Network Computingwww.networkcomputing.com

If we had known then what we know now, OpenRiver wouldn't have been part of this review because it does not yet offer the canned tool sets to compare with those of the other entries. We say "not yet" because the company has indicated that it plans to add in the coming year significant enhancements, which we will test.

RiverSoft is very proud of its architecture, which runs on middleware from Tibco Software called Tib/Rendezvous. By default, Tib/Rendezvous uses broadcasts on a network to register services, which provides OpenRiver with very flexible scaling: Processes can run on any server on a subnet, without alteration. The architecture also partitions the network into domains, which allows for a further separation and distribution of processing. We partitioned our network, running different discovery and event polling services for different portions of the network.

Configuration is all text-based, but not difficult to understand. Configuration files are appended with the domain name, making it easy to clone new management partitions without reinventing the wheel.

At the heart of this big-vision architecture are object files in a ITU-like GDMO (Guidelines for the Definition of Managed Objects) format, which RiverView refers to as GDMO+. This object orientation isn't unusual -- NNM, NetView, Spectrum and NetworkIT all have the object mentality -- but trying to use a standards-like format is. The plus here is that GDMO+ adds functions such as discovery, display, monitoring and event correlation.

As with the other network-management products tested, which all sport at least some proprietary MIBs and applications, OpenRiver ships with quite a few GDMO+ files covering popular gear from Cisco, Nortel, 3Com and others. The files are pretty well self-documented but aren't going to be easy to create because the burden of knowing how a given device functions is on the creator of the GDMO+ file.

Unlike the other management products tested that have object orientation, OpenRiver doesn't provide an overview of what policies are in effect. The only way to know how polling and event management are set up is to look in the GDMO+ files. A GDMO+ file for our Cisco 6509 was not included, but the device was identified as a generic switch.

OpenRiver's main claim to fame is its event management via GDMO+ file entries that come with correlation to suppress downstream faults when a router or switch fails. This of course relies on mapping the Layer 2 topology, which OpenRiver did pretty well, but not nearly as accurately as Peregrine's IND.

RiverSoft is a new player in the network-management game, and from the looks of its intended releases this year and its partnership with HP (HP is purchasing the source code of RiverSoft's discovery and polling engine), the company looks poised to become a contender.

OpenRiver 2.0. Available: Now. RiverSoft Technologies, (415) 875-4100; fax (415) 875-4200. www.riversoft.com

Send your comments on this article to Bruce Boardman at bboardman@nwc.com.