Response Time Reporter

The Response Time Reporter (RTR) feature enables you to monitor network performance and resources by measuring response times and the availability of your network devices.

RTR configuration is associated with a specific virtual router, distinct from any other virtual router.

Configuration Tasks

To configure RTR:

Configure the probe type—an echo probe or a path echo probe.
(Optional) Configure probe characteristics:
- frequency
- hops-of-statistics-kept (path echo)
- max-response-failure (path echo)
- operations-per-hop (path echo)
- owner
- receive-interface
- request-data-size
- samples-of-history-kept
- tag
- timeout (echo)
- tos
  Note: You cannot set any of these characteristics until you have set the probe type. The default values of these characteristics depend on the type of the entry.
(Optional) Set reaction conditions.
Schedule the probe.
(Optional) Capture statistics and collect error information.
(Optional) Collect history.

Configuring the Probe Type

To begin configuring RTR, enter RTR Configuration mode and configure the probe type—either an echo probe or a path echo probe.

rtr

Use to configure an RTR probe and to enter RTR Configuration mode.
Example
host1(config)#rtr 1
Use the no version to delete all configuration information for an RTR probe.
See rtr

type

Use to set an echo or path echo probe:
- echo—Limited to end-to-end RTR operations; corresponds to SNMP ping
- pathEcho—Finds a path to the destination and echoes each device in the path; corresponds to SNMP traceroute
You must specify this value before any other.
If you change the type for an existing RTR entry, all values are reset, including the administrative status. There is no default value.
More than one RTR entry can become active, provided each entry’s target address is unique.
If you configure multiple RTR entries to use the same target address, you must issue the receive-interface command to specify the interface on which the RTR probe expects to receive responses. (For information, see Setting the Receiving Interface.)
If you use a target address already configured for another RTR entry that is active, the test will not run if both entries are in the same virtual router. If they are in distinct virtual routers, however, there is no restriction.
Example
host1(config-rtr)#type echo protocol ipIcmpEcho 10.10.0.9
Use the no version to remove the type configured for the probe.
See type

Configuring Optional Characteristics

In addition to configuring the probe’s type, you can configure the probe characteristics presented in Table 7.

Table 7: Probe Characteristics

Characteristic	Description
frequency	Time between tests (in seconds)
hops-of-statistics-kept	Hops per path for which statistics are gathered
max-response-failure	Maximum number of consecutive failures
operations-per-hop	Number of probes per hop
owner	Owner of the probe
receive-interface	Interface on which the probe expects to receive responses
request-data-size	Request’s payload size
samples-of-history-kept	Maximum number of history samples
tag	User-defined tag
timeout	Probe timeout (in milliseconds)
tos	A value for the TOS byte

frequency

Use to set the rate (in seconds) that the RTR probe uses to start a response time operation.
Example
host1(config-rtr)#frequency 90
Use the no version to return to the default value, 60 seconds.
See frequency

operations-per-hop

Use to set the number of RTR probe operations sent to a given hop.
You can apply this option only to a pathEcho type.
Example
host1(config-rtr)#operations-per-hop 5
Use the no version to return to the default, 3.
See operations-per-hop

owner

Use to identify the owner of the probe.
If the SNMP agent is the owner of the probe, the owner’s name can begin with agent.
Example
host1(config-rtr)#owner 192.10.27.6 rtc.boston.com 555.1212
Use the no version to return to the default, no owner.
See owner

request-data-size

Use to set the protocol data size, in bytes, in the request packet.
Example
host1(config-rtr)#request-data-size 20
Use the no version to return to the default value, 1 byte.
See request-data-size

tag

Use to set an identifier for the probe.
Example
host1(config-rtr)#tag westford
Use the no version to return to the default, no tag.
See tag

timeout

Use to set the time (in milliseconds) that the probe waits for a response.
You can apply this option only to an echo type.
Do not set the value for timeout to more than the value set for frequency. If you do, the timeout value is ignored.
If you set the timeout to 0, no timeout is set.
Example
host1(config-rtr)#timeout 3000
Use the no version to return to the default value, 5000 milliseconds.
See timeout

tos

Use to set the type of service (ToS) byte in the probe’s IP header.
Example
host1(config-rtr)#tos 16
Use the no version to return to the default value, 0. The default applies to both the echo and pathEcho types.
See tos

Capturing Statistics

The primary objective of RTR is to collect statistics and information about network performance. You can control the number and type of statistics collected.

