Most R/3 environments are very complex, incorporating interconnected devices and systems from many different vendors. Managing, planning and troubleshooting in such heterogeneous, distributed, multivendor environments is therefore a very specialized and demanding task. To effectively maintain an R/3 System with minimal downtime and maximum efficiency, the system administrator requires up-to-the-minute information from a variety of monitors and performance collectors.

Running vital applications in the R/3 System, availability and performance of the production environment is a major concern. It is therefore important to have tools for monitoring and precise analysis available within R/3.

One of the most important monitoring tools is the Network Monitor, which is an integral part of the CCMS.

The existence of a network performance monitor becomes more important, the larger the and more distributed the R/3 System is.

The Network Monitor provides support for system administrators in:

• dealing with throughput and performance problems affecting the network

• performing comprehensive network monitoring tasks from within the R/3 environment

• identifying potential network bottlenecks

• optimizing the distribution and use of the network resources in terms of network design, capacity planning, and spread of R/3 core services

• capacity planning and scaling tool for R/3 system expansion

The Network Monitor collects data from network monitor devices known as LanProbes. This data is defined in the international standards Remote Monitoring Management Information Base (RMON MIB), Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP). These standards allow the Network Monitor to be used in multivendor and heterogeneous environments.