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| 1.1 |  | Network Baselining |
| 1.1.3 |  | Identifying devices and ports of interest |

As part of planning a baseline, the devices and ports of interest must be identified. Ports of interest include those network device ports that connect to other network devices, servers, key users, and anything else considered critical to the operation. By narrowing the ports polled, the reports will be more clear and network and device management load will be minimized. Remember that an interface on a router or switch can be a virtual interface, such as a switch virtual interface (SVI).

After the ports have been identified, it must be ensured that processes are in place to either keep that connection from being changed or to generate a report informing the network administrator that a change has occurred. Without this assurance, reports will become inaccurate. A report may indicate that a backbone port on a particular device is performing fine, when in fact the device connected to that port is not a router, but a PC, due to an undocumented change.

One method to track the ports of interest is to use the port description fields on devices to indicate what is connected. If backbone Router A is connected to switch port 1/1 on the main campus, the port description on switch port 1/1 should be configured for the device (Router A) on the other end. The port description can then be used for adding clarity to the reports created from the baseline and performance monitoring.