Item: SolarWinds Engineer's Toolset
Rating: 9
Author: Verified User

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

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.

Pros and Cons

Network Stress Tests.
Port mapping.
Open port checking.
MIB walking.
CPU/Memory monitoring.

User interface feels dated.

Return on Investment

Time to resolution has been reduced.

Alternatives Considered

SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor (npm), SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager (NCM) and SolarWinds IP Address Manager (IPAM)

SolarWinds NPM and NCM use a lot of the tools available in the toolset. This is a nice combo of the two with a little bit of IPAM thrown in. I would say the toolset is geared more toward the field engineer, that will be doing work that may sever communications to the rest of the network. That said, we keep finding new uses for it.

Support Rating

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

Key Insights

Do you think SolarWinds Engineer's Toolset delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with SolarWinds Engineer's Toolset's feature set?

Yes

Did SolarWinds Engineer's Toolset live up to sales and marketing promises?

Yes

Did implementation of SolarWinds Engineer's Toolset go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy SolarWinds Engineer's Toolset again?

Yes

Other Software Used

SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor (npm), SolarWinds IP Address Manager (IPAM), SolarWinds VoIP & Network Quality Manager (VNQM)

Likelihood to Recommend

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.

Products Replaced

Key Differentiators

Price
Product Features
Vendor Reputation

Usability Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
Like to use Relatively simple Easy to use Well integrated Consistent Quick to learn Convenient Feel confident using Familiar	Requires technical support

Easy Tasks

MIB Walker
NetFlow Configurator
WanKiller

Mobile Interface Availability and Impressions

Usability

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

Must have network tools.

Overall Satisfaction with SolarWinds Engineer's Toolset