Table Of ContentADMINISTRATOR GUIDE
Network Performance
Monitor
Version 12.2
LastUpdated:September13,2017
Retrievethelatestversionfrom:https://support.solarwinds.com/Success_Center/Network_Performance_Monitor_(NPM)/NPM_Documentation
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Table of Contents
Network Performance Monitor Administrator Guide 1
How Orion Platform products work 2
SolarWinds Orion Platform requirements 3
Software requirements 3
Account privileges 4
Server port requirements 4
Hardware requirements 8
Database server (SQL Server) requirements 9
Server sizing recommendations 12
Recommendations 13
Use additional polling engines for 12,000 or more monitored elements 13
SQL Server configuration best practices 13
Maximizing SQL Server performance 13
Hardware settings for SQL Servers 14
Recommendations for multi-CPU systems and the optimal settings of the I/O subsystem 15
Database file setting recommendations 16
Memory setting recommendations 16
CPU setting recommendations 16
Multi-module system guidelines 17
Small deployment guidelines 17
Medium deployment guidelines 18
Large deployment guidelines 19
Security enhancements and exceptions for SolarWinds Orion Platform products 21
Configure the Orion Web Console to use SSL 22
Use a previously installed SSL certificate 22
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ADMINISTRATOR GUIDE: NETWORK PERFORMANCE MONITOR
Generate a self-signed certificate 23
Use SSL after you install an Orion product 23
Certificate categories 24
What is the Skip website bindings option? 25
Enable FIPS 25
Encrypt database connections with SSL 26
Uninstall SolarWinds NPM 27
NPM licensing model 29
License NPM with other SolarWinds products 29
Manage and activate your NPM license 30
License Orion Platform products 30
Evaluate Orion Platform products 31
Activate licenses 33
Upgrade licenses 34
Assign licenses to a server 35
Migrate licenses from one server to another 35
Synchronize licenses 37
Maintain licenses with the stand-alone Windows License Manager 38
Discover and add network devices 39
Discover your network with the Discovery Wizard 39
Add nodes using Active Directory 43
Credentials for Active Directory discovery 44
Automatically add discovered nodes 45
Add discovered devices to SolarWinds NPM 46
Add a single node for monitoring 49
Import nodes from a list of IP addresses 51
Manage scheduled discovery results 52
Minimize SNMP processing load during discoveries using the Discovery Ignore List 52
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Add ignored devices back to discovery 52
Choose the polling method to use 53
External Node (No Status) 53
Status Only: ICMP 53
Most Devices: SNMP & ICMP 53
Windows Servers: WMI and ICMP 53
Windows and Linux Servers: Agent 54
Meraki Wireless: API 54
Manage devices in the Orion Web Console 54
Edit node properties 55
Edit the node name, web address, and which view opens when you double-click the node 55
Edit polling settings 55
Edit dependencies or custom properties 56
Add what additional data you want to poll on the node or device 57
Customize alerting thresholds 57
Suspend collecting data or triggering alerts for nodes in Maintenance Mode 58
Mute alerts 58
Resume alerts 58
Stop collecting statistics 59
Start collecting statistics 59
Schedule a maintenance period 59
Change scheduled maintenance 59
Cancel scheduled maintenance from the Node Details resource 60
Poll and rediscover devices immediately 60
Delete devices from monitoring 61
Change the polling method for a node 61
Change polling engine node assignments 62
Assign Universal Device Pollers (UnDPs) to monitored devices 62
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ADMINISTRATOR GUIDE: NETWORK PERFORMANCE MONITOR
View interface status and details about downtime periods 63
Change the time period for checking interface status 63
Edit the title and subtitle 63
Change how long the interface downtime history is retained 63
Disable interface downtime monitoring 64
Detect and predict possible duplex mismatches 64
How do I resolve mismatches? 65
Troubleshooting 65
Edit interface properties 65
Suspend collecting data for interfaces, or show interface as Unplugged 66
Maintenance mode 67
Set the interface status as Unpluggable 67
Remotely manage monitored interfaces 67
Access nodes using HTTP, SSH, and Telnet 68
Web-based SSH 68
Group objects and mirror network dependencies in the Orion Web Console 68
Group monitored objects 69
Create groups 69
Edit group properties or change the group members 70
Add or remove group members 70
Delete groups 70
Set the group status based on the status of the group members 71
Mirror network object dependencies in the Orion Web Console 71
Create a dependency between network objects 72
Edit a dependency between network objects 73
Delete a dependency between network objects 74
View active alerts on child objects when the parent object is down 74
Monitor devices in the Orion Web Console 75
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View events, alerts, traps, and syslogs in the Orion Web Console Message Center 75
