Dealing with a large network, especially if it is distributed over a large geographic area, can be difficult. There are a wide array of tools available on the market today to try to alleviate the problems associated with this, and SolarWinds’ Orion Performance Pack is one pre-packaged solution that gives you everything you need right out of the box. The tools are easy to get started with, so much so that you should be up and running in under an hours’ worth of time of setting it up.
The Performance Pack is three applications in one under the Orion family of products: Network Performance Monitor, Netflow Traffic Analyzer and IP SLA Manager. To understand the importance of all three parts, let’s briefly go over the key elements that make this pack so useful.
The Network Performance Monitor can give you an overview of your entire network. It provides a dynamic network map that can show you the links between your various sites. Regardless of device manufacturer, all of your network components can be easily displayed from this screen.
The Netflow Traffic Analyzer shows you how your network is being used and breaks down traffic by domains. This can be helpful in pinpointing where problematic flows are coming from, and can allow administrators to lock down certain domains or users. In this way, it’s possible to resolve problems with bandwidth that would otherwise require capital expenditures.
And lastly, the IP SLA Manager allows you to keep monitor an eye on WAN performance across your network. Want to know how long it takes for DNS to resolve? Need to be able to investigate why your hosted web app is running so slow? Using Cisco IP SLA technology that can be easily turned on, you can answer these questions.
Also, the information provided within Orion can be broken down using maps and graphs as well, giving you a nice visual interface. Need to see more? This video gives you screenshots and an overview of the Performance Pack. You can also get a free 30-day trial with all the functionality of the full version to see how effective this suite can be for you. So check it out right now.