Keep LLDP enabled
LLDP is required for HiVision topology discovery. Disabling LLDP on a port hides connected devices.
12.3 HiVision Network Manager
The previous chapter covered HiOS for managing individual switches. A plant with 50 switches needs centralized visibility: which devices are connected, which links are down, and which rings are open. Hirschmann Industrial HiVision provides that visibility.
Why Centralized Management Matters
Section titled “Why Centralized Management Matters”Logging into 50 switches individually to check MRP status, port errors, and firmware versions is not practical. HiVision discovers the entire network topology automatically, monitors device health in real time, and sends alerts when problems occur.
Key Features
Section titled “Key Features”| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Topology discovery | Automatic discovery via LLDP and SNMP |
| Network map | Visual topology with device status |
| Event management | SNMP traps, syslog, email alerts |
| Performance monitoring | Interface utilization, error counters |
| Configuration management | Backup, compare, deploy configurations |
| MRP monitoring | Ring status, topology changes |
Topology Discovery
Section titled “Topology Discovery”HiVision discovers the network by starting from a seed IP address, reading LLDP neighbor tables via SNMP, following LLDP links to adjacent devices, and repeating until all reachable devices are found. LLDP and SNMP are both enabled by default on Hirschmann switches.
Integration with BHVA
Section titled “Integration with BHVA”BHVA (Belden Horizon Virtual Assistant) reads data collected by HiVision and makes it queryable via AI agents.
HiVision collects the data. The Mario service reads HiVision’s database and sends structured data to BHVA. HiVision must be running and collecting data for BHVA to answer questions about the network.
Key Takeaways
Section titled “Key Takeaways”HiVision feeds BHVA
BHVA reads data from HiVision. HiVision must be running for BHVA to work.
What Comes Next
Section titled “What Comes Next”HiVision provides visibility. Proper configuration provides reliability. The next chapter consolidates everything into a practical checklist: security hardening, VLAN design, MRP setup, and documentation guidelines for deploying Hirschmann switches in production.
References
Section titled “References”- Hirschmann. (2023). HiVision 8.7 User Manual. Belden/Hirschmann.
- Belden. (2024). BHVA Installation Guide. Belden.