Filter the displayed logged events in the Web Console 75
Remove events from the Web Console 76
View properties of all monitored nodes and interfaces in the Network Overview 76
View the resources and statistics monitored on a node 76
View notifications 77
Customize the Manage Nodes view 77
Search for devices on Manage Nodes 78
Manage Entities 78
Filter results 78
Search 79
Customize displayed information 80
View related entities on the node 81
Entities with muted alerts at a glance 81
Available actions 81
Monitor hardware health 82
Monitored Hardware Sensors 82
Enable hardware health monitoring 83
Enable monitoring from the Add Node wizard 83
Enable hardware health monitoring on a node 83
Enable, disable, or adjust hardware health sensors 83
Update hardware health statistics 84
Enable hardware sensors 85
Disable hardware sensors 85
Edit hardware health thresholds 85
Change the MIB used for polling hardware health statistics 86
Change the MIB tree used for polling hardware health globally 86
Change the MIB for polling hardware health statistics on a specific node 86
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ADMINISTRATOR GUIDE: NETWORK PERFORMANCE MONITOR
Change hardware health temperature units 87
Monitor virtual infrastructure 87
Prerequisites to monitoring virtual infrastructure 87
Create ESX server credentials for SolarWinds Orion products 88
Add virtual servers for monitoring 88
Assess the status of the virtual environment 89
View ESX host details 90
Assign credentials to virtual servers 90
Assign credentials to Hyper-V servers 90
Assign credentials to VMware servers 91
Change VMware credentials in the Orion Web Console 91
Poll ESX hosts controlled by vCenter servers directly 91
Monitor Quality of Experience metrics 92
How SolarWinds Packet Analysis Sensors work 93
Network Packet Analysis Sensor (NPAS) 93
Server Packet Analysis Sensor (SPAS) 93
Limitations to Packet Analysis Sensors 93
Common Packet Analysis Sensor deployment scenarios 94
Aggregation per application 95
Aggregation per site 97
Aggregation per computer 99
Monitor traffic to and from a port mirror, SPAN, or network tap 101
Monitor traffic to and from a specific node 103
Remove a sensor 104
Monitor QoE applications and nodes 104
Manage global QoE settings 105
Monitor applications for QoE 106
Monitor nodes with a network sensor 108
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Ignore traffic from applications or nodes 109
Define custom HTTP applications 110
Advanced sensor configuration 110
Configure which interface to monitor for traffic 111
Set the number of CPU cores and the amount of memory QoE can use 111
Configure QoE thresholds 112
Packet Analysis Sensor agents 112
Poll devices with SolarWinds Orion agents 112
SolarWinds Orion agent requirements 113
Account Privileges 115
Agent port requirements 115
Agent resource consumption 118
Modify global agent deployment and update settings 118
Navigate to the Agent Settings page 118
Agent communication modes 119
Server-initiated communication 119
Agent-initiated communication 119
Deploy agents to nodes 120
Deploy an agent with the Add Node wizard 121
Deploy agents to monitored nodes 122
Deploy the agent manually to a Windows computer 123
Deploy an agent manually to a Linux-based computer 124
Mass deploy an agent on Windows using MST files and a Group Policy 125
Deploy agents on Linux-based computers through a repository 127
Deploy with a Gold Master Image 128
Deploy on Windows Core Servers 129
View agent connections and status, update agents, or manage agents 132
Choose a list of resources and statistics to monitor 132
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ADMINISTRATOR GUIDE: NETWORK PERFORMANCE MONITOR
Manage the agent as a new node 133
View installed agents details 133
Reboot the node the agent is installed on 133
Update the agent manually 133
Re-establish a connection to a agent using server-initiated communication 133
Edit agent settings 135
Track your polling method 136
View the status of agent plug-ins 137
Edit agent connection settings or reprovision the agent once deployed 138
Connect to or register a previously installed agent to modify connection or update settings 139
Change the agent port to match the open port on the Orion server 140
Change the agent communication mode on the remote node 141
Certificates and the agent 141
Monitor Syslog messages 142
Before you begin 142
Configure the SolarWinds Orion server to use the correct syslog port 142
Syslog message priorities 143
Syslog facilities 143
Syslog severities 143
View Syslog messages in the Orion Web Console 144
Define the number of messages displayed, message retention, and the displayed columns in the
Syslog Viewer 146
Clear Syslog messages in the Orion Web Console 146
View and clear Syslog messages in the Syslog Viewer 147
Search for Syslog messages in the Syslog Viewer 147
Trigger alerts when receiving specific Syslog messages 147
Forward syslog messages 149
Monitor SNMP traps 150
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