Re: nipper studio experiences?

Patrick,

I'll try to keep this as vendor neutral as I can - it's tricky, since I make technology in this space :-)

Nipper and other comparable products wouldn't technically qualify as "expert systems".  They are rule engines - think more like a spell checker than a style checker.  Such products are usually turning up issues per device - much the same way you can spell check multiple documents at once.

You asked about hand-holding.  Simple rule-checking systems don't need a lot - they work, but they also just aren't all that "smart" about the intention or design of your network, in much the same way that a spell checker can't tell whether a legal contract is "good" or "bad" - it can just tell if it's got typos.

There are technologies along these lines that can GENERATE a decent network map, rather than needing to be fed one.  But I won't turn this into advertorial :-)

Mike
CTO, RedSeal Networks