---
title: "Using the Interface Viewer"
canonical: "https://docs.infoblox.com/space/NETMRI741AG/23593017/Using%20the%20Interface%20Viewer"
format: markdown
---
> ⚠️ **Note**
> ⚠️
> ⚠️ Switch Port Management provides a more global view of the network's complement of switched interfaces. For more information, see [*Switch Port Management*](https://infoblox-docs.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/NETMRI741AG/pages/23593009).
The **Interface****Viewer** (accessed by clicking any hyperlinked interface identifier in the **Interface** column of the Interface Configuration list (located in **Network****Explorer**–>**Inventory**–>**Interfaces**–>**Interface****Config**), displays low-level interface data and network phenomena affecting the selected interface during a specified time period. The top panel lists basic information about the chosen interface, including the **Type**, **Speed**, **Status** (Up or Down, along with the date the interface was discovered to be changed in state), the host device's **Network****View**, the **Device****IP**, its interface **MAC****Address**, the **Interface****IP** (if any), and Ethernet **Port****Fast** and **Encapsulation** settings where applicable (this value appears only when the interface is using 802.1Q tagging).
If a physical interface also contains logical subinterfaces that are locally assigned to VRFs, the **Encapsulation** field will appear in the top panel of the Interface Viewer window, also listing the protocol.
When an interface is locally assigned to a Network View, the **Local** **VRF** field appears in the top panel of the Interface Viewer window.
By default, the Interface Viewer displays any neighboring interface information for the selected interface. The assumption is that the selected interface is actually administratively On and active on the network. Otherwise, the Interface Viewer shows a blank page.
> ⚠️ **Note**
> ⚠️
> ⚠️ Click the icon at the top of the Interface Viewer to open the Device Viewer for the device hosting the current interface, or the Live Interface viewer for the currently selected interface. Also, to search for interfaces in the On position, type the word "**on**" into the search box in the Interface Config page before attempting to access the Interface Viewer.
The Interface Viewer also provides a list of Access Control Lists that are bound to the current interface. To change the date or period for data displayed in the Interface Viewer, see *[Setting](https://infoblox-docs.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/NETMRI741AG/pages/23593059)*[ ](https://infoblox-docs.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/NETMRI741AG/pages/23593059)*[the](https://infoblox-docs.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/NETMRI741AG/pages/23593059)*[ ](https://infoblox-docs.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/NETMRI741AG/pages/23593059)*[Date](https://infoblox-docs.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/NETMRI741AG/pages/23593059)*[ ](https://infoblox-docs.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/NETMRI741AG/pages/23593059)*[and](https://infoblox-docs.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/NETMRI741AG/pages/23593059)*[ ](https://infoblox-docs.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/NETMRI741AG/pages/23593059)*[Period](https://infoblox-docs.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/NETMRI741AG/pages/23593059)*.
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Viewing Neighboring Interfaces
The **Neighbors** page (**Interface** **Viewer** –> **Interface** –> **Neighbors**) lists the MAC addresses, associated **VRF** **Name, **and **Neighbor** **VRF** **Name** (if any), the **Network** **View**, IP addresses, interfaces and other data for neighbors of the currently displayed interface. If you select an interface that is administratively On and is active in the network, the Interface Neighbor information automatically appears. Otherwise the neighbor information remains blank.
Associated information provided includes the VLAN and/or trunk interface, the neighbor's MAC address, the neighbor type, and the Neighbor Assurance value.
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Viewing Network Performance Measurements
Under **Performance** in the Interface Viewer, the **Summary** page (**Interface** **Viewer** –> **Performance **–>** Summary**) lists high-level statistics for inbound and outbound traffic for the selected interface. A table appears in the Interface Viewer, showing Counts, Rates, and Percentages for Inbound and Outbound Octets, Packets, Unicast packets, Non-Unicast packets, Multicast packets, Broadcast packets, Discards, Errors, Changes, Alignment Errors, FCS Errors, and Late Collisions. These statistics cover the entire selected interface, cumulative for all subinterfaces if any.
- The **Rates** page (**Interface** **Viewer** –> **Performance** –> **Rates**) shows inbound and outbound throughput and related rates for the interface, including Packet Rate, Broadcast Rate, Discard Rate, and Error Rate.
- The **Percents** page (**Interface** **Viewer** –> **Performance** –> **Percents**) shows inbound and outbound traffic statistics expressed as a percentage of total throughput, including **%** **Utilization**, **Broadcast** **Percent**, **Discard** **Percent, **and **Error** **Percent.**
- The **Counts** page (**Interface** **Viewer** –> **Performance** –> **Counts**) displays inbound and outbound traffic statistics expressed as counts, including columns of statistics for Octet Count, Packet Count, Broadcast Count, Discard Count, and Error Count.
- The **Charts** page (**Interface** **Viewer** –> **Performance** –> **Charts**) provides charts that show throughput, broadcasts/second, errors/second, and discards/second. Use the **Measure** list at the top of the page to select **Rate** or **Percent** for the charts' vertical axes.
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Changing Performance Data Collection Settings
The **General** **Settings** page (**Interface** **Viewer** –> **Settings** –> **General** **Settings**) enables you to apply or override the parent group's performance data collection setting, under the **Performance** **Statistics** **Collection** setting (group settings are defined in the Settings icon –> **Setup** section –> **Collection** **and** **Groups** page –> **Groups** tab –> **Interface** **Groups** side tab).
To ensure collection of all performance data for the specific device, choose the **Enabled** option.
Choose the **Use** **Default** option if you want performance information collection to only use the parent Interface Group's settings.
Interface performance data covers a broad selection of network phenomena, including but not limited to the following: Port throughput, bandwidth utilization, packet errors percentage, broadcast packet percentage, and packet discard percentage.
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A second option, **Switch** **Port** **Management** **Control**, enables or disables the current interface from management by Switch Port Manager.
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Viewing Interface Histories
Interface histories consist primarily of First Seen and Last Seen values, indicating the date and time when the interface was first seen by the appliance, and the date and time when the appliance last polled the device and interface. Other information fields in the Interface History table include, but are not limited to, the following:
- **Device** **Name: **The name of the device hosting the interface.
- **IF** **MAC: **The MAC address of the interface.
- **If** **Oper** **Status: **Shows whether the interface is operationally Up or Down.
- **If** **Admin** **Status: **Shows whether the interface is administratively Up or Down.
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Port Control Settings
NetMRI allows administrators to control basic operational settings for managed routers and> Macro (anchor)
switches. The following three functions are available in the Port Control page (**Interface** **Viewer** –> **Settings** –> **Port** **Control** **Settings**):
- **Admin** **Status: **Set the port to administratively Up or administratively Down.
- **Interface** **Description: **A text label describing the port.
- **VLAN** **ID/Name: **Change the VLAN assignment for a switch interface. Click **Edit** for any feature.
For **Admin** **Status**, ports can be set to Up or Down from the drop-down menu.
For **VLAN** **ID/Name**, the feature will work for switch or switch-router ports that support VLAN assignment. Choose the VLAN ID from the **VLAN** **ID** drop-down list (new values are not entered in this location) and the VLAN Name from the **VLAN** **Name** drop-down list. A port can be set to disable any VLAN assignment by enabling the **No** **VLAN** checkbox.
In all cases, click **Save** to commit settings.