hops-of-statistics-kept

Use to set the number of hops per path for which statistics are collected.
When the number of hops reaches the specified number (that is, size), no additional statistical information about the path is stored.
This option applies only to pathEcho entries.
To turn off this feature, set the value to 0.
Example
host1(config-rtr)#hops-of-statistics-kept 5
Use the no version to set the default, 16 hops.
See hops-of-statistics-kept

max-response-failure

Use to set the maximum number of consecutive failures to respond to a probe’s request.
When the maximum number is reached, the test stops.
This option applies only to pathEcho entries.
To turn off this feature, set the value to 0.
Example
host1(config-rtr)#max-response-failure 2
Use the no version to set the default, 5 consecutive failures.
See max-response-failure

Collecting History

RTR can collect data samples for a given probe. These samples are referred to as history data. When RTR collects history, it refers to tests. A test is the lifetime of a probe operation.

samples-of-history-kept

Use to set the maximum number of entries in the history table for each RTR probe.
This command enables you to control the number of samples saved in the history table.
If you set the number of samples to 0, no samples are kept.
Because collecting history increases memory usage, do so only when there is a problem in your network.
Example
host1(config-rtr)#samples-of-history-kept 5
Use the no version to set the default, 16 hops for pathEcho type, 1 hop for echo type.
See samples-of-history-kept

Setting the Receiving Interface

When you configure multiple RTR entries to use the same target address, you must issue the receive-interface command to set the interface on which the probe expects to receive responses. This action enables the router to map incoming responses to the proper RTR entry, even when multiple RTR entries have the same target address.

receive-interface

Use to specify the interface on which the RTR probe expects to receive responses.
You must set this attribute when multiple RTR entries are configured to use the same target address.
Example
host1(config-rtr)#receive-interface fastEthernet 3/0
Use the no version to restore the default value, which is to receive a response on any interface.
See receive-interface

Setting Reaction Conditions

You can set the RTR probe to react to events that take place and to send notifications about these events.

Note: The only no version for all the rtr reaction-configuration commands is no rtr reaction-configuration rtrIndex. Use the no version to clear all traps. This works for all the options.

rtr reaction-configuration action-type

Use to specify the type of actions to occur depending on the events controlled by RTR.
The default is to take the traps of enabled events.
Example
host1(config)#rtr reaction-configuration 1 action-type trapOnly
There is no no version.
See rtr reaction-configuration action-type

rtr reaction-configuration operation-failure

Use to enable the operation-failure reaction.
The operation-failure event is triggered when a number of consecutive probe operations are not received or when they are received after a timeout.
Example
host1(config)#rtr reaction-configuration 1 operation-failure 3
There is no no version.
See rtr reaction-configuration operation-failure

rtr reaction-configuration path-change

Use to enable the path-change reaction.
The path-change event is triggered when a change is detected in the hop table. At most, there can be one such event per test.
Example
host1(config)#rtr reaction-configuration 1 path-change
There is no no version.
See rtr reaction-configuration path-change

rtr reaction-configuration test-completion

Use to enable test-completion reaction.
The test-completion event is triggered when a test is completed successfully.
- For echo, a successful test means that all probes were sent.
- For pathEcho, a successful test means that the destination was reached at least once.
At most, there can be one such event per test.
Example
host1(config)#rtr reaction-configuration 1 test-completion
There is no no version.
See rtr reaction-configuration test-completion

rtr reaction-configuration test-failure

Use to enable test-failure reaction.
The test-failure event is triggered when a test fails. Failure is determined in the following ways:
- If Echo, this event is triggered after testFailureValue probes are either not received or are received after a timeout.
- If PathEcho, this event is triggered when the test ends and no responses are received from the destination.
At most, there can be one such event per test.
Example
host1(config)#rtr reaction-configuration 1 test-failure
There is no no version.
See rtr reaction-configuration test-failure

Scheduling the Probe

When you have configured the RTR probe, you must schedule the operation to begin collecting statistics and other information about problems that may arise.

rtr schedule

Use to create an RTR schedule.
Example
host1(config)#rtr schedule 5
Use the no version to stop the test. The no version stops the probe operation by putting it in the pending state. The no version also resets the restart-time attribute and the life attribute.
See rtr schedule

rtr schedule life

Use to schedule the test’s length.
Life is a value that depends on the type of the RTR entry; it is not a length of time.
- If the type is echo, life relates to the number of probes sent until a test finishes.
- If the type is pathEcho, life relates to the maximum number of hops used by the traceRoute trap.
Example
host1(config)#rtr schedule 5 life 1800
Use the no version to stop the test. The no version stops the probe operation by putting it in the pending state. The no version also resets the life attribute.
See rtr schedule life

rtr schedule restart-time

Use to specify a restart time, in seconds, after which a test is restarted.
Example
host1(config)#rtr schedule 5 restart-time 15
Use the no version to stop the test. The no version stops the probe operation by putting it in the pending state. The no version also resets the restart-time attribute.
See rtr schedule restart-time

rtr schedule start-time

Use to schedule a test’s starting time (now or pending).
Example
host1(config)#rtr schedule 5 start-time now
Use the no version to stop the test. The no version stops the probe operation by putting it in the default state, pending.
See rtr schedule start-time

