Frequently Asked Questions About Engineer's Toolset

   Can Toolset monitor NetFlow?

   Yes, the NetFlow Real-time tool captures and analyzes Cisco NetFlow data in real time to show you what kind of traffic is traveling through the network, where it's coming from, and where it's going. With the NetFlow Real-time tool, you can display inbound and outbound traffic separately for granular analysis and troubleshooting. You can even view the last 5 to 60 minutes of flow data broken out by applications, conversation, domains, endpoints, and protocols. That way you know exactly how your bandwidth is being used and by whom.

   How does Toolset collect data?

  SolarWinds Toolset applications use several methods to collect data about the health and performance of your network, including ICMP, SNMPv3, DNS and Syslog. Toolset does NOT require deployment of proprietary agents, appliances, or garden gnomes on the network.

   How does Toolset store data?

  As network engineers use Toolset applications to gather diagnostic data from the network (e.g., in troubleshooting performance issues), this information is automatically stored in an embedded Access database for further analysis and reporting.

   What is the difference between Toolset NPM and Orion?

   While Engineer's Toolset provides detailed statistics collection for analysis, troubleshooting, and diagnostics, the embedded database is not intended for long-term monitoring of networks with more than 500 network elements and has a 2GB limit on stored data.

If you have a larger network and/or require data retention longer than 30 days, we highly recommend upgrading to Orion Network Performance Monitor (Orion NPM). Orion NPM is the perfect complement to Toolset's realtime network analysis and diagnostic capabilities. Orion NPM provides support for thousands of interfaces, virtually unlimited storage using a Microsoft SQL database backend, and includes a web-based interface to allow you and your entire team access to network availability and both realtime and historical statistics.

   What is the difference between Toolset Cisco Config Tools and Cirrus?

   Toolset Cisco Config Tools are focused on realtime configuration and troubleshooting of Cisco devices. Cirrus extends Toolset’s realtime configuration management capabilities with multi-vendor device support, fully automated backup, realtime change detection with rollback, and policy management capabilities.

   What is the difference between Toolset NetFlow Realtime and Orion NTA?

   NetFlow Realtime is intended for granular, real-time troubleshooting and analysis of NetFlow statistics on single interface and is limited to a 1 hour capture. Orion NTA complements NetFlow Realtime with long-term historical analysis of NetFlow data (e.g., go back to a point in time when network issues occurred and perform analysis). Orion NTA also can monitor multiple routers simultaneously to give you a comprehensive view of traffic flow and bandwidth usage across your environment. For example, you might use Orion NTA to diagnose a network congestion issue on your network and then use NetFlow Realtime to perform detailed analysis and troubleshooting on a specific router interface.