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Probing Distributions

User roles for this feature

		Admin	Co-admin	Asset Manager	Viewer
Probing Distributions	View
	Add/Edit/Delete

Overview

Probing Distributions are configurable policies for triggering synthetic monitoring traffic between agents and targets.

Multiple probing distributions are created in the dashboard for each tenant and stored on the regional controller
Probing distributions define:

Probing Configuration

Once saved and enabled, the probing distribution issues a probing configuration to the selected agents
The probing configuration instructs the agent to probe the targets defined in the probing distribution, the desired probing method, and how often to probe each target
Changes to the probing distribution include adding or removing targets, enabling path discovery, or changing the probing interval
The controller pushes updates to each agent every 60 seconds
New metrics are visible on the dashboard within five minutes

Probing Sessions

Probing session is the configuration for one agent to send probing packets to one target

Probing Event

Probing event is each instance that probing packets are sent in the probing session

Click to expand

Probing Distributions List

Click to expand

1. Search and filters

Search - Click the icon to search probing distributions by name.

Text search supports partial matches and fuzzy logic
Queries are limited to one text search
Combine a text search with one or more filters to create and statement queries

Filters - Click the icon to use filters. Multiple filters create and statements.

Filter Key	Operator	Filter options	Usage tip
Enabled	equals	True, False (single select)	Display Enabled or Disabled probing distributions
Name	equals	Text (exact match)	Use text search if the exact spelling of the name is unknown

2. Add Probing Distributions button- Click to open the probing distribution creation modal. See Adding Probing Distributions.

3. Pagination

Tables support up to 100 rows per page.
Pagination controls show the count of items in the table.
Filtering and sorting change the count.
Use the dropdown to change the number of items shown in the table. Twenty-five items are shown by default.
Clicking the right arrow requests the next page of items, and the left arrow reloads items from the previous page.
Paginated results load sequentially, and arrows are disabled until the items in each request are loaded.
This applies to all tables.

4. Table Sorting

The name column is sortable.
Tables are sorted by Unicode value and load in ascending order (A-to-Z).
Clicking the name or group column label changes the soring order.
A white arrow will appear to the right of the column label.
- indicates that the table is sorted in ascending order.
- indicates that the table is sorted in descending order.
Table sorting is a function of the search API.
- When the label is clicked, a request is sent to the server to return paginated results in ascending or descending order.
- Advancing the pagination loads the next page of items in the order specified.
- Changing the sorting order will show that any level of pagination shows the reverse order or that level of pagination.
- Example: Assume a table has 675 items; 25 items start with each letter of the English alphabet, and the table is set to show 24 items per page.
  - Table loads the 25 items starting with A in ascending order.
  - Advancing to the next page loads the items 26-50 that start with the letter B.
  - Changing the sorting order of the second page will show items 626-650 starting with Y.
Unicode characters are normalized before sorting to provide a better search experience. For example, using special characters like “①” (U+2460) in resource names may result in unexpected sorting behavior.

5. Probing distributions table

Probing distribution rows

Column	Displayed Value
Name	- Probing Distribution display name - Links to the probing distribution page
Enabled	- Probing Distribution Enabled, or Disabled - Toggle to enabled or disabled a probing distribution - This action is also available on the probing distribution summary page and editing modal
Protocol	- Target protocol used by the probing distribution - Each probing distributions one target protocol - ICMP, HTTP, UDP, or Speed Test
Agent Count	Count of agents in the probing distribution
Target Count	Count of targets in the probing distribution
Actions	ellipsis icon to open the actions menu View links to the probing distribution summary page Edit opens the editing modal Delete opens the confirm deletion modal

Adding probing distributions

Click Add Probing Distribution to open the probing distribution creation modal
Editing existing probing distributions opens the same modal populated with the probing distribution’s configurations. Refer to these steps when editing probing distributions
Complete the five steps below to configure the probing distribution
The progress meter at the top of the modal updates as each configuration is completed

