13.4. Options

Select the ToolsOptions menu item to customise various aspects of sFlowTrend-Pro.

13.4.1. Setting the switch, interface, and host naming policy

Use the ToolsOptions menu item, View tab, to tell sFlowTrend-Pro how you would like your switches and their interfaces to be displayed and whether end hosts are identified using IP addresses or DNS names.

13.4.1.1. Setting the switch naming policy

Switches can be displayed using one of the following options:

SNMP IP address
The IP address that sFlowTrend-Pro uses to communicate with the switch via SNMP
sFlow agent address
The IP address that is used by the sFlow agent on the switch to uniquely identify the switch.
DNS name
The domain name obtained from the reverse DNS lookup of the SNMP IP address of the switch. If the reverse DNS lookup fails, the SNMP IP address will be used instead.
sysName
The SNMP sysName obtained from the SNMP MIB. If sFlowTrend-Pro cannot communicate with the switch using SNMP (see Section 14.1.7, “sFlowTrend-Pro cannot communicate with the switch using SNMP”), then SNMP IP address will be used instead.

If the SNMP IP address or the sFlow agent address option is chosen, the switches will be listed in numerical order in the Switch selector in the Charts and Interfaces tabs. For other options, the switches will be listed in alpha-numeric order, even if an IP address is shown because the name is not available.

13.4.1.2. Setting the interface naming policy

Interfaces can be displayed using one of the following options:

ifIndex
The integer that the switch uses to uniquely identify the interface.
ifName
The friendly name assigned to the interface, identifying the card/slot. For example A1, ethernet1/1. If sFlowTrend-Pro cannot communicate with the switch using SNMP (see Section 14.1.7, “sFlowTrend-Pro cannot communicate with the switch using SNMP”), then the ifIndex will be used instead.
ifAlias
A string administratively assigned to the interface often giving useful information about its purpose. For example "Connection to servers". If sFlowTrend-Pro cannot communicate with the switch using SNMP (see Section 14.1.7, “sFlowTrend-Pro cannot communicate with the switch using SNMP”), or the ifAlias is not assigned, then ifIndex will be used instead.

If the ifIndex option is chosen, the interfaces will be listed in numerical order in the Interface selector in the Charts tab. For other options, the interfaces will be listed in alpha-numeric order, even if the ifIndex is shown because the name is not available.

13.4.1.3. Setting the host naming policy

In the Charts and Thresholds tabs, end hosts can be identified using IP addresses or DNS names. Check the Resolve IP addresses to hostname in charts checkbox to tell sFlowTrend-Pro to use DNS names instead of IP addresses.

13.4.2. Configuring global SNMP settings

Select the ToolsOptions menu item, SNMP tab to configure the SNMP settings which will be used for all switches. These settings will be used when querying switches for the friendly names for the switches and interfaces. You can ask sFlowTrend-Pro to communicate with the switches using SNMP v2c or SNMP v3. If sFlowTrend-Pro is to use SNMP to configure the switches to send sFlow, then the SNMP settings must allow write access to the sFlow MIB, and the switch must allow the system running sFlowTrend-Pro write access.

These global settings can be explicitly overridden for a specific switch (see Section 13.2, “Configuring agents in sFlowTrend-Pro ).

When these global settings are changed, sFlowTrend-Pro will start using the new settings to communicate with switches that use the global settings.

13.4.3. Configuring advanced options

Select the ToolsOptions menu item, Advanced tab to view and configure some less commonly used settings:

Restore warnings

Checking this checkbox will cause sFlowTrend-Pro to display warnings asking you to confirm actions, for example when deleting switches or when exiting sFlowTrend-Pro. When these warnings are shown, you can ask sFlowTrend-Pro not to show these warnings again. This checkbox can be used to restore the behaviour of showing warnings.

sFlowTrend home directory

Allows you to change the directory used by sFlowTrend-Pro for storing information. The directory is configured differently, depending on whether you are running sFlowTrend-Pro as an application, or as a service.

If you are running as an application, then the home directory is used to store traffic and log data, and custom configuration information. If you have enabled user authentication (see Section 13.5, “Configuring user authentication , then only Administrators can change the home directory. If you change the home directory, all currently saved traffic data and custom configuration information will be lost. sFlowTrend-Pro must be restarted for the change to take effect.

If you are running sFlowTrend-Pro as a service, then two home directories are shown in advanced settings: one for the client, and one for the server:

sFlowTrend-Pro home directory
This allows the home directory for the current client to be changed. The client home directory is used for log files, and any custom configuration that is applicable to the client. The client needs to be restarted for changes to the home directory to take effect.
sFlowTrend-Pro server home directory
Displays the home directory used by the server. The server home directory is used to store traffic and log data, and custom configuration information. This directory cannot be changed from within sFlowTrend-Pro; it is entered when installing sFlowTrend-Pro. To change the directory, you can reinstall sFlowTrend-Pro.

13.4.4. Proxy configuration

If a proxy server is required for connectivity to the Internet, this is configured by selecting the ToolsOptions menu item, Proxies tab. If you are running sFlowTrend-Pro as a service, the the proxy can be set for both the client and the server. When you are running as an application, then just one proxy can be set.

It is important to set the proxies if required. The server uses Internet connectivity to download the initial license and any subsequent updates (for example, if you renew the license), and the client uses the Internet to display product alerts.

The configuration available for the proxies is as follows:

Default system proxy
Sets the proxy to be the same as the system default. Note that the system default settings are not necessarily those defined in the browser that you use: on Windows, the system default settings are those configured in SettingsControlPanelInternet Options. In Linux under Gnome, the system default settings are those configured in SystemPreferencesInternet and NetworkNetwork Proxy.
No proxy
No proxy will be used.
Manual proxy configuration

Allows configuration of a proxy server only for sFlowTrend-Pro. The address of the proxy server and the TCP port used to communicate with it should be entered into the Http proxy and port fields, respectively.

If there are any hosts that do not require a proxy, you can enter the address of these hosts into the Do not proxy for hosts field. Multiple hosts can be entered here, separated by semicolons or commas, and wildcards can be used to represent a range of hosts (for example, "*.inmon.com").

[Note] Note

If you change the proxy configuration from No Proxy or Manual proxy to Default system proxy, or vice-versa, then you must restart the sFlowTrend-Pro client or service (depending on which proxy was changed) to make the change effective.

13.4.5. Advanced sFlow

Select the ToolsOptions menu item, Advanced sFlow tab to view and configure some less commonly used sFlow related settings:

sFlow collector address
This selection list allows you to select the network interface and associated IP address on the system running sFlowTrend-Pro that will be used to receive sFlow. If you are using a CLI to configure sFlow on your switches, make sure that you use the selected IP address as the destination or collector address for sFlow when you configure the switch (see Appendix A, Configuring switches to send sFlow).
sFlow UDP port
This allows you to change the UDP port that sFlowTrend-Pro will listen on to receive sFlow. If you are using a CLI to configure sFlow on your switches, make sure that you configure the switch to send sFlow to this UDP port (see Appendix A, Configuring switches to send sFlow).