esigning a network isn't as simple as it used to be. Neither are the tools. Network design tools have evolved from little more than basic diagramming software into products that search a network to discover its components, capture network performance statistics, allow simulations of changes in the network, and verify the viability of new network designs. l I recently took a look at three computer-aided network design tools: the beta test version of Caliper 2.0 from Network Tools, Cane from ImageNet, and NetSuite Advanced Professional Design 2.0 from NetSuite Development. l These three programs are not necessarily competitors-their differences are nearly as great as their similarities. Caliper begins a network design with a hierarchical out line of the intended logical structure of the network-a visually oriented drawing is produced only after the fact, and by a separate program, Visio, that can be purchased with Caliper or separately. NetSuite and Cane are similar in basic function, but each has features the other does not, which will appeal to different sorts of network managers and designers; Cane also costs a great deal more than NetSuite. l The programs do have a number of things in common. All have libraries of network components, such as hubs, routers, PCs, and so forth. They differ in the information provided about these components. For instance, Caliper has more complete pricing information as it is sales-oriented (although given the flux in pricing and availability of network components, this may be of limited usefulness without a subscription to updates). They all provide some level of design verification that helps prevent unworkable network designs or designs with pieces missing. And all three produce bills of material (BOM).

E ach software package was installed and tested on a Toshiba Equium 6200D Pentium Pro 200 system with 32 Mbytes of RAM, a 3-Gbyte hard disk, and a 10/100 Mbps Ethernet adapter, running Windows NT 4.0. I used each package to diagram the InformationWeek Labs LAN, using features such as autodiscovery and load simulation to the extent possible.

Caliper 2.0
Network Tools' product is designed to let relatively unskilled salespeople produce network proposals. It automates a network through a set of menus that present basic choices for each stage of specification. The range of selections is fairly constrained; for example, when specifying the network type, the standard choices are 10 and 100 Mbps Ethernet, 155 and 622 Mbps ATM, FDDI, and token ring, rather than the 100 or more possibilities presented by Cane.

As a result, Caliper has an interface that differs greatly from the other products tested in this review. Instead of presenting a standard network diagram (a drawing of devices connected by li nes identifying the protocol in use), it presents network structure as a hierarchical outline format similar to a standard BOM: It begins at the company level, then descends to campus, building, floor, wiring closet, room, and so forth. The software includes a library of network equipment, including equipment specifications, pricing, and part numbers.

Once a network is defined in this fashion, the data can be used to create a network diagram in Visio Corp.'s Visio drawing package, which will be bundled with Caliper. However, Visio was not included with the beta software, so I was unable to produce network diagrams with the package.

Included with Caliper are Virtual Agent and ScanOID, programs that capture Simple Network Management Protocol network traffic statistics and Remote Monitoring data. The tool then can use the captured data to simulate changes in the network, allowing the testing of additions to the network, increased traffic, or failure of devices on the network. Of course, these features d on't help if you don't use SNMP or RMON management tools for your network.

Caliper is quite effective when used as intended. While it can't exactly duplicate the varied structure of a network, the program produced a network design that was usable with little difficulty when I stuck to parts that were in the limited library included with the beta.

Cane
Cane is an abbreviation of Computer-aided Network Engineering. Cane uses a drawing paradigm for network design-you start with a blank page and add icons for the various network devices.

Cane is an extremely capable but complex program. ImageNet recommends training for all Cane customers, and the $1,500 one-day session ($1,700 if it's on-site) is a good investment-reading the manuals and some additional user training are definitely required to make headway. The software includes an extensive database of network components, which includes icons to represent each device, the interfaces supported by each device, the number and types of inte rface cards available, software installed, and much more. The library is so extensive that only a small fraction is installed by default. Additional devices must be imported into the database from the CD-ROM. ImageNet also has an available subscription service to keep the database current: A one-year free subscription is started when the software is registered.

When starting a drawing, you can import a floor plan or map to use as a background, or place the PCs, hubs and other devices on a blank page. Drawings can be hierarchical, and drilling down from a higher level to more detail is easily accomplished via a browser view or on the site maps. The background layer contains the floor plan and labels, and is separate from the foreground, which contains the devices and connections.

Devices to be used in the design are installed from the database into a library palette. A standard configuration can be created in the library palette for each device type, including default interface cards, software configu rations, etc. When dragged to a drawing, the default values then can be modified or additional information can be added. Any icon can be modified, as can any of the descriptive fields associated with it-including a vast array of asset-management information customized to reflect the type of equipment. You can also add custom asset-management information entries if what you want is not available, and modify all values in the preconfigured fields. You can export the asset-management fields to a spreadsheet or report format, modify them, or add fields, then import them back into the database.