1. Name

Enter a name that describes the insight the probing distribution will provide
Examples of descriptive naming
- “Campus-to-SaaS HTTP”: Availability of SaaS services for each client campus using HTTP probing
- “WiFi APs”: Monitoring WiFi access points inside the network
- “Manila CSR Hops sample”: Enabling path discovery for a subset of CSRs in Manilla

2. Select Agents

Asign agents to the probing distibution using one of the following methods
Agent selection methods cannot be combined
- All Current And Future Agents checkbox
  - This selection is used to create probing distributions that include every agent
  - All new agents will automatically join this probing distribution
- Agent groups dropdown
  - Choose one or more groups from the “Groups” dropdown
  - The probing distribution automatically updates when agents are added or removed from the selected groups
  - Use group assignment for use cases where agents are changed frequently
    - For example, a probing distribution that monitors SaaS service availability for remote workers uses mobile agents on employee PCs
    - The agents are in the same group
    - Adding or removing agents from this group automatically updates the agents enrolled in the probing distribution, which eliminates the hassle of manually updating the probing distribution every time a new agent is deployed, or an old agent is deactivated
- Agent tags dropdown
  - Choose one or more tags from the agent tags dropdown
  - Agents sharing the same tags are automatically added or removed from the probing distribution
  - Both tag and group assignments automatically update the probing distributions. The advantage of tag assignment is that multiple tags can be combined to support more granular use cases involving a subset of agents in a group
- Agent Name
  - Select agents individually
  - Click the icon to reveal agents in an agent group
  - Select agents individually or all agents in the group.
  - Unlike the agent group and tag assignment, selecting the agent group does not automatically update the probing distribution when agents are added or removed from the group
  - Agent name assignment is helpful for discrete use cases like monitoring specific agents where it’s easier to select the agents than creating and assigning new agent tags

3. Select Targets - Select targets using one of the methods below –Like agent selection, target selection methods cannot be combined.

Begin by setting the target protocol
- Each probing distribution supports only one target protocol
- Select ICMP, HTTP, UDP, or speed test –ICMP is set by default
- Only targets configured for the selected target protocol can be added to the probing distribution
  - For example, HTTP, UDP, and speed test targets cannot be added to a probing distribution configured for ICMP
- Selecting the HTTP target protocol displays HTTP request response time, and HTTP availability plots on the metrics page of agents enrolled in the probing distribution
- Selecting the speed test target protocol displays speed test results and enables on-demand speed tests on the metrics page of agents enrolled in the probing distribution

Selecting ICMP, HTTP, or UDP targets
- Assign targets to the probing distribution using one of the following methods
- Targets selection methods cannot be combined
- All Current And Future targets checkbox
  - This selection is used to create probing distributions that include every target
  - All new targets will automatically join this probing distribution
- Target groups dropdown
  - Choose one or more target groups
  - Targets sharing the same target protocol in the selected target group are added to the probing configuration
  - All targets in selected target groups are automatically added or removed from the probing distribution
  - Like agent group assignment, this method eliminates the need to update the probing distribution when changing targets in the selected group
- Target tags dropdown
  - Choose one or more tags from the target tags dropdown
  - Targets sharing the same tags are automatically added or removed from the probing distribution
  - Both tag and group assignments automatically update the probing distributions. The advantage of tag assignment is that multiple tags can be combined to support more granular use cases that use a subset of targets in a group
- Target Name
  - Select targets individually
  - Click the icon to reveal targets in a target group
  - Select targets individually or all the targets in the group
  - Unlike the target group and tag assignment, selecting the target group does not automatically update the probing distribution when targets are added or removed from the group
  - Target name assignment is helpful for discrete use cases like monitoring specific targets where it’s easier to select the targets than creating and assigning new target tags

