Names and look-ups

On this settings page, user defined names for IPs, MAC addresses and ports can be configured, as well as the configuration for active look-ups using DNS resolve or traceroute.

User defined names

It is possible to label IP and MAC address, as well as TCP-/UDP-ports with custom names and group them together into categories to provide easy access to specific systems. For example, all your internal machines could be labeled to match their actual name and you can categorize them into different departments.

These user defined names are persistent and are available from start on. All entries are assigned per Allegro Appliance and not per user. An assigned name is available for all users.


Configuration

The configuration of the list of user defined names is available via Settings -> Names and look-ups.

Web Interface

IP names, MAC names and VLAN names

Adding or removing entries

In the tabs for IP, MAC and VLAN names, the configuration page shows on top the list of names currently set in the system. It is possible to search for a specific entry by entering the IP or MAC address or VLAN tag, category or actual name.

Individual entries may be removed from the list by clicking at the trashcan symbol in the last column.

At the bottom of the table new elements can be added by entering the IP or MAC address or VLAN tag, the category and name of the element. By clicking the plus symbol, the entry is added and will be used without further doing.

The complete IP, MAC and VLAN lists can be cleared by clicking the respective clear button below the table, a dialog will ask for confirmation.

Names may also be set directly at the IP or MAC detail page, see below for more information.


Importing IP list

IP names can be imported as an IP list from an external URL or a file in the format:

#A line with a comment

1.2.3.1

1.2.3.2

1.2.3.3

By clicking on Import IP list a dialog will be opened where you can choose to download such a list from a given URL or specify a file from your system. The IPs are added to the already existing ones.


Uploading or downloading the complete list as CSV file

Depending on the use case, the number of elements to add may be large. In this case it is also possible to upload a comma separated text file (.csv). The format is simple as follows:

ip,192.168.0.1,category,name

mac,00:00:00:00:00:00,category,name

vlan,4,category,name
...

Each line describes one entry. The columns contain the following information in this order:

  1. Entry type. Can be ip for an IP address, mac for a MAC address or vlan for a VLAN tag.
  2. Actual address or tag.
  3. Category name.
  4. Entry name.

A template file which may be opened in a spreadsheet application can be downloaded using the Download CSV template button.

The final file can be uploaded by clicking the Upload CSV list button and selecting the file from your local directory.

The current list can be downloaded by clicking the Download button. The CSV file will contain IP and MAC addresses, and VLAN tags.

L4 port names

Adding or removing entries

On top of this tab, a list of configured TCP- and UDP-port names is shown. Entries from this list can be removed by clicking the trashcan icon on the right of each entry line.

New port names can be created by clicking the Add port name button on the bottom of the list. A configuration dialog pops up and allows to select the protocol type (TCP or UDP) and configure the port number as well as the name.

Name display for user defined names

If a user defined name is configured for an IP or MAC address or VLAN tag, the name will be shown among the alternative names (which also include possible DNS, DHCP name, or other sources of information).

In the IP and MAC overview screenshots below, the IP or MAC column is highlighted to indicate such special entries for which a name is configured.

IP
MAC


In the detailed page for a single IP or MAC address, you can click on the pencil symbol to directly set a name for this specific address.

IP
MAC

Filtering

It is possible to enter the category or user defined name for IP and MAC filters.

Also, the name check in complex filters matches the user defined name, like in this example:

(name=systemA)


It is also possible to filter for a specific category by using the category check:

(category=server)

In this example, the list would only show those elements for which a user defined name is set and its category contains the string server.

DNS resolve

The Allegro Network Multimeter can resolve IP addresses by using the DNS server known to the management interface. A reverse lookup is being performed and the retrieved naming information is shown next to the IP address in various modules.

The DNS resolving can also be configured to run periodically after an interval passed and try to resolve IPs of certain given subnets. To prevent high load on the DNS server, only 5 queries may be active in parallel.

Traceroute

(Starting from v4.0)

The Allegro Network Multimeter can perform a traceroute to IP addresses using the management interface. Discovering the network hops to reach the target can take a considerable amount of time. To trade between a swift and complete result, the following settings can be adjusted to meet the requirements:

  • Ping count on each network hop: higher values can compensate occasional packet losses and make the displayed packet loss ratio more representative, but increase the traceroute duration
  • Maximum TTL value: upper limit of discoverable network hops; lower values reduce traceroute duration but may cut off some network hops closer to the target IP
  • Timeout per network hop: duration of milliseconds to wait for a hop response before it fails as timed out; higher values may discover more network hops at the expense of an increased traceroute duration

The currently displayed settings will be applied after clicking the Save settings button. To show the currently used settings, the Reload settings button needs to be clicked. The default values can be shown by clicking the Load default settings button, they are not automatically applied.