In today's business reality, distributed enterprises heavily rely on applications for communication, collaboration, and effective day-to-day operations. At the same time, IT is challenged with managing application delivery in an environment that is rapidly changing. The number of business applications is growing, application architectures are increasingly complex, application traffic is proliferating, and traffic patterns are difficult to predict. In addition, driven by security, regulatory, and economic considerations, enterprises are embracing data center consolidation, desktop virtualization, and network and application convergence to maximize the value of their IT investments. This demands comprehensive application and network visibility to successfully deliver disparate applications in a complex IT environment.
Cisco® Network Analysis Module (NAM) is a powerful network-aware performance assurance solution that delivers unparalleled visibility into application and network performance to help ensure the consistent and efficient delivery of applications and services to end users. It combines performance monitoring, traffic analysis, and advanced troubleshooting to provide a comprehensive solution that meets the performance management needs of today's dynamic, evolving enterprises. The visibility allows IT to effectively use control and optimization mechanisms, such as quality of service (QoS) and Wide Area Application Services (WAAS), to improve application performance.
The unique design of Cisco NAM combines a rich set of embedded data collection capabilities and performance analytics with a remotely accessible, web-based management console, all of which reside on a single network module or new high-performance appliance. The network module can be installed into Cisco Catalyst® 6500 Series Switches, Cisco® 7600 Series Routers, Cisco® Integrated Services Routers (ISR) Generation 2 or first generation Cisco ISRs. The Cisco® NAM 2204 and NAM 2220 appliances extend the reach of the NAM to places in the network either not currently served by the blades or where higher performance monitoring is essential.
Cisco NAM includes a Traffic Analyzer GUI, which provides quick access to both configuration menus and real-time and historical performance reports.
Table 1 lists the key features of Cisco NAM.
Table 1. Cisco NAM Features
Feature
Description
Application performance monitoring
Offers intelligent application performance monitoring and real-time visibility for voice, video, and data applications. Cisco NAM helps improve the operational efficiency of IT organizations by allowing them to proactively detect performance degradation, quickly identify its source, and troubleshoot the underlying issues.
Transaction-aware application response time monitoring
Analyzes TCP-based application packets as they travel from the client through the network to the data center and out again, providing insight into network round-trip time, server response time, data transfer time, transaction time, and so on to monitor application performance.
Voice-over-IP (VoIP) and video packet quality analysis
Analyzes voice and video packet streams and provides visibility into key network performance indicators to maximize the quality of the user experience.
Comprehensive flow-based monitoring
Automatically identifies hundreds of protocols and provides real-time and historical performance reports on hosts, conversations, and applications using critical network resources.
LAN and WAN monitoring in one solution
Provides visibility into traffic from local and remote switches and routers for comprehensive traffic monitoring.
Web-based captures for deep, insightful data analysis
Captures the packets to help resolve acute problems before they affect users. Captures can be performed using a web browser from any desktop, and the decodes can be viewed through the Traffic Analyzer GUI. Extensive capture features, including trigger-based captures, decodes, filters, and a capture analysis toolset, help to quickly pinpoint and resolve problem areas.
Anytime, anywhere access
Includes an embedded Traffic Analyzer web interface that can be accessed from any desktop, eliminating the need to send personnel to remote sites or haul large amounts of data over WAN links to the central site.
Predeployment and postdeployment metrics to quantify business changes
Provides valuable "before and after" traffic analytics to help plan for and verify changes in network resources, such as new application rollouts, WAN optimization, server consolidation, segmenting the network, and deploying VoIP and video.
Cisco NAM can be deployed in blade form factor in Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series Switches, Cisco 7600 Series Routers, and Cisco Integrated Services Routers, and as a multigigabit appliance. This complement of blades and appliances allows NAM instrumentation to be broadly deployed in the network for comprehensive performance monitoring.
Highlighted New Features in Cisco NAM 4.1
Cisco NAM 4.1 offers the features described in Table 2.
Table 2. New Features in Cisco NAM 4.1
Feature
Benefit
NAM Virtual Blade on WAAS appliances
Introduces a zero hardware footprint offering of the NAM product. The NAM Virtual Blade provides integrated performance monitoring with the WAVE-574 and WAE-674 WAAS appliances for small data centers and proof of concept (PoC) rollouts. Customers can gain visibility into potential WAN optimization candidates quickly using NAM metrics, facilitating rapid rollouts and resulting in more efficient use of WAN bandwidth
Enhanced performance capabilities on the NAM 2200 series appliances
Uses improvements made in the hardware microcode to handle additional network loads. Provides hardware-based filtering to help targeted troubleshooting with manageable packet capture files.
Better support for mobility environments
NAM now supports application visibility for GPRS Tunneling Protocol, which allows for monitoring of specific clients and allows for packet analysis to be carried out for locations that are experiencing application outages
Improved visibility into WAN optimized networks
Adds support for passthrough traffic, that is, traffic that is not targeted for WAN optimization, and builds upon the previous functionality that provided end-to-end application visibility with before and after views of a WAAS deployment. NAM 4.1 also features an improved multisegment display that provides for visual correlation of the server, network, and client segments in a WAAS environment.
Support of the Cisco Software License infrastructure
As the NAM Virtual Blade on WAAS appliances is the first software offering of NAM, software licensing support provided by Cisco Software License allows for simplified administration. This infrastructure provides for a 60-day evaluation version of the NAM functionality for existing customers of the WAVE-574 and WAE-674 appliances.