Selecting speed test targets

Select the speed test target protocol and assign speed test targets
- Agents in a probing distribution can run speed tests for one or more speed test targets
- Selecting targets functions the same as it does ICMP, HTTP, and UDP target selection
- Assigning targets by name is recommended becacuse only speed test targets appear in the target name selection list
- Speed test targets can be assigned by target groups and tags, but the available groups and tags may NOT contain a speed test target
  - Probing distributions like this will not generate probing sessions and display a Target Count of zero on the probing distribution list as in this example:
- Avoid this by clearly identifying the speed test target with a descriptive group name or tag like “Speed Test”
Select speed test target proximity to agents in the probing distribution
- Closest Speed Test Target
  - Agents in the probing distribution will run speed tests the geographically-closest target
  - The agent metrics pages of agents enrolled in the probing distribution will display past speed test results and allow on-demand speed tests to the nearest speed test target
- All Speed Test Targets
  - Agents in the probing distribution will run periodic speed tests on all deployed speed test targets
  - The agent metrics pages of agents enrolled in the probing distribution will display past speed test results and allow on-demand speed tests to all speed test targets
Set speed test duration
- The duration of a speed test can impact data accuracy
- Longer speed tests consume more bandwidth
- Eight-second speed test provides the best balance of accuracy and bandwidth consumption and is set as the default
- Probing distributions support the following speed test durations

Duration	Bandwidth Estimate for Link Speed
3 Seconds	100 Mbps = 37.5MB, 1Gbps = 375MB, 10Gbps = 3.75GB
8 Seconds	100 Mbps = 100MB, 1Gbps = 1GB, 10Gbps = 10GB
10 Seconds	100 Mbps = 125MB, 1Gbps = 1.25GB, 10Gbps = 12.5GB

4. Probing interval

Probing interval is the frequency of probing packets sent from agents to targets in the probing distribution
- Probing event is when an agent sends probing packets to a target
- Agents transmit the aggregated metrics to the controller once every minute.
- More frequent probing intervals generate more probing events and more data points in the per-minute aggregation
The probing interval set in the probing distribution applies to all agents and targets

Set the probing interval for ICMP, HTTP, and UDP configured probing distributions

Supported Probing Interval

Target Protocol Min Max Default

ICMP 1 second 10 minutes 30 Seconds

HTTP 30 seconds 10 minutes 60 Seconds

UDP 100 milliseconds 10 minutes 30 Seconds
Set the probing interval for Speed Test configured probing distributions
- Speed test probing intervals are the frequency agents run speed tests to speed test targets every 24 hours
- On-demand speed tests between scheduled speed tests are available on the agent metrics page of agents enrolled in the speed test probing distributions.
- Probing distributions support the following speed test probing intervals
  - 1 hour (Default)
  - 6 hours
  - 12 hours
  - 24 hours

Target Protocol	Min	Max	Default
ICMP	1 second	10 minutes	30 Seconds
HTTP	30 seconds	10 minutes	60 Seconds
UDP	100 milliseconds	10 minutes	30 Seconds

5. Path discovery (Hops)

Enable path discovery to send additional packets that identify discoverable hops between the agents and targets in the probing distribution
ICMP, HTTP, and UDP configured probing distributions support path discovery
Speed Tests do not support path discovery

6. Enable and save

Enable the probing distribution to start monitoring network quality between agents and targets in the probing distribution
Once enabled, online agents receive an updated probing configuration containing the new probing distribution
Within five minutes, monitoring metrics will appear on the metrics pages of online agents and targets in the probing distribution
- Offline agents will update upon their connection to the controller
- Metrics pages have a default time range of 48 hours. New monitoring data is not visible at this resolution.
- Set the time range to one hour to see the new monitoring data

