Documentation forEngineer's Toolset

View interface data and modify interface properties

The Interface Details window contains a live view of data from the interface, including the following information:

  • Object specific information, enter, sub-enter, node ID, interface ID, and name.
  • Interface index (ifIndex).
  • Interface name, ifName, and alias.
  • Interface enter.
  • Interface description.
  • Interface enter (numerical).
  • 64-bit counter state.
  • MAC address.
  • MTU
  • Port speed.
  • Status, operations status, administrative status.
  • Actively responding to SNMP.
  • Last change time-date stamp.
  • Polling information, including interval and next expected poll.
  • Statistics collection and rediscovery interval
  • Transmit and receive bandwidth setting, actual bits per second, utilization percentage, packets, average packet size, unicast and multicast packets.
  • Peak received and peak transmitted, including time.
  • Transit and receive errors and discards.

The following information can be updated:

  • Name
  • Transmit bandwidth maximum.
  • Receive bandwidth maximum.
  • Interface status polling.
  • Interface statistics collection.

Each Interface on a managed device must have a unique name. Some switches name all interfaces Ethernet. For Toolset Network Performance Monitor to collect traffic and error statistics on each interface, you must assign unique names.

  1. Browse to, and then select the interface in the tree.
  2. Click Interfaces > Interface Details.
  3. Review the information in the Details window.

    An interface index (ifIndex) of zero indicates that the interface is no longer present on the node.

  4. If you want to modify any of the properties, do so, and then click Apply Changes.
  • Changing the name of an interface only affects the way the interface is identified on charts and graphs within Toolset Network Performance Monitor. It does not affect the device on the network.
  • Changes made in this window affect only the interface being viewed.
  • Transmit and receive bandwidth are used to calculate percent utilization and trigger alerts.

Transmit and Receive Bandwidth values

Transmit and Receive Bandwidth values govern percent utilization calculations. Toolset Network Performance Monitor sets these values when the interface is added and does not dynamically update them. Because you may want to set these values lower than the actual bandwidth full dedication or because you may want to set the values independently for asymmetric circuits (ADSL or CATV interfaces, for example, with different upstream and downstream data rates), these values are manually customizable.

During customer circuit monitoring, consider setting thresholds that reflect allowed and allowable transmit and receive bandwidth settings. For example, a customer may have a 10 Mbps connection (via Ethernet), but may only be paying for 512 Kbps with overcharges when they exceed the 512k limit. You can set the Transmit and Receive Bandwidth settings to 512000 and display Percent Utilization charts for the circuit in terms of 512 Kbps.

Enable and disable interfaces

If you have provided a read and write SNMP community string or an SNMP version 3 account with the permissions at the node level, you can remotely enable and disable interfaces from the Toolset Network Performance Monitor console.

  1. Select the interface in the tree, and then click Interfaces.
  2. Click the action on the Interfaces menu.
  • Administratively Shutdown Interface
  • Administratively Enable Interface

Do not disable the interface you are using to connect to the device.