User Tracking

[damesac]

I've recently deployed Campus Manager and am looking forward to its ability to track end users. I'm not so much concerned with usernames right now as I'd first like to simply track MAC addresses. When I run the user acquisition feature, it finds nothing.

My thoughts have been that this is accomplished by reading the arp tables of the routers and the bridge forwarding tables of the switches to resolve which ports each MAC address was being learned through.

The ANI database has all the devices in my network listed as are populated in DCR, but I can not figure out how to get the user tracking feature to enumerate a list of end devices.

I have tried enabling SNMP on one of my workstations to test, but to no avail. Anyone using this?

"Be the packet."

 

[mbilgrav]

yep - uses it bigtime

you need to enable the UT data aquisition (mind my bad english), and you can do so via "User tracking" in the CM part of LMS2.5

For usernames you need also install crappy application on you AD DC or NDS server etc - which have lead me not to use this feature
But just the factc that I can type in a users IP and get the exact swicth port he is connected to, can be a real good help.

For this you need the UTU v1.1 (User tracking Utility) which is a win32 "search toolband" located in your taskbar, just like the quicklauch from win2k.

When all of this is said, I have just found huge bugs in UT today, both in application and Cisco doc's aswell.
thinking of TAC case right now.

This was much easier in lms2.2.... and worked there too

 

[nbowden]

Hi,

Yes, you are basically right in your assumptions about how it works. You do not need SNMP enabled on your user work stations.

I have seen this feature running OK on a number of sites, so I guess that you have maybe set something up incorrectly.

Rather than try to explain all of the steps here, you should take a look at the following Cisco document :

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products..._guide_chapter09186a00803f36f2.html#wp1102607

Nigel Bowden

http://www.bowden-software.com

 

[joeyrego]

I found this information really helpful. It will save a lot of time. I have only one question. When I do a query and I look at the Last Seen column, there are some devices that I know are on and they have a really old date? Also why does it keep entries so old? Isnt it basing its search of its database that in turn gets it information from the arp table? Dont the arp table refresh or release stale content every 5 minutes?

If somone could clear this up for me I'd appreciate it.

 

[damesac]

Cisco documentation states the following....

************************************************************
Understanding Network and Campus Dependencies
For User Tracking to display user and host data, the Campus must collect this data. The Campus device discovery can collect data only for those hosts that are actively connected to a network and which is configured properly for device and logical discoveries. Therefore, before using User Tracking, you must:

1. Set up your network devices so that they can be discovered. This includes enabling Cisco Discovery Protocol (CDP) and Integrated Local Management Interface (ILMI), enabling SNMP, and configuring VLAN Trunk Protocol.

2. Set up the ANI Server so that it can successfully collect data for devices in the network. This includes providing SNMP community strings and selecting a seed device.

3. Run device discovery and ANI data collection.
************************************************************

Step 1. mentions having to enable ILMI. Everything I'm reading about ILMI only pertains to ATM networks or Frame Relay. Cisco mentions that this is used through SNMP v1 security model.

How do I set up ILMI on my switched network so that I can locate end users and hosts?

"Be the packet."