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SolarWinds Engineer's Toolset

SolarWinds Engineer's Toolset

Overview

What is SolarWinds Engineer's Toolset?

SolarWinds® Engineer’s Toolset (ETS) helps users monitor and troubleshoot a network with over 60 tools for network management. ETS allows users to monitor and receive alerts in real time on network availability and health, and perform network diagnostics for faster…

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Recent Reviews

TrustRadius Insights

SolarWinds Engineer's Toolset has become an indispensable tool for network engineers and administrators. Users rely on this versatile …
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Great monitoring tool!

9 out of 10
December 18, 2020
Incentivized
We use [SolarWinds Engineer's Toolset] on a regular basis to monitor our production database servers. It helps to identify issues, sends …
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Awards

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Pricing

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One Time Price

$1,585

On Premise
Per Instance

Entry-level set up fee?

  • No setup fee
For the latest information on pricing, visithttps://www.solarwinds.com/products/pri…

Offerings

  • Free Trial
  • Free/Freemium Version
  • Premium Consulting/Integration Services
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Product Details

What is SolarWinds Engineer's Toolset?

SolarWinds® Engineer’s Toolset (ETS) helps users monitor and troubleshoot a network with over 60 tools for network management. ETS allows users to monitor and receive alerts in real time on network availability and health, and perform network diagnostics for faster troubleshooting and resolution of complex network issues. With ETS users can deploy an array of network discovery tools including Port Scanner, Switch Port Mapper or advanced Subnet Calculator, manage Cisco® devices with specialized tools such as Real-time NetFlow Analyzer, Config Downloader, and Config Compare. SolarWinds Orion integration is offered to make troubleshooting a network easier and faster, allowing users to start tools contextually from any monitored element in Orion and significantly cut resolution time.

SolarWinds Engineer's Toolset Features

  • Supported: Network stress testing
  • Supported: Real time monitoring and alerting
  • Supported: Automated network discovery
  • Supported: Configuration and log management
  • Supported: IP address and DHCP scope monitoring

SolarWinds Engineer's Toolset Screenshots

Screenshot of Perform network stress tests with Engineer's Toolset WAN Killer. You don’t need to use real traffic for studying network activities, like testing traffic and load balancing. Instead, deploy Engineer's Toolset WAN Killer to help interactively test connections and adjust the IP traffic generated to achieve the desired network load based on your requirements.Screenshot of Quickly troubleshoot your network with enhanced ping capabilities and packet route tracing, among other network bandwidth usage and monitoring tools included in ETS.Screenshot of Using ETS, you can run scans to gain insight into how routers, hubs switches, and other devices are configured by analyzing SNMP queries and viewing MIB attributes. ETS is designed to help you more easily understand whether your network and ports are using appropriate settings.Screenshot of Config Compare, a part of ETS, is built to compare the running configuration of a Cisco router with the startup configuration. With the Cisco configuration compare tool, you can easily detect the changes made to the network, switch, and router configurations that are not committed to non-volatile memory (NVRAM).Screenshot of Manage your IP network from discovery to address tracking. Discover subnets on a seed router and scan the subnet or a range of IP addresses, generate a list of subnets along with their mask, size, range, and broadcast address and actively monitor subnets to identify and track which IP addresses are in use on your network.

SolarWinds Engineer's Toolset Video

Engineer's Toolset - Over 60 Must-Have Network Management and Troubleshooting Tools

SolarWinds Engineer's Toolset Integrations

SolarWinds Engineer's Toolset Competitors

SolarWinds Engineer's Toolset Technical Details

Deployment TypesOn-premise
Operating SystemsWindows, Windows Server® 2008 R2, 2008 R2 SP1, 2012, 2012 R2 or later, » SQL Server 2005 SP4, SQL 2008 without SP, 2008 SP1, 2008 SP2, 2008 SP3, SQL 2008 R2 without SP, 2008 R2 SP1, 2008 R2 SP2, SQL 2012, SQL 2012 SP1, SQL Server 2014, Block installation SQL 2005 SP1, SP2, SQL 2000 and MSDE
Mobile ApplicationNo
Supported CountriesGlobal
Supported LanguagesEnglish

SolarWinds Engineer's Toolset Downloadables

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Comparisons

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Reviews and Ratings

(55)

Community Insights

TrustRadius Insights are summaries of user sentiment data from TrustRadius reviews and, when necessary, 3rd-party data sources. Have feedback on this content? Let us know!

SolarWinds Engineer's Toolset has become an indispensable tool for network engineers and administrators. Users rely on this versatile software to react swiftly to problems detected in their SolarWinds Orion environment. One of the key use cases is during the setup of new networks, where the toolset is used for performing ping sweeps and subnet calculations. It also serves as an ad hoc utility for quick debugging of issues in customers' SolarWinds environment.

With SolarWinds Engineer's Toolset, users can perform basic checks like ping, SSH connectivity, and Telnet connectivity of devices directly from the SolarWinds Orion console. This eliminates the need for a larger management suite as it allows for on-demand scans of the network. Moreover, even junior engineers find value in this toolset as it enables them to gain hands-on experience without the risk of making larger changes. For setting up custom monitoring, the MIB walk tool is essential. Additionally, the toolset aids in stress testing and automatic device discovery on the network.

