Gensym Introduces NetSleuth, A Software Product for Fast, Accurate Network Discovery and IP Reachability Analysis

Business Wire, June 6, 2000

Business/Technology Editors

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 6, 2000

Breakthrough modeling and analysis software constructs a network map representing real connectivity links and determines the root cause of

problems

Gensym Corporation (Nasdaq: GNSM), a leader in adaptive software products for modeling, simulating and monitoring business processes, today introduced NetSleuth(TM), network discovery and analysis software. NetSleuth enables network managers to construct an accurate model of a network and all the devices that reside on it and performs Internet protocol reachability analysis (IPRA) to quickly reveal the root cause of a network outage.

With NetSleuth, corporate network managers and network service providers will have increased confidence in the stability of their network, be able to handle larger networks without adding staff, save time and money by minimizing the effects of costly outages and be able to offer higher levels of service. NetSleuth is a stand-alone product that is part of Gensym's OpEx(TM) technology platform. Its core functionality can be integrated easily into the OpEx platform.

"NetSleuth delivers the fastest, most accurate and flexible automatic network discovery on the market," said Jim Slane, vice president of marketing for Gensym. "NetSleuth uses proprietary parallel algorithms, which far outperform competitors' products. It completes in just minutes what, otherwise, could take all day using other auto-discovery software. Gensym is committed to delivering modeling and management products to help companies successfully transition to the world of e-business. NetSleuth helps organizations of all types to ensure the long-term stability, reliability and cost-effectiveness of their e-infrastructure. This product is an integral part of Gensym's new strategy of developing products that make e-business infrastructure work."

NetSleuth reveals actual network topology by performing Layer 2 discovery, which identifies electrical or optical connections as well as IP addresses. Most modeling agents work at Layer 3 discovery, which only identifies logical connectivity. NetSleuth works on any IP network and supports many transport types, including Ethernet, ATM and frame relay. It also represents higher-level organization such as WANs, LANs and VLANs, making it the most comprehensive auto-discovery and analysis application on the market today.

The event-driven IPRA component reasons over the network model built via the auto-discovery process and performs proactive testing, enabling swift and accurate location of the root cause of a problem without having to wait for lengthy polling cycles. It filters sympathy events so network managers can get to the root cause faster and minimize the effects on service levels. Faster identification of problems enables network managers to focus on solving them and preventing failures in the future. IPRA also collects and presents information about all affected downstream components so the effects of an outage on applications, services and, ultimately, customers can be measured.

Getronics is one of the first companies to take advantage of Gensym's NetSleuth software. Ranked by International Data Corporation as the world's third-largest provider of network consulting and integration services, Getronics has deployed NetSleuth at its Enterprise Service Center in Houston, Texas.

"Getronics has built its reputation by providing industry-leading Information and Communications Technology solutions to businesses around the world," said Ray Chatary, who is in charge of the company's Network Management Center in Houston. "Gensym's new NetSleuth product enables us to keep meeting our clients' growing requirements for highly available e-business solutions. Gensym has helped us keep pace with the rapidly changing world of e-business, we in turn can help our own customers thrive in the highly competitive global marketplace."

NetSleuth delivers a comprehensive set of features and functionality to ensure customers are using the most accurate and up-to-date network-mapping, discovery and analysis software on the market. With it users can:

--rapidly create an accurate map of a network and its devices such as routers, switches, hubs, PCs and printers;

--make instantaneous changes to the map and share it in real time with all network operators;

--view the topology of a network via a map view which clearly indicates both physical connectivity and containment;

--discover network equipment from leading manufacturers, including Cisco, 3Com, Nortel and other vendors;

--access a Web-updated device library for the most comprehensive network mapping available;

--discover physical relationships between equipment (e.g., connected and contained);

--store a discovery, including any edits, which are recorded and identified in a re-discovery;

--integrate with HP Openview;

--perform fast IP-reachability analysis;

--filter sympathy events; and

--collect information on affected downstream components.

"Gensym listened to its customers when they said they needed a faster, more robust network-discovery and root-cause analysis product," said Slane. "Eighty percent of the time spent fixing network problems is wasted just determining the cause of the problem. NetSleuth makes finding a network problem quick and painless, thereby enabling network managers to concentrate on fixing the problem and preventing repeat failures. With more and more companies requiring their networks to support the demands of e-business, network managers no longer have the luxury of hours or even minutes to identify and fix problems without jeopardizing the health of the overall business. NetSleuth enables them to succeed in today's Internet-time economy."