Summary

The focus of this chapter was data collection. Starting at the device level, collection details were discussed to help you recognize the required type of information and level of detail. A methodology was developed that distinguished between key and value fields, and a checklist was provided that identified which fields to select and if they are treated as a key or value. Next, the chapter discussed how to translate the concept of a user into information that can be collected.

Then you identified at which devices metering should be enabled and learned about collection methods and intervals. This was followed by a discussion about active versus passive monitoring.

The next discussion point was the collection infrastructure, including different models for collecting data and characteristics of protocols and communication concepts. Then the chapter discussed the transport from the device to the collection server and distinguishing between the collection server and the mediation device.

There, tasks such as filtering, aggregation, and mediation are executed and then are stored for the sake of higher-layer applications, such as performance, billing, and security management. Finally, security considerations were addressed and solutions proposed.