Platform Requirements
Cisco NAM Software 4.1 is supported on the following NAM platforms:
• All Cisco NAM 2200 Series Appliances
• WS-SVC-NAM-1-250S
• WS-SVC-NAM-2-250S
• WS-SVC-NAM-1
• WS-SVC-NAM-2
• NME-NAM-120S
• NME-NAM-80S
• Virtual Blades on the WAVE-574 and WAE-674 WAAS Appliances
Information regarding system (switch or router) hardware and software requirements can be found in the Cisco NAM Software 4.1 Release Notes posted on Cisco.com.
Availability
Starting in July, current Cisco NAM customers can download the new release from the Cisco.com Software Center at no charge using their Cisco SMARTnet® contract access privileges. Cisco NAM Software 4.1 will be available in August 2009 as part of NAM blade and appliance orders. The new Cisco WAAS NAM Virtual Blade will also be available in August 2009. The Cisco® WAAS NAM Virtual Blade is available for a 60-day evaluation period for existing customers of the WAAS appliances -- WAVE-574 and WAE-674.
Ordering Information
Table 3 provides ordering information for Cisco NAM Software 4.1. Table 4 provides ordering information for the Cisco NAMs. To place an order, visit the Cisco Ordering Homepage. To download software, visit the Cisco Software Center.
Table 3. Ordering Information for NAM Software 4.1
Customer
Access
Part Number
Description
Current NAM customers
• NAM2204-RJ45
• NAM2204-SFP
• NAM2220
• WS-SVC-NAM-1-250S
• WS-SVC-NAM-2-250S
• WS-SVC-NAM-1
• WS-SVC-NAM-2
• NME-NAM-120S
• NME-NAM-80S
Download from Cisco Software Center
None
Cisco NAM 2200 Series Appliances
Cisco NAM for Cisco Catalyst 6500 and Cisco 7600 Series
Cisco NAM for Branch Routers
New customers
• NAM2204-RJ45
• NAM2204-SFP
• NAM2220
Preloaded in the NAM hardware
NAM-APPL-SW-4.1
Cisco NAM Software 4.1 for Cisco NAM 2200 Series Appliances
New customers
• WS-SVC-NAM-1-250S
• WS-SVC-NAM-2-250S
Preloaded in the NAM hardware
SC-SVC-NAM-4.1
Cisco NAM Software 4.1 for Catalyst 6500 and Cisco 7600 Series NAM
New customers
• NME-NAM-120S
Preloaded in the NAM hardware
NME-NAM-SW-4.1
Cisco NAM Software 4.1 for Branch Routers NAM
New customers
• NAM-WAAS-VB
Shipped with new WAAS appliances. Installed at site.
Existing customers of WAAS can download from Cisco Software Center.
WAAS-VB-NAM-4.1
Cisco NAM Software 4.1 for WAAS 574/674
Table 4. Ordering Information for Cisco NAMs
Part Number
Cisco NAM 2200 Series Appliances
NAM2204-RJ45
Cisco NAM 2204 Appliance, four 1 Gigabit Ethernet, RJ-45
NAM2204-SFP
Cisco NAM 2204 Appliance, four 1 Gigabit Ethernet, SFP
GLC-T
1000BASE-T SFP
GLC-SX-MM
GE SFP, LC Connector SX Transceiver
GLC-LH-SM
GE SFP, LC Connector LX/LH Transceiver
NAM2220
Cisco NAM 2220 Appliance, two 10 Gigabit Ethernet
NAM2220-AC-PS
AC Power Supply (Redundant)
XFP-10GBASE-SR
XFP, 10 Gigabit Ethernet, Short Range
XFP-10GBASE-LR
XFP, 10 Gigabit Ethernet, Long Range
NAM-APPL-SW-4.1
Cisco NAM Software 4.1
Part Number
Cisco Catalyst 6500 and Cisco 7600 Series NAM Description
WS-SVC-NAM-1-250S
Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series and Cisco 7600 Series Network Analysis Module-1
WS-SVC-NAM-2-250S
Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series and Cisco 7600 Series Network Analysis Module-2
MEM-C6KNAM-2GB=
Field-Installable Memory Upgrade Kit (2 GB) for WS-SVC-NAM-1 and WS-SVC-NAM-2
SC-SVC-NAM-4.1
Cisco NAM Software 4.1
Part Number
Cisco Branch Router Series NAM Description
NME-NAM-120S
Cisco Branch Routers Series Network Analysis Module
SNAM-50VOICE
Voice Monitoring Software License for NME-NAM-120S, 50 RTP Streams
SNAM-100VOICE
Voice Monitoring Software License for NME-NAM-120S, 100 RTP Streams
NME-NAM-SW-4.1
Cisco NAM Software 4.1
SM-NM-ADPTR
NM Adapter Card for integration of NME-NAM into supported ISR G2 platforms
Part Number
Cisco WAAS NAM Virtual Blade Description
NAM-WAAS-VB
Cisco NAM Virtual Blade on WAAS appliances (Top Level)
WAAS-VB-NAM-4.1
Cisco NAM Software 4.1 for WAAS 574/674
L-NAM-WAAS-VB
Cisco NAM Virtual Blade on WAAS appliances (E-Delivery Top Level)
L-WAAS-VB-NAM-4.1
Cisco NAM Software 4.1 for WAAS 574/674 (E-Delivery License Only)
For More Information
For more information about Cisco NAM, visit http://www.cisco.com/go/nam, contact your local sales representative, or email the Cisco NAM product marketing group at nam-info@cisco.com.