Shutting Down the Probe

You can shut down the RTR probe operation.

rtr reset

Use to shut down the RTR, stop all probe operations, and clear the RTR configuration for the given virtual router.
Note: We recommend that you use this command only in extremely serious situations, such as problems with the configurations of a number of probe operations.
Example
host1(config)#rtr reset
Use the no version to negate the reset operation.
See rtr reset

Monitoring RTR

You can monitor RTR by displaying status and configuration information.

show rtr application

Use to display global information about RTR.
Field descriptions
- numberOfEntries—Number of RTR entries according to type
- entriesEnabled—RTR entries with administrative status enabled
- entriesActive—RTR entries with operational status enabled

Example

host1#show rtr application

          numberOfEntries      entriesEnabled     entriesActive
        ------------------   -----------------  ---------------
echo                     1                   1                1
pathEcho                 1                   1                1
total                    2                   2                2

See show rtr application

show rtr collection-statistics

Use to display statistical information for a particular probe operation or for all operations.
Field descriptions
- rtrIndex—Index number of the RTR probe
- operationsSent—Number of probe operations sent
- operationsRecvd—Number of probe operations received
- lastGoodResponse—Time when last valid probe operation was received
- operStatus—Operational status of the probe: enabled, disabled
- minRtt—Minimum round-trip time in milliseconds
- maxRtt—Maximum round-trip time in milliseconds
- avgRtt—Average round-trip time in milliseconds
- rttSumSqr—Sum of the square of all round-trip times in milliseconds
- testAttempts—Number of times the test ran
- testSuccesses—Number of times the test ran successfully
- currentHop—Current hop (TTL) used in the test
- currentOperation—Current probe operation index sent to the hop

Example

host1#show rtr collection-statistics

  Echo Entries:

  rtrIndex  operationsSent  operationsRcvd  lastGoodResponse
----------  --------------  --------------  ----------------
     1           5208            5187       08/30/2000 05:09

  rtrIndex  operStatus  minRtt  maxRtt  avgRtt  rttSumSqr
----------  ----------  ------  ------  ------  ---------
     1          enabled   0      1785     3     7109208

  PathEcho Entries:

  rtrIndex  testAttempts  testSuccesses  lastGoodResponse
----------  ------------  -------------  ----------------
     2           156           156       08/30/2000 05:09

  rtrIndex  operStatus  currentHop  currentOperation
----------  ----------  ----------  ----------------
     2       enabled        2             4

See show rtr collection-statistics

show rtr configuration

Use to display the configuration for a particular probe or for all probes.
Field descriptions
- rtrIndex—Index number of the RTR probe
- type—Probe type: echo, pathEcho
- targetAddress—Address of the probe’s target
- reqSize—Protocol data size in the request packet
- freq—Rate in seconds that the RTR probe uses to start a response time operation
- life—Length of the test
- source—Interface from which the probe is sent
- restartTime—Restart time of the test in seconds
- owner—Owner of the probe
- samples—Maximum number of entries saved in the history table for this RTR probe
- admin—Administrative status of the probe: enabled, disabled
- tos—Setting of the type of service (ToS) byte in the probe’s IP header
- reactionConfiguration—RTR reactions that are configured for the probe
- receiveInterface—Type and specifier of the interface on which the probe expects to receive responses; this field is blank if the optional receive-interface characteristic is not configured
- operFail—Operation failure event is triggered when this number of consecutive probe operations is not received or when the operations are received after a timeout
- testFail—Test failure event is triggered when this number of probe operations is not received or when the operations are received after a timeout
- timeout—Time in milliseconds that the probe waits for a response
- tag—Identifier configured for the probe
- operPerHop—Number of RTR probe operations sent to a given hop
- maxFail—Maximum number of consecutive failures to respond to a probe’s request. When the maximum number is reached, the test stops. Applies only to pathEcho entries.
- hopKpt—Number of hops per path for which statistics are collected. When this number is reached, no additional statistical information about the path is stored. Applies only to pathEcho entries.