Probing distribution pages

In this section

Metrics tab
Agents tab
Targets tab

Metrics tab

1. Probing distribution summary - view top-level configuration information

Click icon on the right to view the complete configuration
Target protocol: ICMP, HTTP, UDP
- Probing interval
- Path Discovery enabled or disabled
- Path probing interval
Target protocol: Speed Test
- Probing Interval
- Speed Test Target selector such as Closest Speed Test Target or All Speed Test Targets
Enabled or Disabled state
open the editing modal populated with the full probing distribution configuration
icon opens the delete confirmation modal

2. Metrics, Agents, Targets tabs

Metrics tab displays a map and heat map view for this probing distribution
Agents tab displays the agent list table for the agents enrolled in this probing distribution
Targets tab displays the target list table for the targets enrolled in this probing distribution

3. Agent selector

The map view and heat map show all agents enrolled in the probing distribution by default
The agent link displays the count of agents selected
Click the agent link to Search and filter agents to display
- Search - Click the icon to search probing distributions by name
  - Text search supports partial matches and fuzzy logic
  - Queries are limited to one text search
  - Combine a text search with one or more filters to create and statement queries
- Filters - Click the icon to use filters. Multiple filters create and statements

Agent Filters

Filter Key	Operator	Filter options	Usage tip
Activation status	equals	Inactive, Invitation Pending	All pending agents are inactive - Invitation Pending is the invitation status of pending agents using the emailed individual token activation method - Use this filter to view or exclude this unique agent type and state
Group	Contains	Groups list (multi-select)	- Filter by groups - Filter by “No Group Assigned” to find ungrouped agents for editing
On/Off	equals	Online Agents, Offline Agents (single select)	Filter the by “Offline Agents” to quickly identify which agents are currently offline
OS	contains	Linux, macOS, Windows (multi-select)	Filter list by tags assigned to agents
Tags	contains Any	Tags list (multi-select)	Filter by OS - EdgeLQ OS returns Cloud Agents and Static Agents deployed on dedicated hardware
ISP	equals	ISP list (single select)	List shows the last ISP reported for the agents enrolled in the probing distribution
Contact	equals	Text (exact match)	Use text search if the exact spelling of the name is unknown

4. Target selector

The map view and heat map default to show all targets enrolled in the probing distribution
Target link displays the count of targets selected
Click the target link to Search and filter targets to display
- Search - Click the icon to search probing distributions by name
  - Text search supports partial matches and fuzzy logic
  - Queries are limited to one text search
  - Combine a text search with one or more filters to create and statement queries
- Filters - Click the icon to use filters. Multiple filters create and statements

Target Filters

Filter Key	Operator	Filter options	Usage tip
Group	contains	Groups list (single select)	- Filter by groups - Filter by “No Group Assigned” to find ungrouped agents for editing
Tags	contains Any	Tags list (multi-select)

5. Map view

Map displays the location of agents in map areas
- Map displays the average value for the previous three minutes
- Interacting with the map updates the map to show the average for the last three minutes from the time of the interaction
- Map interactions
  - Moving and zooming the map
  - Clicking a map area
- Map automatically updates every minute to show the average for the last three minutes from the time of the update when there are no map interactions
Zoom map or use the search box on the map to view a specific map area

Map Area Zoom Levels	Example
Country	Japan, UK, India
Admin Area 1: State, Prefecture, Nation (UK)	California, Kumamoto, Wales
Admin Area 2: County, Municipality	Berkshire, Santa Clara, Offenbach
Admin Area 3: City	New York, Tokyo, Hyderabad

Map area is shaded green or red by the percentage of agents online (liveness)
- Green when the majority of agents are online
- Red when the majority of agents are offline
Map icon in each map area is a pie chart showing
- Total count of agents
- Green for online agents
- Red for offline agents
- Hover the icon for a tooltip showing a count of online and offline agents in the map area
Click the map to filter the heatmap by agents in the map area

