Measurements Overview

What are Measurements?

How Measurements Help Monitor Network Performance?

The following steps explain how measurements are created and how you can use these measurements to monitor network performance:

1. Define Measurement configuration such client parameters, endpoint details, and performance parameters to assess network behavior.

2. Routing Director sends the Measurement configuration to the Test Agents.

3. The Test Agent, based on the defined configuration, downloads the required Plug-in from Routing Director.

4. The Test Agent then applies the Measurement configuration to the running Plugin instance. The Plugin determines how the Test Agent should send and receive traffic, and which metrics to record.

5. The Test Agent initiates traffic between its interface and the specified endpoint, and during this process, Test Agent collects performance data such as latency, packet loss, and jitter.

6. The Test Agent processes the collected data and generates one or more Metric streams. Typically, there is a one-to-one relationship between a Measurement and a Metric stream.

   Metric Stream is a continuous flow of performance data, such as latency, jitter, or packet loss, generated during a Measurement. It enables real-time monitoring of network behavior and helps detect performance issues efficiently.

7. The Test Agent sends the Metric stream data to Routing Director, and you can view the collected metrics and performance details in the GUI.

Note:

You cannot create standalone Measurements directly from the Measurement Explorer page. However, you can retrieve and create them using the Measurement API.

How Are Measurements Created?

Measurements are created in three ways:

• Tests (using Routing Director GUI)

  A Test is a structured sequence of verifications that is performed by one or more Test Agents for a finite amount of time. Each Test consists of one or more Steps that are executed sequentially. Each Step can consist of one or more Tasks that run concurrently. A Task contain the configuration to measure specific metrics, and each Task results in one or more Measurements being created and executed.

  Tests are ideal for time-bound validation scenarios.

  To run Measurements, configure a Test. See Create a Test for more information.

• Monitors (using Routing Director GUI)

  A Monitor is a continuous verification process that are performed by one or more Test Agents for an infinite amount of time. A Monitor can contain multiple Tasks, which run in parallel and continuously monitors the KPIs that are defined in the Monitor. A Task contains the configuration to measure specific metrics. Each Task results in one or more Measurements that run until the Monitor is manually stopped.

  Monitors are ideal for long-term observation and alerting

  To run measurements, configure a Monitor. See Create a Monitor for more information.

• Standalone API

  You can create standalone Measurements by directly interacting with the Measurement API.

  Note:

  This functionality is not available in the GUI. All standalone KPI Measurements must be created and managed programmatically via the API.

To design Measurement from the GUI, see About the Measurement Designer Page.

To view all Measurements from the GUI, see About the Measurement Explorer Page.