Riverbed NetIM uses a distributed, multi-component architecture to efficiently discover, collect, process, and store network monitoring data at scale.
Each component has a specific responsibility, allowing NetIM to be flexible, scalable, and resilient in enterprise environments.
The main NetIM components are:
Core
Worker
Manager
Data Manager
The sections below explain the role of each component and how they work together.
The Core is the central coordination and control layer of NetIM.
Maintains the overall system configuration
Coordinates communication between all NetIM components
Controls discovery, polling schedules, and task distribution
Provides the main user interface (UI) and API access
Manages system health and component registration
Think of the Core as the “brain” of NetIM. It does not perform heavy data collection itself but orchestrates how and when other components do their work.
The Worker is responsible for performing data collection and processing tasks.
Executes device discovery tasks
Polls devices using SNMP, CLI, APIs, etc.
Collects performance, availability, and configuration data
Processes raw data before forwarding it to the Data Manager
Can be deployed in multiple instances for scalability and load distribution
Workers are the “hands” of NetIM, doing the actual work of communicating with network devices. Adding more Workers increases monitoring capacity and supports distributed environments.
The Manager handles monitoring logic and operational intelligence.
Evaluates collected data against thresholds and policies
Generates alerts, events, and incidents
Manages device state, relationships, and topology awareness
Applies monitoring rules and correlation logic
Supports high availability when deployed redundantly
The Manager acts as the “decision-maker”, determining what the collected data means and when action or notification is required.
The Data Manager is responsible for data storage and retrieval.
Stores performance metrics, events, and historical data
Optimizes data for reporting and trend analysis
Handles data retention and aggregation policies
Responds to data queries from the Core, Manager, and UI
The Data Manager is the “memory” of NetIM, ensuring monitoring data is reliably stored and quickly accessible for dashboards, reports, and troubleshooting.
Riverbed NetIM uses a distributed architecture where each component has a defined role to ensure scalability, performance, and reliability. To achieve optimal results, NetIM components should be deployed and used as designed:
Core should be deployed as the central control and user access point. It manages configuration, coordination, and system-wide communication.
Workers should be deployed based on the size and distribution of the network to handle discovery and data collection efficiently. Additional Workers can be added to scale monitoring capacity.
Managers should be configured to process monitoring data, apply thresholds, and generate alerts and events. For high availability, multiple Managers may be deployed.
Data Managers should be sized appropriately to store performance metrics, events, and historical data, ensuring efficient reporting and long-term analysis.
By deploying each NetIM component according to its intended role, customers can ensure accurate data collection, timely alerting, and reliable performance monitoring across their network infrastructure.