6. Heatmap Options

Heatmap shows metrics for agents and targets
Change the heatmap display using the following heatmap controls
- Time range
  - Defaults to the last seven days
  - Change the time range to see aggregated metrics from one hour to one month
  - Time zone is set by the browser location preferences. Change the time zone displayed in Settings > Regions
- Metric type
  - Heatmap displays values by metric type
  - Metric types vary by the probing distribution’s target protocol
    - ICMP and UDP: Latency, jitter, loss,
    - HTTP: Latency, jitter, HTTP availability
    - Speed test: Upload, Download
  - Click the metric type to change the metric type displayed in the heatmap
- Aggregation
  - Metrics collected by agents are aggregated for each minute of metrics collection. For example, metrics for ICMP probing every 30 seconds are aggregated into a single value
  - Different statistical methods are available for aggregated metrics
    - Mean
    - Max
    - Mode
    - 95th percentile
    - 99th percentile
- View
  - Heatmap supported Values and Anomalies views
  - Switching the view changes the context of the metrics displayed
  - Values
    - The aggregated value of metrics for the time range selected
    - Example of a probing distribution heatmap options set to display the mean value of latency over the past seven days
    - Heatmap options settings:
      - Time range: Last 7 days
      - Metric type: Latency
      - Aggregation: Mean
      - View: Values
  - Anomalies
    - Heatmap is colored to show the agent-to-target paths that were most anomalous to the observed value for the time range selected
    - This is accomplished by comparing metrics for the selected time range to metrics for the comparison period
    - Heatmap cells are colored to show anomalies in the metrics for each agent-to-target path
      - Degraded
        
        > 80%
        
        > 60% to </= 80%
        
        > 40% to </= 60%
        
        > 20% to </= 40%
      - Normal
        
        > -20% to </= 20%
      - Improved
        
        > -40% to </= -20%
        
        </= -40%
  - Change the time range and comparison period to spot other trending anomalies
  - Example of a probing distribution heatmap with options set to display agent-to-target paths with anomalous latency
  - Heatmap options settings:
    - Time range: Last 7 days
    - Metric type: Latency
    - Aggregation: Mean
    - View: Anomalies
    - Comparison Period: Last Day
  - Reading the tooltip
    - Tooltip shows agent-to-target latency experienced for the time range and comparison period selected
    - a. Agent-to-target path
      - Agent: Access Switch 05
      - Target: Microsoft Office365 HTTP
    - b. Value of comparison period - 11.53 ms mean latency for the last day
    - c. Value for the time range selected - 8.47 ms mean latency for the past seven days
    - d. Percent of change

Agents tab

Agents enrolled in the probing distribution

1. Search and filters

The agent table defaults to showing all agents enrolled in the probing distribution
Use search and filters to refine the agents listed on the table.
Click the agent link to Search and filter agents to display
- Search - Click the icon to search probing distributions by name
  - Text search supports partial matches and fuzzy logic
  - Queries are limited to one text search
  - Combine a text search with one or more filters to create and statement queries
- Filters - Click the icon to use filters. Multiple filters create and statements

Agent Filters

Filter Key	Operator	Filter options	Usage tip
Activation status	equals	- Inactive - Invitation Pending	All pending agents are inactive - Pending agents utilizing emailed individual token activation have the Invitation Pending status - Use this filter to view or excluded this unique agent type and state
Email	equals	Text (exact match)	- Agent’s contact email address - Use text search if the exact email address is unknown
Group	contains	Groups list (multi-select)	- Filter by groups - Filter by “No Group Assigned” to find ungrouped agents for editing
Name	equals	Text (exact match)	Use text search if the exact spelling of the name is unknown
Type	equals	Cloud Agent, Mobile Agent, Static Agent, (multi-select)
Online/Offline	equals	Online Agents, Offline Agents (single select)	Filter the by “Offline Agents” to quickly identify which agents are currently offline
OS	contains	Linux, macOS, Windows (multi-select)
Serial Number	equals	Text (exact match)
Tags	contains Any	Tags list (multi-select)
Version	equals	Text (exact match)	Agent software version number like “v3.0.1”

2. Date selector - Set the time range of the connectivity graphic in each row. The agent table time range defaults to the last 48 hours

3. Pagination

Tables support up to 100 rows per page.
Pagination controls show the count of items in the table.
Filtering and sorting change the count.
Use the dropdown to change the number of items shown in the table. Twenty-five items are shown by default.
Clicking the right arrow requests the next page of items, and the left arrow reloads items from the previous page.
Paginated results load sequentially, and arrows are disabled until the items in each request are loaded.

