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Real-Time Traffic Analytics & Flow Monitoring
Objective
Demonstrate live visibility at both the Director (global) and device (z40) level by verifying:
- Real-time bandwidth by edge controller and per-client
- Live Top Applications / Domains
- Live per-interface rates/counters on the device
- Event/log correlation during live traffic changes
- Time-range and auto-refresh behavior for live views
Prerequisites
- One z40 onboarded to the cloud Director; tunnels up to the cloud vGR
- At least one LAN client connected on LAN00 (via switch is fine)
- Admin access to Director
- Ability to generate traffic on the LAN client (web browsing, a Microsoft Teams call, file download, or iperf)
Test 1 — Global dashboards live window & auto-refresh
Setup
- In Director, navigate to Analytics → Dashboards (global).
- Use the time control to set a short live window (e.g., Last 15 minutes).
- Enable auto-refresh (choose an interval and click Start).
Steps
- Begin traffic on the LAN client (e.g., start a Teams call or a file download).
- Observe tiles/graphs updating without manual page reloads.
- Change the time range (e.g., Last 30 minutes) and confirm the views rescale immediately.
Validation
- Charts/tiles refresh and reflect traffic starting/stopping within the live window.
- Auto-refresh updates the view on the chosen interval.
Evidence
- Global dashboard showing the selected time window and visible change in widgets while traffic is active.
Test 2 — Top Applications / Domains (global)
Setup
- From Analytics → Dashboards, open Top Apps/Domains.
- If a device selector is present, filter to the z40.
Steps
- Start one identifiable application on the LAN client (e.g., Teams or YouTube).
- Let it run for ~1–2 minutes, then stop it.
Validation
- While running, that app rises in Top Applications; when stopped, its contribution drops within the current live window.
Evidence
- Top Apps/Domains view clearly showing the application’s rise during the test and its decrease after stopping.
Test 3 — Bandwidth views under Overview (global)
Setup
- In Analytics → Dashboards, open Overview.
- Within Overview, use these views (as tabs/cards in that area):
- Edge Controller – bandwidth
- Client/LAN PC bandwidth
- Network overview (optional, estate-level)
Steps
- With traffic active, watch Edge Controller – bandwidth for the z40 move up.
- Open Client/LAN PC bandwidth and identify the LAN client by hostname/IP.
- Pause traffic briefly, then resume with a different activity (e.g., switch from video to a file download).
Validation
- The z40’s bandwidth rises/falls with traffic changes.
- The client entry mirrors the LAN host’s behavior (download/upload swings).
- Network overview (if used) trends coherently with the other two.
Evidence
- Captures of the Edge Controller – bandwidth and Client/LAN PC bandwidth views showing changes corresponding to the traffic actions.
Test 4 — Device live counters (Interfaces)
Setup
- Navigate to Edge Controllers → [z40] → Analytics → Statistics.
- Open the Interfaces tab.
Steps
- While the LAN client is driving traffic, observe TX/RX rates and pps on expected interfaces (e.g., WAN00, LAN00).
- Stop the traffic, then restart it, watching the counters respond in near-real time.
Validation
- Interface rates/counters rise when traffic starts and drop when it stops.
- The interfaces carrying traffic align with the global bandwidth views from Test 3.
Evidence
- Interfaces view showing rate/counter movement in sync with traffic changes.
Test 5 — Live event/log correlation
Setup
- Still under Edge Controllers → [z40] → Analytics → Statistics, open Logs and Events.
Steps
- Trigger a brief, controlled event during a quiet moment (e.g., toggle a non-primary WAN link or momentarily disable/enable a test tunnel if safe in your lab).
- Keep the LAN client traffic running while you do this.
Validation
- A corresponding entry appears promptly in Logs and Events (e.g., link/tunnel down → up) with timestamps in your live window.
- Global throughput views remain coherent (brief dip/spike is explainable by the event timing).
Evidence
- Logs and Events view showing the event tied to your action and matching timestamps with observed traffic behavior.
Test 6 — Cross-validation: Top-app vs interface
Setup
- Keep Top Apps/Domains (global) open in one tab and the Interfaces tab (device) open in another.
Steps
- Drive exactly one app (e.g., initiate a Teams call only).
- Observe which interface carries most traffic on the device view.
- Confirm Top Apps/Domains highlights the same application during the same time window.
- Switch to a different activity (e.g., stop the call and start a file download) and repeat the observation.
Validation
- The top application shown globally corresponds to the interface bearing the traffic on the device.
- Changing the application mix flips both the top-app view and the interface distribution accordingly.
Evidence
- Paired captures demonstrating consistency between Top Apps/Domains and Interfaces for the same short window.
Negative / Edge checks (live)
- No traffic: with the LAN client idle, confirm graphs stabilize near zero and top-app rankings flatten.
- Time-window sensitivity: switch between Last 15 minutes and Last 30 minutes and confirm views rescale instantly.
- Auto-refresh control: toggle auto-refresh off and on; verify updates resume without reloading the page.
Acceptance criteria
- Analytics → Dashboards (global) reflects live activity for the z40 within short time windows, with auto-refresh working as set.
- Top Apps/Domains clearly surfaces the active application(s) as you change traffic.
- Overview → Edge Controller – bandwidth and Client/LAN PC bandwidth respond to traffic start/stop and align with the device view.
- Edge Controllers → [z40] → Analytics → Statistics → Interfaces shows live rate/counter movement that matches the global views.
- Edge Controllers → [z40] → Analytics → Statistics → Logs and Events records transient link/tunnel changes during the same live window, consistent with observed traffic.
Notes & tips
- Use a single, easy-to-spot app (e.g., Teams) first; then introduce a second pattern (file download) to show ranking shifts.
- Short windows (Last 15 minutes) make live changes obvious.
- If ACI or app-aware routing is enabled in your earlier networking tests, you can show how the live app mix influences which interface carries traffic, then validate it here in real time.