Netdisco

Description

Netdisco is an Open Source web-based network management tool.

Designed for moderate to large networks, configuration information and connection data for network devices are retrieved by SNMP. With Netdisco you can locate the switch port of an end-user system by IP or MAC address. Data is stored using a SQL database for scalability and speed.

Cisco Discovery Protocol (CDP) optionally provides automatic discovery of the network topology. The network is inventoried by both device model and operating system (like IOS). Netdisco uses router ARP tables and L2 switch MAC forwarding tables to locate nodes on physical ports and track them by their IP addresses. For each node, a time stamped history of the ports it has visited and the IP addresses it has used is maintained. Netdisco gets all its data, including CDP topology information, with SNMP polls and DNS queries. It does not use CLI access and has no need for privilege passwords. Security features include a wire-side Wireless Access Point (AP) locator.

links

• http://netdisco.org/

Requirements

Netdisco is built using lots of fine Open-Source tools:

• Perl
  • 5.6.1 and newer advised.
  • 5.8.1 on Mandrake 9.x may be a problem (if you get an out of memory error, you may need to change to 5.6.1 or 5.8.3+).

• Perl Modules
  • Listed below
• Net-SNMP
  • 5.1.x and newer advised. Reported working on 5.0.x.
• PostgreSQL
  • Version 7.4 or higher required. Version 8.x suggested.
  • Reported working for versions 7.2, 7.3, 7.4, 8.0
• Mason
  • 1.26 or newer required. 1.31 or newer advised.
• Apache
  • 1.3.x advised, 2.x supported.
• mod_perl
  • Version to match Apache - 1.29 or higher recommended.
  • Do not install version 1.99. For apache2 support make sure you have mod_perl 2.02 or later.
• GraphViz (Optional)
  • Version 2.8 or higher recommended.