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Orion NCM FAQ
What is Orion NCM?
Orion NCM, formerly Cirrus Configuration Manager, is a comprehensive, intuitive solution designed to streamline and automate network configuration management. Orion NCM offers Orion NPM integration, a website, and more, including all the previous features of Cirrus.
Can I download more than one configuration file at a time?
Yes. Select multiple devices from the Node List by using the shift and ctrl keys, or selecting a group. Right click and select Download Configs. Choose the type of configuration to download and any "after download" actions, and then click Download. The configs will be downloaded from selected nodes simultaneously.
Can I upload just a few lines of a configuration instead of the entire configuration file?
Yes. To upload only one line or selection of lines, highlight the lines and then right click and select Upload Selected Lines. For more detailed instructions, please refer to Uploading Configuration Changes in Chapter 4 of the Orion NCM Admin Guide.
Why do I receive a message prompting me to upgrade when I try to launch TraceRoute, IP Network Browser or MIB Browser?
These tools are part of the SolarWinds Toolset. The Toolset can be purchased and will need to be installed on the same system running Orion NCM server. Also, installing the Toolset on computers which access the Orion NCM Web Console allows you to telnet, take advantage of terminal services, and other tools launched directly from viewing nodes in the Web Console. For information regarding Toolset, please visit this link: http://www.solarwinds.com/products/toolsets.
How do I group devices so that I can roll out a config to part of the network?
Devices can be grouped a number of different ways. First, devices can be grouped by node group. To assign a group to a device, edit the device's details by double clicking the device in the Node List. Then edit the node group field to assign the group. The Node List can also be grouped by almost any other node detail, such as location. To group the Node List by another category, right click anywhere in the Node List and click select fields and grouping. Change the grouping dropdown to the category desired and click OK to save the changes.
What types of equipment does Orion NCM work with?
Orion Network Configuration Manager supports many types of network devices from many hardware vendors. Device command templates for Cisco, Foundry, Dell, HP Juniper, Motorola, Arris and many others are included.
How do I integrate Orion NCM with Orion NPM?
Orion NCM provides a separately installable integration component that adds a number of configuration-based resources to the Orion Web Console. You can find this integration component in your installation package.
Can I import nodes from Orion NPM into Orion NCM?
Yes. Select Import Devices from the File menu to start the import process. For detailed instructions on how to import devices from an Orion NPM database, please refer to Importing Nodes in Chapter 3 of the Orion NCM Admin Guide.
Can I import nodes from Engineer's Toolset to Orion NCM?
Yes. Select Import Devices from the File menu to start the import process. For detailed instructions on how to import devices from an Engineer's Toolset database, please refer to Importing Devices in Chapter 3 of the Orion NCM Admin Guide.
Can Orion NCM configure a router through the serial interface/console cable?
Yes. If the device connected through the serial interface/console cable is referenced by a unique IP address, then Orion NCM can communicate with the connected device. You simply need to change the Terminal Server Support value within the Device Details to Yes.
Can Orion NCM run on the same server as Orion NPM?
Yes. Orion NCM is designed to be fully compatible with all SolarWinds software, including Orion NPM.
Can Orion NCM share a database with Orion NPM?
No. The Orion NCM and Orion NPM database structures are significantly different. However, nodes can easily be imported from the Orion NPM database. For detailed instructions on how to import devices from an Orion NPM database, please refer to Importing Devices in the Orion NCM Admin Guide.
Can the Orion NCM database reside on the same SQL Server as the Orion NPM database?
Yes. Orion NCM and Orion NPM both have the ability to use remote databases. This means that the same SQL server can host both the Orion NPM and Orion NCM databases assuming the server is capable of handling the load of multiple databases.
Can Orion NCM run on UNIX?
No. SolarWinds software is designed to run exclusively on Microsoft® Windows® platforms.