PingPlotter Cloud Manual

Target Controls

Target Controls has three main components:

  • The Target Bar, where you configure and initiate traces to specific targets (such as IP addresses) from your Agents

  • The Trace Graph, where you can find detailed diagnostic data for your trace

  • Timeline Graphs, which display network performance over a given timeframe

Target Bar

The Target Bar contains settings and details used to configure PingPlotter Cloud traces.

  1. Start/Pause Button
    - Start a new trace (after a target has been entered) or pause a running trace. Clicking the dropdown option on this button will let you Reset & Restart a trace (which begins a completely fresh trace session to that target and archives previous trace data), create a New Target, or Stop (and Delete) the current trace and target.
  2. Target entry
    - Enter the DNS name or IP address of the target you wish to trace. The dropdown will show a list of your most recent targets, as well as a few preset options.
  3. Agent Selection
    - Specify which PingPlotter Cloud Agent you wish to start the trace from. You can search for an Agent by name, or use the dropdown to see a list of deployed Agents. 
  4. Trace Interval
    - Set the frequency with which PingPlotter Cloud sends its packets.
  5. Focus Period
    - Sets how much data PingPlotter Cloud displays in the Trace Graph. Auto displays all the data currently shown on the Timeline Graph.
  6. Download PP2
    - Save a copy of your PingPlotter Cloud data.
  7. Change Column
    - Add or remove columns from the Trace Graph.
  8. Graph Color Legend
    - Displays at which latencies PingPlotter Cloud's graphs will depict grades of network quality. These values may be adjusted from within the Settings screen.

Trace Graph

The Trace Graph is made up of two parts, the Data Table and the Latency Graph.

The table on the left is the Data Table, which shows the raw details of each hop between you and your target. The graph on the right is the Latency Graph, which gives you a visual representation of the trace data for easy parsing.

Data Table

  1. Hop Number
    - This lists the order of hops between you and your target. A circle denotes an active hop and is color-coded to show latency based on the Graph Color Legend. A graph icon shows which hops have a Timeline Graph open (more on that later).
  2. Count
    - The number of packets sent during the current focus period.
  3. ERR
    - The number of lost or timed-out packets sent during the current focus period.
  4. IP Address
    - The IP address of the device at the hop.
  5. DNS Name
    - The name of the device at the hop. If this is blank, it means the network device doesn’t have a DNS name or is not responding to the packet type currently being used.
  6. Avg
    - The average ping response time for the current focus period. This average ignores timeouts and lost packets.
  7. Min
    - The fastest ping response time for the current focus period.
  8. Max
    - The longest ping response time for the current focus period. This value ignores timeouts and lost packets.
  9. Cur
    - The response time for the last packet sent. If you see “ERR,” the last packet sent was lost.
  10. Jitter
    - The current network jitter average for the current focus period.
  11. MOS
    - A synthesized Mean Opinion Score based on the current network conditions.
  12. Packet Loss %
    - The percent of lost packets over the current focus period.
  13. Notes
    - A space to add information about a specific hop or trace.

Latency Graph

A red circle

Average latency for the current focus period. This average ignores timeouts and lost packets.

A blue X

The response time for the last packet sent.

A gray line

The range of latencies recorded for a specific hop during the current focus period.

A zig-zaggy red line

A connect-the-dots to help you visually track hop latency.

Green, yellow, and red bars

A color-coded representation of latency, as defined by the Graph Color Legend in the Target Bar.

A red bar

The percent of lost packets over the current focus period.

Timeline Graphs

The Timeline Graph is a visual representation of your collected trace data. It helps you see the fluctuations in network performance over time.

  1. Latency Scale
    - The ping round-trip time to the selected hop.
  2. Focus Area
    - The section of collected data currently being displayed in the Trace Graph.
  3. Lost Packet
    - An indicator showing a packet sent in the trace session that timed out.
  4. Timeline Scale
    - Adjusts the amount of time shown within the Timeline Graph.
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