Cisco Nexus Dashboard vs. LinkRunner AT Network AutoTester

Nexus Dashboard is a vital tool for Cisco data center Nexus deployments, in my opinion. By utilizing multiple applications in the suite, a business can utilize orchestration, monitor services and traffic, test deployment scenarios, verify upgrade processes and readiness, etc. The capabilities of the system can allow for SAN MDS controls, traditional Nexus NXOS integration, and/or essential ACI tools

All network administrators would be able to find a use for this tool in their environment. It allows people from outside of the networking industry to capture data required for a quick diagnosis. Things that typically would require me to be onsite for diagnosis can now be handed to Tier 1 techs for data collection and reporting. Since moving toward cable certification, we've experienced an almost unbelievably low level of cable failure. When it does happen, though, there is no guessing. Our Fluke units tell us what the problem is and where.

Incentivized

• It is a flexible tool that helps streamline and facilitate the development of new services.
• Ideal for automating tasks such as network modification, configuration, and removal, which provides great time savings.
• Ensures services without interruption and without difficult scheduling.
• It has a simple user interface and excellent support, made up of several providers.
• It facilitates the administration of managed services.

Incentivized

• Identify the exact switchport a given line is plugged in to.
• View the length and viability of any category or fiber optic cable.
• It acts as a premade packet capture device, simple enough to walk someone through deploying while I'm offsite.
• In the event LLDP based identification of a port fails, it has the ability to blink a switchport allowing for manual identification.

Incentivized

• With the latest version release of Cisco Nexus Dashboard to version 3.0.1 I can say that most of the features have already improved but one of the wishlists that I want for ND is the possibility of extracting lists of Anomaly.
• Include older versions of Firmware in the list of choices when doing the firmware upgrade analysis, currently only the recommended is in the list of choices.
• If possible, include all the prechecks in the Firmware pre-upgrade analysis same in the script provided by Cisco.

• Price. There is no other device on the market with the AT's feature set. Fluke knows it and charges accordingly.
• The addition of bluetooth or a USB slot for a keyboard would be handy for certain functions.
• The PC based remote connection process is old, and is one of the places where the OS shows it's age.

Incentivized

For the end user, it is relatively easy to use. However, some training and practice is a must because the NSO is not as straightforward as the traditional router CLI. For the administrator, Cisco Network Service Orchestrator (NSO) is just like another program running on the Linux system--there is no big difference.

Incentivized

Great and effective automation functionalities and the tools on network security management are the best and easy data reports building. Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller feature for the network monitoring and easy management of various services and even offers the best analytics and also powerful integration tools for easy data migration.

The Cisco Nexus Series switches perform admirably in our blended distributed system. We have been dealing with any of these sorts of switches for over 5 years and have been exceptionally happy with their functionality. Several of our other computer networks in our data rooms have proved effective with Cisco equipment. Because of the simplicity of maintenance and the high quality of technical support provided by Cisco representatives, there is a high level of trust in these switches.

Incentivized

There is little to no competition in this field. If you need to do any type of advanced network monitoring/identification (or use 10G) then you're going to own a Fluke. While Ideal does have a couple of devices that appear to be the closest competitor, the differences are still extremely evident.

Incentivized

The platform is very well done, and to date, I have had no complaints about the implementation of the platform and no security issues or vulnerabilities. Cisco in all its product releases new versions to resolve security issues or bugs that appear on the platform, this is a big plus.

• Bit pricey.
• Need to be purchased with vendor support. As far as I know, now support other vendors.
• It's upgrade from DCNM and worth looking into.
• It's still evolving and may need minor cosmetic adjustment
• Easy to create and maintain vxlan and non vxlan fabrics.

Incentivized

• Drastic decrease in diagnosis time.
• The certainty coming from the diagnostic process with the Fluke leads to less guessing and quicker fixes.
• With multiple departments involved in the process of connecting devices to the network, the Fluke helps us to quickly certify a switch closet worth of cable and create error free documentation.

Incentivized