Link Monitors¶
Link Monitors functionality is designed to monitor network connections and ensure continuous reliability. It offers a way to observe and manage the status of network links, enabling automatic adjustments based on connection performance. It operates at the organization level and can be attached to interfaces, peers, and VRRP tracked interfaces. Configuration changes are managed through the backend and executed by the agent, ensuring real-time adjustments and monitoring.
This page provides detailed instructions on setting up and using Link Monitor. This documentation provides detailed instructions on setting up and using Link Monitor.
How it works¶
Link Monitor in flexiWAN facilitates the monitoring of network link health through various tests. It can be configured to use ICMP (ping) checks and URL checks. Based on the results, Link Monitor can automatically adjust network configurations to maintain optimal performance and ensure failover capabilities.
Key features
ICMP Monitoring: Sends ping requests to specified servers and tracks their responses.
URL Monitoring: Checks the availability of specified URLs.
WAN Monitoring: Monitors WAN interfaces
Peering Monitoring: Minitors peering gateways.
VRRP Support: Adjusts VRRP priorities based on link status.
Dual SIM Support: Monitors LTE interfaces for automatic switchover.
Link Monitor types¶
flexiWAN offers robust monitoring capabilities through two primary types of Link Monitors, ensuring the health and performance of network connections:
ICMP Monitoring
ICMP Monitoring uses ping requests to verify the availability and responsiveness of specified servers. This type of monitoring is essential for checking the connectivity and latency of network paths. Users can configure the following parameters:
Server IPs: The IP addresses of the servers to be pinged.
Thresholds: The acceptable percentage of successful pings.
Attempts: The number of ping attempts to be made.
Timeout: The maximum time to wait for a response.
URL/HTTP Monitoring
URL/HTTP Monitoring checks the accessibility of specified web addresses using HTTP requests. This is useful for ensuring that critical web services are available and responsive. Configuration options include:
URLs: The web addresses to be monitored.
Thresholds: The acceptable success rate for HTTP requests.
Attempts: The number of HTTP requests to be made.
Timeout: The maximum time to wait for a response.
Configuration¶
To configure a new Link Monitor in flexiWAN, follow these steps. From the sidebar, go to Inventory and select Link Monitors. The default link monitor configuration, which is used by all devices out of the box, will be displayed.
Click on the New Link Monitor button to start configuring a new link monitor.
In the configuration window, provide a unique and descriptive name for the Link Monitor. Select the type of monitor from the available options: ICMP or HTTP.
Based on the selected type, fill in the necessary details:
For ICMP Monitoring, enter the IP addresses of the servers to be pinged.
For HTTP Monitoring, provide the URLs that need to be monitored.
Additionally, Timeout and Threshold defaults can be adjusted.
Timeout: Set the timeout value (in milliseconds) which determines how long the monitor should wait for a response. Threshold: Define the threshold percentage which indicates the acceptable success rate for pings or HTTP requests. For example, a threshold of 60% means that the link monitor will consider the link healthy if 60% of the requests are successful.
Once all the details are filled in, click the Save button to apply the new Link Monitor configuration. By following these steps, the new Link Monitor will be configured and available for deployment.
Deployment¶
To deploy a newly created Link Monitor, follow these steps:
From the main menu, go to the Devices section and open the device where the Link Monitor will be deployed. Click on the Interfaces tab within the device settings. Select the WAN interface that requires the Link Monitor.
Within the WAN interface settings, expand the Advanced Options section to reveal additional settings. From the Monitor Internet dropdown menu, choose the newly created Link Monitor. If preferred, the default Link Monitor can be retained.
After selecting the appropriate Link Monitor, click Update to save the changes to the WAN interface settings. To finalize the deployment, click Update Device to apply the changes to the device configuration.
By following these steps, the newly created Link Monitor will be deployed to the selected device interface, ensuring that the specified monitoring parameters are actively used to maintain network performance and reliability. flexiWAN supports having different Link Monitors on each interface within single device.