The benefits don't end there; SolarWinds Engineer's Toolset is also valuable for device configuration and log management. Customers make use of various features such as the MIB Browser, Config Uploader and Downloader, Ping, TraceRoute, network Port Mapper, MAC Scanner, and network discovery tool. Its versatility makes it applicable to several use cases including scanning and discovery, temporary monitoring, troubleshooting, and issue analysis.

Network engineers have found this toolset extremely useful when diagnosing and pinpointing network issues. It helps monitor production database servers by identifying issues, sending alerts, and providing access to historical data. By installing the toolset on a centrally located server, easy access is ensured for network engineers who are constantly tackling troubleshooting tasks. Its wide range of tools all in one central location makes it a troubleshooter's best friend.

Compared to native Windows tools or other SNMP tools available in the market, SolarWinds Engineer's Toolset offers improved features, including ping and port sweep, DNS tools, network discovery, and the especially helpful WAN Killer tool. It has proven to be a time-saving tool for network teams, saving them hours of engineering time. Whether it's setting up networks, debugging issues, or monitoring and troubleshooting, SolarWinds Engineer's Toolset has emerged as an essential companion for network professionals.

IP Address Management: Several users have found the product's IP address management feature to be very helpful for comparing Cisco configurations. This has made it easier for them to identify discrepancies and troubleshoot network issues.

Ping Sweep Functionality: The ping sweep functionality of the product has been particularly useful, with many reviewers mentioning that it allows them to quickly check the connectivity and availability of multiple devices on the network. This saves time and effort in troubleshooting.

Debugging Tools: Many users appreciate the debugging tools offered by the product, as they find it convenient to be able to perform tasks like ping, telnet, and SSH right from the console. This streamlined approach makes user management more efficient and enhances overall productivity.

Bandwidth Gauges Need Updating: Some users have expressed that the bandwidth gauges in the software need to be updated, as they feel that the current ones are not accurate or responsive enough.

Lack of Support for Debugging Commands and CLI Based Automation: Several reviewers have mentioned a need for more support for debugging commands and CLI based automation in the software, as they find the existing tools to be limited and insufficient for their needs.

Dated Appearance of User Interface in Some Tools: The user interface in some of the tools has been criticized by a number of users for its dated appearance. They feel that it lacks modern design elements and could benefit from a refresh to improve usability.

