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The eProsima Fast DDS Monitor is a powerful graphical desktop application designed for monitoring networks that utilize the eProsima Fast DDS library. It enables real-time tracking of communication statuses among various entities, making it an essential tool for debugging and optimizing distributed systems, including AML-IP networks. Fast DDS Monitor allows accessing comprehensive data on each DDS domain, gaining insights into DomainParticipants, publishers, subscribers, and topics, and viewing a graphical representation of the network's physical architecture.

Key Features

Fast DDS Monitor provides several valuable features that make it an indispensable tool for network monitoring and debugging. It allows real-time tracking of network status and communication parameters while offering an intuitive and user-friendly graphical interface for seamless navigation. The tool enables in-depth exploration of entities and their configurations, simplifying the troubleshooting process by making it easy to identify and resolve network issues or anomalies.

Version Compatibility

To use Fast DDS Monitor with AML-IP, ensure you have version 2.1.0 installed. This version requires specific dependencies, including Fast CDR v2.2.0, Fast DDS v2.14.0, and Fast DDS Statistics Backend v1.1.0, to ensure optimal performance and compatibility.

Setting Up and Using Fast DDS Monitor

Prerequisites

Setting up the Fast DDS Monitor involves a few essential steps, explained in great detail in the Fast DDS Monitor Documentation.

Activating Statistics Topics

To minimize network traffic, activate only the necessary statistics topics. Some recommended topics include:

• HISTORY_LATENCY_TOPIC: Measures message latency.
• NETWORK_LATENCY_TOPIC: Tracks network latency.
• PUBLICATION_THROUGHPUT_TOPIC: Monitors publication throughput.
• RTPS_SENT_TOPIC: Reports RTPS packets sent.
• DISCOVERY_TOPIC: Logs discovery events.
• PHYSICAL_DATA_TOPIC: Shows physical deployment data.

Monitoring AML-IP Nodes

While Fast DDS Monitor is not specific to AML-IP, it can be effectively used to monitor AML-IP networks. In the AML Dashboard, nodes operate on Domain 166. To monitor these nodes:

1. Initialize Monitoring:
   • Open Fast DDS Monitor and select "Start Monitoring."

• Enter the domain number (166) to begin monitoring.

2. Add Panels:
   • Add physical panels to view the network architecture and logical panels to explore topic interactions and logical connections.

3. Run AML-IP Nodes. To identify the nodes belonging to the AML-IP 

network, the AML-IP icon will appear next to each node.

Visualizing Data

Fast DDS Monitor supports both historical and dynamic data visualization. To analyze historical data, open the "Display Historical Data" dialog, select topics like DATA_COUNT or FASTDDS_LATENCY, and configure bins, timestamps, and statistics kinds such as MEDIAN, MAX, or MIN. This functionality allows you to generate insightful visualizations for historical analysis.

For real-time monitoring, create dynamic plots for topics such as FASTDDS_LATENCY. Configure parameters like the time window (e.g., 1 minute) and update period (e.g., 5 seconds) to monitor latency and throughput in real time. With customizable chart options, you can adapt visualizations to suit specific monitoring needs.

Troubleshooting Tips

Troubleshooting network issues becomes simpler with the Fast DDS Monitor’s dedicated tools. The log panel is particularly useful for reviewing discovery callbacks, while entity aliases can be modified to improve identification. Additionally, filters can be applied to focus on specific hosts or topics, helping to narrow down the scope of any issues and streamline debugging efforts.

Conclusion

Fast DDS Monitor is a flexible tool for monitoring and debugging DDS networks. Its robust features allow for detailed monitoring, introspection, and visualization of network entities, making it easier to identify and resolve issues in real time. Whether you’re working with AML-IP nodes or other DDS-based applications, this article provides the foundation for effective use of the Fast DDS Monitor.

By This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.;,"type":"person"}">Denisa Alexandru from eProsima.

MORE INFORMATION:

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