC, it will perform differently than 1000 devices on a very busy network with heavy database and flows activity. We can provide some baseline specifications for minimum requirements based on what we’ve seen in the industry, but it really depends on the size and scope of the network you are looking to monitor:
 
With 32 bit:
-You can run about 2250 devices that are using SNMP and/or custom probes
-You can run about 5000 devices that are doing ping or ICMP only
-You start adding multiple servers when you want Flows or more report data
 
With 64 bit:
-You can run 3000 devices using SNMP and custom probes
-You can have Flows on the same machine but kept to 3 exporters at max
-If a lot of database data is being kept, make sure the disk drive sizes are big enough and/or IMDC is on a separate server also

Yes, but there will be separate instances of the same device across the maps. 

There’s no automatic functionality here, but the device instances can be added with probes configured using the File > Import > Data file or the HTTP API functions.

If Cisco writes the SLA data to MIB variables, we can. A custom SNMP probe can display them and apply thresholds if properly written.

No, probes are developed in customer’s environments. The product comes with over 150 built-in probes, and some of our users have created their own probes, which are accessible to everyone.

We use OpenSSL and as of 5.8.2, we have allowed more control of the protocols.

Each set of IP addresses will, by default, be individual devices. Combining them into a probe group will allow you to define which the default is. Devices are added to the map with a single IP address. Additional IPs for the device will be discovered if an (unrestricted) SNMP probe is used. Interfaces with IP addresses will show the device on the map unless de-selected (hidden) using the Interfaces window.

The thickness of the links between.

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Yes. Open Map List: open the map you want to export. Click on the File Menu > Select Export > Select Image and save file. 

No. The way autodiscovery works is that Intermapper sends a query to the devices and the probe checks to see if the devices responds to SNMP; if it doesn’t, then IM will assign the Ping Echo probe to the device. If it does respond to SNMP, then Intermapper will assign the device with a SNMP Traffic probe as the default.

As of Intermapper 6.1, you can schedule new device detection to occur at scheduled times. Intermapper will automatically detect new network devices and display then in the DetectionMap, a separate map interface. You can configure a notification, such as a sound, to alert you whenever a new device is detected. New devices will not be monitored until you move them to an active map and assign a probe to poll their performance.

No. CDP can be used for Layer 2 discovery for Cisco Devices and LLDP can be used for other respective vendors, but not the map auto-discovery feature.

If the NIS/CMDB can output in tab-delim or csv format, a spreadsheet can be used to generate a data file which can be imported using data files or HTTP API. See the Importing and Exporting Files section of the developer guide for more information.

A device can be any physical or virtual instance that has a MAC address that identifies what it is (i.e. router, switch, server, access point).  Multiple instances of the same device can be combined in a Probe Group on the same map. Instances of the same device on different maps can share polling (and be counted as a single device) if they match in probe type and configuration as outlined here.

Devices are added to the map using an IP address.  If a device with multiple IP addresses can be monitored using one IP address, it doesn’t matter how many others are on the device. It’s still a single device for licensing purposes.

You can use any static graphic you like as a background. 

If you input geolocation data (longitude and latitude coordinates) with Google Earth installed, you can add devices to the Google Earth map and export a map that can be loaded into Google Earth. 

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Currently there are no functions for High Availability in its literal sense. We can provide you with a separate license that can be used to register the secondary system as long as the hostname, IP, and Mac address of the system remain the same.

It really depends on a few variables: the size of the network, what system hardware the software is running, and the method of access. For example, the same map can be accessed via the console app, the remote access client, and the web interface.  It really depends on the size of your network and how you're leveraging RMM tools like Intermapper RemoteAccess and other resources.