LinkRunner AT Network AutoTester vs. SolarWinds Engineer's Toolset

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

I have found the toolset especially useful for scanning subnets to discover devices, and for setting up temporary real-time monitors when we are troubleshooting or setting up new connections. The most useful aspect has been the ability to apply the tools to help troubleshoot and pinpoint intermittent issues. More general tools like Orion often do not have the granularity to detect issues like intermittent packet loss which are especially impactful to applications like Voice. The toolset gives us another level of capability to dig into issues.

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

• Various monitoring
• Stores history
• Suggests indices
• Helps to find the SQL query text
• Helps to see what machines/users the bad queries are coming from
• Shows current blocking session

Incentivized

• 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

• The unifying component that is intended to be the initial interface to the tools seems clunky. I prefer to start the tools individually rather than using it.
• The port scanner could use some improvements to make it easier to use.

Incentivized

Very easy to use and intuitive. Just be careful with the WAN Killer...it does what it says.

Incentivized

Our organization uses it regularly. It is reliable, and we keep finding new uses for it

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

I haven't compared any tools similar to SolarWinds Engineer's Toolset. This might be because I'm pretty biased when it comes to monitoring, and reporting solutions. I've found that SolarWinds provides the biggest bang for the buck in my opinion. I'm sure there are other solutions on the market that compete, but I haven't tried any of them because I've been very satisfied with SolarWinds.

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

• Spend less time downloading free buggy tools
• All the tools in one spot, so you don't have to look around for tools
• Get to the solution sooner

Incentivized