Example

host1#show rtr configuration
  rtrIndex     type   targetAddress reqSize freq   life
  -------  --------   ------------  ------  ------ ----- 
      1       echo    10.5.0.200      1     1       20
      2   pathEcho    10.5.0.11       1     1       30

  rtrIndex     source             restartTime  owner
  ----------  ------------------  -----------  ----------  
      1       fastEthernet0/0         10
      2                               60

  rtrIndex    samples  admin     tos  reactionConfiguration
  ----------  -------  --------  ---  ------------------------  
      1          5     enabled    0
      2          5     enabled    0

  rtrIndex    receiveInterface 
  ----------  ----------------
      1       fastEthernet0/0

  rtrIndex    operFail  testFail  timeout  tag
  ----------  --------  --------  -------  ------  
      1          1         1      10000

  rtrIndex  operPerHop  maxFail  hopKpt  tag
----------  ----------  -------  ------  ------  
      2          5         3      16

See show rtr configuration

show rtr history

Use to display history (data samples) for a particular probe or for all probes.
Field descriptions
- rtrIndex—Index number of the RTR probe
- operation—Index number of the probe operation
- rtt—Round-trip time in milliseconds
- statusDescription
  - concurrentLimitFail—Target already being used by another rtrIndex
  - ifInactiveToTarget—Interface used to reach target is not operational
  - invalidHostAddress—Target address is not supported
  - noRouteToTarget—Target address is not reachable
  - responseReceived—Probe operation replied by target
  - requestTimedOut—Probe operation not replied to by target or reply received after timeout
  - unknownDestAddress—Target address is invalid
  - unableToResolveName—Target address could not be looked up
- timeStamp—Date and time when the RTR entry was created
- test—Index number of the pathEcho test
- hop—Index number of the hop count
- operation—Index number of the probe operation
- address—Address of router at the hop

Example

host1#show rtr history
 Echo Entries:

  rtrIndex   operation  rtt   statusDescription timeStamp
  --------   ---------  ---   ----------------- --------- 
         1        5476  0     responseReceived  08/30/2000 05:17
         1        5477  0     responseReceived  08/30/2000 05:17
         1        5478  0     responseReceived  08/30/2000 05:17
         1        5479  0     responseReceived  08/30/2000 05:17
         1        5480  0     responseReceived  08/30/2000 05:17

  PathEcho Entries:

  rtrIndex    test    hop   operation  rtt     statusDescription
  ----------  ------  ----  ---------  ------  ----------------- 
           2     165     3          5       0  responseReceived
           2     165     3          1       0  responseReceived
           2     165     3          2       0  responseReceived
           2     165     3          3       0  responseReceived
           2     165     3          4       0  responseReceived

 rtrIndex    test    hop   operation  timeStamp         address
 ----------  ------  ----  ---------  ----------------  -------- 
          2     165     3          5  08/30/2000 20:39  10.5.0.11
          2     165     3          1  08/30/2000 20:40  10.5.0.11
          2     165     3          2  08/30/2000 20:40  10.5.0.11
          2     165     3          3  08/30/2000 20:40  10.5.0.11
          2     165     3          4  08/30/2000 20:40  10.5.0.11

See show rtr history

show rtr hops

Use to display RTR hops information.
Field descriptions
- rtrIndex—Index number of the RTR probe
- hop—Index number of the hop count
- address—Address of the router at the hop
- minRtt—Minimum round-trip time in milliseconds
- maxRtt—Maximum round-trip time in milliseconds
- avgRtt—Average round-trip time in milliseconds
- rttSumSqr—Sum of the square of all round-trip times in milliseconds
- operationsSent—Number of probe operations sent
- operationsRcvd—Number of probe operations received
- lastGoodResponse—Time when last valid probe operation was received

Example

host1#show rtr hops

  rtrIndex    hop   address     minRtt  maxRtt  avgRtt  rttSumSqr
  ----------  ----  ----------- ------  ------  ------  --------
           2     1  192.168.1.1      1     276       1     955363
           2     2  10.2.0.3         0    1109       2   10094451

  rtrIndex hop operationsSent operationsRcvd  lastGoodResponse
  -------- --- -------------- --------------  ------------
         2   1          36985          36838  09/18/2000 20:20
         2   2          30717          21494  09/18/2000 20:20

See show rtr hops

show rtr operational-state

Use to display RTR operational information.
Field descriptions
- rtrIndex—Index number of the RTR probe
- type—Type of RTR probe: echo, pathEcho
- entryStatus—If the entry was created via the SNMP DISMAN MIB, the row may be partially constructed; if that is the case, the CLI displays notReady as the entry’s status
- adminStatus—Derived from the rtr schedule start-time command; if the option is now, the status is enabled; if the option is pending, the status is disabled
- operStatus—Enabled only if entryStatus and adminStatus are enabled and the test is running; operStatus remains enabled if the test finishes and restart time is not 0

Example

host1#show rtr operational-state
 rtrIndex    type      entryStatus  adminStatus  operStatus
 ----------  --------  -----------  ----------- ----------
          1  echo      active       enabled      enabled
          2  pathEcho  active       enabled      enabled

See show rtr operational-state