4. Table Sorting

The name and groups columns are sortable.

5. Agents list

Agent Rows

Column	Displayed Value
	Online Agent –Agent successfully connected to the controller Offline Agent –Agent not connected to the controller
Name	- Agent’s display name link - Click through to the agent page to view metrics and information about the agent
Group	Group assigned to the agent
Tags	Tag(s) assigned to the agent
Serial Number	- Host device serial number for static or mobile agents - VM serial number for cloud agents
Connectivity	- Connectivity graphic shows agent connectivity for the dates shown in the date selector - Green indicates when the agent was online - Red show when static and cloud agents were disconnected - Gray shows when mobile agents were disconnected. Gray is used for mobile agents because they are expected to be offline when the host PC is not in use - Hover over a colored section to view when and how long the agent was connected or experienced a connectivity issue
Enabled	Agent Enabled, Agent Disabled - Toggle agents from enabled to disabled - Enable or disable multiple agents using bulk edit - This action is also available on the agent page and agent editing modal
Type	Type of agent –Cloud agent, mobile agent, or static agent
Public IP(v4/v6)	- Last public IP returned by the agent - Displays the agent’s public IPv4 address. IPv6 displayed if available - Public IP not displayed for disabled agents
Local IP(v4/v6)	- Last local IP returned by the agent - Displays the agent’s public IPv4 address. IPv6 displayed if available - External IP not displayed for disabled agents
Address	- Agent’s primary location - Full or partial address shown - Lat/long input as the agent’s location resolves to the nearest address

Targets tab

Targets enrolled in the probing distribution

1. Search and filters

The agent table defaults to showing all agents enrolled in the probing distribution
Use search and filters to refine the agents listed on the table.
Click the agent link to Search and filter agents to display
- Search - Click the icon to search probing distributions by name
  - Text search supports partial matches and fuzzy logic
  - Queries are limited to one text search
  - Combine a text search with one or more filters to create and statement queries
- Filters - Click the icon to use filters. Multiple filters create and statements

Tag Filters

Filter Key	Operator	Filter options	Usage tip
Protocol	equals	ICMP, HTTP, UDP, Speed Test, Unspecified (single select)	Probing distributions support a single target protocol Filter will be removed in next release
IP/Domain	equals	Text (exact match)	- Use text search if exact IP or domain is unknown Filter is helpful when combined with a text search used for a different target attribute
Group	contains	Groups list (single select)	- Filter by groups - Filter by “No Group Assigned” to find ungrouped agents for editing
Tags	contains any	Tags list (single select)	- Filter by a single target tag

2. Pagination

Tables support up to 100 rows per page.
Pagination controls show the count of items in the table.
Filtering and sorting change the count.
Use the dropdown to change the number of items shown in the table. Twenty-five items are shown by default.
Clicking the right arrow requests the next page of items, and the left arrow reloads items from the previous page.
Paginated results load sequentially, and arrows are disabled until the items in each request are loaded.

3. Table Sorting

The name and groups columns are sortable.

4. Target list

Target Rows

Column	Displayed Value
Name	- Target’s display name link - Click through to the target page to view metrics and information about the agent
Target Type	Managed Target, Unmanaged Target
Protocol	ICMP, HTTP, UDP, Speed Test
IP/Domain	IP or domain for the target
Group	Group assigned to the agent
Tags	Tag(s) assigned to the agent
Address	Primary address for managed target agents Addresses manually added to an unmanaged target record are shown