Attribute Ratings

Reviews

(1-11 of 11)
Companies can't remove reviews or game the system. Here's why
Jacob Garrett | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We use [SolarWinds Engineer's Toolset] mainly to react to problems that we detect from our SW Orion. When we set up ne networks its great for Ping sweep and the subnet calculator[.] We are a big users of the Cisco Config Viewer
  • Compare cisco configs
  • IP address management
  • Ping sweep
  • [The] Bandwidth gauges could use some updating
[SolarWinds Engineer's Toolset] helps you get to the RCA quicker and saves time guessing. You don't have to go to 20 different vendors to get the products
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
There are many features that this SolarWinds Engineer's Toolset provides. We use this toolset for stress testing on our network. We also use it for discovering devices on our network automatically. Also, and a huge one, keeping track of device configuration and log management. There is more [than] this toolset provides that we use within our [organization], but these are the main ones.
  • Network Discovery
  • Monitoring
  • Device Configuration Management
  • UI could be smoother
  • Integration
  • More features
SolarWinds Engineer's Toolset is well suited for any organization that wishes to gather more information about [its] network. When you have a small environment, this might not be as important. But, when you get to 20+ routers, multiple switches, and more, this toolset is great to keep track of what's going on.
Steven Tom | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We use quite a few of the tools in the toolkit. We use the MIB Browser, the Config Uploader and Downloader, Ping, TraceRoute, network Port Mapper, MAC Scanner, network discovery tool, etc. They've all solved their individual problems, but the fact that we have them all in a central location with any of the admins available to access makes troubleshooting and being proactive very handy.
  • Multitude of tools in one set.
  • Wide variety of uses for the kit.
  • Addresses proactivity and reactivity well.
  • I wish it looked a little better on the eyes. It looks a bit dated in some of the tools.
It's well suited for a wide variety of things just because there are so many tools included in the kit. You really have most everything you would need in troubleshooting or being proactive with everything included. To some it can seem overwhelming though based on the amount of things in one area though, so it does take some getting used to getting around and finding what you want before diving in to fully use it all.
Score 7 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Some of the modules included with the toolset are invaluable, such as the bandwidth interface monitors and other monitoring modules. It's useful to have locally installed software that engineers can use without the need to be logged into monitoring or jump servers, or rely solely on using the monitoring system.
  • interface monitoring
  • real time bandwidth monitoring
  • mib walk
  • outdated ui
  • refresh of features is needed
  • some tools should be EOL and new ones introduced
It's tricky to determine if you should recommend or not recommend the Engineer's Toolset because there are SolarWinds modules that might be already running on the monitoring system that people can use, however, the real time bandwidth monitoring and the ease of being able to run these tools locally on your machine instead of through a browser is definitely a win.
Nikhil Kumar Sharma | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
SolarWinds Engineer's Toolset is used in some of our customer's SolarWinds environment as an adhoc utility for quick debugging of some of the issues which requires user's to login manually on SolarWinds NMS servers and then test it. These toolsets helps suer to allow basic checks right from the SolarWinds orion console such as for ping check of the devices, SSH connectivity, Telnet connectivity of devices from SolarWinds NMS servers.
  • Debugging Tools
  • Saves Time for basic checks
  • Ping, Telnet, SSH right from the console and hence easy user management from console itself
  • Licensing structure
  • More debugging commands support
  • CLI based automation for script based checks
SolarWinds Engineer's Toolset is well suited in dynamic environments where monitoring teams and network teams requires to login to the server again and again for basic troubleshooting such as Ping Check, Telnet logging and SSH Logging. However most of the users just purchase this product but never use this since the way its licensing is designed is not cost effective.
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
SolarWinds Engineer's Toolset is used as an improved toolset for many common functions that exist otherwise in Windows but with greatly improved features over the native tools. The SNMP tools, ping and port sweep, and DNS tools are especially helpful. Network discovery and WAN Killer are tools that don't exist natively and are often especially useful.
  • The SNMP tools are great for discovering and troubleshooting monitoring issues.
  • DNS audit is great for validating existing records and discovering inaccuracies.
  • WAN Killer works well for testing out QoS and verifying the WAN circuits delivered are provisioned properly.
  • 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.
Overall the toolset is a great collection for a wide variety of needs. Some individual tools are the best I have seen and some could use some improvement to become best in class. The monitoring tools, specifically, could use some improvement. The unifying tool front-end is clunky and should be improved.
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
It is currently being used by a select number of engineers in the networking team. We use it for scanning and discovery, temporary monitoring, troubleshooting and issue analysis. More long term monitoring is done within our SolarWinds Orion server. It has been extremely useful in diagnosing and pinpointing network issues over the years.
  • Network Discovery.
  • Real-time monitoring.
  • Troubleshooting intermittent issues.
  • Slow to load individual components.
  • Not easily portable to new device.
  • Single user license model.
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.
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
SolarWinds Engineer's Toolset is an essential tool to have in my tool box. It allows me to run on-demand scans of the network without the overhead of adding to the larger management suite. The ease of use allows me to also let junior engineers get their hands dirty without the risk of larger changes. It was also essential to allow us to set up custom monitoring with the MIB walk tool.
  • MIB walks on SNMP objects
  • IP scan of network for discovery
  • Port scan
  • I think as a tool set, it is very solid. If you wanted more, you would be looking for npm or other management suite tools.
I would suggest this tool for discovery phase on network development. It made the basics much easier. The deployment is rather simple as long as you have SNMP values. If you are not authorized, it will cause some alarms within a security group. Overall a solid addition to any engineers tool box.
December 18, 2020

Great monitoring tool!

Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We use [SolarWinds Engineer's Toolset] on a regular basis to monitor our production database servers. It helps to identify issues, sends alerts and allows to see the historical data up to 2 weeks, which is helpful when you have to research the blocking that happened off hours. The monitoring system is very robust and useful in many ways. Also helps to tune the queries and monitor the instances. Highly recommended tool.
  • 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
  • Navigation could be better
  • Please, create the favorite instances links, custom made, that i can create for myself (for those servers that i check the most)
  • Create RDP button, so i can connect to the instance from the monitoring page
[SolarWinds Engineer's Toolset is] a great tool for monitoring database servers, highly recommended. The very good thing is that it keeps the history for two weeks, and you can see the time slice for all the server activities. Helps a lot to identify the memory and CPU bottlenecks, research blocking issues and kill the sessions, if necessary.
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We use the Engineer toolset across the Network Team. It assists us with many daily tasks saving hours of engineering time.
  • Ping sweeps
  • SNMP tools
  • IP tools including the IP calculator
  • Saving outputs in different forms
  • Walk through on some of the products
I use the IP tools primarily. Ping sweeps, IP calculators are always at my fingers, and SNMP tools are also time savers on setting up new devices and SNMP discovery.
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We currently have this installed on our network engineers 'Jumpbox,' server that is centrally located for all to use. This allows anyone to login and utilize the software to troubleshoot a vast array of issues, or even to simulate issues for proof of concept testing. With so many tools in the toolset, it is a troubleshooter's best friend.
  • Network Stress Tests.
  • Port mapping.
  • Open port checking.
  • MIB walking.
  • CPU/Memory monitoring.
  • User interface feels dated.
We have used it to test our SDWAN bandwidth during our initial rollout. The WAN Killer does just that, and you can see how much traffic your wan links can take. It has also been helpful in identifying open ports that we need to lock down to ensure we are achieving compliance with SOX, HIPAA, and PCI. This is a tool for network engineers, I can't see use cases for non-network related tasks.
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