[c-nsp] Looking for a tool to monitor OSPF network

[Code Monkey]

Hi,

I run an OSPF network that has gone from 30 to 300 routers during the past
year, all nicely segmented into areas etc. I'm seeing the limits of
monitoring by ping: apart from the complexity of updating the rules, there
are some links that are plain impossible to test by using a ping from a
remote server (not to mention that on most links I'd need to ping each end).

I try to automate scanning of centralized syslogs, but while that is nice
for some things it just doesn't cut it for monitoring link state.

I'm thinking that on any router, or at least on any router in a given area,
I have all the information I'd need to see if all my links are up, in the
form of the ospf database.

Does anyone know of any script that analyzes a (Cisco) OSPF database?
Ideally tying it in with Nagios or maybe BigBrother, but essentially just
transforming it so that it's easy to see whether a given link is up? I'd
like to do a show ip ospf database and put the output into the script.

I've spent some time trying to analyze the output by hand, but I don't find
it easy. Does anyone have a link to an explanation of how to understand the
output (maybe it's simpler than I believe)?

I saw the Jan 4 thread started by  Ashe Canvar; has anyone here used Route
Explorer (http://www.packetdesign.com/products/rex.htm)? The website is a
bit light on information, like pricing...

Thanks,