Cane includes a number of useful verification tools. It can estimate loads on a given network design, based on profiles that can be selected from a number of included network profiles-such as graphics intensive, standard office, or videoconferencing-or based on custom profiles created to reflect specific network loads.

These profiles include the amount of traffic generated by each system, the capacities of network equipment, LAN and WAN links, and other factors. Profiles can be set individually for each component on a network, or set to a default for all equipment of a certain type. Cane then simulates network loads based on this information.

Cane has a very useful IP subnet tool that lets you specify a type of IP network and a subnet mask, and then create a number of subnets with all the necessary information such as broadcast address and subnet mask for each system on the network. It can place this information on the same drawing as the diagram of the physical topology of a network or on a separate page.

Cane tracks which PCs are connected to each port on a hub or switch. It can tell how the switch is configured and whether the PC can connect to another PC or server on another segment of the LAN. It does an excellent job of representing both physical and logical topologies, including the virtual LANs created by switches.

Once you've finished a design, you can create reports of any type, using the incl uded Crystal Reports module. Preconfigured reports include a number of summaries, such as summary of PC systems, summary of router configurations, IP hosts table, etc.

If cost is no object, Cane is an extremely capable program that goes well beyond the basic functionality of creating a diagram of your network. It is well designed, includes a huge number of network devices, protocols, and configurations, and is very flexible in supporting any reporting or asset-management functions you might require. For organizations big enough to need its capabilities, the price tag shouldn't be too much of a stumbling block.

NetSuite 2.0
NetSuite includes three products: NetSuite Advanced Professional Design v. 2.0 (NSAPD), a network design tool; NetSuite Toolkit, a toolkit for designing floor plans and other auxiliary tasks; and NetSuite Professional Audit 2.0. (Audit), a network discovery tool sold separately, for $2,500. All in all, NetSuite's NSAPD is an excellent value. Although it is not as capab le as Cane, it's much less expensive.

NetSuite's interface closely resembles many other computer aided design (CAD) packages-it has a drawing area with library of icons at the side. Its library includes thousands of network components from more than 100 manufacturers. NetSuite also has a feature unique among the three: It lets users enter the physical dimensions of floor plans, and then determine whether cable lengths conform to required specifications, depending on the placement of components.

I found NSAPD to be somewhat easier to use than the other two products tested. Its drawing format is more comfortable than the outline format of Caliper, and is more readily accessible than Cane. I was able to accomplish a lot without resorting to the manuals or attending a training session.

On the other hand, some of the tools were less capable than the ones in Cane. For instance, the asset management part of the program uses the same standard set of entries for all devices, including PCs, hubs, routers, and switches. Many entries that are not relevant for a given device are included anyway, and many were designated read-only, but did not have correct values.

A spreadsheet view of network elements can be used to enter data and create user-defined fields for each network element in the diagram, but user-defined fields do not show up in the properties entries for those elements when they're shown in the network design interface.

NSAPD performs many useful operations, such as verifying that devices connected to each other in the design support the same type of wiring and protocol. For example, if you try to connect a PC to the network in the design, and its configuration information doesn't include a network card, the configuration dialog box pops up and prompts you to select an interface card. This is in marked contrast to Cane, which doesn't make it immediately evident whether or not a device has an interface installed.

Once you have created a network diagram, NSAPD will also make sure that the d esign is valid, reviewing it to ensure that all cable lengths are within allowable parameters, that the network structure is valid, and that no necessary pieces are missing. You can then create an assortment of custom reports, including a BOM and hosts list for IP addresses.

The floor-plan designer in NSAPD has a number of useful features, though I found the interface a little confusing. But it will import drawings from other programs, as well as modify existing drawings. Cane does not provide a tool for modifying floor plans, requiring you to create the plans in another program and import them. NSAPD also provides a large library of maps for locating buildings to provide high-level network diagrams.

The IP planner included with NSAPD can be used to calculate subnet masks and broadcast addresses for all possible subnets in a specified IP address range. However, I found the tool cumbersome and nonintuitive compared with the tool in Cane.

Audit can collect information on the network from a variet y of sources, including IPX and SNMP, and-with optional probe extensions-Microsoft Systems Management Server and Hewlett-Packard OpenView network-management information. Between these four, it should be able to find almost all devices in a large network, and provide at least some information on each.

The NetSuite package was easy to install, but it requires a complex set of three 32-character installation keys. Once the software is installed, the user is required to call NetSuite or E-mail the company for the keys. The software does allow a few uses without the keys, but only for a short time.

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