NCM is a network management solution with a comprehensive set of tools designed to make baseline configuration and drift management an easier, more intuitive task for admins. NCM also offers baseline configuration management capabilities. Using baselines for individual or multiple devices, it allows admins to zero in on critical configurations and ensure consistency and compliance across systems. Line-by-line comparisons of configuration histories for targeted nodes enable admins to quickly identify changes within those configurations.
Using a vendor-neutral script, admins can quickly execute changes on network devices from manufacturers like Cisco, HP, Dell, and others. NCM also creates backups of configurations that can be quickly restored to targeted devices to return them to compliance and prevent configuration drift.
NCM is a comprehensive network management solution designed by industry experts to give other industry experts the tools they need to ensure network reliability, security, and compliance. NCM is built for managing configuration changes across complex network environments by automating repetitive tasks and improving visibility.
It helps maintain consistency across systems with greater speed and accuracy than can be achieved manually. In addition to auto-discovering new devices and auto-deploying baseline configurations, NCM also identifies potential security vulnerabilities of iOS devices, using data sourced from the National Vulnerability Database to point out common vulnerabilities and exposures CVEs. It also provides the toolset admins need to investigate and resolve the issues. Developed by network and systems engineers who know what it takes to manage today's dynamic IT environments, SolarWinds has a deep connection to the IT community.
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Advanced network monitoring tools that include baselining can dynamically calculate network baselines from historic network performance data. Using baseline tests, admins can find standard threshold metrics from network devices.
These metrics in monitoring tools will allow you to calculate warning and critical thresholds according to baselines which, in turn, can be used to set more accurate alert levels.
This will help admins to quickly assess the difference between a device that is performing well and a device that is about to fail. If you don't know what "normal" is how can you determine if there is an issue?
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This means setting a routine of regular network audits to look for alterations, additions and dramatic fluctuations in usage. On average, this audit might be monthly; although if you have a fairly stable or under-utilized network, you could look at conducting it over quarterly intervals instead. Experience our network monitoring solution for yourself.
Email us now to request your free trial. Setup takes less than an hour. Network configuration management NCM is responsible for the setup and maintenance of your network devices along with the firmware and software they have installed. Changes to the settings on a device can undermine your network security and damage the privacy of your users. So, keeping track of those settings is very important.
The firmware that operates your network devices is also a potential security weakness of your system configuration. Equipment manufacturers constantly revise the firmware and release updates and patches to block newly-discovered exploits. So, keeping that firmware up to date is very important. Regardless of the size of your network, it inevitably becomes difficult to track the firmware on each device, so installing a network configuration management tool is a must.
Network configuration managers enable you to keep track of the statuses and operations of your network devices. So a NCM tool needs to:. Those are the basic functions that you need from a network configuration management tool. Some nice extras are:. The list we created, making sure to cover all the essential requirements of a configuration manager, turned up some star finds. These go above and beyond your basic configuration needs to provide you with a wealth of features.
We reviewed the market for network configuration management software and analyzed the options based on the following criteria:.
SolarWinds offers the industry-leading Network Configuration Management solution. So, the Network Configuration Manager will dovetail with other SolarWinds systems administration tools.
If you are in the market for a complete network management system, the Network Automation Manager package would suit you. This includes the Network Performance Monitor and the NetFlow Traffic Analyzer to keep tabs on the availability of your network equipment.
Added to those functions are a switch port mapper, an end-user tracker, a WAN performance monitor, and an IP address manager.
So, SolarWinds is able to offer you a complete solution. This is a suite of monitoring programs that are suitable for a large network. If you already have network monitoring software on-site and you only want to get a configuration manager, then the SolarWinds offering is still a very good system. The SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager covers all of the priorities that you need to keep control of your network devices.
The installation process includes a system scan that discovers all of your devices and stores snapshots of their current configuration s. From then on, when you want to alter the configurations of your devices, or just want to update one, you make those changes through the manager tool. That said, the tool does have a few more features that work with Cisco equipment than it can provide for the products of other manufacturers. The Cisco enhancements include the integration of checks with the Cisco National Vulnerability Database into audit sweeps.
This gives you very powerful alerts to shortfalls in security that can be obliterated quickly with a patch, an update, or an adjustment in the settings of a network device. You get a similar service if you have a Cisco Nexus. The auditing module of the Network Configuration Manager lets you demonstrate compliance with security standards. You will be able to spot unauthorized configuration changes and roll them back instantly with this tool.
You can even automate the correction of those changes as well as a lot of other routine device management tasks. The Network Configuration Manager maintains a database of configurations for each device. This well-organized, indexed, and searchable archive makes it really easy for you to manually locate a config file should you need to replace a piece of equipment and get all of the settings of the old device uploaded onto the new one.
The tool can even monitor the lifecycle of a device and notify you when it is nearing the end of its service life. The dashboard for the Network Configuration Manager has access control and you decide which user accounts get access to which information in the console. You can also choose not to give access to this tool to certain members of your team. The description of this tool here covers all of the bullet points in the introduction that list the basic and exceptional configuration management features that you should look for.
Strictly speaking, patch management is usually the responsibility of a separate tool. This is the case with the SolarWinds division of responsibilities. However, there is a fully-compatible Patch Manager module available from SolarWinds that will keep the firmware of your network devices up-to-date. SolarWinds offers you a day free trial of the Network Configuration Manager and the Patch Manager , which installs on the Windows Server environment. The same free day trial offer is available for the Network Automation Manager deal.
SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager is our first choice. An astounding tool for improving the reliability of your network. Ready to deploy out of the box support for an impressive list of network devices and vendors. Get day Free Trial: solarwinds. Opmantek Open-AudIT is an IT asset management and auditing tool that includes strong configuration management services. A key feature of the Opmantek system is the auto-discovery service. Open-AudIT scans a network and logs every connected device in an asset inventory.
The inventory is stored in a database and includes details about each piece of equipment such as the make, model and operating system. When a device is discovered, the system runs audit scripts to document the operating system and identify all of the installed software. This creates a software inventory that supports license management. The configuration management section of Open-AudIT visits each discovered device and takes a snapshot of its settings. These settings are stored in a database, called Baselines.
Once a baseline has been established for each device type, it is possible to compare the settings for all devices of that type and highlight any discrepancies. The discovery process can be scheduled to suit any requirement, further making it possible to compare the settings on the same device over time. This illustrates any unexpected changes that have been made. The Baselines system can also be used to reimpose standard settings if a device experiences a disaster or is replaced.
The asset inventory is made available in the system dashboard as a list of devices with click-through details available. Discovery processes can reach out to the Cloud, identifying company resources there, and they are also able to identify assets on remote sites. The tool can plot asset locations on a real-world map. This system is based on Google maps and is zoomable. Each location is indicated by a marker that can be queried to see how many devices are on the site.
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